[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 15 (Monday, February 5, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E151-E152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    AND THE DOVE OF PEACE WEPT, TOO

                                 ______


                           HON. CHAKA FATTAH

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 1, 1996

  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Marilyn Krantz of Philadelphia, in 
response to the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, 
was moved to pen the following poem entitled ``And the Dove of Peace 
Wept, Too.''

     Feelings * * * shared by countless many,
     Amidst the shock and grief,
     In prayers and prose and poetry
     Expressing horror and disbelief
     That Israel's leader, Yitzhak Rabin
     Had so mercilessly been slain--
     And by one of his countrymen
     Whose deed marked the return of Cain!

     With the word ``Peace'' still on his lips
     And his heart filled with hope anew
     This Great man fell, and tears did flow,
     And the Dove of Peace wept, too.

     Reaching beyond Israel's boundaries,
     This was a loss to all the world,
     Leaders gathered from near and far
     To join as mournful words unfurled
     For this man who'd struggled to ensure
     The survival of one small nation
     And worked tirelessly to bring peace
     In the Mideast--a great revelation!

     Soldier, statesman, family man.
     In his wisdom, he'd come to see
     That war was no solution
     And killing brings no victory.

     May his memory be for a blessing,
     Others will carry his ideas through;
     This was promised amidst the tears,
     And the Dove of Peace wept, too.
     Yitzhak Rabin is with us yet:
     He lives in every believing heart
     That peace must and will be achieved,
     And each dawn offers a new start.
     
[[Page E152]]


            KIOWA WARRIORS PROTECTING U.S. TROOPS IN BOSNIA

                                 ______


                            HON. PETE GEREN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 1, 1996

  Mr. PETE GEREN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in the Department of Defense 
authorization and appropriations bills for fiscal year 1996, Congress 
added $140 million to the Army's procurement budget to buy 20 armed OH-
58D helicopters, better known as Kiowa Warriors. The proof that 
Congress made the right decision is demonstrated in the attached 
article from the January 15, 1996, edition of Inside the Army.
  Mr. Chairman, you will note that the Kiowa Warrior--with its mast-
mounted sight and day-night, all weather surveillance capability--is 
deployed to monitor military peacekeeping movements in the zone of 
separation between Bosnia and Serbia. It is proving its mission 
effectiveness by protecting the lives of thousands of American 
servicemen and women moving into dangerous territory.
  As Army Major General John Suttle of the 1st Armored Division's Task 
Force Eagle states: ``The Kiowa is uniquely suited [for Bosnia] because 
of its stealth capability, its high maneuverability and its ability to 
protect itself with a variety of weapons systems.''
  The Army has a valid requirement for 507 Kiowa Warriors, but through 
this fiscal year, fewer than 400 OH-58D's have been funded. I hope that 
my colleagues in Congress will continue to act wisely and show support 
for further acquisition of Kiowa Warriors for the Army until the 
requirement for this outstanding military aircraft is fully met.
  The full text of the Inside the Army article follows.

 U.S. Troops Rolling Into Bosnia Under Cover of Apaches, Kiowa Warriors

       As U.S. troop move into Bosnia at a rate of 500-600 a day--
     6,600 servicemembers arrived by Friday--Army aviators are 
     flying continuous protection missions to help protect the 
     flow of deployment.
       Maj. John Suttle, spokesman for the 1st Armored Division's 
     Task Force Eagle, said hundreds of troops have been deployed 
     with the Apache AH-64 attack helicopters and OH-58D Kiowa 
     Warrior scouts to monitor military peacekeeping movements 
     into the Zone of Separation between Bosnia and Serbia.
       ``The Kiowa is uniquely suited [for Bosnia] because of its 
     stealth capability, its high maneuverability and its ability 
     to protect itself with a variety of weapons systems,'' Suttle 
     said.
       The Kiowas are being flown by members of the 2nd Brigade's 
     4th Cavalry Division who are ``conducting routine 
     reconnaissance in addition to providing quick reaction by 
     placing their eyes on `hot spots' as the command deems 
     necessary,'' said Suttle. He said their recon maneuvers have 
     been important to the Sava River Bridge building and crossing 
     of troops into Bosnia.
       The Apache units are staged with the 4th Brigade in both 
     Tazar, Hungary and in Tuzla, Bosnia. ``The Apaches can do the 
     same types of missions as the Kiowas, but they're much more 
     of a heavy hitter,'' said Suttle. The Apaches are also flying 
     continuous reconnaissance missions to allow pilots to ``get a 
     feel for the surrounding area.''
       Apaches are also serving as a protective measure for 
     arriving VIPs such as Defense Secretary William Perry, who 
     took a holiday visit to the troops, and for President Bill 
     Clinton, who at press time was preparing for a trip to the 
     region.
       Suttle said the river crossing has become a ``piece of 
     cake'' since flooding of the Sava River was stopped by the 
     Army Corps of Engineers. During a Pentagon briefing for 
     reporters last week, officials said peacekeeping vehicles are 
     moving over the bridge at a rate of 230 per day.
       Earlier this month the same officials said they planned to 
     build a second span across the Sava River to help expand the 
     flow of personnel and equipment into the Zone of Separation. 
     But in a Pentagon press briefing Thursday, Ken Bacon, 
     assistant to the secretary of defense public affairs, said 
     ``we believe we're getting enough flow across the Sava River 
     now. We believe that the time of the engineers could be 
     better spent improving the quality of the life for the troops 
     there, and we'll delay the second bridge for about a month.''
       Quality-of-life matters are a concern for the soldiers 
     settling in to areas like Camp Harmon, where Army officials 
     expect to house 2,500 troops by March 1.
       According to Capt. Tom Evans, Army spokesman stationed in 
     Zupanja, near the Sava River Bridge, the Army will house 
     ``about 10 people per tent at Camp Harmon.'' He said nearly 
     100 tents with temporary wood floors, reinforced with straw, 
     have been erected in the camp. As Army units cross the Sava 
     Bridge, they are being asked if they have enough supplies for 
     the areas in which they are assigned; cold weather gear and 
     heating units top the list.
       Evans said soldiers are issued heating units that have been 
     on supply in the European theater for some time. According to 
     U.S. Army Europe, the heaters are the standard Army stoves 
     that can use a variety of fuels including the standard Army 
     fuel JP-8, wood, diesel or coal.
       Concerns about the diesel-fueled heaters have been voiced 
     by soldiers housed in tents in Germany, where countermine 
     training is conducted before they are deployed in the Bosnian 
     mission.

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