WITH MARINES IN OPERATION PROVIDE COMFORT                              37

MACG-28 monitored air traffic and MWSS-272 ran the FARP. The U.S. Army's
51st and 66th Maintenance Battalions provided repair services and the 14th
Transportation Battalion coordinated overland movement. The primary medical
care facility at Silopi was the USAF 39th Air Transportable Hospital, a 50-bed
facility capable of emergency surgery and limited post-operative care. The
French, Dutch, British, Italians, and Canadians set up military field hospitals.
Numerous civilian-run medical facilities were scattered around northern Iraq.
Medical evacuation was provided by the U.S. Army's 149th Aviation Company.
Military personnel requiring additional treatment were evacuated to Diyarbakir,
then were flown to the 39th Tactical Air Control Hospital at Incirlik.~

                              HSSB Silopi

   The humanitarian service support base at Silopi was located in a wheatfield
adjacent to Turkish Route 24, the main road that ran east from the town of Silopi
to the Iraqi border. At the border, the road became Iraqi Route 6 leading to the
city of Zakho.  Silopi was nestled in the shadows of snow-capped Taurus
Mountain peaks on the fertile plain that eventually became the Zakho Corridor.
The Silopi site was selected by an advance party on 12 April because it was
level, free of obstacles, located near a river, large enough to support helicopter
operations, and only eight miles from the Iraqi border.
   On 13 April, a convoy of support vehicles and equipment departed Incirlik
for Silopi and arrived at mid-day on 15 April. Base development proceeded
rapidly.  More than 200 airmen from the 564th Civil Engineer Squadron
(Ramstein, Germany) and the 36th Civil Engineer Squadron (Bitburg, Germany)
began constructing a 450-tent "city" large enough to accommodate 1,800 Allied
personnel. Base camp materials were provided by USAF Harvest Eagle comfort
kits, were installed by USAF "Prime Beef" teams, and were administered by
USAF "Prime Rib" teams.4    Items like tents, chairs, tables, and cots were
included in the Harvest Eagle package. Soon, more than 300 tents lined the main
road of HSSB Silopi. The first camp commander was Colonel William P.
Tangney, USA, who was also the commanding officer of the 10th Special Forces
Group from Fort Devens, Massachusetts 42
   Within weeks the base held more than 3,000 military and civilian workers.
More than 600 tons of supplies were used at Silopi each day. The sprawling base
soon extended several miles along both sides of the road. When Silopi became
the home of the Combined Support Command,        that organization assumed
responsibility for base operations and Colonel Burch became camp commander.
   Silopi was a focal point for Marine activity. Colonel Kohl established the
MSSG-24 headquarters    and a Combat Service Support Operations   Center
(CSSOC) in the center of the main camp, across the road from the Combined
Support Command headquarters. The Marine motor pool was placed south of
town in a gravel pit, and the supply center was located just southeast of the
Combined Support Command supply dumps. Colonel Byrtus placed HMM-264's
operations center at the northwest corner of the main  camp adjoining the