ANTHOLOGY AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY                                        183

Major lluddleston was the Executive Officer, 3d Battalion, 3d Marines during
Desert Storm.  In this letter, he recounts his impressions of the first ftw days
of the war.

The Opening of DESERT STORM:
From the Frontlines

by Major Craig Huddleston

Marine Corps Gazette, April 1991


   Welcome to Operation DESERT STORM.       Not much time for a long letter,
but I'll give you some thoughts. There is such a thing as "fog of war." We've
already been up and down our alert ladder many times.     "They're attacking,"
"They're not," "We're attacking," "We're not" "Gas, Gas, Gas!"    "All clear."
Lots of information coming in, most of it false.
   The start of the operation caught us by total surprise. We were told 25 Jan-
uary or sometime around then would be the kickoff.     Here is the sequence of
events from my point of view during the opening hours of DESERT STORM:

    - 2210 (17Jan): I had just lain down to go to sleep.  News reports say
    air is winning war.
    - 2215: WHAM--WHAM, WHAM, WHAM! Time to go to work.
    - 2217: Arrive at COC (combat operations center).    STA (surveillance
    and target acquisition platoon), observation post Dragons, and Sis all
    report incoming.   Several air bursts, no casualties. Regiment wants to
    know what's up.
    - 2230: TOW section reports 20 to 25 vehicles in column moving south
    on main supply route.  "What type?" "BTR-60s." Expletive.
    - 2245: Regiment orders stand-to to repel ground and sea attacks. A-i Os
    on station, attacking. Heavy AAA (antiaircraft artillery), ZSU, and SA-
    6 fire observed.
    - 2330: Vehicles identified as Saudi.
    - 0220: (18Jan): Stand-down.
    - 0250: WHAM, WHAM-BOOM.            More rockets. Company F,        1st
    Battalion, 12th Marines reports airburst over battery position. "Gas,
    Gas, Gas!" Expletive.  Several people observe Scud-Patriot intercept.
    - 0300: Monitors out.
    - 0340: Reports state no agents detected.
    - 0600: Sun comes up.  Hot chow. Sent out crater analysis.
    - 1545: Air alert. Scuds launched.
    - 1600: All clear.