European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 15, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Gen. Garner sought to Foster Tranquillity thursday August 15, 1991 the stars and stripes b Page 3mcomfort by Chuck Roberts staff writer Frankfurt Germany not even the army gets a second Chance to make a first impression. That a Why maj. Gen. Jay m. Garner kept a tight rein on his troops while they worked with civilian Relief organizations during operation provide Comfort. A we were breaking new ground with the use of military forces a Garner said of the Effort to bring Relief and safety to iraqi kurd after their failed attempt to overthrow Saddam Hussein a government. Garner was commander of joint task Force Bravo which secured the safety zone in Northern Iraq for the kurd. His policy was to use Force Only As a last resort. If the army had appeared eager to pick a fight with the iraqis Garner said the Relief agencies would probably Point to them and say a a that a just the Damn military again using this As an umbrella to go in and beat up but despite the Low profile maintained by the soldiers it still took time for the civilians to warm up to their military counterparts said Garner Deputy commander of v corps. The general said the Relief agencies and the military complemented each other. Although civilian organizations can be slow getting established in an area Garner said Speed is the military a Forte. A i think the military is a great precursor to any kind of operation like that be w. Were breaking new ground with the use of military forces a a it Gen. Jay m. Garner cause we can instantly stabilize it and instantly begin to solve it until All these other great people get organized a Garner said at his office in the Abrams Complex in Frankfurt. Garner said the 14,000 nato service members under his command helped Foster Good relations by keeping their Cool in a a highly charged area where there were 15 recorded instances of iraqis firing on Allied forces. One of those instances was related to garners most vivid memory of Iraq. It began with the death of a popular . Paratrooper from injuries sustained when be stepped on a land mine. The memorial service held the next Day included a Eulogy a Soldier singing two songs and comments from two of the dead soldiers friends. None of the soldiers could finish because they began crying. Garner said he and the other 500 soldiers attending the service also began left the ceremony to demand that an iraqi general order his soldiers to Stop incidents of isolated shootings so the me Sas Dave Casey maj. Gen. Jay m. Garner discusses the role . Troops played in Northern Iraq. Morial service would not have to be re rated. The iraqi general blamed the problems on poor communications and Lousy soldiers but he offered a solution that shocked Garner. A the said a lets get in your helicopter and Well Fly out to the unit. You loan me your pistol and ill shoot three of them to show them what la happen to them. If you wont loan me your pistol ill just Cut their a Garner said that incident made him most aware of the differences Between the two Milit Aries. He said he expects the safety zone that he helped secure in Northern Iraq to be stable for a abut Garner said stability depends on a the ability of the kurd to control a How soon the iraqi army returns to the area. If a Small number of troops return there could be hostility he said. If few troops return the kurd could attack the iraqis. Go s mom not surprised at How son died by Rosemary Sawyer staff writer Bonnie Howard did no to need military officials to Tell her that . Soldiers had accidentally killed her son Aaron during the persian Gulf War. She said she knew already. A quite frankly because of the letters that i had received from Aaron i Wasny to at All surprised a the Mother of the 20-year-old Soldier said wednesday. Pfc. Aaron Howard died feb. 26 when the my 13 armoured personnel Carrier he was driving was accidentally hit by fire from . Troops in the confusion of a nighttime Battle with iraqi Republic guard soldiers. The Pentagon confirmed tuesday that the incident in which Howard was killed involved Friendly fire. Bonnie Howard cited letters she received from her son talked of How afraid troops were and How he thought such fear could Lead to a desperate his letters also expressed his reservations about whether they had been trained Well enough Howard said from her Home near grand rapids Mich. A i quite frankly think he had a feeling of impending doom a Howard said. In one letter the Soldier with co a 82nd engr in wrote a a in a listening to a compilation tape with eve of destruction on it. It seems like an appropriate musical Choice with where in a she Learned after his death that he had named the personnel Carrier he drove a Janis a after �?T60s Rock Star Janis Joplin who died of a drug overdose. Howard said her son wrote even More candidly about his fears in letters to his Girlfriend. For example he wrote of performing min sweeping and not feeling As if he knew what he was doing she said. His letters indicated that he thought his training was inadequate for the Job. Howard said she believes Aaron died in a War thei quite frankly think he had a feeling of impending doom a Bonnie Howard Mother of pfc. Aaron Howard United states should not have been in. A i was never for the War a Howard said. A i was against it from the Start and i can to see that it was much of a Victory quite Howard wondered too if the Friendly fire that killed her son could have been avoided. Along with Aarons telling letters Howard said her suspicions were confirmed Early on when she talked to soldiers in Bamberg Germany where Aaron was stationed. Howard flew to Germany in late june at her own expense because she wanted to meet Aarons fellow soldiers and friends she said. A most of his closest friends were German a Howard said. She said he called the time that he had been in Germany a the Best year of his life and in a glad for during her 10-Day visit Howard said she talked to almost everyone who was in Aarons unit which was attached to the 2nd army Cav regt during the War. A they were All pretty much of the opinion that they wish they Hadnot been there in the Gulf War Quot Howard said noting that Aaron clearly shared that thought. The military must have kit re porters away from people with this opinion Howard said. Aaron was a quite articulate and could have talked to reporters but i suppose they did no to want people to hear those types of the fact that her son was so opposed to War was what made his death hardest to accept Howard said. A the fact that he died one Way or another really had Little to do with her voice cracking with emotion Howard recalled a remark she made before Aaron died a it just seems to me the people who least want to be involved in something Are usually the ones who make the Overall Howard said she had received a a kind treatment from army officials adding that she was invited to Washington to participate in june a Victory Celebration. Howard said she Wasny to upset that it took the army nearly six months to confirm what she suspected. A a what a the difference a she said a it does no to change things. It does no to bring him having watched a broadcast of tuesdays Pentagon briefing on Friendly fire Howard said she did not understand Why names were not released. A they did no task me whether i wanted the name released or not a she said adding that perhaps some families feared the revelation would cause their loved ones to be viewed As a less Howard said she hoped that information revealed about the Friendly fire incidents would cause people to recognize the nature of War and learn from it. She said Aaron put it Well in one of his letters when he wrote a a it a too bad that apparently the human race never learns anything from its
