Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 22, 1991 TAG: 9102220075
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Joe Kennedy
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
That is a subject of debate. The 13,200 doctors at the nation's 172 veterans' medical centers say they are bracing for the onslaught of casualties that would be sure to accompany a ground war.
Contingency plans call for clearing 9,000 beds in 24 hours, 17,000 in 72 hours and 25,000 in a month. Education programs are under way to emphasize treatment of chemical casualties, combat stress and infectious diseases peculiar to the Middle East.
However, Rich Heilman of the 1.1 million member Disabled American Veterans says that VA hospitals will have trouble caring for large numbers of wounded. "They've been hard-pressed for a number of years," he said.
The Department of Veterans Affairs won its second annual increase of nearly $1 billion from the Bush White House. But advocates of the VA said the record $33.2 billion is insufficient - and that it does not account for the higher costs certain to result from Operation Desert Storm.
VA officials said the volume of casualties cannot be estimated. They said more budget money to cover the war will be sought later in the year.
The VA operates 172 hospitals and 113 cemeteries.
(Information provided by the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press)
Is the ban on packages still in effect?
The ban has always been voluntary, rather than absolute. The military services emphasize that ground troops may have no place to keep personal items mailed to them.
Personnel on ships would have space for small packages.
The USO and the United Way are offering a booklet for children called "Someone in My Family Has Gone to the Middle East."
To get a copy, send a self-addressed, 8-by-5-inch envelope with 50 cents postage on it to:
USO Family Booklet Request
P.O. Box 20963
Atlanta, Ga. 30320
(Information provided by Landmark News Service)
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.
by CNB