AREA RESERVISTS HEAD HOME; DEACTIVATION PROCESS UNDER WAY

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Some members of the Cape Girardeau Naval Reserve Center's Fleet Hospital Unit, which was called to Mideast duty Jan. 7, will be returning this week.

"We've received word that fleet hospital personnel are being deactivated," said Lt. Comdr. Jack Dalrymple, who heads up the reserve center. "We don't know how many or when they will be back in the area, but some of them may be here this week.

"The reservists will be returning home in different groups, and some individually," he said. "And some won't be coming back for a while."

Dalrymple said the reservists will be flying into Chicago.

He said: "Some of them will arrive at O'Hare Field this morning; others will be flying back on different planes. The troops will report to Great Lakes Naval Center for processing back to reserve status. This process is expected to take two or three days, so some of the troops could be arriving back in Cape Girardeau Thursday or Friday."

Meanwhile, at least five reservists four Army and one Air Force have already returned to Cape Girardeau.

Maj. Terry Crass of Jackson and Sgt. Ted Hooker of Cape Girardeau, two of the 20 Army reservists who left from the Army Reserve Center here, returned to the area last week.

"Two other reservists from Southern Illinois also returned last Wednesday," said a spokesman for the reserve center. "Crass and Hooker were affiliated with a hospital group in the Persian Gulf area. We haven't had any firm word on when the remaining troops will be back," said the spokesman.

Also back in Cape Girardeau last weekend was Dr. James E. Palen, who was activated from the Air Force reserves at Scott Air Force Base. Palen was in command of an evacuation hospital during the Persian Gulf War.

Dalrymple said some of the naval fleet hospital troops will have to stay in the Persian Gulf area. "They'll be overseeing cleaning up and packing up of hospitals over there," he said. "At this time we don't have a complete list of those who will be back this week."

Dalrymple said he had received no information concerning 38 Seabees who are members of a construction unit that left here Jan. 13.

"This will be a partial homecoming for our troops," said Dalrymple. "We'll have a welcome party at a later date for all the troops who left from here, including the Seabees and the Fleet Hospital."

Meanwhile, both Cape Girardeau hospitals will have welcome-home plans for service men and women who were activated for duty in the gulf.

"We have formed a `Welcome Back' committee at St. Francis Medical Center," said Jay Wolz, assistant director of marketing and public relations at the hospital.

"Tentative plans include "Welcome Home" banners and yellow ribbons to be placed above the front entrance to the hospital and the employee entrance, and a brief prayer service and a reception to be held in the cafeteria in honor of each individual or group of employees on the first day back."

Nine St. Francis employees were included in the fleet hospital unit.

Other plans include a "Saint Francis Family Reunion" when all employees have returned from the gulf and a "Red, White and Blue Day," when employees will be asked to wear patriotic colors.

Southeast Hospital will honor its four employees who were called to duty. Details will be announced later.