OPERATION DESERT SHIELD 5 OCT 90

File: 970107_sep96_decls45_0001.txt
Page: 0001
Total Pages: 4

Subject: OPERATION DESERT SHIELD 5 OCT 90                                

Unit: OTSG        

Parent Organization: HSC         

Box  ID: BX003205

Folder Title: OPERATION DESERT STORM UPDATE                                                                   

Document Number:          5

Folder Seq  #:         41







                                           Deoartment ot the Army
                                  HE?adClLtartL-rS. 3'-nd Airborne Division
                                              IAF,O New York f;59656




     AFVC-SU                                                                      5 October 1



     MEMORAP@DUM FDR COL Frederic@@ J. Erdtmann. Chief Preventive and Mili
        Neoic,m@ LOnSLIltants Division, HC2. Department of the Army, SGPS-PSP                             09
        LeesnLtrq           Falls Church, Virginia @-2041-3258

     SUBJE@T:                  Desert Shield



                                                                     +or not reporting in         soon
           Greetinms from Saudi Arabia. My apologies                                                 , er.     I
     hope 'VOLT received my brief, handwritten missive that I sent through                        the,
     --OLirer service to Ft. Bragg. My intent is to give you an update on events
     nere +rom my perspective. I anticipate being reassigned to the 44th Medical
     Brigade in the next wee@, or two. Being assigned to the 82nd has given me the
     OPPC)rtLinity to familiarize myself with PM issues from a vantage point,,rioser
     to the soldiers than at a higher HO. Working through problems from the
     Division PM section will help my future efforts at the Corps level. I,.Wiii
     attempt to briefly address a variety of issues, in part to clarify or .
     emphasize points made in the medical threat assessments published by,WRAIR.

     2. - First, I.                                         ect ba6fii-of diarrhea. mild
         ig t v@ s ,                                            I        ha       in the rem
                   @f7
       at
            a was a                                          Wa s @* it  @dti     @edictably                   9
             0;                                                          1-6
,t:                                            -4
            i?ep 'o'n 'f                                                 ow       didn't hel
                    I                                        9 - Afi@-,Wr   i@
             however,                                       d'tci       a

     3.    Stress.                                        tors have      been'less signi+i
     for   the later-arrivini oth             ivisions. Until very re6ently, virtually' all of
     the   Bdes of the 82nd were able to house their soldiers in air-conditioned
     buildings. The most +(jrwarq,,,,qpp@oyed Sde was               based in. a former work@
     in trailers with AC. Trainin4 in the desert environment, although ph).Iifically
     demanding, was of finite length and the soldiers were able to anticipate a
     return to the aforementioned environment.                   The other, more rearward Bdes,
     were collocated on a brand new ADA installation with AC buildings. Most slept
     in the equivalent of warehouses, and some in barracl::s. Overcrowding was a
     necessity. Stress factors were more in the areas of tedium, family
     separation, uncertainty about hostilities, and close quarters. On the other
     nanc, I.t IS -my understanding that tne l@,@ist and '-4th have Much more primitive
     living conditions. I have also heard (unconfirmed) that Division X's command
     @trl-[CtLtre believes in "hardenina" their soldiers. An e@@ample of that approach
     is that Div X reportedly will not permit small numbers of soldiers to
     participate in R&R trips to a beach resort (day-trip). Critics Would say,
     "Soldiers don't have to train to be miser-able; they usually get it right the
     first time."

Document 4 f:/Week-36/BX003205/OPERATION DESERT STORM UPDATE/operation desert shield 5 oct 90:01029715473646
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-36
Box ID = BX003205
Unit = OTSG
Parent Organization = HSC
Folder Title = OPERATION DESERT STORM UPDATE
Folder Seq # = 41
Subject = OPERATION DESERT SHIELD 5 OCT 90
Document Seq # = 5
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 = 02-JAN-1997