Quayle Fires Up the Missile-Makers : Pep rally: Vice president is greeted with whoops and cheers as he heaps praise upon General Dynamics employees, who make the Tomahawk cruise missile.

Vice President Dan Quayle came to San Diego Friday to lead what local defense workers called, only half-jokingly, a pep rally for the Tomahawk cruise missile.

Speaking before about 3,000 General Dynamics employees at the plant in Kearny Mesa, a beaming Quayle thanked them for “not only supporting our troops but giving them the very best equipment in the world!”

Quayle’s 13-minute speech, which broke no new ground, was interrupted by applause several times, usually in response to thank-you’s to General Dynamics, the main manufacturer of the 2,000 cruise missiles now deployed in the U.S. Navy’s arsenal.

Security was tight at the sprawling facility but devoid of searches at the main gate. Each of several dozen media representatives was, however, escorted every step of the way by an employee.

Attempts to interview employees were often met with polite refusals. One woman said, “They’ve told us to limit what we say to anybody, and most of all, not to answer any questions.”

Richard Peter, who works as a material analyst on the Tomahawk, said General Dynamics employees are behind Operation Desert Storm “in a big way” and have come to terms with the grim truth that the hardware they spend their livelihoods working on may eventually kill people.

“It’s just part of the war,” Peter said. “It has to be done. . . . It’s just part of the war, and there’s no way around it.”

After speaking to military families at Camp Pendleton on Thursday, Quayle began Friday with a tour of Miramar Naval Air Station before going by motorcade to General Dynamics. He later left Miramar on Air Force II en route to his next stop in Phoenix.

To whoops and cheers befitting a football crowd, Quayle told the gathering, “Saddam Hussein has had

many surprises in this war, but one of the best surprises has been the Tomahawk cruise missile.

“During the last decade, the defense industry came under heavy criticism. There were stories about $600 toilet seats. Many a comedian made it sound as though the defense industry was needlessly wasting the taxpayers’ dollars.

“Today, America is strong, determined and absolutely prepared to defend our interests. I’ll tell you one person who doesn’t think we’ve wasted our money on $600 toilet seats--Saddam Hussein. He knows the quality of our military equipment. When Operation Desert Storm began, it was your Tomahawk missile that led the charge.”

On Jan. 17, the second day of the war, Pentagon sources said that more than 100 Tomahawks were fired successfully from U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf. Officials for General Dynamics say that at least 150 more have been fired since then, with what analysts describe as a 90% success rate.

The Tomahawk is 18 feet long and weighs 3,200 pounds. It can be fired from submarines or surface ships, and each one costs just under $1.1 million.

Officials for both General Dynamics and McDonnell Douglas, the missile’s other manufacturer, say the feeling about the missile’s success is pride, largely because the history of the project is one of stoppages and setbacks.

Officials say the Convair Division of General Dynamics in San Diego endured everything from congressional criticism to machinist strikes to disastrous test firings since the missile was conceived in 1972.

But Quayle was credited Friday morning with being one of the Tomahawk’s long-time supporters, both during his time in the Senate and as vice president. Air Force Col. Edward Gassman praised him lavishly, and John McSweeny, the corporate vice president of the Convair Division, gave him a souvenir--his very own toy Tomahawk.

Quayle responded by saying that the Tomahawk is just one reason the United States will eventually emerge victorious over Iraq.

“You know, in the 1930s, Winston Churchill said never, never, never believe that any war will be smooth and easy,” the vice president said. “That was good advice then, and it’s good advice today. While the length of this conflict is uncertain, its outcome is not in doubt.”

At one point, Quayle referred to a recent Cable News Network broadcast, which showed Tomahawk missiles flying by as correspondent Peter Arnett described watching them as they hit their targets.

“The Tomahawk saves lives--American lives, allied lives,” Quayle said. “First, it is unmanned. Second, with its pinpoint accuracy, civilian and collateral damage are kept to a minimum. The Tomahawk is a fine example of a simple truth: Our service men and women deserve the very best, and, thanks to you, they have the very best!”

Quayle said that Saddam Hussein had violated the Geneva Convention for having “abused allied prisoners of war, and make no doubt about it, Saddam Hussein and his henchmen will be held personally accountable for their vicious acts.”

He called the Persian Gulf War the first crisis in the post-Cold War period and said, “We have once again learned a valuable lesson, that the world is still a dangerous place.”

“We must remain firm in defiance against aggression, lawlessness and terrorism, wherever it may be.”

But in the end, Quayle said, it is everyday Americans--and the technology they help to implement--that will foil Saddam Hussein and anyone like him.

“The world marvels at America’s superior technology,” he said, as Japanese-made minicams and tape machines recorded his every word. “The American worker built the Tomahawk, the Patriot (missile), the Stealth fighter. You might say that the American (work) force is just like the American armed forces--patriotic, dedicated and without a doubt the very best in the world.”

Weekend Rallies, Pro and Con

Several rallies for and against the war in the Persian Gulf are being held around the county today and Sunday. Here is a listing:

Operation HomeFront and Motorcyclists Against Saddam Hussein are sponsoring a rally in support of the military serving in Operation Desert Storm, beginning with a motorcade at 9:20 a.m. today at Cycle Parts West, 3104 El Cajon Blvd. The rally follows at 10 a.m. at Jamacha Boulevard and Sweetwater Road.

The Scripps Ranch Old Pros and the Women’s Athletic Club will present a giant yellow ribbon to Navy Capt. Hoss Pearson, commander of Miramar Naval Air Station, at 1 p.m. today in front of Vons at 10016 Scripps Ranch Blvd. After the ceremony, 120 smaller ribbons will be distributed throughout the neighborhood.

In support of the State of Israel and the U.S. allied forces, the Institute for Public Affairs Orthodox Union, West Coast Region, will hold a rally at 10 a.m. Sunday at Beth Jacob Congregation, 4855 College Ave. Featured speakers will be Tsuriel Raphael, deputy consul general of Israel, and Larry Greenfield, foreign policy adviser and political commentator.

Rep. Randall (Duke) Cunningham (R-San Diego) will be the guest speaker at a rally in support of Operation Desert Storm at 1 p.m. Sunday on the west side of the County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway. A parade will begin about 2 p.m. leaving from the Star of India, heading south to Seaport Village and returning. The rally and parade are sponsored by Proud, Patriotic Americans.

The Coalition for Peace in the Middle East holds its regular Sunday afternoon anti-war rally at Balboa Park.