70                                  U.S. MARINES IN THE PERSIAN GULF, I99~199I


                                                         Photograph by author
Iraqi armor was destroyed by 3d Battalion, 23d Marines.

    Looking towards a possible future mission, General Keys tasked the assistant
operations officer, Lieutenant Colonel Jan C. Huly, to prepare the division to
continue from its present positions up northeast to the coast. The ports in this
area could be used for resupply of the division or of Army forces to the west.
With the Tiger Brigade continuing to hold the escarpment and block the road
from Al Jahrah, the rest of the division could move north and east to the area
of Bubizan Island. Accordingly, the division operations section prepared and
sent an order to the 6th and 8th Marines to attack and clear zones to the coast
to the vicinity of Al Urthamah and the port of Al Dohah commencing at 0900
on G plus 4, 28 February. The time was later changed to "on order." But in the
early morning hours of 28 February the order was received from I MEF to
cease offensive operations at 0800 of that day, and the division cancelled its
order to clear the zones.~'
    With the reversion to defend in zone, the division's offensive operations in
Desert Storm came to an end. However, there was still work to be done. As the
1st Marine Division withdrew to Saudi Arabia, the 2d LAl Battalion occupied
that Division's     zone.~2 Over the next few weeks there would be several reports
of shootings by unidentified Arabs. Frequently these were simply shots fired into
the air by Kuwaitis celebrating their new freedom and the holy month of
Ramadan. In some instances, however, rounds were deliberately fired at Marine
positiOns and vehicles.
    While remaining in Kuwait, the 2d Marine Division was not allowed to
become idle. Small-arms ranges were constructed in the desert, positions were
continually improved, and maintenance performed on weapons and vehicles.
Unexploded ordnance was located and destroyed, and some captured equipment
prepared for shipment back to Camp Lejeune as trophies. In one piece of
self-assigned civic action, the Marines of the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines, spent
much of their time clearing the debris of both the Iraqi occupation and the battle
from the agricultural compound in which they were located.