European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 20, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                No monday May 20, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 3pilot endured 8 Days of Captivity air Force Cross and other medals culminate ordeal by Randy Pruitt staff writer Hahn a Germany a capt. Bill Andrews did no to have time to be scared a heat seeking missile had just ripped through his f-16 Over Southern Iraq. The fighter Jet spun out of control Orange flames dancing wildly above the cockpit canopy. Andrews grabbed the ejection seat lever shut his eyes tightly and pulled. A few Quick heartbeats later he was suspended in air. Floating Down he saw a Sweet dreams a the $15 million plane with the painting of the Bikini Clad girl burning on the ground. Sweet dreams definitely were not made of this. It was the afternoon of feb. 27. Only hours later a cease fire would be declared effectively ending the War. A a a a a a a. A a a a a a. Not soon enough for Andrews who had flown 34 similar bombing missions unscathed. Now he would Drift Down amid the very Guys he had just been trying to blow up. A he did no to look Forward to the meeting. Over the next eight Days the lanky 32-year-old aviator would be shot at blindfolded and tortured during interrogations and locked in solitary confinement. At one Point he would be abandoned by his captors and from a shallow iraqi Bunker witness a hellish coalition artillery barrage known by the enemy As a Iron  he would endured it All with a broken leg. Andrews survived though and returned to Hahn a his Home base for nearly two years. On monday Gen. Robert c. Oaks commander of the . Air forces in Europe is presenting him with the air Force Cross for exceptional heroism an Honor second Only to the medal of Honor. He will also receive the pow medal and purple heart. A a it a a decoration i never dreamed i would receive a said Andrews the father of two. A i was faced with some Tough situations but i Felt like any of the Guys i trained with or went to War with would do the same thing if they a been in my  Andrews who must undergo physical therapy before he can return to the cockpit said he is Uncertain if he broke his right leg when he ejected or when he landed in the Middle of a Republican guard infantry unit. While Andrews maintained radio Contact with members of his flight team two iraqi soldiers armed with ak-47s popped up. A they were running and shooting a he said. A i had a .38 in my survival Vest but i Wasny to about to whip that  Andrews continued communicating with his flight warning them that surface to air missiles were being launched and to take evasive action. Angry iraqis blasted his radio to bits then turned their weapons on his survival kit. They took his gun pocketed his wrist watch and tossed him into a jeep. They spent the next several hours shuttling him from one command Post to the next. A i was surprised by the treatment of soldiers during the whole time a he said. A i expected some pretty Good beatings because they had been sitting there getting hit for six weeks. They made a Point of telling me about their islamic Law that they were Good muslims that they treated prisoners a certain way.�?�. A few of the soldiers weren to so highly principled during his Captivity however. They stepped Forward r. A. ,. A. Ass Randy Pruitt capt. Bill Andrews a pow during the Gulf War is thankful to be Back at his Home base Hahn a Germany. And slugged Andrews in the face. Other soldiers intervened each time and stopped the beatings he said. Shortly after his capture Andrews was fed a meal of dates and Rice. Iraqi soldiers then put him Back in the jeep and started toward Basra dodging Allied bombs. Several Miles away the vehicle broke Down and had to be towed Back to the Camp. The iraqis put Andrews inside a dugout Bunker for the night. Following his instructions the soldiers helped him make a Bamboo splint for his aching leg which reminded him of a a dropped thermos with the Glass sloshing  Andrews said he was amazed to see what the soldiers had brought with them to the Camp. It a a they had to sets in the Middle of the desert and no electrical Power couches chairs shelves and lamps a he said. Some time in the Middle of the night the soldiers packed up and bugged out. In the process they apparently forgot about Andrews. Andrews made himself a hiding place behind some abandoned junk rigged a White Flag from a sack and began his wait for the advancing . Army. Later an artillery barrage began followed by spectacular sky show of multiple launch rockets. A flying there i thought a this must be been what no Many a land Felt like in world War  it so tended incredible a he said. Iraqi troops beat the americans to the area first and began to systematically search the Camp. A mustachioed Captain and a lieutenant found Andrews a they were probably As surprised As i was a he said. A they were looking Down at me i was looking up at them. Neither one said anything for five minutes.�?�. A a. A a. A a. V a a Ameriee a one finally uttered. They spoke Good English. They told him the War was Over. Andrews asked that they take him to Kuwait they took him to Baghdad instead. He ended up blindfolded inside what appeared to be a private residence. He smelled food cooking. Someone ordered him to open his Mouth and shoved a potato inside. Shortly afterwards they tied him to a chair and began the interrogation. The. Voices wanted to know about his plane the locations of his base the number of sorties flown and other Mission details. When he refused to answer they slammed him in the head with what Felt like a steel Hammer. He saw stars. They applied a burning cigarette to his fingertips. Finally he was transported to the prison. About 15 cells lined the Dank Cellblock each barred door Cov cred with a Blanket. The guards told him no one else was there and ordered him to remain silent. He soon discovered lie Wasny to alone. He had two army two Marine and three British pos for company. Tor the next three Days when guards would leave for the night a they shared information they traded stones they complained about the food. I knew Gen. Schwarzkopf and president Bush were going to do everything they could to get us out of there a Andrews said. A but Possession is nine Points nine tenths of the Law. I was worried about spending some unbelievable amount of time As a hostage a one morning he awoke to hear English in the hallway. Things began happening fast. He and the other prisoners were taken to a Baghdad hotel and turned Over to the red Cross. Soon he was airborne leaving Iraq crossing Back into what Andrews Calls a Good Guy  suddenly two f-15s of the Tiger Squadron from Pitburg Germany pulled up on their wings. A when we saw those Guys we were so Happy. Everybody was Yelling and screaming and giving the Pilot the thumbs up a Andrews said. Quot tie pilots were smiling and waving Back to us. Everybody was re eyed. We knew we Weie  3rd army div keeping 5,000 in Kuwait Frankfurt Germany a amps some 5,000 troops from the 3rd army div will remain in Kuwait until the 11th army Cav regt arrives next month a v corps spokesman said sunday. The seven Germany based units Are he 1st brigade from Kirch Gons the 3rd in 5th Cav regt 1st brigade from Kirch Gons the 2nd in 67th army regt 3rd brigade from Friedberg 4th in 67th army regt 3rd brigade from Friedberg the 2nd in 3rd Field arty regt from Kirch Gons the 23rd engr. In from Hanau and the 54th Forward support in from Friedberg. Small groups of soldiers from other units will also augment the composite brigade in Kuwait said it. Col. Dick m. Bridges the v corps spokesman. The United states is complying with a request from the kuwaiti government to keep a brigade sized . Element in the emirate for several More months to provide general Security and help reconstitute Kuwait a military forces. On Friday defense Secretary Dick Cheney ordered the 11th army Cav regt from Fulda Germany to deploy to Kuwait. Elements of three of the regiment s squadrons Are expected to be in place by mid june and stay until at least sept. I Pentagon officials said. I he 3rd army dives. Composite brigade will return to Germany As soon As possible after the regiments arrival in Kuwait Bridges said