20 years ago today
So 20 years ago today, COB6 and I were in a port warehouse in al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Maybe it was twenty years ago yesterday. We were awoken at about 2AM local time to get into MOPP4 and go back to sleep. We were surrounded by our support battalion. They showed us how prepared they were for battle by spending the early morning hours sewing their combat patches on the right sleeve of their BDUs.
We still had woodland camo because the people who really needed desert camo, the support wienies, had already snatched ours. We wouldn’t get our desert camouflage uniforms until we returned from our first mission into Iraq a month later. But, all of the forklift drivers in al Jubail had theirs. In fact, we didn’t get desert camouflaged helmet covers until we got back to Germany, just in time for our :welcome home: parade.
When we went to chow that morning, a jet broke the sound barrier overhead prompting all of the support weinies to call out “Gas!” and masking themselves with trays of breakfast laying everywhere around the parking lot. The Sri Lankans who were serving us breakfast ran around with their hands over their mouths and noses searching frantically for their own masks. I noticed seagulls didn’t seem affected by the insanity, or by any nerve agent, so I called all clear and went to the head of the chow line.
Later that day, another female support wienie decided she should have her weapon loaded since Desert Storm had started and cleared her weapon by firing a round into the clearing barrel right by my head while I reading a book in my bunk.
On the other side of the warehouse, an M8 Chemical detector attracted the attention of another support wienie who wondered what “Test” meant…when he pushed the button labeled “Test” and the alarm sounded, he pulled on his protective mask and ran around yelling “Gas”.
Anyway, that was my first day of Desert Storm. I think we were in port for three more days unloading our vehicles from the ships as they arrived from the North Sea port of Bremerhaven in Germany, but the first day of Desert Storm solidified my intense dislike for support wienies.
Category: Historical
Sounds about right. I was in al-Khobar for that day of fun, on extra duty and restriction for a pre-deployment infraction.
Somewhere around that time, a burst of the M-60 on the perimeter outside our window let loose into the area believed to be occupied by the terrorists on the other side of the single strand concertina wire. As the small city (25k Troops) went dark in an instant, my buddy tripped over a huge Colonel crying in the stairwell not to be shot, that his 300 lbs of Reserve Medical expertise was in fact American despite not knowing the password. Based on blob recognition, he was allowed to live.
It turned out the MP had fallen asleep with his finger on the trigger.
Soon the warning sirens would blare on a regular basis, about 5-10 minutes after the Patriots went off. Each one being a potential chemical attack, we got plenty of practice getting into MOPP4 and we generally hit it w/in 2 mins (not the 8 allowed).
Sleeping in MOPP4 is a learned skill, but it doesn’t take long when the all clear is slow to come and the alert sounds in hours of darkness.
The nice things about the SCUDs was that it afforded me the ability to convince family that my move to the front might mean a lack of phonetime, but would mean a “safer” position.
The PLT had one Plgr and one Loran (civ GPS) along w/one PVS-3?. We quickly learned that these advances in technology were in reality designed as the means to get LT’s lost, but we loved the maps: white w/gridlines.
As to the BDU’s/DCU’s: The Iraqis were more afraid of the BDU’s, as we were the ones trained and ready to fight the Soviets. The story goes that the DCU’s were the stateside weanies.
But it made for incredibly entertaining reading.
Never got issued DCUs, but the USAF in Abu Dhabi had them!! 😀
I had been allowed liberty in Abu Dhabi. (It was my birthday, after all) I came back a little LOT inebriated. I was awakened out of my bunk saying that I had to come test, check and certify some certain comm gear as I was the only one allowed to perform that function. I told the maintenance Chief that I was inebriated and protested somewhat just to cover my ass. It wasn’t a day later that we were onloading to the USS Tripoli.
How times have changed… About 15 years after your experience, my pro mask never left my dufflebag. In fact, I couldn’t even tell you if I even had other mop gear in that bag. And for the record, I was outside the wire nearly every day.
Twenty years ago today I was in TAA Roosevelt. As I recall, your brigade was part of our Division. As a then-LTC I saw lots of things, some good, some bad. As I recall we all had a lot to learn, support soldier, like myself, and combat arms, like you. I am sorry that you have such a hostile and dismissive attitude toward Americans, who like you did their duty to the best of their abilities.
Before you dismiss me as a ‘support wienie’, I would add that I began my career as an infantry officer and served my detail with the 25th Infantry Division. In my 26 years, I served in four Divisions and I can tell you that all of the branches have their share of outstanding soldiers and wienies. I can also tell you that I would never slander my fellow soldiers on a blog that civilians will read, who no doubt love to hear soldiers slamming other soldiers.
Duty First
While I can’t speak for the Gulf War, I can say that for every wienie (or fobbit for a word from my day), there is another fobbit who will volunteer on a dime to do anything outside the wire, be it door gunner or even a boring convoy security. We’ve all seen the wienies, and I get that the writer was being somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but there are many support people who really do bust their butts. Not everyone can be on the line, and I respect anyone who shows up and works hard, although like many, I do admit to my share of expressing incredulousness about various admin types.
REMFS are immortal.
I’m sure civilians will be shocked that line troops don’t like REMFs. I waited two decades to tell these stories and none really disparage anyone. Besides the female who decided to load her weapon, none put anyone in danger.
“I am sorry that you have such a hostile and dismissive attitude toward Americans, who like you did their duty to the best of their abilities.”
COL, you can probably find letters from Roman soldiers on Hadrian’s Wall bitching about support guys taking all the best stuff right on through WW2 (you can find those in just about any history book on the era) right up till today.
Easy there sir. I think there is just a natural ribbing between different MOSs and services. I don’t think that any except the most wet behind the ears soldier honestly believes it. My scouts and tankers were always at each other, but when things got serious there was nothing but teamwork.
As for Al Jubayl, the minute we hit the ground there I was doing everything I could to get out of that Scud target. Ended up with me and two scouts sent out to recon the squadron’s TAAs. Believe me, the three of us out in the middle of the desert felt safer than in the ISB.
It hasnt changed much. 2incidents come to mind. Camp Liberty 2005 a Pogue from 1099th DS fired his M-203 into the clearing barrel in front of the messhall, luckily a flare Dude was a TOC Guard. A week later another drops his rifle next to him when he sat down and the 203 goes off, skitters past us going backwards towards the doors as a Yellow smoke impacts at the serving line. Dudes job was to guard the MWR so why either had loaded Launchers was beyond us.
But then again when a VBIED hit our Gate our 11A XO drew his roscoe jacked a round into it and started waving it like George C. Scott in Patton. we were 700m away, so one of our Armorer told him to please not point a loaded pistol at him or he was going to beat his ass in.
Not all fobbits/support are REMF’s, but too many prove they are. Each Soldier chose his MOS. Each should perform that to the fullest of their abilities, whether that job is keeping watch on his buddies six or keeping the knuckledraggers paid. Those that do not, are REMF’s, whether the PC military likes the term or not.
And COL Mike, denying that there are a few idiots in uniform, and that they result in humorous stories being told, does not further the Honor of those that go above and beyond.
There is a difference in fobbits and knuckledraggers and it was recently demonstrated in the study to indoctrinate Troops to the Repeal of DADT.
Was it 20 years!? Wow, we should have a reunion.
I would expect a couple more posts about DS in the coming weeks.
I know I am already getting email.
From my secret, undisclosed location……
Jonn, that day is well remembered since I was also in Al Jubail after having returned from emergency leave the day before. Several of us went over to the Division(Rear) trying to get a ride up to our units. While waiting, we were playing pool until told that the table was only for the staff. There were alot of expletives coming from 3 line unit NCOs.
When recalled in 2005 and placed in a staff position with II MEF(FWD) in Fallujah; I was understanding when given some grief about being a pogue. Although we took mortars and rockets, our situation was in no comparision to the troops doing the fighting. There were a few times that I had some choice words with some “first time in a war zone” officers and SNCOs about gettings things done for the line units.
20 years ago? I was sitting in my hooch outside Kunsan Air Base bemoaning our dusk to dawn curfew which made no sense. I was depressed that all our airlift had been taken so we couldn’t go to Clark AB the last October, and mostly I was pissed that when I had tried to go to the desert from Kunsan, they laughed at me. I had recently PCS’d from Luke AFB, Az and was already acclimated to the desert but was told I was in Korea now and wasn’t going anywhere. No matter, it worked out alright, as everything always does somehow. Life went on and six months later I went to Homestead AFB. A year later the wife and I rode out Andrew.
Lets see, 20 years ago I was 11 years old and in the 6 grade.
I remember about the Scud launches from the news and the possibility of Saddam attacking the Super Bowel. Also the Patriot missile system.
Also one my biggest memory of that time was trying to keep up with the news pre-internet. If you missed the news you were out of luck.
I was doing a book report on the computer using the dos program “Word Perfect” and was trying to see what was going on the TV. My mom kept yelling at me to stay focused on finishing my book report.
“But mom, the war is on (Tv)”
“I do not care if the world ends tomorrow, you are finishing that book report tonight.”
Also I remember collecting trading cards for Desert Storm/Shield.
I was a freshman in high school and lost all tv privileges because my dad wouldn’t let us turn it on at all that evening.
Wow, 20 years! I was in 1st Cav Divarty (as a medic). We were issued 2 pairs of DCU’s before we left Ft. Hood, but not the desert boots. I went to Bahrain for Passover services along with a bunch of other 1CD combat arms soldiers and, lo & behold, the REMF’s who never saw sand all had at least a couple of pairs of desert boots. 3 days before leaving for home, we were offered a chance to get the desert boots…as long as you wore size 7 or 13. Ahh, good times.
Hahahaha! I got Desert BDU’s about a week before I went home! Friggen classic! Not to complain, we had our Nomax coveralls when we got our A1’s and I promptly crapped on the ass flap!
We were heading all out for the border that night…got there and dug in the next day for another month sleeping in a ditch behind my tank!
REMF with clean uniform yelling at me for my dirty, threadbare, totally unforgivable condition front line ACU’s. Those are the memories I have of my time in theater.
Yeah I remember it ,like it was yesterday. My sorry ass was in the middle of butt fucking NTC playing Laser tag, with a broke Dick M1-IP. Stills pisses me off that I didn’t get a chance to take my frustrations out on the enemy . Killed the shit out of some plywood though.
I will pay big bucks for a pic of COB in a MOPP outfit. Gotta be able to recognize him, o-course. Best way would be from behind.
John,
my four weeks in Kuwait, (for two tours to Iraq) The thing that always struck me was the lack of terrain features. I always wondered why the hell someone would fight FOR such a place, but then, as the old saying goes, our is not to reason why.
I know that the Army, and Marine Corps in 1991 were a lot larger than they were in 2001, and I wondered to myself, in 2004 as I prepared to convoy North to Kirkuk, if we could have done better then, then we could now. The answer was, I don’t know, it certainly wouldn’t have stretched us as much then as it did(does) now. In my first day I went first day, I traveled further north then the LOA of the ENTIRE Gulf War. It seemed so odd to me, that now both are consigned to history. We have written in our own blood sweat and tears, in some cases quite literally, this history, and it remains to be seen, what legacy we leave. All I can say is this: I hope against hope that this action will need need to be repeated. It doesn’t matter if you call it OIF, Gulf War 2, the Iraq War, Or just refer to it as the Sand Box, I’m glad THAT shit is almost over.
Haha, Jonn. Your mention of MOPP 4 made me laugh. I was telling my kids about NBC yesterday.
They wanted to know what each agent could do. Mustard gas seemed to keep their attention…well that and the gas chamber.
Rear-echelon support losers who wanted a secure corporate job with funny clothes freaking out from fear because they have to go to a “war zone” never change… frickin’ little bitches.
No matter what conflict REMFS will be REMFS with the exception of a few.
First off, WELCOME HOME TO ALL DESERT STORM VETS! Thank you!
Jonn your and the other guys stories are all so familiar…and as one said, the same since Roman Legions walked the earth. Funny but true.
Col., lighten up. I could tell you stories about Vietnam that would either make you madder or have you laughing on the floor. Razing each other has been going on for longer than you and I care to remember. One buddy of mine was a truck driver in Nam and proudly says his motto was: “Hey, we get first pick!” We all joke about it.
Thanks Desert Storm Vets for a job well done!
Honor and Courage
20 Years ago I was writing military history essays in high school and trying very hard to get into the Navy via ROTC, since I’d missed a Naval Academy slot. I was also discovering just how much a ligament tear can mess up your life when you are one of the 1 in 1,000,000 who get the fun reactions they talk about on the pill bottle. And I fell in love with the Abrams tank, even though female chick-types can’t do tanks. And I listened to my Dad’s stories about the occasional idiots and REMFs he got to work around/through/over when he was in the service, and took mental notes.
To echo the statement, has it been that long already???
20 years ago, I was cleaning up baby puke in a church nursery on my very first job at the age of 16 and wondering if things would last long enough for me to get in on the action. Alas, they did not. I was lucky enough to be an audio-video assistant at my high school, though. In between delivering TVs & VCRs to classrooms, I was able to watch everything unfold on CNN in our repair shop. The head of the department didn’t watch as he had spent some time in Vietnam and “didn’t want to re-live Hell”. (His words) However, he was kind enough to indulge the rest of us.
Good memories. I was racked out and buttoned up tight in my sleeping bag out in the middle of desert when our First SGT trew open the flap on the tent and yelled “The war just started they launched SCUDS get in your MOPP gear and get on the perimiter!!” I busted the zipper on my bag trying to get out of that thing. Dead sleep to busting it on the perimeter in no time flat! Then we all sat out there like WTF!! Good thing about MOPP gear is it kept you warm cause it was cold out there and we left all our cold weather gear back in Germany. LOL…it was another month or so before
we finally got to go in for the left hook!
I was one of the support wienies (who had purchased all his desert camo at Saigon Sam’s in Jacksonville prior to deployment) there in Al Jubayl for the Marines that night.
We had no radio net for the guards that night on our side of the port. As Corporal of the Guard, I had guys out in the open all night. No notification of the MOPP4 got to us and we returned to our hootch to find everyone’s gear all over the place. The first question was “WTF” and the second one was “Am I dead?”
As a result of all the nights excitement and confusion, we get dressed down by our company Gunny as , “Those were alarms in the f’ing British camp (right next to us) and WE DO NOT REACT TO THEIR ALARMS!!!!!”
The next morning when the jet went overhead, the Brit alarms went off again and they went running, we Marines just sat and stared at each other and asked the standard question again, “WTF?”
Years after, that night/day was subject of Congressional hearings regarding reports of a lot of crazy stuff that happened in the surrounding area.
Good times.
[…] I was there as well. […]
Hello COB6. Long time no see.
I was in A 1/41 and god was I so young 20 years ago. I remember the poor Sri Lankan panicking at chow and feeling a bit sorry for him. I had just got my plate when that one happened. Alpha was in the other building so we only heard about the clearing barrel incident didn’t see that. As for DCU’s we didn’t get ours until up in Rafha doing the refugee work. Never did get a set of desert boots as they didn’t have my size. I had a metric ton of pictures from the deployment but the movers lost my camera, film, pictures and 11 other boxes of stuff when I ETS’d.
The funniest thing I remember is doing bayonet training out on the docks as busy work before Bradleys arrived. Other than that it was a lot vehicle recognition training and jumping into MOPP4 in the middle of the night then going back to sleep until the Bradleys arrived. Upon which we headed out to the desert and did the same thing.
I was commanding a signal unit stateside; as a small unit that was ‘independent’ we were on the hook to go; I was put ‘on notice’ for deployment (we were an AA unit; one of 2 in the state- you guard weenies know what that means) so we were riveted to any and all news.
After going into Kuwait in ’03, I gotta hand it to those there in ’91- it had to be damn hot later in those damn BDU’s. No a/c, dark uniforms and boots, holy crap that had to suck. I spent enough time in a tent WITH a/c to know that it would. I also know it got so damn cold at night people got hypothermia too.
Lawrence of Arabia I ain’t….
Watched the war on AFN telebizhin’ while guarding Patriot missiles at Bitburg, FRG. We got to go to Saudi after the war was LONG over, due to Sadam’s broken saber rattling.
Hmmm, 20 years ago today they were cutting my re-activation letter. I received it on the 23rd, got married on the 26th and was on the bus to Ft. Gordon GA on the 30th.
I was one of 24 fellow Captains who had signed into a fully funded graduate school program one week prior to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. We were stationed at Bragg and attended classes there on Smoke Bomb Hill.
We all called MILPERCEN to no avail; were told to sit down, STFU, and go to school…period. It was already paid for and we were going to sit this one out.
By the time Desert Storm launched in Jan 91, we were all pretty used to staying up late, glued to CNN (remember, it was the only game in town back then), doing PT on our own, sitting through classes and trying to stay awake. Plus, we had conduct research and write our thesis.
All in all, it really sucked…but then again, nothing beats a free education.
You know, we had some odd folks in the Marine Corps at times, but even the dumbest ones I ever saw would not do shit that fucked up. And if they did, they would have both gotten their asses beaten, and found themselves walking point a lot from then on.
20 years ago I was a brand new 2d Lieutenant awaiting word on branch, unit, and school date. During the day worked at K-Mart as a shipping and receiving clerk; and at night watched the news and praying I wouldn’t get slammed into the Chemical Corps or logistics.