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File: 102496_aug96_decls9_0003.txt
Subject: OP DESERT SHIELD 483RD MED DET VS JB 6 AUG 90 16 JAN 91
Unit: ARCENT
Parent Organization: CENTCOM
Box ID: BX000481
Folder Title: COMMAND REPORTS 422SD MED DET VETERINARY SVCS COMMAND REPORT
Document Number: 17
Folder SEQ #: 17
veterinary taskings to the 248th instead of the 483rd. Even when
the decision was made by the 44th Med Bde, to attach the 248th to
the 483rd, it took almost one month before the unit would even
consider themselves attached to us. The 248th continued to
consider themselves a part of the 56th Med Bn and attended all of
the 5 6th I s meetings instead of the 4 8 3 rd I s. The 7 3 rd Med Det (JA) ,
from Ft Lewis, WA, arrived in theater on 18 September 1990 and was
further attached to the 483rd for operational control. They
arrived with one officer and four enlisted personnel and were
collocated at Cement City with the 483rd. By the end of September
the 483rd with two attached JA teams, contained 40 personnel (8
officers and 32 enlisted) and constituted all of the Veterinary
support for theater.
S. Command and Control:
COL Alm the theater Vet visited the unit at Cement City on
several occasions and then required us to call him on a daily basis
for taskings. Telephones were almost nonexistent requiring travel
to ARCENT FWD and waits of over an hour to even use the phone in
hopes that COL Alm would be in his office. For the entire time we
were attached to the 44th Med Bde COL Alm never understood or
followed the 44th Med Bde requirement that all requests for support
go through the XVIII ABN Corps G3 to the 44th Med Bde for tasking.
His actions led to the Commander of the 483rd being brought on the
carpet before the Bde Commander on numerous occasions and
threatened with Ucmj if we performed any duties for COL Alm without
proper tasking. COL Alm would not listen and continued to order
the unit to complete tasks he assigned with the assumption that the
tasking would follow; which they sometimes did, and usually only
after the tasking was completed. of course there was no problem in
the 44th Med Bde as to who the 483rd worked for. The 483rd
continued to come under the command and control of the 44th Med Bde
until they were transferred to EAC under the Med Gp (Prov) on 15
Dec 90. At that time we were moved under the operational command
and control of the 320th Med Det (AF) , a newly (14 Dec 90) arrived
EAC Veterinary HQ.
III. INITIAL MISSION ACCESSMENT:
It must be understood that upon arrival into theater, the
overall mission although identified in generalities was not well
defined. COL Alm, the theater veterinarian had briefed the 483rd
on mission requirements, but because of uncertainties and
incomplete information on troop strengths and locations, he was
unable to outline mission specifics. From this point onward for
the remainder of the deployment the 483rd would have to play it by
ear and go out looking for -missions.
A. Class 1 Site Inspection Support:
3
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Document 20 f:/Week-32/BX000481/COMMAND REPORTS 422SD MED DET VETERINARY SVCS COMMAND REPORT/op desert shield 483rd med det vs jb 6 aug 9:10119615402310
Control Fields 17
File Room = aug96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-32
Box ID = BX000481
Unit = ARCENT
Parent Organization = CENTCOM
Folder Title = COMMAND REPORTS 422SD MED DET VETERINARY SVCS COMMAND REPORT
Folder Seq # = 17
Subject = OP DESERT SHIELD 483RD MED DET VS JB 6 AUG 9
Document Seq # = 17
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 11-OCT-1996