European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 1, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                1 9/9/ 1 a year Al drama the gulp War scuds continued from Page 9 fare equal to their buildup. The television networks went live to saudi Arabia when alerts sounded. The harmless explosion of a scud missile in the desert made front pages worldwide. Each launch sent people scurrying and shivering to the shelters. Some people slept in the Day so they could be awake and near a shelter when the scuds came at night. Military spokesmen promised that the scud launchers were a top priority of the bombing raids but cautioned that the Mobile launchers were easily hid in the vast Frontier of Iraq. A finding the Mobile launchers is like finding a Needle in a Haystack a said Gen. I i. Norman Schwarzkopf. Although the Success of the Patriot missile is now being questioned the missiles were credited at the time with defusing the menace. Military spokesmen spoke glowingly of the missile s performance in knocking incoming scuds from the sky. A it was there. We reacted property and it was  said it. Col. Leeroy Neel 42, commander of the 2nd in patriot7th air defense arty when describing the destruction of a scud. In fact the scuds were a most ineffective weapon of War. The jangly Low tech missiles were a Fly Speek of trouble compared to the Allied bombing shaking Iraq. There was never evidence of missiles loaded with Gas. But they represented the Only response to the coalitions relentless bombing. Part of its ineffectiveness was dumb Luck. A scud did land in a populated Section of Tel Aviv War terrorism Blacken Mideast by Luke Britt staff writer the last Battle of the Gulf War ended less than two months ago in the blackened desert North of Kuwait City. On nov. 7, an International contingent of firefighters snuffed out the last of 672 Oil Wells set ablaze by iraqi soldiers. Just two months earlier saudi arabian officials declared that the huge Oil Slick also caused by iraqi oco terrorism was no longer an immediate threat to life in the persian Gulf. While the effects of both catastrophes will last Lor years the people of the Middle fast a particularly kuwaitis a rejoice at the end of a year in which they were the Guinea pigs in the worlds latest introduction to War without rules. Military leaders before the War openly feared that if cornered Hussein would stoop to using chemical weapons. Although the iraqi Leader never unleashed his vast store of nerve agents list alter coalition forces began bombing he found a new chemical with which to Light. Allied fighter pilots were the first to report a Black Shadow growing off the coast of Southern Kuwait spreading from the huge sea Island terminal. Two Days later the Grimy smell of Oil was Strong at the saudi Border. Within a week the Slick was eight Miles wide and 30 Miles Long and plainly visible on satellite photographs. Air reconnaissance showed that the iraqis had opened pumps used to Load Oil onto ships at the terminal 10 Miles trom Shore. Kuwaiti Oil experts said the pumps were capable of pouring 100,000 barrels of Oil at 42 Gallons per barrel into Hea Patriot missile is sent after a scud. Hut killed no one. A it s miraculous that in a congested and poor area the rocket hit one empty spot a said a relieved israeli. On Jan. 22. The scud finally lived up to its Hilling. A hit in Tel Aviv killed three people and caused extensive damage to a housing area. Just when the missile was being considered More of a joke than a threat dumb Luck moved to the Side of the iraqis. Three Days later two people were killed by the missile attacks one in Israel and one in Riyadh saudi Arabia. The air War continued and the ground War began in late february. Some iraqi troops fought hard in the desert hut a ban on press reports from the Battlefield kept the scud missile in the Public a Eye. In the wars final hours the scud became the weapon the world had feared. A missile slammed into a warehouse in Dhahran where american soldiers were housed killing 28 and wounding nearly 100. A this is my  said one Soldier As he looked at the twisted wreckage of what had been his Home. A it looks like it was ground  the attack brought sonic More bad news for Patriot fans. Some reports claimed that the scud had been hit in mid air by a Patriot causing it to break apart and the warhead to drop onto the Barracks. This possibility heightened the grief for soldiers in the Barracks. A Why did the Patriot have to hit it it it Hadnot of hit it it would have passed on by Quot said one weeping Soldier. A he warehouse sat at the Edge of an area of stores and Homes. To its North and West was an open Field Large enough to absorb the explosion of a scud with no damage to buildings or property. The tragedy marked the greatest loss of american life in one single attack during the War. A greater number were killed in the ground combat in Southern Iraq but this nighttime catastrophe remains the blackest moment of the War for America the final scud attack and another ease of dumb disastrous  tires turn Day into night around Kuwait City. Water each Day. Exact figures on the size of the spill Are still disputed although experts seem to agree that the original estimate of 15 million barrels was far too High. However using even the lowest figure 3.5 million barrels the spill was 15 times larger than the Exxon Valdez Accident that polluted alaskans Prince William sound in March 1989. Out of the vast cleanup Effort came a variety of new methods which experts said could be the Only positive things to come out of the War. Conversely the wildlife refuges along the coast and the vast  shrimp and fishing industries will take years to recover. As if the world was not shocked enough by the sight of Birds fish and turtles suit of caring in Oil Hussein took his environmental warfare one step further during a night in january. The glow of the first Oil Well fires grabbed few front Page headlines he Caus e the blazes appeared to be caused by Allied bombing. No one realized that iraqi soldiers were in the initial stages of a doomsday like plan to ignite All of Kuwait soil Wells when defeat became inevitable. For two months the fires raged unchecked while coalition forces mopped up the iraqi military and cleared the Oil Fields of thousands of mines and hundreds of Booby traps. Every Day More than 2 million tons of Carbon dioxide poured into the skies Over the persian Gulf at incalculable costs in lost Oil Revenue. Thousands of kuwaitis headed South to saudi Arabia to escape the noxious Cloud that at times blocked out the Sun turning Day into night. The first firefighters arrived in Kuwait in March and the first fire was extinguished near the end of the month. Due to a shortage of men my equipment however a concerted Effort did not begin until late april. Officials first estimated completing the Normol task sometime late in 1992. But in june firefighter announced they were making much better time than anticipated and predicted the last fire would be out by Spring. In the end the firefighters beat All the estimates. And when the kuwaiti Emir closed the valve on the final extinguished Well the firefighters hooped hollered and basked in the Prospect of going Home. Page 12 the stars and stripes wednesday thursday january 1/2, 1992