The Fort Hood Sentinel (Temple, Tex.), Vol. 50, No. 40, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 2, 1991 Page: 1 of 36
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INSIDE
Births...................................................... B1
Newsm akers....................................... A10
Hoodbriefs............................................ A5
Job Announcem ents..................... B8
ovies............................................ B7
Community Calendar.......................... B8
S
VOL. 50 NO. 40
Texas-size welcome
By Jane Crichton
3rd Sig Bde Public Affairs
The Morenos were waiting.
All 18 of them. Mom son
daughter sisters aunts nieces
nephews and cousins. They were
ready to welcome home their
personal hero Master Sgt. John
Moreno Headquarters and
Headquarters Company 3rd
Signal Brigade.
“It’s a surprise” said sister
Elvia Quintana from San Anto-
nio. ‘He doesn’t know. He doesn’t
know his mother is here from
Chicago.”
The family traveled from San
Antonio April 25 to meet Moreno
on his return from Saudi Arabia
with a group of 99 other soldiers
of the 57th Signal Battalion 3rd
Sig Bde.
The Morenos had to wait
longer than expected as the
homecoming flight was delayed
a few hours.
“As long as he gets here we
won’t complain” said aunt Rosa
Garcia from Laredo as the family
waited in Abrams Field House.
Daughter Vennesa Moreno
said she missed her father and
plans to spend time with him.
A big Texas-sized party was.
also in Moreno’s future accord-
ing to Quintana.
“That’s what he asked for and
that’s what he’s going to get”
she said.
Unaware of what awaited him
Moreno got off the plane at Robert
Gray Army Airfield and joined
his fellow soldiers on the bus for
the ride to the field house.
Back at Abrams the Morenos
filled up a section in the right
side of the bleachers. Niece
Angela Moreno clasped a sign in
the shape of a star that pro-
claimed “Welcome Home John
Moreno.”
The buses arrived a little after
5 p.m. and the news filtered
546th PSC
Change of
The Moreno family reacts to their first returned to Fort Hood April 25 from the
sight of Master Sgt. John Moreno who deserts of Saudi Arabia. 1
Family meets their hero
entineLVHOODFORT
SERVING THE PHANTOM ARMORED CORPS
Master Sgt. John Moreno HHC 3rd Sig Bde receives
a ‘welcome hom e’ hug from his sister Elvia Valadez
of San Antonio.
through the crowd of about 250
people waiting in the gym.
“Where are they where are
they” the Morenos asked.
Within minutes the soldiers
marched into the gym to the
sounds of Lee Greenwood’s “God
Bless the USA.” The waiting
families and friends went wild.
Vennesa clutched a handker-
chief to her mouth. “Daddy
daddy” she yelled when Moreno
became visible in the crowd. John
Moreno Jr. began an Arsenio
Hall whoop with tears in his
eyes.
Once again there was no
Thursday May 2 1991
Eddie Johnson/ 3rd Sig Bde
a Crichton/Srd Sig Bde
chance for a dismissal as the
families overwhelmed the sol-
diers who stood in formation.
Moreno did not seem to have
enough arms to hug the crowd
that engulfed him. Smiles and
tears were on every face.
‘1 knew Johnny and Willie
were coming but not the oth-
ers” Moreno said. “My sister I
knew she’d be here she’s every-
where.”
Moreno got the chance to say
hello to friends and collegues
but soon his family scooped their
hero up to take him home to a
Texas-sized party.
By Doraine McNutt
13th COSCOM Public A tta in
The ground trembled and pulses
quickened as another Scud mis-
sile roared overhead in the once
darkened Saudi Arabian sky.
THE SKY didn’t stay dark for
long during the air assault and
100-hour ground war. Few Scuds
actually harmed anyone. However
the one fatal scud that caused
tremendous damage was only miles
from where the 13th Data Proc-
messing Unit (DPU) Special Troops
Battalion 13th Corps Support
Command (COSCOM) was lo-
cated.
“We heard the National An-
them on Armed Forces Network
(AFN) before every Scud hit” said
Spec. Susan Hutton.
‘The news briefings on the radio
(AFN) were the only way we knew
what was happening around us”
Sgt. 1st Class George Webb ex-
plained.
These same news briefings were
On parade
By Tom Fuller
1st Cav Div Public Affair*
“Published by Frank Mayborn Enterprises Inc. a private firm in no by writers herein are their own and are not to be considered an official tisements and advertising inserts does not constitute an endorsement
way connected with the Department of the Army. Opinions expressed expression of the Department of the Army. The appearance of adver- by the Department of the Army for the products or services advertised.”
From the blowing sands of
Southwest Asia to thunder light-
ening and torrential rains over a
Texas city what a difference 10000
miles and a little more than a
month and-a-half can make in the
life of a horse cavalry soldier.
BACK IN early-March Staff
Sgt. Len Gallop 35 an Ml 093
section leader with Battery A 3rd
Battalion 82nd Field Artillery
Regiment was somewhere north
of Basra. The battery had thrown
more than 3000 rounds onto Iraqi
positions during Desert Storm.
Now a disappointed Gallop
decked out in the uniform of an
1870’s horse cavalry trooper leans
against the hood of a white pickup
truck just outside the Pasadena
WASHINGTON (ARNEWS)
—Active and Reserve Component
soldiers will receive additional pay
and benefits due to the Persian
Gulf Conflict Supplemental and
Personnel Benefits Act of 1991
signed by President Bush April
6.
While Army officials are not
certain when eligible soldiers will
receive any back payments au-
thorized by the act they say it will
be soon and will be automatic.
The act provides for the following
temporary benefits which are
retroactive to the date indicated.
The ending date for these benefits
is 180 days after the end of the
Persian Gulf war (date has not
been determined).
Effective Aug. 11990 hos
tile fire and imminent danger pay
was increased from $110 to $150.
Effective Jan. 151991 family
separation pay was increased from
$60 to $75.
—Effective Aug. 21990 death
gratuity was increased from $3000
to $6000.
—Effective Aug. 21990 through
April 51991 an additional death
gratuity payment equal to the
S
Tourism
Qome see
San Saba B4.
13 th DPU steady
as ground trembled
also keeping the American public
informed but the National An-
them was the warning the sol-
diers needed to begin protective
measures.
“I think the most scared I ever
felt was the first time we opened
the MOPP gear and took the nerve
agent antidote tablet” Spec. An-
thony Cowles said.
This was the night of the fatal
scud attack in Dhahran. While
Cowles was donning his MOPP
gear Hutton was on guard duty
making sure security around the
compound was tight.
“We just ran and jumped into
the sand by the fence. We could
feel the ground trembling under
our feet and we were scared”
Hutton said.
BOTH SOLDIERS agree: Ev-
eryone in Saudi Arabia quickly
became Patriot Missile fans.
Even with Patriots and Scuds
whistlingoverhead the 13 th DPU
continued with their mission.
Horse detachment shines for Pasadena crowds
(Texas) Convention Center rodeo
arena. It seems that one of the
many thunderstorms that plague
the Texas Gulf Coast this time of
the year has postponed his debut
as a member of the First Team’s
Horse Cavalry Detachment the
only authorized ceremonial unit
of its kind in the Army.
The day before an hour-long
torrential rain had turned the
already soggy convention grounds
and the rodeo arena in particular
into a muddy quagmire danger-
ous to man and horse. “We really
wanted to get out there and put on
a good show for the people” says
Gallop whose probationary status
as new detachment trooper may
relegate him to a support role on
the ground crew but does not
diminish his pride.
His disappointment is shared
More pay benefits due
servicemembers pre-arranged
Soldiers Group Life Insurance is
payable to the SGLI beneficiary
(this is in addition to normal SGLI
benefits).
—Basic allowance for quarters
for unmarried Reserve Component
soldiers called to active duty in
support of Operation DESERT
STORM if the soldier had to live
somewhere other than his primary
residence. To qualify the pri-
mary residence had to be owned
or rented by the soldier when he
was called to active duty.
Effective Nov. 5 1990 ex
tends special pay for Reserve
Component health care profession-
als equal to that provided to their
Regular Army counterparts.
Payment may be made without
board certification as long as the
health care professional obtains
board certification within 180 days
after release from duty in connec-
tion with Operation DESERT
STORM.
Waives certification of for
eign language proficiency and
authorizes foreign language pro-
ficiency pay for active duty per-
formed after Aug. 21990 in con
2 Sections 36 Pages
According to Hutton at one point
they processed up to 200000 requi-
sitions a day.
“When we first got there we
were very busy” Cowles said “but
once the ground war started our
load got lighter because the units
we were supporting were so far
forward.”
“WE FINALLY got to do some-
thing that we’ve been trained for”
said Cowles “and we found out we
could really do it. Even though we
had some problems the mission
was always accomplished.”
After the mission was accom-
plished the soldiers returned to
Fort Hood to an enormous wel-
coming celebration.
‘The homecoming was great!”
said Hutton. “Seeing all those
people along the road and know-
ing they were there for us....”
“The thing that hurts the most”
said Cowles “is knowing the people
who were killed are never going to
get to experience that great home-
coming we got.”
by Spec. Richard R. Torbert 25 a
horse detachment veteran who saw
action in Iraq earning the Com-
bat Medical Badge as a combat
medic with Company D 1st Bat-
talion 5th Cavalry Regiment. He
is one of 18 horse detachment
troopers who returned to their
units to serve in Operation Desert
Shield and Desert Storm as Bra-
dley crewmen Abrams gunners
wheeled vehicle mechanics or
medics.
“IT MADE me take things (in
life) a whole lot more seriously. It
matured me” Torbert comments.
But war is not what he wants to
talk about. Pasadena is where his
thoughts are at this moment. "This
is one of the best stops. The people
really treat us great and we want
to put on a premier performance
(See PARADE A2)
nection with Operation DESERT
STORM. Soldiers must obtain
certification within 180 days af-
ter release from duty in connec-
tion with Operation DESERT
STORM.
Allows payment to benefici-
aries of any accrued leave for sol-
diers who died while on active
duty even if the soldier had more
than 60 days leave or had previ-
ously cashed in excess leave.
—Provides for accrual of sav-
wings of soldiers in a missing status
in excess of $10000.
Delays increases in CHAM-
PUS deductibles and co-payment
requirements from Nov. 4 1990
until Oct. 11991.
Provides for transitional
health care for Reserve Compo-
nent soldiers and their family
members for 30 days after the
date released from active duty in
support of Operation DESERT
STORM or reinstatement of
employer health care whichever
comes first.
The act provides for the follow-
ing permanent benefits effective
(See BENEFITS A17)
"IP 7%...."" "P
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Thomas, George. The Fort Hood Sentinel (Temple, Tex.), Vol. 50, No. 40, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 2, 1991, newspaper, May 2, 1991; Temple, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth309884/m1/1/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Casey Memorial Library.