72                                    U.S. MARINES IN THE PERSiAN GULF, 1990-1991

                           Manpower Issues

   The number of Marines and attached personnel of the force bad grown from
50,395 as of 1January to 72,233 on 17 January (D-Day), then to 79,751 on 24
February (C-Day), finally rising to a peak strength of 84,515 persons with the
subsequent movement of Regimental Landing Team 5 ashore.            As the major
subordinate commands moved into their tactical assembly areas, manning short-
falls in tank and amphibious assault vehicle specialties cropped up. The Combat
Replacement Regiment was able to provide these specialists who were then
attached to combat engineer units.  Some engineers also cross-trained to act as
crewmen.
   The integration of Marine Reservists into the force went very well.    Apart
from Colonel Cermann's 24th Marines, most Reservists deployed as battalions,
squadrons, and companies, or as reinforcement detachments. A smaller number
were Individual Ready Reservists.    As noted, the response rate to the callup
was nearly 99 percent and reflected a high level of morale.  The state of their
readiness also was quite high, especially at the small unit level.  A number of
units achieved outstanding successes in combat. On the eve of C-Day, 11,703
Marine Reservists were in I MEF out of more than 31,000 called up.
   There also were also 1,335 female Marines in I MEF, including 10 who
were forward with the MEF command post.      Most women Marines served with
aviation or combat service support organizations.    Operation Desert Storm
witnessed the greatest participation ever of women    Marines       in a combat
operation. Apart from a lack of privacy at times, the presence of female Marines
was not an issue within the force itself.
   The Combat Replacement Regiment under Colonel Jack A. Davis, a Reserve
law enforcement official from North Carolina, was set up on 22 January in
response to the CNA casualty analysis that indicated that the force could suffer
as many as 10,552 casualties in the first week of a ground war.     Headquarters
Marine Corps identified replacements in critical specialties and formed them
into companies for further training. The first 10 of a planned 20 companies,
about 2,500 Marines, were flown in with full personal equipment and based at
a camp near Jubayl.
   Another concern of commanders at all levels was tracking the location and
status of each member of their units who was hospitalized. The force established
MarCent hospital liaison teams in all hospitals in Southwest Asia, at military
hospitals in Europe, and in the United States. On 10 February, Casual Company
was added to the Combat Replacement Regiment. Previously, if an outpatient
was not fit for duty within seven days of release from the hospital, he was
evacuated to the United States until fully recovered. Very few, if any, such
evacuees returned to their original units.  The creation of Casual Company
allowed I MEF greater ability to retain its in-theater manpower assets. Marines
were only sent to the company if they were expected to be fit for unrestricted
duty within 14 days.