European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 23, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday april 23. 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 312th aviation brigade Back Safe sound just the fear of All of a sudden the use rounds were dropping around them that they ran he said. The iraqi air defense systems along with the soldiers Manning them could be seen by the american pilots when they attacked the As Salman Airfield Intrau but there was Only one report of return fire Gibson said. A it was almost As if they were afraid to fire Back at us. And perhaps wisely so because anything that fired Back at you was going destroyed Quot Gibson said. A we basically did everything our unit would Ever have to do and we did every one of even before the ground War started i was absolutely elated because i Felt my unit would continue to be successful. We were pretty much operating with impunity out on the night before the ground War started Black Hawks accompanied by apaches flew several surveillance teams about 135 Miles into Iraq just South of the euphrates River. Gibson said the difficulty Wasny to in dropping off the surveillance teams. A it s a phenomenal accomplishment to go Back and find somebody in the dark on a near moonless night and Fly right to them. It really makes your heart pump with Pride when you see that kind of thing Quot Gibson a it a real challenging to go Back and find them in the desert. Most of the desert we operated in was like Tulve top of a table. There a no terrain the 12th aviation brigade sat out the first two Days of the ground War. However a Convoy of to vehicles moved out of the Assembly area on i be. 25 and joined the aircraft at the brigade Forward operating base in Iraq on feb. 27. From its base the brigade flew company and Battal Ion size units to and from a Point above the euphrates River some 70 Miles North of Basra. Their Mission was to secure a Highway. On the night of feb. 27, the 5th so 6th Cav regt received a Mission to assist the 24th inf div which had an encounter with Republican guard tank forces. They were in position the next morning to engage those tank forces when the cease fire was announced. A literally with their hands on the trigger ready to fire they were stopped a Gibson said. The response soldiers was mixed according to i think on part of the attack Crews they were glad that the War had ended a he said a but they were probably a Little disappointed that they did no to get to fight anymore than they chocolate chips hello Sandy pecans by Janet Howells Tierney design several new camouflage patterns. A a it a not 100 percent the right color for the Supply system started experiencing a Washington Bureau the two teams tested the visibility of that area a he said. A but we Are trying to Stock deficit for the old uniforms. We Washington a the chocolate the desert camouflage designs in Day get something that will match a blend of Quot thought is was a Good time to surface the chips in the . Military desert Camou Light in the dark with night Scopes and worldwide backgrounds. We can to afford to new camouflage in october and the Mili Flage uniform soon will melt into obscure under infrared Light colors that could be make 10 different uniforms for 10 different tary agreed. So production was started in to in favor of Sandy pecans. Detected were eliminated Lomba said. mediately Quot troops assigned to operation desert a we done to design anything for one before operation desert storm uni the new uniforms started trickling into storm dubbed the uniform a chocolate place but the six color camouflage was forms using numerous new camouflage unit Supply depots in mid March and now chips because of the Black and dark More for a painted desert like you a find patterns were sent to the army infantry they Are flooding the Supply pipelines Brown spots used to break up the shades in Russia Asia or Yuma Arizona a said school for Field soldiers de Lomba said. Army officials said that no of Light Tan. But the new uniform already George Orlicki director of combat Congi tided which one they liked the Best a Wear out Date for the sex Ocolor desert uni beginning to arrive at unit Supply depots Neering for the Belvoir research lab. Lomba said. A the actual selection was form has been set but the new one will be uses Only Tan Khaki and Light Brown. A a there Are different deserts All Over their phased in when old supplies Are exhausted. The change was prompted by reviews the world so we looked for a Happy me mass production of the new desert uni the new uniforms also incorporate of the desert uniform just before the . Drum a he said. Form was not expected to begin until the changes pushed through in August by Gen. Deployment to the Gulf said Rosemary one determining Factor in the Camou 10 to12-year Supply of the old design was h. Norman Schwarzkopf commander of Lomba the chief clothing designer at the Flage design is the american military a depleted she said. However the deploy . Forces in the Middle last. The general army a research development and in worldwide Mission and where future a mint of More than 550,000 troops to the said padding in the Collar Knees elbows Gine ering Center in Natick mass. Fol Nevers May occur. The Middle East is sex Middle East changed All that. And seat of the old uniform added in necks lowing those reviews. The lab joined with petted to continue to be a world a hot a the demand for the old uniforms went sary weight. The padding was removed in the fort Belvoir research development spot Quot so the colors chosen reflect the bar from about 6,000 to around 1,5 million the new design. Plans also Are in the works and engineering Center in Virginia to Ren saudi arabian desert Orlicki said. Each month Quot Lomba said. Quot in september to test four lighter fabric fined discharged after hunger strikes Riyadh saudi Arabia a amps a a the Central come Legal office. The West Point graduate and new Ger during either hunger strike Shewan flight surgeon who staged two hunger the 525,000 Fine is intended to re York native began seeking a discharge As said. Strikes to protest the persian Gulf War i Burse the government for the Cost of a conscientious objector in november. Wiggins refused to work As a flight sur has been fined $25,000 and dismissed Wiggins training Shewan said. He began a hunger strike nov. 30, she Geon while he was deployed. However he from the army. A i feel great a Wiggins was quoted As wan said and was deployed to the per did work As an administrative officer for or. Capt David Wiggins 28, of the 2nd saying by the Dallas times Herald. A a it a Sian Gulf on dec. 17. His unit a Public affairs spokesman said. In 158th aviation regt from fort Hood like a tremendous Burden has been lifted Wiggins ended his first hunger strike on Wiggins will remain on Active duty in Texas was convicted in a court martial last from dec. 27 after being ordered to eat the saudi Arabia until his Case is reviewed by week of conduct unbecoming an officer Wiggins was not confined during any spokesman said. He resumed the hunger the commander of the army Central failure to perform duties and disobedience portion of the court martial process she strike Jan. 13 and ended it voluntarily five come. His Case May also be reviewed by said maj. James Shewan a spokesman for wan said. Days later. Wiggins health was not in Dan the court of military review. By Ron Mckinney staff writer Wiesbaden a Germany a the 12th aviation brigade returned from seven months in the persian Gulf without a single War casualty or serious training injury. A a a a a a the brigade commander Hopes to maintain that record at Home As the soldiers Are reintroduced to automobiles alcohol and families. A a we re focusing on things that May get the Soldier into trouble a said col. Emmitt e. Gibson the brigade commander. The unit returned to Wiesbaden a last month from operation desert storm where it was attached to the xviii airborne corps. In addition to being concerned about drinking and driving Gibson said the soldiers return to their families is High on his list. To integrate the Soldier Back into the family the brigade decided to require Normal working hours the first week Back at Wiesbaden rather than letting them go on leave immediately and spend 24 hours a Day with their families. A the initial thought was a lets give them some time off right that May have been the toughest thing in the part of re establishing family relationships if we did that a Gibson said. Even before the unit left saudi Arabia the army began telling the soldiers that their spouses might have changed and that they themselves had changed during the deployment Gibson said. A the individuals who make up the nucleus of that family Are different a the colonel said. A when these two people come together to reunite that family there is the possibility there May be hard times if people done to approach this a after tending to a week of administrative and other in processing duties the soldiers were offered two week blocks of leave As a unit. After they return the commander will tackle the hurdle of challenging the soldiers when they revert to their Normal Mission As v corps aviation brigade a if you re hot careful and Don t make training very challenging there will be somewhat of a letdown a Gibson the brigade the beginning of the War Jan.17 was marked by a 450-mile move to an Assembly area just South of the iraqi Border near Rafha. The relocation involved 350 vehicles 100 helicopters and 1,500 sol Dicks. A a. A v a. A a a it does no to sound like much to get in your car and a. A a. ,. A amps Dave Didina col. Emmitt e. Gibson commander of the 12th aviation brigade discusses its return after a seven month deployment to the persian Gulf. Drive 450 Miles but if you try to move a Large Force like that where there a no infrastructure then its a significant accomplishment a Gibson said. On feb 18, six Days before the ground War started elements of the brigade began flying nightly missions into Iraq to soften the defences of an enemy infantry division. A a a. A a a a. A Quot a a. A what we discovered was that whenever we would fire they would not return fire at us a Gibson said. A Twete not sure if they could see us. A lot of times when we fired at them they would abandon their vehicles and run or abandon whatever they were on and go into a foxhole or because the Apache helicopters were firing from three to four Miles away the iraqi soldiers May not have even heard them Gibson said. A it May have been
