
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, February 5, 1991                   TAG: 9102050310
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Jor Kennedy
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

RED CROSS INUNDATED WITH CALLS

Since the first American casualties occurred in ground fighting in Saudi Arabia last week, the American Red Cross office in Roanoke has been inundated with telephone calls from people seeking information about their relatives serving in Operation Desert Storm.

The Red Cross does not have that information, said Steve Warren of the Roanoke office. When a serviceman is killed or missing, notification will be given by military personnel.

No information will be available on the military's toll-free hotlines for relatives until the immediate families have been notified personally.

I know a Scud is a Soviet-made missile, but what do the initials stand for?

"Scud" is the NATO designation for the Soviet-made SS-1, a liquid-fueled, surface-to-surface ballistic missile. Iraq has three versions that can carry warheads with varying accuracy to targets 175 to 560 miles away.

The letters in Scud do not stand for anything, said Maj. Mike Doble, public affairs officer for the Department of Defense. "We nickname all air equipment," Doble said. For example, foreign fighter aircraft receive a nickname starting with the letter "f." Thus the Soviet MiG-29 is called Fulcrum by NATO. Foreign helicopters receive a nickname starting with "h." Thus the Soviet helicopter Mi-28 is called the Havoc.

For missiles, NATO chooses names starting with the letter "s."

Because Scud is not an acronym, it should be written with only the "s" capitalized.

(Information provided by Landmark News Service.)

Families in the Radford area (ZIP codes 24141, 24142 and 24143) may send letters free to their relatives serving in the Persian Gulf through Feb. 14.

As a public service, the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch No. 3686 is providing postage for mail from relatives. The letters should be brought to the post office.

Here is how to write to "Any Service Member" in the Army, Air Force or Marine Corps based on shore:

\ Any Service Member

\ Desert Storm

APO New York, NY 09848-0006

To reach "Any Service Member" in the Navy or Marines who is aboard ship, write:

\ Any Service Member

Desert Storm

FPO New York, NY 09866-0006\

These addresses are not for mail directed to specific people in the military.

Sending mail to specific service people requires as much information as possible, said Lt. Col. Tom Tufts with the Military Postal Service. This has been an area of confusion.

"You should have the complete unit address," he said. "It's wise to include the Social Security number, because if they have to reroute it, that will help." The individual's name and rank also must be included.

Each unit has its own APO or FPO number - which is different from those for mail to "Any Service Member."

To get unit numbers and proper ZIP codes, you may have to call the individual's last base before his or her assignment to the Persian Gulf.

For example, address information about a soldier who shipped out of Fort Story, Va., should be available from the fort, Tufts said.

Could you print the address of the Iraqi Embassy in Washington so we can write to them about the treatment of our allied and U.S. prisoners of war?

Iraqi Embassy, 1801 P Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036.

Members of the Old Dominion Chapter of the Telephone Pioneers of America have these suggestions for those who wish to demonstrate support for the service men and women in the gulf.

Burn a single white candle in a window. A Christmas candle will suffice.

Draw a yellow ribbon on the outside of the envelopes being sent to the gulf region.

Encourage everyone to mail valentines to service members. Draw a heart on the outside of the envelope.

by CNB