European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 5, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday january 5, 1993 Somalia the stars Ano stripes a Page 3 by Joseph Owen staff a Riter Mombasa Kenya world War ii had its a . Mail. The persian Gulf War had desert Tel faxes. And now . Troops in Africa Are staying in touch with loved ones by another exotic Means. A .-based computer company is offering a. Free service through which subscribers can Send one Page letters by computer to american troops in Africa. The letters arrive in about four Days. Also a Minneapolis company and a veterans group Are videotaping greetings from 500 service members then Rushing copies to their loved ones. The computer company Prodigy services co., aided by ism and Sears will offer subscribers its online a Susa connect letter service through Jan. 31. When a subscriber sends Prodigy a letter by computer the service formats it prints it stuffs it into an envelope and within 48 hours dispatches it by air mail. The letters began funnelling through Mombasa last week said air Force maj. Donald r. Eaton spokes Man for the operation provide. Relief joint ask Force. A \. \ a. Quot in a sure there a been a couple Hundred of them Quot Eaton said. Quot they be been going to each of the 15 Apos that we have a a letters must be addressed to specific individuals stationed in Africa and must Bear their name rank and Correct address. Correspondents ire limited to one letter per Day. Quot Eaton said he is trying to set up a system through which troops can Type responses to letters by computer and Send them Home quickly through his Mombasa office. The videotape project sponsored by the marines 1st Force service support group at Camp Pendleton calif., is the brainchild of 82nd airborne div Veteran Walter c. Rasmussen jr., head of Ariel communications and Craig Conrad director of Christian military Fellowship of Englewood  is visiting units in Somalia to gather the taped greetings most of them aboard Navy ships. Organizers have already sent 350 to the United states and plan to continue working through the weekend. A team of editors producers and vendors who Vot Unte Rcd time and materials for the project is compiling the tapes into several regional editions and sending them to troops families or loved ones. Aboard the Rushmore a Dock Landing ship sailors stood in line for hours to record their five minute messages Rasmussen said adding that he and Conrad had to spend the night there a every ship we be gone to we be been invited Back a he said. During the recent Holiday season Rasmussen also broadcast 15-second messages via the conus commercial satellite service to local television stations in 1 he troops Home areas. A i try to run a business but this is one of the Best assignments i be Ever been on a a Rasmussen said. A a it a a Teal Honor for me to be Over Here with these  fuel efforts to Aid starving is Avalanche of Aid a somalian worker scurries out of the Way As a Load of american Rice tumbles from a red Cross cargo ship at the port of Mogadishu on monday. Tons of Grain and food Aid Are rowing into the famine ravaged african nation As part of the Rescue Effort operation restore Hope. Moron a Spain a amps a after nearly a month of supporting operation restore Hope the mor6n Tanker task Force has pumped More than 3.73 million Gallons of fuel into military cargo aircraft heading to and from Somalia an air Force spokesman said monday. / a. A v a a actually we passed that threshold sunday a said 1st it. Mike Paoli the task forces Public affairs officer. Prior to sunday the nearly 700 air National guardsmen air Force reservists and Active duty air Force members at Moran in Southern Spain were responsible for the midair refuelling of . Aircraft bound for Somalia to take part in the International humanitarian Effort to feed starving somalis. Personnel with the . Air Force support facility at Lajos Field azores were responsible Tor refuelling aircraft returning to the United states after carry Trig troops and cargo to Somalia. But bad weather Over the azores on sunday closed Aerial refuelling operations from Kajfes Field prompting the shift of refuelling operations for the .-bound aircraft to the Moran based Force which has More than 20 Kc-135 Strat tankers. As a result sunday was the Moran Tanker forces busiest Day requiring 24 refuelling missions. A amp Relief workers remain steadfast despite by Mark Fritz the associated press it. Mogadishu Somalia a Tor four months Sean Devereux lived and breathed the danger that was Somalia trying to keep fading youngsters alive. The Spunky Unicof worker who liked to play soccer in the streets with somalian children was Well aware that his was an occupation of Hazard. Over the weekend a Bullet smashed through the Back of Devereux a head. Devereux a 28-year-old irishman was the third expatriate and one of dozens of Relief a workers to die in the clan warfare and Street violence that broke out after dictator Mohammed Siad Barre was overthrown two years ago. His death saturday in the Southern seaport of Kismay was a jarring reminder to Aid workers that the presence of foreign troops on somalian soil does not mean safety has come to the benighted african nation. Devereux had the bureaucratic sounding title of logistics technician but his was no paper pushing Job. In Kismay a hellish pit of disease famine outlaws and killer clansmen it was his Job to give up his personal Comfort and safety to get food and Medicine to children who would die without it. At 7 30 . Saturday he locked up his Unicof office and walked Home Down Kis Mayus a dark and deadly streets. At least three shots rang out. Two caught him in the Back a third in the head. Relief officials said a belgian Soldier got to the scene but too late. It was unclear who killed Devereux. The reasons offered by . Military officials and Aid workers ranged from a pay dispute with hired somalian guards to a random killing in a country where lives often end Early and ugly Devereux was the first Western Relief worker to be killed since .-led forces came ashore dec. 9 to take Over Kismay and seven other major cities in. An attempt to protect food shipments from looters. His death sent Shock wives through the Relief Community reminding Aid workers of the need to keep up their guard even with foreign troops around. In response Unicof pulled its three other foreign workers out of Kismay which is 300 Miles South of Mogadishu. A a in a angry this morning a said Jemmo Lod Esani Deputy director of the world food program which has three staffers in Kismay. A a in a ready to sleep in the Bush and live a Tough life but to die Quot last week Lod Esani was leaving his own office about 7 . On a darkened Mogadishu Street. He drove a Brand new Relief truck out of the compound. Gunfire began puncturing the Sheet Metal. He ducked his head under the dashboard and continued to drive but smashed into a Tea shop. He ran inside for help and a Man pulled out a knife and took his watch and Wallet. When he came Back out the truck was gone. R a a in be been in Mozambique and in be been in Angola. In be been in Street riots in Bangladesh Quot said the mustachioed italian. A it was nothing like this. Can you imagine the morale of our people a. Tears were hot but Brief for Devereux on sunday. His colleagues still had work to do. A people Are shocked of course terribly upset. But our resolve is not shaken Quot said Seif Alaziz Milas a co worker at the . Children s fund. Quot people Are Here to do a  Devereux was no stranger to violence. He spoke often with the associated press when Somalia was at the height of looting and bloodshed. Just Days before . Troops  seize Kismay in Early december Devereux came to Mogadishu and reported the slaying of at least 60 people during a ghastly last minute orgy of looting and clan fighting