WITH MARINES IN OPERATION PRO~IDE COMFORT                                    3


out for the Middle East less than three weeks after returning home from
Operation Desert Storm. Ten Marines from the 4th Civil Affairs Group (CAG),
a Reserve unit from Washington, D.C., turned around and flew back to the
Middle East instead of being released from active duty. In Saudi Arabia, Marine
reservists volunteered to stay in the Persian Gulf to assist the Kurds rather than
return home as scheduled. From the four corners of the globe, Marines embarked
to support Operation Provide Comfort, soon to become the largest humanitarian
relief operation in Marine Corps history.

                    Joint Task Force Provide Comfort

   In response to President Bush's expressed desire for immediate action to
assist dislocated civilians in northern Iraq, General John R.   Galvin, USA,
Commander-in-Chief Europe (CinCEur), ordered the formation of an American
military force to support humanitarian relief efforts. On 5 April 1991, Major
General James L. Jamerson, USAF, was detached from his duties as Deputy
Chief of Staff for Operations, U.S. Air Force Europe (USAFE), to serve as the
commander of a joint task force--tentatively named Provide Comfort--created to
assist Iraqi refugees. Military aircraft were ordered to deliver relief-related items
and medical units were prepared to deploy to refugee camps in eastern Turkey.
General Jamerson's  initial tasking was a two-phase operation:  the first phase


                               -"i;
                     41,,';~


                                    Pho(ogrnph courtesy of MajOen Antilony C. Zinni, U5MC
Ma'Gen James L. Jamerson, USAF, and BGen Anthony C. Zinni, USMC, stand at incirlik Air
Base, Adana, Turkey. MajGen Jamerson was die first commanding general and BGen Zinni was
his deputy when Joint Task Force Pro~ide Comfort was formed in ApriL They assumed similar roles
during Operation Provide Comfort II in July when this photograph was taken.