University Daily Kansan / Monday, August 26, 1991
5b
ROTC captain gains new insights in war
Woolridge says next conflict may be worse
By Melissa Rodgers Kansan staff writer
Seventy-nine days changed U.S. Army Capt. Virgil Woolridge.
Woolridge, assistant professor of military science, said his stay in the Saudi Arabian desert earlier this year was an unforgettable experience that gave him a new perspective on how the Army manages a war.
During the war, Woolridge was assigned to the Army's 7th Corps division support command, where his primary responsibility was supplying the Infantry Division of Fort Riley with food, water, fuel and ammunition.
rte was there from Feb. 4 to April 23.
Woolridge was the only ROTC instructor at KU to serve in the war,
said U.S. Army Maj. Steve Johnson, KU assistant professor of military science.
("Woolridge) brings insight and practical application to concepts that are taught in the ROTC program," Johnson said. "He instructs classes about how supplies are moved, how materials are transported, the importance of planning in depth."
When Woolridge arrived at his post on the front four days after his arrival in Saudi Arabia, the air war had already begun. He said he could see Iraqi anti-aircraft fire as he was setting up his tent.
In the beginning, Woolridge and the division support command were located about 20 miles from the Kuwaiti city where they changed positions frequently.
The 1st Infantry Division moved so quickly when the ground war began that it outran its supply lines. It went farther than was anticipated.
Woolridge said he was too busy to be scared, but there were two incidents that grabbed his attention.
The first incident was when the members of his unit knew the ground war was imminent and were waiting for the word to go. Suddenly, they were given orders to break out their new chemical-warfare suits.
"I began to get a little nervous," Woolridge said.
The second frightening incident occurred when Woolridge and another officer were on business in a town near their camp. They heard a loud explosion that shook the building they were in.
"At first we thought it might be a terrorist attack," he said. "Black smoke was billowing up only a few hundred feet away and we quickly put on our gas masks and left."
After returning to camp, they found that a Seud missile had hit the town.
"In retrospect, it was a close call," he said. "I was almost in the wrong place at the wrong time."
During the war, the safest place to be, ironically, was near a Scud missile target, as the Scuds were so inaccurate, Wooldridge said.
Before and after the war, it was not unusual to see a lone, nomadic sheepherder coming across the sand with his sheep, Woolridge said.
"These people have been doing this for thousands of years," he said. "Coming from a technological society, it was interesting to see how far or how little man has come."
"The Saudi Arabian desert is a bleak place, but I enjoyed looking at the stars at night," Woolridge said. "The sky was crystal clear. You realize how ancient man could map the stars."
Analyzing the gulf war, Woolridge said he hoped people realized that the U.S. forces were exceptionally successful and that the next war might not be so clean and sterile.
"As a soldier, when your country commits you to a war, you hope the outcome is worth the cost," Woolridge said. "I think this time it was worth the cost."
Women have differing opinions about combat
By Heather Anderson Kanson staff writer
Kansan staffwriter
While in Saudi Arabia last spring, Staff Stg. Shell Buck worked on a computer, ran errands and delivered messages.
As a member of the Air National Guard, Buck helped the 190th Air Refuelling Group from Topeka by providing support that were flying refueling missions.
This month, Congress passed a bill stating that the Navy, Air Force and Marines could allow women to fight in combat. Before, the Combat Exclusion Act of 1948 had prohibited these branches of the military from letting women serve in combat situations.
But Buck was not allowed to fly any missions in Saudi Arabia because she is a woman. Until earlier this month, military women could not be in combat situations.
The U.S. Army still does not allow women to serve combat roles.
Capt. Shannon Butler, commanding officer of the Naval ROTC at the University of Kansas, said the bill did not surprise her.
"We've been moving in that direction for several years," Butler said.
In the 23 years that she has been a member of the U.S. Navy, the military has given more opportunities to women and minorities. Butler said.
She said Operation Desert Storm proved that women had been given more opportunities to serve in such positions ofience and occupational specialists.
Buck, who lives in Topeka, said Congress had no other choice but to pass the bill.
"It's a contradiction to say that women can't fight in combat when they were killed," she said. "It's a long time overdue."
Of the 35,000 women who served in the Persian Gulf, 11 were killed and two were taken prisoners of war.
Wendy Zanoni, a member of the 101st Military Intelligence division from Fort Riley, who also served in the Army, said she also was in favor of the hill.
"If a woman can pass the test, then she should be able to be in combat," Zanoni said.
Zanoni is a member of the U.S. Army and is therefore not affected by the bill. But she said that even if the Army did allow women to serve in combat, she would not want to do it.
"Most of the women that I work with wouldn't want to go into combat," she said.
Butler said studies had shown that more female officers than enlisted women were in favor of women in combat.
"I volunteered for the Persian Gulf, but they didn't have anything to do for me," she said.
Butler said she would like to see an experimental all-female infantry unit in order to see how the women would react.
She said she had not received any calls from women who would be interested in Naval ROTC since Congress has passed the bill. But, she said it may be too early to tell whether the bill will have any impact on the ROTC program.
"It's too early to register positive or negative impact," she said. "It's too late to register for next year."
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