Cohen, Shelton Praise Desert Fox Warriors
By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON -- America's military men and women deserve high
praise for executing Operation Desert Fox, the Pentagon's
senior leaders said Dec. 17.
"It is inevitable that during conflict our focus will be on
our weapons and their effectiveness," said Army Gen. Hugh
Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "but we
must not lose sight of the fact that it is our people who
make the difference."
Shelton and Defense Secretary William Cohen saluted service
members on the second day of Desert Fox, the air campaign
designed to degrade Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass
destruction program and his ability to threaten his
neighbors.
The chairman said the nation's soldiers, sailors, airmen
and Marines make America the super power that it is. "We
owe our men and women in uniform carrying out this
operation a great deal," Shelton said.
Cohen noted that military men and women frequently work
under adverse conditions, and each day, they risk their
lives practicing wartime skills.
"In wartime or peacetime, they're out there training," the
secretary said. "When I was in the Gulf in August, the
temperature on the ships was 160 degrees -- combined
humidity and heat. Nonetheless, they had made 2,000
launches during the month of August."
Each week, as units work to maintain high combat readiness,
Cohen said, troops' lives are lost. "Their lives are in
danger just by virtue of the fact that they are the best
fighting force in the world," he said. And during
operations like Desert Fox, they face new threats.
"Those pilots flying over Baghdad run the risk of being hit
by surface-to-air missiles," Cohen said. "They run the risk
of being captured. Service members in Kuwait or Saudi
Arabia run the risk of a Scud missile attack."
But, Cohen said, protecting U.S. forces is a top military
priority. "We have taken every defensive measure that we
can. They are prepared. Our military is performing
extremely well, and every American should be proud of the
troops participating in Desert Fox."
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