10 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, April 24, 1991 Withess (continued from page 1) scary.” A hard adjustment to desert life It was difficult for the soldiers to adapt to conditions in the Persian Gulf, according to Adams. “When we first got there we were living in Arabian tents with no floors or electricity. It took some getting used to,” she said. As a member of the public affairs detachment, Adams was kept busy most of the time which she said helped her cope with what day it was,” she said. “But when we had time to relax we never lost our sense of humor and that helped a lot. Even when we were stuck in the way to laugh and break the tension,” she added. Adams chuckled when she recalled the many thoughts ran I would only be over there for three months so I left a jar of mayonnaise in my refrigerator. While I was over there I kept thinking what was happening to the mayo,” she chuckled. in New York to 120 degree days, but we eventually got used to it." Enjoyed mail and newspapers Adams never forgot the Back Mountain while serving in the Persian Gulf. In fact she said she didn’t have a chance to be- cause she received many letters and a cassette tape from fourth grade classes at the Dallas Elementary School. “That really helped with my morale,” she said. “I enjoyed reading the letters and was surprised to hear that we had so much support at home.” Upon her return Adams spent a day talking to the fourth grade youngsters, telling them about her time overseas. While in the Gulf she also received a free subscription to The Dallas Post and said that she was thankful for that also. “It got there a bit late but even old news was good news,” she said. “When I was done I passed it around to other soldiers and they enjoyed it a lot too.” tions to The Post for all local service personnel stationed in the Gulf) Now that she is stateside again, Adams is still on active duty and has returned to Ft. Drum. She said, however, that she is thankful for her time in the Persian Gulf and that she made it back safely. “From the time I got there’ think I went full circle from the its end. It really was an incredible experience,” she said. number of Scuds shot down by Patriot (missiles), but it was still the desert. “Things went quickly because we weren't really aware tents with our gas masks on during a Scud alert, we still found a through her mind while overseas. “When I shipped out I thought Another problem for the soldiers was the extreme heat. “It was real tough at first,” said Adams. “We went from the cool weather (United Penn Bank sponsored free subscrip- fear and anticipation to the actual war itself and then to witness Adams had a front-row seat on a moment in history Editor's Note: This article was originally written by Bonnie Futch Adams for an Army magazine called The Logger News. By BONNIE ADAMS This is one time in my life when I had a front-row seat to history in the making. Since Aug. 2, 1990, the world watched Kuwiat crumble beneath its Iraqi invaders. Operation Desert Shield unfolded, followed by Desert Storm which unleashed the coalition forces against a com- mon enemy. On March 3, in southern Iraq, the two opposing generals faced each other across the bargaining table instead of the battlefield. The cease-fire talks, held in a large Army tent on Sofwan Air Base, were closed to civilian reporters. Only myself and an Army Combat Camera Team photographer were allowed in, to videotape the talks. We and the other coalition personnel rose as Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of U.S. Forces in the Gulf, and LTG Salah Abbond Muhamond of Iraq, entered the unpretentious meeting place. This location had been under enemy control only days earlier, but now it was a neutral gathering place-the focal point of the world's attention. We pinned our hopes on these two men. Could the two sides agree on the terms of a proposed cease-fire? In retrospect, we knew the answer. Gen. Schwarzkopf spoke slowly and deliberately as he listed the conditions. His expressions resembled that of a worried parent, waiting up for his daughter to return home from a date. But in this case the four-star “father” was concerned for other sons and daughters held prisoner or missing in action. This wasn't the *Stormin’ Norman” I'd envisioned. Speaking through military interpretors, the generals discussed prisoner exchanges. The allies would release over 60,000 Iraqis in return for coaliton POW's. As the interpreters performed their mission, the pauses heightened the meeting's intensity. We hoped for favorable responses in the interim. Seated several feet from these history makers, I recalled the convoy ride from northern Saudi Arabia to Kuwait City several days earlier. We had pulled off the road somewhere north of Kahfji, late at night. Several Kuwaiti families greet us. Alittle girl in a fancy dress handed me a Kuwaiti flag button. Her mother shook my hand and said, “Thank you for coming so far to help us.” I told her, “you're welcome” because that's all I could manage to “A THOUGHT OF HOME - Army SPC. Bonnie Futch Adams found a reminder of home when she came across this bus in the desert. Adams said she was surprised to find the bus that had "Dallas, PA, USA" painted on it. This was one of the many memories Adams has from her eight months in the Persian Gulf. say. How could I explain in that emotional moment that others had { fought the battles which enabled us to simply drive into Kuwait. After nearly six months, I finally knew why I'm here and it’s not for oil. Its for the little girl, her mother and thousands of Kuwaitis held captive in their own country or driven from it. They'll problably never meet the generals who negotiated their future, nor the servicemembers who liberated it. But as you drive around Kuwait, you see their unrestrained gratitude and hope. The generals closed the negotiations with a hand shake. “We got a lot of good work done here today because we talked about it,” Schwarzkopf concluded. I'm privileged to have witness those hands meeting across the table and very proud of those who made it possible. Adopt-a-pet Patches is a seven-month old black and white domestic short- haired cat who needs someone to adopt him as a pet and give him a good home, and some attention. He has had his distemper shot and is looking forward to having a home with someone who needs company. Call the SPCA today and ask about Patches. Visiting hours are weekdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m., Sundays from 11 ; : to 3 p.m. Call 825-4111 and make RE : Lis arrangements to see Patches. bY S. Penna. 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