WITH MARINES IN OPERATION PROVIDE COMFORT                                 5


Special Forces soldiers in the field opted to wear soft-doth, ranger-style fatigue
caps. Ironically, the military forces wearing green berets in northern Iraq were
the French, British, and Dutch Marines.
   The first Special Forces A-Teams were inserted into the border camps on 13
April  1991.  They were   air-lifted into the mountains, located the refugee
sanctuaries, then prepared them to receive assistance. A-Teams were composed
of a command element and about 10 specialists above the rank of sergeant, each
an expert in weapons, communications, medicine, engineering, or demolitions.
These small detachments were lightly equipped,    air-deployable, self-reliant
combat teams    designed for sustained independent field Operations. During
Express Care, their mission was to organize refugee camps, receive and assist
supply distribution, and act as liaison between the Kurds and other allied forces.

                               Express Care

   The immediate task facing JTF Provide Comfort was to bring emergency
relief to stop the dying and suffering. Implied in this mission was locating the
refugees,  identifying their most pressing needs, and building an efficient
distribution system. This initial effort, the first stage of Operation Provide
Comfort, was labeled "Express Care.