Isle

SHARM EL SHEIKH, the Sinai - The Sinai Peninsula, an area steeped in Biblical lore and frequent warfare, Is one-third of the way around the world from Galveston, but it's where Army Capt. John A. Hamilton, son of Marjorie Hamilton of Galveston, has served since February.
   Hamilton, a training officer with the Second Battalion, 508th Infantry, is serving a six-month tour with the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO), an eleven-nation peacekeeping organization which is an outgrowth of the Camp David accords between Egypt and Israel.
   The Sinai, occupied by Israel following the 1967 war, was returned to Egypt in early 1982 in accordance with the Camp David agreements between Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Menachem Begin of Israel. The MFO was brought into being as part of the accord and serves as a "buffer" between the Israelis and Egyptians.
   Referred to as a "peacekeeping force," the MFO serves primarily as an observer, reporting violations of the treaty and serving as an international "cushion" between two nations which have been enemies for centuries.
   Duty in the Sinai, particularly the southern tip of the peninsula, is not easy. The terrain and weather are harsh and monotonous. Soldiers of the 508th, scattered among observations posts (OPs) which range from Sharm El Sheikh and the Straits of Tiran in the south, northward along the Gulf of Aqaba to the Israeli border at Eilat, spend 20 of every 30 days keeping watch from craggy mountaintops and deep in the wadis (dry riverbeds) of the region. Except for the infrequent passage of a Bedouin tribe or some other traveler, there is — depending on the location of the particular OP — precious little to see, except an incredibly rugged landscape, similar to the surface of the moon.
   "For me, the rugged terrain, isolation and new operational concepts are the hardest adjustments," noted Hamilton. "Overall, I feel I'm learning from this tour. I now have a better understanding of squad training and I work closely with the aviators." Of the 11 nations which comprise the MFO, only three — the United States, Colombia and Fiji — have soldiers actually manning the outposts in the buffer area, better known as Zone C. The remainder of the MFO countries provide support in various specialties to the force as a whole.
   "I enjoy my job here," Hamilton said, "especially flying to the outposts and working with the soldiers. The only bad part is being away from my wife and son."
   The 508th is scheduled to be relieved in August by a battalion of the 101st Airborne Division, which provided the second U.S. contingent in mid-1982. Each incoming unit will find things a little better organized and a few more amenities available as the rotation schedule and plenty of hard work bring continual improvements to the American camp near Sharm El Sheikh and the various OPs along the Gulf of Aqaba.
   A graduate of Texas A&M University, Hamilton was commissioned through the ROTC program in December 1971. "When I came into the Army, i wanted to work outdoors with good people and do^a variety of jobs," he said. "So far, everything is going fine and I plan to stay In."

[The Galveston Daily News, Galveston, TX, 20 Jun 1983, Mon, Page 14]