VOL. 101, NO. 59
THE UNIVERSITY DAIL KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1990
(USPS 650-640)
NEWS: 864-4810
Cheney raises reserve limit by 72,500
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney yesterday authorized the military services to call up 72,500 more reservists and National Guard members because of the situation in the Persian Gulf.
His action brings to 125,000 the number of Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps reservists who can be on active duty. The limit had been
His action had been expected in the wake of President Bush's decision last week to order an additional 200,000 troops to the Gulf region in addition to the approximately 230,000 already there.
The president said the expansion was necessary to enable the United
States to go on the offensive.
The administration had previously said that the mission of the troops, sent to Saudi Arabia after Iraq invaded Kuwait on Aug 2, was defensible.
Friday, the ceiling for naval reservation was raised from 6,300 to 10,000
Cheney's action raises the call-up ceilings from 45,000 to 80,000 for the Army, from 14,500 to 20,000 for the Navy, and from 3,000 to 13,500 for the Macro Corps.
Cheney also extended to the Army the authority, previously granted to the other services, to call reserve combat units to duty if needed. The earlier orders had limited the Army to support units.
Combat units may be ordered to go
through refresher training before they are sent overseas, a Pentagon official said.
"Today's armed forces are designed with combat support and combat service support built into the reserves," Cheney said. "As we increase the deployment of active military personnel, we also bring more members of the National Guard and Reserve to get the supporting forces we need."
Earlier yesterday, Bush extended the tour of active duty for the reservists from 90 to 180 days. The original order in August had specified 90 days, subject to an additional 90 by presidential action.
Congress has passed legislation permitting combat reserves to be called up for an additional 180 days by presidential action, but Cheney and Defense Department had not yet ask the president for such authority.
Since Cheney's original order Aug. 23, there have been 35,562 reservists called to active duty. They include 5,278 in the Air Force and 1,149 in the Marine Corps. In addition, the Coast Guard has called up 511.
Also yesterday, the Navy announced it was activating 17 medical, public affairs and construction of the Naval Reserve in 13 states.
That announcement gave 62 reservers were being called to active duty from the 17 units. The activation of a new unit was to involve the entire unit, the Navy said.
The units, with their missions, are:
Office of Information Detachment
1018, Kansas City, Mo., public affairs support.
Fourth Light Armored Vehicle Company A, Santa Ana, Calif., medical support for the Marine Corps.
Fourth Medical Detachment, 4th Tank Battalion, San Diego, medical support for the Marine Corps.
Fourth Marine Air Wing, Medical Marine Air Group 46, San Diego, medical support for the Marine Corps.
Fourth Medical Detachment, 3rd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, Long Beach, Calif., medical support for the Marine Corps.
Office of Information Detachment 1118, Aurora, Colo., public affairs support
Fourth Marine Air Wing, Medical Marine Air Group 4), Marietta, Ga., medical support for the Marine Corps.
Fourth Medical Detachment, 4th
Combat Engineering Battalion,
Baltimore, medical support for the
Marine Corps.
Fort Riley helps families prepare for deployment
Assistance center eases frustration of relatives coping with call to arms
By David Roach
Kanan mail order
PORT RILEY The call to armies has and did placet the placed, sleepy Sunny like atmosphere at Fort Bristol, least from outward appearances.
The 1st Infantry Division, about 11,300 strong, received orders last week to deploy to the Middle East to help create what President Bush called an offensive option for Operation Desert Shield.
Although the fort's normally calm exterior remains intact, intense preparations are being made to transport the troops of the 1st Division, known as the Bia Fid fone, its equipment and vehicles. About 400 vehicles to the Arabian Desert.
And as the troops prepare to leave, their families ureare to stay behind.
The division should complete its deployment in December. Fort Riley houses about 15,000 Army personnel.
Pearl Speer, a coordinator for Fort Killey's Family Assistance Center, said that the center is helping more families and that the number would increase.
"The whole thing is a family wellness, family preparedness center," she said.
"These are the kinds of things that through history we have found, that when the soldiers are gone, the families have problems with," she said. "We can help them get ready ahead of time."
Speer said the morale among the families was high.
“
The Red Cross also is on hand to explain how families can communicate with troops overseas.
"There is obviously anxiety," she said. "This is not the usual going-to-California-to-train deployment. Basically, the families are doing fine."
The center will offer financial and legal advice and services, psychological and religious counseling and help housing and health care. Sperer
"Most of what's coming in now is fairly routine. But you never quite know what's going to walk through the door."
There is obviously anxiety. This is not the usual going-to-California-to-train deployment.
- Pearl Speed
coordinator for the Fort Riley Family Assistance Center
"
One couple drove across the country on its honeymoon and arrived at the fort only to learn of the deployment, she said.
"We did have people here to sit and talk to the distraught bride about what was going on and help her look for decisions are going to be." she said
Speer said the center had plans ready in case fighting broke out in the gulf.
"There are plans for notification," she said. "There are plans to assist families with what comes. We hope it doesn't come to that."
She said one of the center's top priorities would be to get accurate information to the families as quickly as possible.
"information, sometimes, is the best thing for anxiety," she said. "As soon as we know anything, we're familiar with it to the families as quickly as we can."
Fort Riley officials estimate that 11 Division personnel have about 11,000 dependents.
"She's tense, but handling it very, very well," he said.
Maj. Brian Zahn, an armored battalion commander, said he had not enough time with his family and was considering it important to know how his wife felt about it.
Zahn said that he joined the Army 14 years ago but that he had never been deployed to a hostile situation.
"We've always known something like this could happen," he said. "We've been prepared for it for a long time."
See RILEY, p. 14
Calvin McCloy, member of the 1st Battalion/34th Armor of the 1st Fort Riley. McCloy, the father of a 9-day-old daughter, is one of 11,500 Brigade, evaluates crew members during a practice firing exercise at soldiers from the Fort who will go to the Persian Gulf.
Junction City worries about future
By Mike Brassfield
Kansan staff writer
JUNCTION CITY — Christmas has arrived in Junction City ahead of schedule this year. Soldiers based at nearby Fort Rilee are planning to celebrate early because they soon will be on the other side of the world.
But despite the early Christmas shopping rush, the town's merchants aren't counting on having a happy new year.
“
Jim Clark
James Carrico, president of the Junction City Chamber of Commerce, said the fort's soldiers and their dependents were responsible for almost 50 percent of Junction City's economy.
If the soldiers are gone for three months, a few businesses will fold. If they're gone six months, a significant number will. If they're gone 18 months, forget about it.
"That scares people," Carrillo said "There were times during the Vietnam War when Junction City fired an arrow that caused the fort was almost deserted."
owner, Jim Clark Auto Center
But about 1,500 troops from the fort have already been deployed to Saudi Arabia, and about 11,500 troops from the fort's first Infantry Division are scheduled to be deployed within four to eight weeks.
"
Carrisco said that the deployment's economic effect on the 21,000-person town would be significant but that the city could be as bad as it was in the late 1960s.
Nevertheless, local merchants are worried about the future.
About 85 percent of the soldiers' dependents are staying in Junction City because they have children in local schools, he said. In addition, many soldiers are still remaining and various reserve units will be sent to the fort for training.
"Everybody's concerned," said John Lugo. manager of the town's
Radio Shack franchise. "If you take that many people away from any town, it's going to hurt."
In the town's main business district, the rows of small shops along Jefferson Street display yellow ribbons on their doors. Clusters of women wearing camouflage fatigues can be seen walking everywhere.
"I've heard it said that Junction City is going to dry up and blow away, but this isn't just an economic issue," Carrico said. "This is a people issue, and we've got to take care of our people."
He said the citizens of Junction City had started several volunteer programs aimed at helping the soldiers and their dependents.
The Jim Clark Auto Center is offering free 24-hour emergency automotive service to military-dependent families this winter.
"Those soldiers are going to be in the desert for an unspecified length of time," Jim Clark said. "If a guy is a million miles away from his loved ones, the last thing he needs to worry about is his wife's car is stuck in the snow."
Clark said the emergency service was staffed entirely by volunteers.
"If the soldiers are gone for three months, a few businesses will fold," he said. "If they're gone six months, if they're gone eight months, they're gone 18 months, forget about it."
Richard Rexrod, owner of the town's Subway sandwich store, said that he grew up in Junction City but lived in Paris and remember much of the Vietnam era.
"All I remember is lots of abandoned buildings," he said.
KU officials hope new policy will deter future bomb threats
By Karen Park Kansas staff writer
Kansan staff writer
KU instructors were informed yesterday that if they had an examination scheduled and a bomb threat was called in during the time of the exam, the instructor could have the glass moved to an alternate location.
After KU police have been notified, the KU police dispatcher will call the department of room reservations in the Office of Student Records to find out which rooms are available for exams.
Dave Shulenburger, vice chancellor for academic affairs, said a letter was sent to faculty members that stated that an instructor wanted to have an exam moved from the school to rescheduled, the report could notify KU police.
Sulenburger said students who wanted to find out where their exam had been moved to could call the department.
He said the letter was sent to instructors and they could inform their students of the policy.
"If this reduces the incentive to call in a bomb threat, that's great." Shulenburger said.
LJ. John Mullers of KU police, said the process of finding a vacant room would take about two minutes from the time an instructor notified a police officer that the class should be moved.
Mullens said office workers in room reservations tried to find a room that could accommodate the class size and one in the same area as the original classroom.
The idea of having a process by which alternative classrooms could be found in case of a bomb threat had been abandoned.
Mullens said administrators made the decision to enact the plan after last week's bomb threat at Wescoe
He said he knew of at least two exams being administered during the Wescoe Hall bomb threat.
Mullens said bomb threats caused a lot of problems for instructors.
An instructor might have to reschedule the exam and might have to write a new exam if a bomb threat is imminent.
Thatcher challenged on ballot
The Associated Press
LONDON — Former Defense Secretary Michael Heseline yesterday challenged Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in a six-day war for the leadership of the government and the Conservative Party.
Heseltine,
will st and
against Thatcher
in a ballot among
the 372 Conservative
legislators
T u e s d y,
acused her of splitting the party on
their side, and
Thatcher
pear issues and alienating voters with an unpopular local government tax.
"I am persuaded that I will now
The challenge by Heseline, a self-made millionaire who espouses a "caring capitalism" in contrast to Thatcher's "rigorous free-market threat to her survival since she won power more than 11 years ago.
have a better prospect than Mrs. Thatcher of leading the Conservatives to a fourth general election victory," Heseline said.
Kenneth Baker, chairperson of the troubled Conservative Party, said the 65-year-old prime minister would fight to the end to keep power — through a possible three ballots ending Nov. 29.
Heselline, who needs 159 votes in the first secret ballot to force a runoff, said more than 100 legislators had pledged support for him.
"This contest is unwanted and unnecessary," Baker said. "I am sure she will win on the first ballot."
If a second ball is needed, it will be Nov. 27 and may bring in other contenders from the Cabinet, such as Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd. If no one wins uiright then a third and fourth contenders, three top controllers will be Nov. 29.
Rebellion has simmered in the party for more than a year, partly over Thatcher's isolation in the stepped-up drive for greater European unity. Britain alone rejected an agreement last month in principle for a single central bank and single currency, the 12-million European community.
But Thatatch's crisis is rooted in the Tories' 16-month lag in opinion polls, mainly because of high interest rates, double-digit inflation and an unpopular local per-capita tax dubbed the "poll tax."
Heseline said that if he won he would order an immediate review of that tax, which he said left a lingering sense of injustice.
Her supporters expressed dismay at the prospect of the party dumping the leader who faced down the unions, led the war in the Falkland Islands and whose grumpy brand of nationalism help revive the country's self-image as a European power and the United States' As 1, ally.
"Her leadership qualities are the greatest political assets which the Conservative Party and our nation have." Baker said.