European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 17, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and strikes Somalia wednesday. November 17.1999 risks deepen with beneath stars and helmets troops lie Low by Vince Crawley staff writer Mogadishu Somalia american forces have drawn their fortified Linen in the Sandy streets of Mogadishu and for the most part they stay behind their barricades and sandbags keeping their distance from the somalian people that Many gis Call  . Officials concede privately at least that the Hunt for Mogadishu warlord Mohamed Farrah aided has ended. The Mission now is first to protect the lives of the 7,500 . Military people living in and around the somalian capital. The second priority is keeping food convoys moving. No one moves at night except somalis and those aboard . Helicopters that skitter Low around the outskirts of the City keeping watch Over . And . Bases. The aircraft used to Fly higher but Somalia thieves have stolen enough of the High tech night vision devices that the americans no longer Are the Only ones who can see in the dark. Somalis also have american weapons. One sergeant major described an incident in which one of his soldiers recently lost a pistol. The Soldier set it Down an looked away for a few moments enough time for a so Mali to grab the pistol and run. Because such a weapon can be used against Ameri cans losing one is about As close to treason As you can get the sergeant major said. The americans take Security seriously. No one is Al Lowed to leave a compound without a three vehicle escort and automatic weapons a helmet and a flak  possible helicopters provide cover overhead even if ground movement is Only a few Miles. At dusk the exotic Call of african Birds can be heard in the outposts away from the City. And for half a hour Between Sundown and Nightfall off duty Ameri cans play pickup games of basketball and football in the relative Cool of Twilight. Night comes at 6 . In equatorial Africa and lasts about 11 hours. There is Little variation throughout the year and the seasons generally Are defined by rainfall. The Rains in turn arc dependent on the monsoons off the Indi an Ocean. Most of the exotic wildlife was killed and eaten Long somalis looking for jobs a turkish tank guards the Entrance to the United nations main compound in Mogadishu As somalis show up to apply for jobs at . Construction Sites in the area. . Surveillance Over somalian civilians has ago or else fled to nearby Kenya and Ethiopia. After dark americans Are supposed to Wear flak Jack ets and helmets because mortar attacks come at night. So the darkness inside the american lines is filled by shadowy figures in sandals shorts to shirts flak vests and Hel mets cautiously stumbling their Way to showers and bathrooms. The gis say hopefully that they Haven t been shelled in three weeks. The helicopters and the Ever present drone of electric generators drown out much of the sporadic nighttime gunfire in the distance. The soldiers of other . Nations Man the majority of the guard posts and the Hiss and glow of their illumination flares Light up areas of suspicious activity. Morning is heralded by Friendly gunfire As the guards Clear their weapons. At night particularly in the out posts away from Mogadishu the sky is Rich with stars. Brightly lighted . Compounds glow in the distance been sharpened since bandits held up a Convoy nov. 12 and killed 15 somalis before escaping with 10 trucks. Officials said the attack was not aimed at the United nations but underscored a Rise in banditry. Often with flares hanging above them to shed More  because Mogadishu is so close to the Equator the stars include both the familiar constellations from Back Home As Well As the unfamiliar ones of the Southern  also Are easy to spot and a Soldier with Good eyes can make out the dashboard lights of darkened Neli copters As they Fly Low across the  an eight hour time difference Between East Afri Ca and the East coast of the United states night is when most soldiers line up to Call Home. These morale Calls Are a priority among  most of the gis the end of the darkness Means one less Day until the March 31 deadline when president Inton says they la All come Home. We re not doing anything maybe just keeping aided from shooting the occasional Grain truck complained one restless infantryman. Sometimes we d like to go downtown to just blow stuff up just to have something to do. This place is  along humvee Road it s not smart to Stop by Kevin Dougherty staff writer Mogadishu Somalia on a restricted Road South of Mogadishu Clouds of powdery White dust Herald the Pas Sage of Well armed . Soldiers Riding in a Convoy of humvee. Americans own this Road. The somalis Are prohibited from driving their vehicles along the main Supply route which runs past four fortified . Checkpoints to an old police station a few Hundred Yards from the Indian Ocean. The somalis who do traverse this Road Amble about on foot. Some travel by wooden carts powered by Light Brown donkeys. But no matter what Mode of transportation they use the somalis know this is one stretch of Road where these sheriffs in hard hats and flak Jack ets Don t take too kindly to anyone who gets in their Way. We Don t like coming to a  said sgt. Shawn Willard of the 10th inf Mountain div. Fort drum  you Stop you Are stationary and a stationary target is easier to  constructed earlier this year by . Army engineers the route is an Extension of 21 october Road a main thoroughfare on the outskirts of Mogadishu that is notorious for bandits and roadblocks the farther North you go. The Convoy of three humvee manned was engaged with a sniper said Mcbride by soldiers from fort drum started its 24, of Burlington . We got eyes on the patrol at a .-controlled compound sniper but since we were inside the Primc that was formerly the somalian National Ter we were not authorized to  our Mission la to do our Job Well and to take everybody Home the Way they came Here in one piece army capt. Perry Sarver University. Before reaching the Mai Supply route the Convoy travelled along a derelict stretch of Road frequented by vendors vagabonds and a variety of dilapidated vehicles Many with Multics lored body parts and Tacky looking Interi ors. Shag carpeting on top of the dashboard seemed in Vogue. The Funky looking vehicles disappeared from sight when the Convoy turned into Hunter base located near the head of the Supply route. On this Day All was relatively quiet outside the com Pound but the soldiers seemed jumpy. Sgt. Edward Mcbride a gunner in one of the humvee explained later that a sniper shot at a . Convoy late last month. We pulled into Hunter base and had been sitting there about 10 minutes when another Convoy coming up from behind us soldiers Riding in convoys Are licensed to shoot Back to defend themselves under the rules of engagement. However rocks and verbal abuse which Are hurled on occasion Are not enough of a threat to counterattack. Our Mission is to do our Job Well and to take everybody Home the Way they came Here in one piece said army capt. Perry Sarver 30, of Strasburg va., commander of co a 2nd in 22nd inf regt. Inside one of the humvee the occupants kept a trained Eye for any bandits or snipers lurking about. Meanwhile army pfc. Randall Windham muscled his hum Vee Down the Road. We be got to be swerving to avoid being predictable and therefore vulnerable said Windham 22, of Atlanta. Within Arm s reach of Windham was an m-16 Rifle a plastic bottle of purified drinking water binoculars and a paper Back Book lying face Down on the console. Tabor Evans Longaro and the mexican line up was turned to Page 154. The Story is about a marshal who is ambushed As he escorts a convict to the Gallows. The marshal takes out the three gunmen but not before they kill the con vict who was once their partner. The convict manages to Tell the marshal indirectly where the gang hid some loot and the Story takes off from there. It s not too bad for a Western wind Ham said. From the looks of things it seems As if Windham and the rest of the Convoy could be in a Western style Saga As they pull into the Bullet riddled police outpost even Windham s humvee is appropriately named. Windham and his partners Call it Sophie named after col. Sherman pot Ter s horse in the television show of m s h. Set during the korean War. She looks like hell but she s a goo truck. She s got heart said Willard 29, of mount pleasant Texas who was Riding Shotgun. Willard Windham and the gunner spec. David Brown 21, of Albuquerque n.m., Hope that Sophie continues to have plenty of Gallop As they keep patrolling a strategic Road in a Lawless country tar from Home