184                                     U.S. MARINES IN TIlE PERSIAN GULF, 1990-1991


    - 1640: Report of 8 to 10 vehicles moving south--3 tanks.      Stand4o
    ordered.
    - 1710: `,All clear. "   Vehicles identified as friendly.
    - 1830: Marine leaving head yells, "Incoming, take cover! "  Look up to
    see multiple rocket trails. Expletive. We get down. Thirty impact well
    west of us. OV-10 and recon observe launch, roll A-6s in, but nothing
    there.
    - 2100: Try to sleep, but we go on air or Scud alert five times during
    night.
    - 0800 (19Jan): Ordered to rehearse TRAP (tactical recovery of aircraft,
    equipment, personnel).     No hot chow, but mail arrives in morning.
    - 0900: Write this letter.   Think about changing skivvies.

    The press is giving accurate, if somewhat inflated, info. They've got about
10 percent of this story.
    The air guys are doing a great job.  The Iraqis have not quit, however. At
least at the tactical level.  They fight back with what they've got.
    Constant OV-10s, remotely piloted vehicles, and other air overhead.  Noise
of bomb impacts 24 hours a day.
    Capt Murray W. Chapman got first blood for us, assisting on a close air
support mission against Iraqi      medium rocket launchers    (MRLs).   OV-10
controlled, four A-lOs attacked to silence the MRLs, temporarily.  (A-10s were
on station five minutes after we called for them.)
    We're all very tired.     Trying to get sleep is hard with various alerts (air,
Scud, artillery, terrorist ground attack) being given every two hours or so.
    Troops, are handling all this quite well. We've been pretty scared some-
times, but we're responding well.
    Before the war, it was neat being the northernmost U.S. unit (excepting
recon and other intelligence units, etc.).   How we'd be glad for a rear area
security mission.
    A 300mm rocket makes a crater 12 feet in diameter and 3 feet deep.    They
have a spectacular signature at night, both during launch and impact.      The
launcher can displace in seconds after launch. We've had trouble killing them,
but they're not too accurate.
    We need a good E4ool.       The shovel has been our best friend so far.
    Biggest problem has been identification, friend or foe, on the ground. Too
many vehicles look like the ones Iraq uses, especially at night. We've had some
very anxious moments when things start moving.
    No apparent concern in Qatar or Saudi armies about Israeli reaction to Scud
attacks.  We've all taken fire from Iraqi artillery and rockets and know who the
enemy is.    Closest Qatar unit really mad; they lost field mess to first rocket
attack!

    Gotta go.  Very busy times.    We're all okay so far. I'll send more when I
get a chance.  Semper Fi.