88                          HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN IRAQ, 1991:


Service Support Group 24 operated further inland than any previous MSSG and
was a critical element in the longest, most complex,   and largest Marine
humanitarian effort in history. i06

                            The Retrograde

    It had been obvious from the start that Combined Task Force Provide
Comfort's main mission was to work itself out of a job by moving the Kurds
back into their homeland. General Colin L. Powell's visit confirmed that this had
been done, so the Combined Support Command issued a warning order for the
pull-back of allied forces in late May. In military jargon, an unpressured
withdrawal is called a "retrograde." At the first retrograde planing session,
General Burch repeated the diplomatic sensitivity of the issue, then identified the
French as the first contingent to fall back. His goal was to reduce occupied areas
quickly, so he ordered that the last increments be flown out no later than 15
June.
    These orders came as no surprise to the Marines. The 24th MEU (SOC) had
been planning for this since mid-May and put its plans into effect in early June.
Colonel Jones' intent was use a phased withdrawal. Because of Iskenderun's
limited facilities, it was to be an 18-day evolution. The first 15 days were
devoted to the movement of MEU, HMM, and BLT personnel with no tactical
mission. Most of the combat service support element, all bulk supplies and
equipment not necessary to support combat operations, and most vehicles were
scheduled to move back as soon as possible.
    All vehicles and equipment had to be disassembled and thoroughly cleansed
of dirt and micro-Organisms before being loaded on board ship. Normally, a
departing MEU accomplished this "washdown" at Rota, Spain, during the MARG
"turnover," however, this was not possible because the "turnover" was going to
take place in Turkey. The presence of dangerous micro-organisms in the dirt
required the Marines to strip down and carefully wash each vehicle and piece of
equipment. To do this properly, specially constructed wash racks and high
pressure steam hoses were needed.  Lieutenant Colonel Kohl had to make
arrangements to have these shipped from Haifa, Israel, to Iskenderun. Each
vehicle required about 24 man-hours of labor to strip, wash, and reassemble.
After the washdown, a medical team conducted a rigorous inspection making sure
there was no dirt or dust before clearing each item for embarkation. One rifle
company was to be sent to Iskenderun to act as a security force and to assist the
washdown.
    The final three days would see one-third of the remaining Marines returned
to Silopi each day. To cover the pull-back and keep the Iraqis guessing, all
movement was scheduled during the hours of darlu~ss. Colonel Jones wanted a
strong urban presence. All checkpoints would be manned until the very end.
Silopi was designated the 24th MEU (SOC) transfer point and Sirsenk was the
3-325th Airborne Combat   Team's  transfer point. The  Combined  Support