From: bergman@afnews.pa.af.mil (CMSgt Mike Bergman)
Newsgroups: soc.veterans
Subject: Army News 01/07/93
Date: 7 Jan 1993 15:21:59 -0600
Organization: Hq Air Force News Agency/SCC
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

  <<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><>>
  <<>>   U.S. Army Public Affairs                                        <<>>
  <<>>                                          January 1993             <<>>
  <<>>      ARMY NEWS SERVICE           Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat      <<>>
  <<>>                                                       1   2       <<>>
  <<>>       - - - - - - -               3   4   5   6   7   8   9       <<>>
  <<>>                                  10  11  12  13  14  15  16       <<>>
  <<>>    THURSDAY, JAN. 7, 1993        17  18  19  20  21  22  23       <<>>
  <<>>                                  24  25  26  27  28  29  30       <<>>
  <<>>   Courtesy of Air Force Reserve  31                               <<>>
  <<>>        * * * * * * * *                                            <<>> 
  <<>> Comments or suggestions pertaining to the Army News Service       <<>>
  <<>> should be directed to SFC Rob Williams, SFC Darrell Cochran or    <<>>
  <<>> Mary Whipple at A/V 225-3101 (202) 695-3101.                      <<>>
  <<>>                   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -                   <<>>
  <<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><>>

* Army taps support troops for Somalia duty, by Spc. Cass Isbell
* Somalia health risks in check, by Staff Sgt. Cindy Killion
* NCOA offers free resume service

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

Army taps support troops for Somalia duty, by Spc. Cass Isbell

      MOGADISHU, Somalia (ARNEWS) -- A proposed 4,500 soldiers will be 
deploying to Somalia to operate a joint task force support command in 
the next phase of Operation Restore Hope.
      The 13th Corps Support Command from Fort Hood, Texas, has been 
tasked to provide large-scale support operations, according to Capt. 
John W. Culpepper, 13th COSCOM personnel officer.
      The troops will join the 525 COSCOM soldiers already in Somalia. 
The 13th COSCOM commander, Brig. Gen. Billy Solomon, his staff and 
other JTF officers are planning on how to bets support the needs of 
U.S. and coalition forces, Culpepper said.
      "Support will include everything from food, to fuel to shower 
points," he said. Eventually, the Army will also resume operating the 
ports and airports secured by U.S. forces.
      The contingent will include units from Army installations across 
the nation. The specific units that will deploy to Somalia are still 
under consideration, Culpepper said.
      The JTF support command will set up regional supply centers in 
Mogadishu, Baidoa, Baledogle and Kismayo. Centers will support 
soldiers and operations in those areas.
      "We may branch out to other areas as needed," Culpepper said. 
"We plan to have good, strong lines of supply and communication 
throughout Somalia."
      As the Army inherits the Marine Corps' mission, support will 
increase for the troops. The Marines are not set up to go too far 
inland, Culpepper explained. They can go in and take fast control, but 
sustaining a large number of troops for a long time is not part of 
their mission. The Army is structured differently.
      "We have the right people and units to handle bulk 
transportation; bulk petroleum, oil and lubricant points; and bulk 
maintenance," he said. "The Army is designed to go anywhere."
      Support operations will eventually be turned over to a civilian 
contractor, he said.
      (Isbell is assigned to the Joint Information Bureau in 
Mogadishu.)


Somalia health risks in check, by Staff Sgt. Cindy Killion

      BALEDOGLE, Somalia (ARNEWS) -- The initial fear that disease 
would run rampant among Operation Restore Hope troops has so far been 
unfounded -- at least within the Baledogle compound.
      The troops are staying healthy because soldiers emphasize 
personal hygiene and take their pre-deployment preventive medicine 
classes seriously, said a physician's assistant for the 10th Mountain 
Division (Light Infantry).
      "The biggest thing that's helped us out so far is the education 
program we put on before we came here," said 2nd Lt. John Sandhammer, 
of 2nd Battalion 87th Infantry Regiment.
      "That covered things like personal hygiene, using mosquito nets, 
and eating food and drinking water only from approved sources," he 
said. "There was a certain amount of fear put into the troops that has 
caused them to be very diligent in their personal preventive medicine 
practices."
      To date, "there have been about a dozen scorpion bits, one snake 
bite and a few tick problems. But we haven't had any vector-borne 
diseases like malaria or dysentery," Sandhammer said.
      "The scorpion bits have been from the less-serious brown 
variety, not the toxic black type," he continued. "When a small brown 
scorpion bites, the results are much like getting two wasp stings."
      As a former Special Forces medic, Sandhammer has some experience 
in this region of the world and knows what to look for.
      The scorpions to steer clear of are the large black ones that 
can grow to be six or seven inches long. "But I've only seen a couple 
of those -- and they were dead," he said.
      One soldier of the advance party was bitten by a snake and spent 
a couple of days recuperating on the Navy's hospital ship, the 
Tripoli.
      "He was bitten by a mole viper," Sandhammer said. "There isn't 
an anti-venom for it because, as far as we know, no one has ever died 
from this kind of snake."
      What the medical team is seeing "are fewer animals and more 
insects than a month ago," he said. "I got here 20 days ago, and we 
saw some warthogs and large monitor lizards running around; but there 
wasn't a fly in the entire compound. Now with more people -- which 
means more latrines and more trash -- the animals are moving out and 
the flies are moving in."
      The big danger is that soldiers might let up on their hygiene 
practices. "Everyone needs to keep doing what they've been doing," 
Sandhammer said. "In other words, don't let your guard down."
      (Killion is in Somalia with the 14th Public Affairs Team from 
Fort Carson, Colo.)


NCOA offers free resume service

      WASHINGTON (ARNEWS) -- The Non Commissioned Officers Association 
is offering a free resume-listing service to all veterans who are 
seeking employment. The service is called the "People Bank/Resume 
Registry."
      Using NCOA's unique "Mini Resume," a job seeker's qualifications 
are entered into a computer database that can be accessed by hundreds 
of companies across the nation. Membership in the NCOA is not 
required, and no rank or grade restrictions apply. All veterans, 
family members and Defense Department civilians are eligible.
      For a Mini Resume, contact your local NCOA service center or 
write to: NCO, ATTN: Veterans Employment Assistance Program, P.O. Box 
33610, San Antonio, Texas, 78265.
      (From an NCOA release.)


-- 
         
      // \\
    //     \\                    Air Force News Agency 
   |         |               Kelly Air Force Base, Texas, USA
   \\  {*}  //                   bergman@afpan.pa.af.mil  
   \  CMSgt  /      ___________________ /____________________________________
   \  Mike   /   
   \ Bergman /
     \     /