7TH ENGR BDE COMMANDER REPT VOL 18A

File: 970815_sep96_decls58_0011.txt
Page: 0011
Total Pages: 49
Subject = 7TH ENGR BDE COMMANDER REPT VOL 18A                             

Parent Organization = ARCENT      

Unit = VII CORPS   

Folder Title = 7TH ENGR BDE-COMMANDER REPT-VOL 18A -FORWARD AND COMMANDERS PERSPECTIVE                         

Document Number =          1

Box ID = BX000313







                Sometime around midnight we landed at Dahariran, Saudi
           Arabia. Eager eyes struggled in the darkness to see the new
           environment. Readily apparent was the whiteness of the ground.
           For sure not snow, only sand. Taxing in we passed large numbers
           of aircraft -- combat aircraft from many different countries.
           The airport was alive and bustling with activity. Planes and
           vehicles were going in all directions. Soldiers in every
           conceivable form of combat gear were everywhere. And, shined
           boots quickly began to pick up dust -- dust that was everywhere,
           dust that was to become an integral part of our life. After
           ensuring all our people were accounted for and that baggage
           details had been formed I was escorted away in the night to be
           briefed and taken to transient quarters. The remainder of the
           night for soldiers was spent off loading baggage, processing, and
           moving by convoy to a new temporary home, the Port warehouses at
           Daman. I learned the Brigade was again going to grow. I moved
           into the warehouse with my soldiers.

                As the sun came up, it was obvious the environment had
           changed drastically. As far as the eye could see there was an
           endless mass of soldiers. Long lines waited in hastily erected
           mess areas. I.onger lines awaited the impersonal latrines where
           man and women separated by only a thin sheet of plywood relieved
           themselves with very little privacy. Showers were cold and water
           scarce. Warehouses were packed with hundreds of cots, and to
           end. The huge parking areas were alive with small groups
           training, doing P.T. or running. Everywhere soldiers checked
           equipment, cleaned weapons, and sharpened bayonets. It was
           extremely clear this was a war zone and soldiers had come to do a
           job. There was no yelling, no bragging, just small groups
           clustered around sand tables or marked areas outside reviewing
           battle drills. Combat engineers studied the IRAQI defensive
           positions and plotted ways to assault and breach the minefields
           or stop an attack. Everywhere and always there was ongoing
           training. Every shoulder patch imaginable was present as
           European based soldiers nixed with soldiers from the states --
           active, reserve, and National Guard. All had one focus -- get
           ships unloaded, account for vehicles, tracks, and equipment and
           move away from the crowded docks as soon as possible. Mixed with
           soldiers were countless combat vehicles, tanks, supplies, and
           tons of ammunition -- of every conceivable size. There was
           little rest at the port. Day and night training was ongoing. In
           a small corner, the staff became operational immediately and
           began to submit reports to Corps while managing the ever
           increasing force of soldiers. one thousand combat engineers
           bunked in a single warehouse. There were seven warehouses just
           on our small section of the port.



                                           7