PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE GULF WAR

PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES

ON THE GULF WAR

The Institute of Land Warfare

ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES

ON THE GULF WAR

The Institute of Land Warfare

ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

2425 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22201-3385 (703)84 1 -4300

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CONTENTS

FOREWORD.........................................................................................................................................vii General Jack N. Merritt, USA Ret., President, AUSA

GLOSSARY ix .................................................................................................................................................

Part I

THEATER OF OPERATIONS: THE COMBAT AND COMBAT SUPPORT TROOPS

A Journalist's Perspective of the Ground War........................................................................................l

Peter Copeland, Scripps Howard News Service

Cottonbalers, By God ... . ..S ...............

......................................................................... ................................

Major Kim Stenson, USA, Operations Officer, 2nd Battalion,

7th Infantry, 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized)

A Target Acquisition Battery in Action S .......................................................................................................

First Lieutenant William M. Donnelly, USAR, Executive Officer,

G Battery, 333rd Field Artillery Battalion, 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized)

Notes: Artillery on the Move .. ll ..................................................................................................... ..........

Sergeant First Class Patrick Douglas, USA, Maintenance Sergeant,

Headquarters Platoon, 2nd Battalion, 1st Field Artillery,

1st Armored Division

The King of Battle in Action . . . lS ......... ....................................................... ........................ ........................

Captain Michael Whetson, USA, Commander, Battery A, 6th Battalion,

41st Field Artillery, VII Corps Artillery

The Human Factor . . . . .. . .... 19 ......... .. .... ..... ................................................................................ .. ..............

..

Master Sergeant Gregory A. Drake, USA, S1 Noncommissioned Officer,

210th Field Artillery Brigade, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, VII Corps

Thank You for Your Support . . . .. 23 ...... ....................... ......... .. ........................................ ............................

Major Greg H. Parlier, USA, Executive Officer, 3rd Battalion (Airborne),

4th Air Defense Artillery, 82nd Airborne Division

Training and Surviving in Combat.........................................................................................................25

Captain Richard K. Orth, USA, Commander, Company A, 34th Armor,

1st Infantry Division (Mechanized)

Back to the Desert . .. 28 ............................................................. ....................................... ...........................

Chaplain (Captain) John W. Betlyon, USAR, Chaplain, 2nd Battalion,

69th Armor, 197th Infantry Brigade, 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized)

Eagle Troop . . . . . . 32 .............. ....................................................................................................... .. .... ........ .. .

Captain H. R. McMaster, USA, Commander, E Troop, 2nd Squadron,

2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment

Random Thoughts for My Sons . . . . 38 .. ............................................................................ ........ ....... ............

Major Mark P. Hertling, USA, Operations Officer, 1st Squadron,

1st Cavalry, 1st Armored Division

An Aviation Brigade Goes to War. . .. . . 42 ......... ....................... ....................................................... ........ ..

Lieutenant Colonel Marshall T. Hillard, USA, Executive Officer,

4th Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division

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THEATER OF OPERATIONS: THE SUPPORT TROOPS (continued)

Operation Provide Comfort: The Final Chapter 47 ................................................................................. Lieutenant Colonel Virgil L. Packett II, USA, Commander, 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry, 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized)

Partll

THEATER OF OPERATIONS: THE SUPPORT TROOPS

Forward Aeromedical Evacuation 49 ......................................................................................................... Captain Randall G. Anderson, USA, MEDEVAC Pilot, 57th Medical Detachment, XVill Airborne Corps

A Chaplain'sJournal 52 .............................................................................................................................. Chaplain (Major) Robert G. Leroe, USA, Chaplain, 28th Combat Support Hospital, 44th Medical Brigade

A Small Part of the Whole ... A Large Part of Me 56 ................................................................................. Lieutenant Colonel Charlotte E. Kimball, USA, Maintenance Division Chief, 2nd Corps Support Command, VII Corps

W h a t Took You So Long? 60 ..................................................................................................................... Lieutenant Colonel Joseph P. Gallagher, USA, Enemy Prisoner of War Evacuation Officer, VII Corps

Intelligence Center Operations 63 ............................................................................................................... Lieutenant Colonel Robert J. Butta, USA, Commander, 297th Military Intelligence Battalion, 513th Military Intelligence Brigade

The Gulf Classic: MPs Tee Up for the Real Thing 66 ................................................................................ Captain Virginia A. Todd, USA, Sl, 16th Military Police Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps

M a p - Saudi Arabia and Surrounding Area 70 .........................................................................................

Partm

IN AND AROUND THE THEATER OF OPERATIONS

Observations of a Soldier/Interpreter 7 1 .................................................................................................... Sergeant First Class Mark W. Schulert, USA, Civil Affairs Medical Team, 354th Civil Affairs Brigade

First In, Last Out: A Year in Dammam 73 ................................................................................................. First Lieutenant Russell E. Baggerly, USA, Pier Operations Officer, 24th Transportation Battalion, 7th Transportation Group, 22nd Support Command

Iraqi isery: Another Dreary Day in Safwan 77 ....................................................................................... Major John R. Randt, Indiana Army National Guard, Deputy Commander, Army Reserve Video Team

Kuwait Emergency Recovery Operations 79 .............................................................................................. Lieutenant Colonel Larry W. Jinkins, USA, Military Engineer Representative, Kuwait Emergency Recovery Office

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IN AND AROUND THE THEATER OF OPERATIONS (continued)

Troop Replacement Operations 8 2 ............................................................................................................. Captain Kenneth J. Heaney, USA, Commander, 82nd Replacement Detachment, 82nd Airborne Division

Rec Services in the Desert 84 ...................................................................................................................... Joe M. Harlan, Morale, Welfare and Recreation Chief, Saudi Arabia

Rear Echelon Battles 85 .............................................................................................................................. Captain Andrew G. Entwistle, USA, Commander, 45th Ordnance Company, XVIII Airborne Corps

The Peace Talks Convoy 89 ........................................................................................................................ Captain Daniel M. Georgi, USA, Deputy Transportation Operations Officer, 22nd Support Command

Not One More Life 9 1 ................................................................................................................................. Rosalene E. Graham, Safety Manager, VII Corps

Part IV

STATESIDE OPERATIONS

Retirees Join the Fight 95 ........................................................................................................................... Lieutenant Colonel David M. Watt, AUS Ret., Staff Officer, U.S. Army Reserve Personnel Center

Family Assistance 97 ................................................................................................................................... Lieutenant Colonel Robert N. Farkas, USAR Ret., Family Assistance Officer, 369th Transportation Battalion, New York Army National Guard

Project Remote: Desert Storm Robotics lOl ............................................................................................. Captain John M. Koetz, Jr., USA, Weapons System Manager-Robotics and Bruce E. Brendle, Jr., Robotics Program Engineer, U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Command

W.I.N.and War l03 .................................................................................................................................... Captain Ross V. Romeo, USA, Communications Support Officer, Worldwide Military Command & Control System, Pentagon

Epilogue

HOME AGAIN/HOME AT LAST

Coming Home: Vietnam to Desert Storm lOS ............................................................................................ Captain (Doctor) Doug Rokke, USAR, Health Physicist, 12th Preventive Medicine Detachment, 3rd Army Medical Command

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FOREWORD

In 1991, the Association of the United States Army published two special reports on the Gulf War: The U.S. Army in Operation Desert Storm: An Overview (June 1991), which described the conduct of combat operations; and Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm: The Logistics Perspective (September 1991), which narrated the broad logistical aspects of the Army's role in the war. Though no longer in print, these two publications served the important purpose of documenting the complexity and magnitude of the military endeavor of the United States and a coalition of other nations' military forces to eject the Iraqis from Kuwait.

Soon after the publication of these documents, it was recognized that there was need for a third publication which captured the human dimension of the Gulf War, i.e., the perspectives of the individual soldiers and civilians. A call for manuscripts on personal experiences was made through AUSA's Army magazine andAUSA News throughout 1992. The results are now in your hands in the form of selected perspectives and experiences of soldiers and civilians who participated directly or in support of the Gulf War.

This is an anthology of personal views written by men and women who participated in various roles - in the combat environment, within the theater of operations, back home in the United States and in other overseas locations.

These personal stories reveal once again the flexibility, initiative and drive of the individual Americans upon whom the nation relies to fight its wars and protect its national interests. There are lessons in these accounts of soldiers and civilians going about their serious work at countless locations in bringing to bear the military strength necessary to defeat an enemy force.

This collection of papers was prepared under the auspices of the Institute of Land Waifare, with Colonel James D. Blundell, USA Ret., Director of Programs, Colonel William B. Seely, USA Ret., ILW Research Fellow, and Sandra J. Daugherty, Assistant Director ofiLW Programs, providing the primary editing effort. The invaluable final editorial effort, production work and administrative assistance was provided by Lori J. Johnston and Stephanie L. Akiwowo.

August 1993

_L... n. fh- JACK N. MERRITT General, USA Ret. President

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GLOSSARY

ACR AHB ALOC

APC Aramco ARCENT ARPERCEN ARTEP

ASL AWACS

AWCS

BDA BDU BFV BMP

BRDM

BSA BTR

Cav CBTF CENTAF CENTCOM CG CINC CONUS COSCOM CSAR CSH CSM CTA-50 DCU

armored cavalry regiment attack helicopter battalion administration!logistics operations center armored personnel carrier Arabian-American Oil Company Army Central Command Army Reserve Personnel Center Army Readiness Training and Evaluation Program authorized stockage list Airborne Warning and Control System Army Wide Communications System battle damage assessment battle dress uniform Bradley Fighting Vehicle Soviet-made armored personnel carrier Soviet-made wheeled reconnaissance vehicle or tank destroyer brigade support area Soviet-made wheeled reconnaissance vehicle or tank destroyer Cavalry combined battalion taskforce U.S. Air Force Central Command U.S. Central Command commanding general commander in chief Continental United States co1ps support command combat search and rescue combat support hospital command sergeant major clothing and individual equipment desert camouflage uniform

DEPMEDS DIS COM DivArty DPICM

DS DSNET2 EACIC

easting

EPW FA FAA FAR FARP

FIST-V FLOT FORSCOM FSS FTX G-Day

GP GPS GSR G2 HEAT HETS HHB

HMMWV (humvee)

lEW IPB

deployable medical system division support command division artillery dual purpose improved conventiona! munitions direct support Defense System Network echelon above corps intelligence center eastward, i.e., left to right, reading of grid values enemy prisoner of war field artillery fO!ward assembly area Federal Acquisition Regulations forward arming and refueling point artillery fire support vehicle forward line of troops U.S. Army Forces Command fast sealift ship field training exercise 24 February 1991, the day the ground war began general purpose Global Positioning System ground surveillance radar assistant chief ofstaff, intelligence high explosive antitank heavy equipment transport system headquarters and headquarters battery

High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle Intelligence Electronic Warfare intelligence preparation of the battlefield

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