European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 14, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                1942-1992 50 years of service vol. 51, no. 241 350 monday december 14, 1992 d 8693 marines secure Airstrip on key somalian route Ethiopia 100 Miles 100 pm Indian Omen aps amps from wire reports marines launched an airborne Landing Early sunday to secure a key military Airstrip 60 Miles Northwest of Mogadishu on the Road to the most famine stricken regions of Somalia . Officials said. The Landing came a Day after . Combat helicopters destroyed three armed somalian vehicles that attacked the aircraft  first gunfire Between somalis and foreign troops. More than 1,200 marines were added to an existing Force of 1,700 on the ground in the East african nation when troops secured the Airfield at Beli Dogle 60 Miles Northwest of Mogadishu Marine officials said. The military air base is near the town of Bairoa where Relief officials estimate 160 people Are starving to death daily out of a population of 100,000. Death rates Are nearly As High in bar Dera which also is on the Road from the air base in a Region of Southern Somalia hardest hit by food shortages and coercion from warring clansmen. Several armed gunmen surrendered to the helicopter borne Marine contingent in Beli Dogle officials said. A apparently they wanted food a a Pentagon official said. World vision International a Western Relief organization has pleaded for . Troops to move into Bairoa a town 150 Miles outside the capital that has been rav aged by increased violence in recent Days. A eventually we will get to Bairoa Quot defense Secretary Dick Cheney said during an interview with the Cable news network. A a we a like to get there As quickly As possible. But the commander on the scene has to make the decision about the Pace of the operation. A one of his considerations will be to make certain that we do it carefully cautiously and deliberately to minimize the Cost Quot in american and somalian lives Cheney said. In addition officials said marines in Mogadishu delivered the first food shipments to an area of the capital that has see marines on Page 2 a amps qua Schuett Tor three of 16 ch-47d Chinook helicopters take off sunday morning from Sandhofer Germany in route to  Force starts journey from Germany Frankfurt Germany a amps the first 16 of the 46 helicopters making up task Force 5-15s left Germany on sunday less than 24 hours after being alerted for deployment As part of operation restore Hope v corps officials said. The 16 cd 1-47d Chinook cargo helicopters from cod 502nd aviation regt part of v corps 12th aviation brigade lifted off in four a Miglus from Coleman Barracks Airfield in Sandhofer Germany on sunday morning on the first leg of a two Day journey to Pisa Italy. Twelve of the helicopters were to remain overnight sunday in Marseille France and four in Lyon prance before completing their journey to Pisa today. After arriving in Italy the helicopters will be brought to the port of Livorno to be prepared for loading aboard ship. Preparation for the sea movement includes removing the Rotor Blades and a cocooning Quot the aircraft in special aviation shrink wrap to protect them from the element see chopper on Page 2 Bias still dogs military report says women minorities complain of continued harassment Dallas up a despite four decades of efforts to integrate the . Military Many minorities and women in the armed forces feel the system is still unresponsive to their needs and is sometimes repressive. In a copyright Story sunday the Dallas morning news said that after a yearlong investigation it found the integration Effort has produced a corps of generals and admirals that is 95 percent White. The report said 10 years of a Zero tolerance and sexual harassment have left Many women in uniform feeling like victims. Some of those who complained about racial or sexual discrimination and harassment said their careers were ruined by criminal investigations psychiatric evaluations or lowered Job ratings. At the same time they said the perpetrators of such treatment went unpunished. The newspaper said it found that accusations of harassment and discrimination Are common in the armed services and that women and minorities Are greatly underrepresented in the higher uniformed and civilian ranks. Military officials acknowledge that vestiges of discrimination and harassment remain but insist that their policies Are fundamentally sound the morning news said. A where we May not have been completely successful is in the execution of the program a Gen. Gordon r. Sullivan the army chief of staff told the House armed services committee in june. A the program is  Sullivan and top leaders of the air Force Navy and Marine corps also told the committee that the equal Opportunity system had helped eliminate racial discrimination As a pervasive problem. But Marine capt. Markus Hartmann was quoted As saying he was called a a a boy by a White Marine officer and was told that it was not bigotry because his skin was so Light that the officer did not know he was Black. A if sexual harassment goes the Way of racism in the Navy and Marine corps you can expect to have it around for a see Bias on Page 2