The Times from Shreveport, Louisiana • Page 13

4 THE TIMES MONDAY, JUNE 14, 1999 5B LouisianaTexas BsSe 1 emaie offices' loves a hallenge ynit pre ZSti tf for iiusTicanes U.S. Coast Guard ready with revised plan in case the Louisiana coastline is threatened. The Associated Press GRAND ISLE Protecting mariners along a 150-mile stretch of coastline, even under the threat of storm winds, is the job of the United States Coast Guard Grand Isle unit The Grand Isle station, located at the end of the small barrier island Heidi V. Brown first American woman to. 'command an air defense battalion, The Associated Press EL Texas Lt Col.

Heidi V. Brown knew she was in another world when she went to a fast-food restaurant and was directed away from the "men only" line to the one for "families." It happened while Brown was breaking ground last fall as the first American woman to command an air defense battalion. She was in Saudi Arabia, leading the 2-43 Air Defense Artillery Battalion to deter aggression by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Out of respect for Saudi Arabian culture, Brown followed their traditions, even pulling on an abaya, a neck-to-foot, long-sleeved, black any time she stepped off a U.S. compound.

Glad to be first All the while, she was glad to be the one who was bringing the U.S. Army up to date. A Uflti mnAact Ri-Aiim dnriirrc i i "A 'jpv'' -f 4 i i flooding. During last year's Tropical Storm Frances, which missed the area, the Grand Isle and South Lafourche area were affected with flooding, Greene said. During some emergencies, even the Coast Guard will evacuate all personnel from the site.

During last year's Hurricane Georges, which narrowly missed the area, all personnel were evacuated. Although the Grand Isle unit does not broadcast warnings to mariners, their group, which comprises of several states, does issue warnings over radio channels, in addition to National Weather Service broadcasts, Greene said. Monitors facility For less severe storms, a smaller number of personnel stays, monitors the facility and keeps the communications up, he said. Usually 10 people are picked to stay. Greene said he has not seen a case in which a distress call came in and was not handled in some way.

"I've been here since '97 and I don't recall this unit getting a search and rescue case when there was somebody being out there and we didn't respond to them somehow," he said. Because Grand Isle has withstood numerous hurricanes and storms over the years, its mariners and residents are usually well-prepared to take the necessary actions during storm season, he said. troops were manning Patriot missiles on the ground, waiting for the moment when they might need to fire to protect Prince Sultan Air Base, Riyadh Air Base and other significant points. Then, in December, Clinton ordered air strikes again, setting off a four-day bombing campaign against Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs. The campaign was considered a success.

"When all the bombing was going on, we were ready," Brown says. "If Saddam Hussein had launched a Scud (missile), we would've had it." He never did, so Brown's soldiers never fired. In March, Brown brought all 580 soldiers under her command back home, not one of them hurt. Late this summer, Brown will return to the Pentagon. After that, she hopes to go back to school to become a brigade commander.

Her mentor, retired Col. Buster Hayden, believes Brown could be a general if she set her mind to it. "She is a role model for anybody who doesn't think women have a place in the Army. Take a look at Heidi Brown," says the regional coordinator for admissions to West Point "She's outspoken, she's dedicated, she's a soldier's soldier," he says. "In every respect the soldiers come first to her.

She's honest, loyal, I could just go on and on." Top ranks possible Lt Col. Helen Prewitt who attended Command and General Staff College the military's version of graduate school with Brown in 1992, also can envision Brown in the Army's top ranks. "She's going to be recognized for her ability, and not because she's the first woman to do anything," says Prewitt, who works in the Pentagon. "I think Heidi Brown can do anything she wants to do in the Army," she said. "I think she's that talented and well-rounded as both a person and an Army officer." For now.

Brown isn't sure what lies ahead. "A couple of years ago, my ultimate would've been to command a battalion, and this particular battalion," she says, "and that happened to me." on tne accompusnment. AP Lt. Col. Heidi V.

Brown describes her role with the Patriot missile system. Brown, the daughter of a retired Army major, commands the 2-43 Air Defense Artillery Battalion at Fort Bliss, Texas. SjI My soldiers are, thinK, more excited about it than I ever was," says the 39-year-old, who has spent nearly half her life in the Army. "Some of my soldiers would 'come up and they'd want me to take pictures with them and they'd want me to sign stuff for them. And I said, Teali, yeah, OK, she says, smiling.

"But on the other hand, I think, "Well, if there's going to be somebody who's the first, why not The daughter of a retired Army major, Brown grew up around El Paso's Fort BUss, where she is 1 5 now stationed. She went to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., not long after it began accepting women, and decided she wanted to go into military intelligence. But she got stuck with air defense because of a poor class rank. "I was a party animal in college, and so my grades were pretty bad," the golden-haired, Brown reminisces with a grin.

community, currently has 32 stationed personnel who went through hurricane preparation exercises early this year to prepare for the season, in light of last year's active season. The station is equipped with two 41-foot utility boats and a 20-foot rigid-hull inflatable boat to use in situations where the waters are too shallow for the larger boats, said Lt Cmdr. Mike Greene. During storm warnings, if the Coast Guard unit has no available response vessels, search and rescue calls would be relayed to the 8th Coast Guard District for assistance, Greene said. The 8th District includes the Gulf of Mexico from Apalachicola, west to Brownsville, Texas, and has headquarters in New Orleans.

The Grand Isle unit reviewed its hurricane plan in April, Greene said. "We went through lessons learned from last year, and revised our hurricane plan made sure our personnel were well-versed in it," he said. One of the contingencies included what would happen if the personnel had to evacuate the facility. Numerical system The Coast Guard has a numerical system for storms, and currently, the unit is in hurricane condition five, the least severe out of five. Hurricane condition five usually begins at the start of the hurricane season until Nov.l, Greene said.

During condition five, the units make sure all their resources and plans are ready, checking on equipment, updating their phone lists and checking their evacuation kits, which include emergency supplies such as food and water, flashlights and bedding. "We go through all the supplies they need to secure the facility should they have to evacuate," he said. During condition four, threatening winds are estimated to make landfall in 72 hours. Condition three is when the winds are forecast for 48 hours; condition two, 24 hours; and condition one, 12 hours. Winds are not always the greatest hazard, Greene said.

Any kinds of wind can affect the tides, causing tactical ballistic missiles. As part of a regular six-month rotation, Brown and her soldiers went to Saudi Arabia in October. The unmarried Brown knew she couldn't take her golden retriever Murphy Brown with her, so she packed the urn containing the ashes of Brandy, her miniature longhaired dachshund who died a year earlier. Two weeks after Brown's task force took over, President Bill Clinton ordered air strikes against Iraqi targets but then canceled them. Iraq narrowly avoided an attack by dropping its defiance of the United Nations, and Saddam was told he would have to cooperate with U.N.

weapons inspectors without conditions. In the meantime, Brown and her Vhat she discovered is that she loved the challenge and importance of working in air defense. For several years, she bounced around the world, rising from platoon leader to commander in Germany, testing a new weapons system at Fort Bliss, getting a master's in education in student-personnel services from the University of South Carolina and overseeing cadets back at West Point She then went to the Pentagon, where she developed a computer program that provides demographic profiles of Army units immediately after they are deployed. Brown came back to El Paso in September 1997, when she took command of her current 650-sol-dier battalion, which shoots down Downtown Shreveport ma a Move your business to Shreveport's most exciting location Downfop Up to 150,000 square ieet available Black re-enactors commemorate anniversary of battle in high-rises and historic properties with great black Confederates," Fisher said. "In fact, one of their best snipers was a black Confederate." But Fisher said he liked more learning how his ancestors helped liberate blacks.

"There were 326,000 black men who served for the Union, and nearly 68,000 of them died." Fisher's group participated in this year's Battle of Raymond. The welcome they gave us in Raymond was way more than I expected," said Mike Wallace, a security consultant who joined last year. "I got a chance to meet some new friends, and we got invited back." group has been active for about 18 months. At the Vicksburg Military Park one day before Fisher started re-enacting, some Japanese tourists asked him how he felt about the soldiers who died for his freedom. "And you know, with me not knowing much about the Civil War at the time, I just said, "Well, I guess it's a good But something just kept telling me to research it." He said he discovered that blacks contributed thousands of troops to both sides.

"We have found about 38,000 I was ever engaged in, not even excepting Shiloh." This was the battle of Milliken's Bend, now part of Mississippi River south of Vicksburg. Six black Civil War re-enactors gathered this past weekend at Presidential Hills Park in Jackson, to commemorate the 136th anniversary of the first successful battle fought by black Mississippi Union troops. Norman Fisher, a Jackson postal worker, heads this First U.S. Mississippi Colored Infantry Regiment of re-enactors, which he said is the only black re-en actor group in the South. He said his The Associated Press '-'A June 10, 1863, letter from Capt M.M.

Miller from Louisiana to his aunt in Galena, 111., tells a succinct Civil War story: were attacked here on June 7, about 8 o'clock in the morning, by a brigade of Texas troops, about 2,500 in number. We had about 600 men to withstand them, 500 of them negroes. I commanded Company Ninth Louisiana. We went into the fight with 33 men. I LJoad 16 killed and 11 badly wound- ed, 4 slightly.

i "It was a horrible fight, the worst views ond attractive retail space all at competitive rates. Everything is within easy walking AT STANDARD BRAND SHOES Texas museum opens sensory garden exhibit for the blind distance banking, government, dining, The Associated Press ODESSA, Texas A West Texas museum is changing the old rule of look but don't touch. Hoping to attract the blind to their museum, heretofore a largely visual experience, the Ellen Noel Art Museum of the Permian Basin opened the George and Milly Rhodus Sculpture Garden Saturday. shopping and I Tschumy, which were given by the Meadows Foundation, are currently part of the display. Two companion bronzes by Rosalind Cook were donated by Ellen Noel and Lissa and Cyril Wagner.

"Especially with the sculptures, we're hoping (the sculpture garden) will be something they can enjoy," Bassinger said. also hope to add other sensory exhibits like musical sculptures." ing them. Audio tours of the plantings and sculptures also are available. Exhibits will change periodically and feature different artists and various kinds of sculpture, Bassinger said. "We hope to have other sculptures on loan," Bassinger said, adding, "It's more difficult for a museum to handle sculptures because of the size and shipping costs." Pieces by artist Freda Coffing cials hope will offer a new way for the roughly 6,000 legally blind people in the Permian Basin to appreciate art "We know how many people are legally blind in the Permian Basin, and we hope they can enjoy this," executive director Marilyn Bassinger told The Odessa American.

The sensory garden has been equipped with raised, large-letter signs for the visually impaired and has a sign explaining how to touch and smell the plants without damag Sizes -Sc1 57-17 71 ft''' if entertainment. I garden is a smell, touch and feel experience that museum offi It's time to xioioioioioio: put your business in the middle of Whafs Yeup Inlepnet pthctj Professional Fitness Center, Inc. the action. W's time to make your mm if mm DRESSPORT Reg. $110 S8990 WORLD TOUR PROWALKERS Reg.

$90 $73 CASUALS Reg. $95 SIZES: 13. 14. 15, 16, 17 locatioooHjofyouf 4V- Large enough to handle your fitness needs, and small enough to attend to 384K 512K 256K No Enrollment Fees 1 Li CONTINUOUS SALE 1281 FraC640K 4' SOFTDISK fx 64Kjt INTERNET SERVICES month Singles $36.00 month Call for your FREE Exercise Session: 798-6064 Ron Dunigan has served South Shreveport's fitness needs for 17 years strong! Services: 86 Exercise Machines; Classes: Sr. and 1500 PAIRS STACY ADAMS NUNNBUSH GIORGIO BRUTINI OTHERS to $IQ90 jvyp 1.544K 56K TS PH.

PAIRS US PR. Sizes 6-15, Widths: B-EEE STANDARD. Building DDlMn md ennuis FOR SALE SHOES FOR MEN Step Aerobics, Yoga, Childcare; Cardio Kick Boxing; Separate Whirlpools, Saunas, Steam Rooms. Free Fitness Testing with Data Reports Hours: M-F 5 a.m.-9 p.m. Highland Hospital Sat.

7 a.m.-7 p.m. 1453 E. Bert Kouns Sun. 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Ph.

798-6064 Gall Patrick lix 221 -871 8 exL Z4Z "Tfcs Esst EsLls From Seraltalsr to tfis tnM" 221-1977 644 MILAM ST. DOWNTOWN SHREVEPOftT IT'S WORTH THE TRIP OPEN 9 TO 5:30 DAILY CLOSED SUNDAYS jf, jTi Jtfn i ill-mil 1.