From: bergman@afnews.pa.af.mil (CMSgt Mike Bergman)
Newsgroups: soc.veterans
Subject: Army News 12/14/92
Date: 14 Dec 1992 11:41:41 -0600
Organization: Hq Air Force News Agency/SCC
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* Army chief finds 10th Mountain troops 'trained and ready,' by 
* Power struggle increases Somalian hardships
* Somali native lends insight, by Staff Sgt. Rosalyn Coleman
* Designated drivers hit the road -- with AAFES support

==================================================================

Army chief finds 10th Mountain troops 'trained and ready,' by 
Lisa L. Reape
 
    FORT DRUM, N.Y. (ARNEWS) -- Since the Dec. 4 announcement 
that the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) would make up 
a major component of the 10,000 soldiers supporting Operation 
Restore Hope, the big questions at Fort Drum have been "who 
will go?" and "when will they deploy?"
    Without waiting for answers, 10th Mountain soldiers began 
preparing for deployment, going through readiness checks, 
checking vehicles and weapons, and mentally preparing for 
another holiday away from home.
    Army Chief of Staff Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan visited the 
post Dec. 8 to see the soldiers prepare, and to meet with Maj. 
Gen. Steven L. Arnold, commander of the 10th Mountain Division 
and Fort Drum. Later, Sullivan met with representatives of 
local, national and international news organizations.
    Sullivan first explained why he visited Fort Drum, then 
answered questions.
    "As chief of staff of the Army, one of my responsibilities 
is to ensure that... (Marine Corps Gen. Joseph P. Hoar, 
commander-in-chief of U.S. Central Command) has troops who are 
trained and ready, and who are ready to do whatever he may ask 
them to do (in Somalia)," he said.
    "(I) took a look at some young soldiers training for their 
mission," Sullivan said. "I'm delighted with what I saw. I 
believe that they are ready to once again demonstrate what a 
great Army we have and what a great division we have in the 
10th Mountain. You saw them in Florida; and once again, you'll 
see them off in Somalia, doing what their country asks them to 
do."
    Sullivan declined to discuss how many 10th Mountain 
Division soldiers would deploy, the schedule for movement of 
troops, or the specifics of their mission upon their arrival in 
Somalia.
    "I have no idea when they will go -- that's up to Gen. 
Hoar, in this case," Sullivan said. "We'll have to wait and 
see."
    As to what the troops were expected to encounter, Sullivan 
said, "It's hard to characterize the greatest threat. As you 
know, there's instability, and of course the climate itself," 
he said. "But I'll say right up front that these troops are 
trained, they're ready, they know what it is that they have to 
do to protect themselves, and I think that they'll serve very 
well.
    "These troops are well aware of the rules of engagement; 
they're learning what those rules are now, and they'll perform 
in accordance with those guidelines," he added.
    Sullivan also was asked to identify the similarities 
between this mission and the Gulf War.
    "I think the principal parallel would be the other nations 
involved," Sullivan said. "When I left Washington this morning, 
20 nations had said they would participate with us. It may be 
more than that now. A large number of nations are coming 
together to address this problem, similar to what happened in 
the last episode in the (Persian) Gulf -- Desert Shield and 
Desert Storm."
    He acknowledged that the lack of infrastructure in Somalia 
would make this mission more difficult in some ways than Desert 
Shield and Desert Storm.
    "The infrastructure is not as well developed as the 
countries in the Persian Gulf, and that presents a challenge to 
us," he said, adding that those problems are being addressed.
    "The principal (challenge of getting the troops into 
Somalia) is the number of airfields. There is one airfield that 
we're going into, and others are being opened up."
    When asked whether the Army would find this mission more 
difficult than fighting a war, Sullivan gave an impassioned 
response.
    "The United States Army has served this nation since 1775, 
and we have served this nation in countless ways: earthquakes, 
floods, forest fires, hurricanes, wars," he said. "We fight 
your wars, we built your harbors, we have settled this country.
    "This United States Army has served successfully since 
1775. We're proud of it, we feel good about ourselves, and we 
can off and do what the president and the people of the United 
States expect us to do. And what you, your (audience) and the 
people of the United States expect us to do is succeed.
    "You expect us to win on the battlefield and you expect us 
to succeed at this mission. And I will tell you, the men and 
women of the United States Army are prepared to continue to 
serve this nation. We are a success-oriented organization. 
That's what we're going to do: succeed."
    In selecting the 10th Mountain Division (LI) for this 
mission, Sullivan said he looked at the fact that the 10th is a 
light division, so it can deploy rapidly. In addition, he said 
the division distinguished itself in Florida. He also noted 
Arnold's experience in the Gulf War.
    "It's interesting to note that Gen. Arnold knows personally 
all the other commanders who are there because of his service 
in the Gulf War. Many of the people in the division have worked 
with the other services in crisis situations.
    "We looked at what the division had done and its level of 
preparedness, and made a decision," he said. "And it was (to 
send) the 10th, along with some other troops -- some of whom, 
by the way, are from the Guard and reserve -- volunteers."
    Sullivan quickly dismissed any ideas that the 10th is only 
trained for cold-weather duty.
    "Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, (Arnold) has one 
battalion right now at the Jungle Operations Training Center 
(in Panama). These troops are trained and ready to go anywhere 
in the world, and they're going to demonstrate that.
    ""This is a power projection Army," he continued. "We're 
trained and ready to go anywhere in the world that we're needed 
to go."
    Sullivan noted that to carry out its missions, the Army 
relies upon the support of soldiers' families and the local 
communities.
    "Once again, we're going to ask the family members to do a 
lot," he said. "They have supported us over the years; and just 
as they have in the past, I would expect that they will 
continue to do so here. Right now, I applaud the level of 
support coming out of the local communities up here in the 
North Country," he said.
    Sullivan said the fact that the mission comes in the midst 
of the holiday season has not escaped him.
    "I know very well that this is the fourth Christmas in a 
row that the U.S. Army has deployed troops with the other 
services," he said. "It happened back in '89 when we went to 
Panama, and it happened during the Gulf War. Then again we had 
a modest number of people involved with the other services down 
in Guantanamo Bay, and now we're asking this division and the 
Marines and the Navy and the Air Force to go off to Somalia, 
and I'm well aware of the implication in family life here."
    With the exception of the mission in Panama, division 
soldiers will have been involved in all of those missions.
    "But I am very encouraged in what I have seen and what I 
have heard about the family support program here at Fort Drum, 
and I'm not intending on asking anybody any more than what's 
been asked," Sullivan said. "And I will do my best, as will 
Gen. Arnold and the leaders here, to stand up and help the 
community and help the family members get through this."
    (Reape is the managing editor of the Fort Drum Sentinel.)
 
 
Power struggle increases Somalian hardships
 
    WASHINGTON (ARNEWS) -- Just as U.S. military involvement in 
other areas of the globe has brought greater knowledge and 
understanding of those regions, so deployment of forces to 
Somalia draws attention there.
    The Somali people occupy a country about the size of Texas. 
But with a little more than 8 million population in 1990, the 
nation has about half the Lone Star State's numbers.
    The country borders Kenya on the south, Ethiopia on the 
west and Djibouti to the north. It occupies the coastline of 
the Horn of Africa, about 2,000 miles in length, mostly sand 
dunes with no natural harbors. The only significant elevation 
is in the north, where peaks lying behind a coastal plain 
approach 8,000 feet.
    Two rivers dominate the southern region, the Juba and the 
Shabelle. The flood plains of these rivers constitute the only 
region where sedentary agriculture is practiced -- mainly by 
the Saab clan families. There is fishing along the coast.
    Most of the land is semidesert, and life there is difficult 
even in the best of times. Grass will grow during the rainy 
seasons and provide grazing for herds of camels, cattle, sheep 
and goats. Most of the families travel with their herds.
    The country is subject to both drought and flood, although 
the area has in past years not been as badly affected by 
drought as other areas of sub-Saharan Africa.
    Generally, the climate is hot year-round. Highs range from 
85 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, and lows 60-85. There is a 
northeast monsoon from December to February and a cooler 
southwest monsoon from May to October. Lately, the monsoons 
have been mostly wind and little rainfall.
    Until July 1, 1960, the former British protectorate 
Somaliland and the former U.N. trusteeship territory (once the 
Italian Somaliland) united to form the Somali Republic.
    Although the population is clan-oriented and was divided 
for many years by colonial powers, the Somali people are fairly 
homogeneous. Their language is Somali, with some Arabic, 
Italian and English.
    About 15 percent of the Somali population is Arabic. Most 
of the nation follws the Sunni Moslem religion.
    There have been disputes with Ethiopia over the Haud and 
Ogaden regions, where a million Somalis lived, in Kenya and in 
the former French Somaliland. The pan-Somali movement lost 
momentum in the late 1960s as internal development was stressed 
by the growing national government. The bureaucracy resulting 
from the larger government caused unrest.
    After the Somali president was assassinated in October 
1969, the army took over, led by Gen. Hohamed Siad Barre. From 
then until January 1991, Barre ruled at the head of the Supreme 
Revolutionary Council. He practiced a form of "scientific 
socialism" that tilted first toward the Soviet Union and later 
toward the United States.
    An uprising in 1990 was led by Mohamed Farah Aideed, as 
chairman of the United Somali Congress. This coalition captured 
Mogadishu and toppled Barre from power. Following Barre's 
exile, and international conference in Djibouti installed an 
exiled Somali businessman, Ali Mahdi Mohamed, as interim 
president. 
    Aideed and his followers refused to recognize the interim 
president, and the already overstrained governmental 
infrastructure collapsed. A number of warlords have claimed 
power through force of arms, but no faction has been able to 
rise above the others. Meanwhile, the people have suffered.
    Somalia lacks mineral resources and farmland. Sparsely 
populated, most of its people barely survive, even without the 
chaos of power struggles. The per capita income is $210 
annually.
    Foreign assistance has come from the East and West, and has 
been the primary prop to the economy for years. Economic 
development has brought some growth to the cities, but also 
unemployment. And the government, in the past, has sought to 
return young people to the rural areas, away from the cities 
that lured them.
    The country has little capital infrastructure. The 15,212 
kilometers of highway are mostly improved earth roads. U.S. and 
Soviet help improved port facilities at Berbera in the north 
and Kismayu in the south. There are eight airports with 
permanent surface runways and 37 others that are usable.
    (From the Military District of Washington Pentagram.)
 
 
Somali native lends insight, by Staff Sgt. Rosalyn Coleman
 
    FORT DRUM, N.Y. (ARNEWS) -- Many Fort Drum soldiers 
deploying to Somalia in support of Operation Restore Hope will 
have one advantage that many deploying troops won't have -- 
Hodan.
    Hodan, a Somali native married to a Fort Drum soldier, was 
asked by her husband's unit to share her experiences in the 
small African country, which has been in turmoil since its 
dictator was ousted nearly two years ago. She agreed to share 
her insights with deploying soldiers, on the condition that her 
anonymity be protected.
    Hodan, who recently moved to the United States from Canada, 
said there's misconception among Americans about the groups 
that are withholding food and supplies from the country's 
needy. In the media, the factions riding around in vehicles are 
portrayed as hoodlums, she said, when in reality, "they are 
just clans."
    She said everyone in Somalia belongs to a clan, which is 
simply a person's family.
    While most clans are peaceful, some are not, Hodan said. 
She added that the majority of atrocities in the region are 
performed by teenagers of the clans. She urged Fort Drum 
soldiers to use caution when deal with these teens.
    "As with all teenagers, you have to be careful how to talk 
to them," she said, explaining that Somalis are very proud 
people. If they feel they have been insulted in any way, they 
will fight to their death, she said.
    Hodan said she is thankful that the United States is 
getting involved, "because thousands and thousands of Somalis 
are dying every day."
    The Somalia native explained religious practices in the 
country. Being mostly Muslim, the population stops all 
activities to pray five times a day. Hodan explained that 
Americans needn't curtail their work, but they mustn't 
interfere with the worshippers.
    Many things Americans take for granted will probably be 
considered an insult to Somalis, such as men speaking directly 
to Somali women. And extending your left hand to a Somali means 
that that person is "worth less than nothing," Hodan said.
    However, the greatest insult to a Somali is showing him the 
soles of your feet, which implies that he is beneath you; "he 
may feel obligated to kill you," she said.
    While Hodan is not a Somalian official, she is the daughter 
of a former Somali ambassador. In fact, she comes from a long 
line of influential men. Her grandfather was president of her 
family's clan. But in 1977, when she was 5 years old, he was 
"assassinated by people in the government," she said.
    She said her grandfather was a very proud and powerful man, 
and the government didn't like a Somali to have as much power 
as he had. He was asked to leave Djibouti, her hometown; when 
he refused, he was killed. To set an example, the entire clan 
was forced to watch as her grandfather was executed.
    Wanting a better life for their children, Hodan's parents 
sent her, at age 15, and her two brothers to live with 
relatives in Canada. Now, with an associate's degree in biology 
and an American husband, Hodan said she has no plans of 
returning to her homeland, even though her family lives there. 
But with her husband's unit deploying to Somalia, she'll keep 
close tabs as events unfold.
    (Coleman writes for the Fort Drum Sentinel.)
 
 
Designated drivers hit the road -- with AAFES support
 
    WASHINGTON (ARNEWS) -- Customers at Army and Air Force 
Exchange Service shoppettes and Class Six beverage stores have 
added reason to make merry during the holiday season: promotion 
of the "designated driver" program.
    AAFES officials recently announced the program's promotion 
by reminding customers that December is National Drunken and 
Drugged Driving Awareness Month.
    The promotion theme, "The Designated Driver is the Life of 
the Party," is being posted throughout AAFES stores, said Capt. 
Sue Meisner at AAFES headquarters in Dallas.
    "Our employees are wearing buttons promoting designated 
drivers, and shoppers may pick up pamphlets explaining the 
program at checkout counters," Meisner said.
    She explained that the term "designated driver" refers to a 
party-goer who volunteers not to drink at the party, so that he 
can safely drive home those who do drink. "Anyone can be a 
designated driver, and every party could use a few."
    Citing traffic statistics that bear out the need for the 
program, Meisner invited all party-goers to become a "positive 
statistic: Volunteer as a designated driver. Or, if you're 
going to drink, go with someone who won't -- and let that 
person drive."


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