Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 11, 1991 TAG: 9102090214
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Joe Kennedy
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A spokesman for the Armed Forces News Desk in Washington gave these figures through Jan. 25:
\ Saudi Arabia - $760 million cash, $854 million in host nation support including free food, fuel, water, facilities and transportation.
\ Kuwait - Pledged $16 billion, contributed $2.5 billion cash and $6 million in material assistance.
\ United Arab Emirates - Pledged $1 billion in cash and in-kind host nation support. Had given $550 million cash and $111 million in-kind.
\ Japan - Pledged $11 billion in cash and material, had given $866 million cash and $206 million in-kind.
\ Germany - Pledged $1.07 billon in cash, material and lift support, had given $272 million cash, $66 million in material support.
\ Korea - Pledged $95 million in cash, lift support and material, had given $50 million cash $11 million in support.
Others pledged $3 million in material support.
Thirty-two allied countries are contributing some 205,000 troops to Operation Desert Storm. With the U.S. forces, the total troop commitment is approximately 705,000, the spokesman said.
"I know that Czechoslovakia has one non-combat unit in Saudi Arabia of 200 men," said Daniel Vesely, press secretary at that country's embassy in Washington.
"They are a special anti-chemical unit which is supposed to deal with the consequences of chemical attack."
The unit consists of officers and soldiers from the Czechoslovakian Army. All are volunteers, and they are in the combat zone, Vesely said.
"I don't think we provide any money. I know Czechoslovakia was planning to send some medical supplies. I am pretty sure we will send some to the field hospitals and refugee camps. I don't know if it's already there or not."
I'm the father of a serviceman in the Persian Gulf. Can you tell me if mail is being forwarded to the front lines? My son apparently has been told the mail would not be forwarded.
Is the large amount of mail addressed to "Any Service Person" interfering with communication between those in the gulf and their families back home? Perhaps the "Any Service Person" mail should be curtailed or routed differently so loved ones could more easily keep in touch.
> If a serviceman was told that mail would not be delivered to the front lines, he was misled, according to Greg Martin of the Pentagon public affairs office.
There is no such policy.
"We have every indication that the mail is getting distributed over there as well as it can, considering the circumstances," Martin said.
With the war, the average delivery time has risen to 15 days - and, according to some readers, it sometimes takes longer.
"Competition for transportation assets throughout the theater is having an effect," said Lt. Col. Tom Tufts, information officer for the Military Postal Service Agency.
"You may find that troops closer to the front have longer pipelines and less transportation assets to devote to things like mail."
As for the volume of letters to "Any Service Person," Tufts said he has heard some complaints about its effect on delivery. But don't expect the procedure to be changed. People who have sent letters have "filled some legitimate needs for people who don't have the same family support," Tufts said.
Added Martin, "The thing you have to remember is that the letters to `any service members' have been a pretty valuable morale lifter for those people" - and, presumably, to the people who have sent them, as well.
If you have questions about anything from Persian Gulf geography and climate to effects on the price of gas or how to write a member of a military unit, call the Mideast Hot Line at\ 981-3313 leave a recorded message. We welcome other contributions - tips for coping, letters and photos from loved ones overseas, ideas for boosting their morale. Send them to\ MIDEAST HOT LINE, Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va., 24010. note that items sent to us cannot be returned.
\ SPECIAL HOT LINE FOR KIDS: Feb. 15, children can call their questions about the war or the gulf region to\ 981-3178. answer as many as we can in NewsFun on Feb. 19.
by CNB