European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 3, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                , january 3, 1993 Somalia the stars and stripes Pago 11 by Vince Crawley staff writer v Bel Dogle Somalia a the final 31 helicopters from Germany based task Force 5-158 arrived in of Altshu by ship saturday and were scheduled to be in Oad cd today. A the task forces first 15 helicopters uh-60 Black Hawks arrived Over Christmas Ana Crews already have flown two air assault raids into the somalian towns of Belet Huen and Marka. A third air assault Mission is being planned for Early this week said task Force commander it. Col. Gay Coleman from his Headquarters in Beti Dogle which is a 90-minute drive North of Mogadishu. Crews said the air assault flights met no opposition from somalian gunmen although several were in the area during the raids. In addition to the 15 helicopters already at Workun Somalia 16 ch-47 chinooks and 15, More Black Hawks which will operate As air ambulances were to be unloaded from the contracted Roll on Roll off ship american Falcon in Mogadishu today v corp officials in Germany said. Many of the 700 task Force soldiers Are sleeping near the Mogadishu port in a dilapidated munitions Plant that they Call a the  they were treated to a new years eve fireworks display there in the form of a 2v4-hour mortar Battle Between somalian factions. The firefight took place in Mogadishu a Northern suburbs about two Miles from a the factory a and did not involve americans according to operation restore Hope officials. Aircrews and support troops for 15 helicopters of the. 227th aviation reel out of Hanau Germany arrived by air plane in late december and already arc set up at the task forces base Camp in Beli Dogle. . Marines As Well As infantry troops from the new York based 10th Mountain div Light also arc at the Camp and the task Force from Germany is attached to the Mountain division for the somalian Relief operation. The helicopter task Force will transport troops and supplies As Well As make medical evacuation flights officers said. For now the troops near the port Are living in Somalia a rough version of Comfort. A we expected to be sleeping under the stars a said capt. Pete smart of the 159th medical co an air ambulance unit out of Wiesbaden Germany. A a we be got a roof Over our Heads and Cement floor so no one s  / ,. Like nearly All other . Forces in Somalia the americans from Germany arc eating three Are Field rations a Day but the cargo ship american Falcon is bringing kitchens for at least some of the task Force units smart said. ,. He estimated it would take about two Days to unload the ship and move the vehicles by Convoy to the Racli Dogle base Camp. Camp life is somewhat harsher with tents set up in rust coloured Fields of dust. Four foot tall termite Mounds and wrecked Mig fighter Jet hulls Dot the campsite and some enlisted troops complained Friday that their bottled water was being rationed to about 1 quart a Day with the rest of their intake coming from heavily chlorinated water in an army trailer the site is just 350 Miles North of the Equator and temperatures surpass 100 muggy degrees can Day. By Joseph Owen Quot a Start writer Belet Huen Somalia a have you seen our petting zoo a Canadian army Cpl. Gerard Moores asked playfully. The communications specialist deployed near Somalia a Border with Elhdio Pia As part of the .-led . Relief operation was not talking about goats or sheep. F the a zoo a to which he has contributed a few specimens consists of assorted scorpions spiders centipedes millipedes and other crawling creatures that might add pain to the discomfort of. A desert deployment. The creature collection housed in an ammunition Box is in the custody of warrant officer Denis j. Lafontaine 407 a preventive Medicine technician. A a in a the one who knows about bugs a Lafontaine said adding that he encourages the soldiers to bring him samples which he preserves in a formaldehyde and water mixture in transparent plastic vials. When the somalian deployment ends Lafontaine plans to use them As teaching aids in. His preventive Medicine classes at Canadian forces base Petawawa Ontario. _. A in Canada we done to have Many exotic species like scorpions and snakes and All that a Lafontaine said. Most of the scorpions Are Small but one is 7 inches from snout to stinger. Scorpions have stung a few Canadian troops but with effects no worse than a Bee sting Lafontaine said. Before coming to Belet Huens Lafon Taine a Canadian airborne regt Battle group first deployed to bal Adoga a humid area near the coast where scorpions Are plentiful. A they stick to the heat of the Tarmac at night. They Only come out at night a Moores said. The canadians moved into Belet Huen on monday and scorpions Are less common there. The collection also features a Camel spider which while not deadly can be unpleasant company. A they have big mandibles and they re very very aggressive a Lafontaine said. The least threatening addition was a stick Bug so named because of its resent stance to a Small Twig. The Bug is a common sight in Somalia. As Lafontaine displayed his dead Sample he noticed a live one crawling up a tent pole. Helping hand a Marine holds the hand and gaze of a Young somalian boy while on patrol near an orphanage in Badoa. The somalian town was the scene of some of the worst suffering that resulted from the East african nations civil War and famine. Official caught up in vortex7 of refugee Aid Nairobi Kenya a for Paul sit Nam working with refugees is More than a Job a a it a something i must do. Like a vortex. It keeps taking me in a said sit Nam the coordinator of cares project aiding somalian refugees in Kenya. A subconsciously unconsciously when working you done to consider it work. You consider it fun a said sit Nam of Vancouver British Columbia. Many of the refugees arrive severely weakened and malnourished from their treks and some die. A you have to steel yourself a he said. A it does no to mean you have less of a heart. You just learn to take it  sit Nam has been involved with the somalian crisis since March when the num you have to steel yourself. It does no to mean you have less of a heart you just learn to take it better. A Paul sit Nam Aid coordinator in Kenya stood at Ber of refugees 200,000. A now we re Over 430,000 a that a a 50 to 60 percent increase in our caseload a said sit Nam who manages a More than $20 million budget u expatriate workers and about 200 local workers. The refugees live in Camps Strung along kenyans Eastern Border after hav ing fled a sometimes on foot Over a period of months a from the conflict and famine gripping their Homeland. The Job makes it Quot not impossible but difficult to maintain a family and family life a said sit Nam 38, who is married and has a 5-year-old daughter. His greatest satisfaction sit Nam said comes from watching the refugees begin caring for themselves. �?o1 subscribe to the theory that if you give a person a fish you feed them for a Day. If you teach them How to fish you feed them for a lifetime a he said. A what we re doing is trying to mitigate the effects on the vulnerable groups which Are the children and the women the elderly a he said a a it a just to kind of ease the pain they suffering. I done to think ours is a permanent