European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 10, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Is photos by Ken George army spec. Abdullah Helwe a native of Syria works As an arabic interpreter for operation provide Comfort forces. Cut a f itj�\3i  a Jik. V a x5%l\v. A x a collectives throughout Northern Iraq each Day. These jaunts conducted in Small convoys of trucks or in a pair of . Black Hawk helicopters remind Saddam s re Gime of the continued presence of the United states and its allies. Brownlee travels with a Small band of special forces soldiers As Well As their counterparts and command ers from Turkey France and the United kingdom. "1 Brownlee is the first to admit that a Cou ple dozen ground troops can t provide even a band Aid to the human Haemorrhaging that is ravaging Iraq. And he understands that some kurd Are still disappointed that then president Bush at the end of the per Sian Gulf War in 1991 encouraged the kurd to topple the weakened Saddam but did not intervene when the insurrection was crushed. In 91, their Hopes were really raised Brownlee says Saddam would be kept out of Northern Iraq the kurd would All get along they d All move Back to their villages and everything would be Hunky Dory. But All they Are is Safe from Saddam which is what we said we would  that in itself is a lot. And although Brownlee s ground forces can t ease much suffering Here at least they can relay the kurd plight to an even smaller group of civilian . Employees who serve As a Clearinghouse for $30 million Worth of humanitarian Aid distributed Here each year. Brownlee s ground forces and the . Civilian employees both of which Are head quartered in Lakhu Iraq make up two of operation provide Comfort s three elements. The third based in in Ciurlik a in Southeastern Turkey consists of daily . Air Force reconnaissance flights Over the no Fly zone. Last year two of the jets from in Ciurlik shot Down a pair of Black Hawk helicopters that were shuttling military and civilian personnel through Northern Iraq. Twenty six people were killed including a Good Friend of Brownlee s. Air Force officials said they mistook the american choppers As iraqi. That s Bull says Brownlee who characterizes the air Force pilots As trigger Happy zealots just drooling to bag a Cou ple of choppers. Last month the air Force effectively ended the careers of seven officers for their roles in the shoo Down by writing scathing letters of evaluation citing poor judgment and failure to meet performance standards. The air Force deserves everything they got and More Brownlee says. Back at Brownlee s Headquarters dinner is served under a painting of two doves that Are fluttering to the ground where 26 flow ers Are dying. The doves symbolize the choppers that were downed the Flowers the victim Brownlee says his daily encounters with the despair of Northern iraqis Are having a profound personal effect on him eroding his sense of Hope for these people. He also worries what will happen if the United states leaves Iraq. V you know the peril for the West is that we have Laid our whole policy on Saddam Brownlee says. We Are Here As Long As Saddam stays. When Saddam goes there is a new Iraq the Sun rises Bright and Beautiful we will be Able to end provide Comfort the kurd will be Able to live peacefully within the Federated Iraq and democracy will flourish. ,.   the problem with this is that really nobody knows what will come after sad dam. Nobody knows what that will look like. Ideally it will be better. Possibly it could be worse. It could be total anarchy and chaos like Yugoslavia. Chances Are in the Short term it la look better. You know some Guy will take charge or a Bunch of Guys and they la standup and say the right things. They la do the right things. The United states will declare Victory and Well be done. And the coalition will leave. But Check Back in a couple months a couple years and talk to the kurd and see what s happening. And you know that could be just a really pessimistic attitude. But we Are so desperate As America in our foreign policy to declare Victory. If Saddam Hussein was killed in a plane crash today people in Washington would be Licking lips and drooling to find a Way to declare Victory before they even know what s happened. That s our biggest Dan Ger. And that s my biggest  above kurdish soldiers provide Security for .army flights at Lakhu Iraq. Left army col Daniel p. Brownlee second from right meets with leaders in the town of Malta i islam Iraq. Near Lakhu Iraq kurdish women tote water from the Tigris River. Sunday september 10,1995 the stars and stripes