Kilo 3/5's Deployment to the Gulf in 1990

by Steve Welch

As you know, the Iraqi's invaded Kuwait in early August of 1990. Kilo 3/5 had just returned from a west pack tour. As the United States started deploying forces to Saudi Arabia, Kilo 3/5 was not initially
scheduled to be involved. In mid October of 1990, President Bush ordered another massive troop movement to the Gulf. Kilo 3/5 was then notified that it would be going to Saudi.

I had just completed the School Of Infantry at Camp Pendleton in late October of 1990. After reporting in to my new unit, (Kilo 3/5). I was quickly notified that we were scheduled to deploy on December 1st. There's a side story related to this that I don't have enough time or space to go into now. It involves my marriage. It's pretty interesting. But, I'll save the details for another time.

During the month of November 1990, Kilo 3/5 trained, packed, cleaned weapons, made out wills, got our medical stuff up to speed, and made the necessary preporations for deployment. On Friday November 30th, the whole 5th Marine Regiment loaded up trucks, busses, and Armored personnel carriers and made out way south for the big Navy Base in San Diego. The 50 mile trip didn't take too long, but, it did stretch out for quite a ways. Over thirty U.S. Navy Warships were deploying that day. We were designated the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, or 5th MEB. Once on the base, Navy personnel loaded up the APC's, Tanks, Artillery, etc., while the troops were assigned what ship we would be on.

My MOS was 0311 Infantry. Kilo 3/5 was assigned a Navy LST 1195, "USS BARBOUR COUNTY" as our new home for the up coming voyage. The next morning bright and early, everyone was out of the rack and on the deck of the ship while family & friends gathered on the pier waving & saying their good-by's. At 09:00 Hrs, most of the other ships pulled away from the pier and made their way out of San Diego harbor to an assembly area. They would wait there for all the ships in this convoy to arrive.

The USS Barbour County had some sort if engine problem and was delayed in leaving for two hours. While Navy mechanics worked on the problem, Kilo's family & friends were allowed to come on board. Once the engine problem was fixed, our ship departed around 11:30 Hrs and made our way to the assembly
area.

Kilo Company had Captain J.W. McKellar as the Company Commander. He was a graduate of Texas A&M, commissioned as a 2nd LT in 1982. He attended the Army Airborne school, was a Operations officer, served in the recruiting field, graduated the Advanced Infantry Officer school at Ft Benning, Ga, and assumed Command of Kilo 3/5 on 09/04/1990. Very bright, well trained, over all a good Commander.

Our Company 1st SGT was a tough Vietnam Veteran who loved battle. He was 1st SGT J.E. Lechnar. A Warriors Warrior to say the least. He joined the Corps on November 15, 1971 in Pittsburg, PA. Naturally, he went to Parris Island for Boot Camp. (A Side note here. Last I heard, this man was promoted to SGT Major several years ago. If any Marine deserves it, it's this man. The kind any enemy would hate to face in battle.)
During his career, 1st SGT Lechnor served in all three Marine Divisions with every regiment in the 1st & 3rd Divisions. During his career, he has served as a Machinegun Instructor, NCO School Instructor, Squad leader School Instructor, Jungle Patrolling Instructor, Senior Drill Instructor at Parris Island, and Senior NCO Recruiting Chief. He completed numerous tough military schools including Army Airborne Ranger School, Special Forces School, Marine Force Reconnaissance School, and several others. He assumed command as Company 1st SGT on November 8th, 1990. I'm telling you, this guy could battle a 12 foot tall grizzly bear and win. But, he was also fair and even nice..... at times. He definately had a good sence of humor. I'm glad
he was on our side.

Kilo Company consisted of three regular Infantry platoon. We had two squads of Machinegunners, two mortor teams, and a Anti-tank Dragon missile team assigned to my platoon. We were 2nd platoon. On our ship, Kilo Company accounted for a majority of the Marines aboard. We also had a Company of AAV's aboard. (Amphibious Armored Vehicles, also known as Amtracks). They were Alpha Company, 4th AAV BN.
Once our whole fleet of ships was assembled at the assembly area, we all headed west, out accross the big Pacific Ocean.

Our first destination was Pearl Harbor Hawaii. We were scheduled to arrive at Pearl around 08:00 Hrs
on December 7th. Just in time for the annual Pearl Harbor ceremoney's. However, we didn't arrive until December 8th. I'll explain more on that in a few moments. Once all the ships were west bound, the fleet spread out considerbly. Each ship was within sight of each other. We were told that several American Submarines were escorting us to the Gulf. Naturally, we never saw any of them. The first day on ship, the Navy personnel manned their duty stations on a regular schedule. The Marines aboard had to learn how to walk correctly with the ship rocking back & forth in the high seas. Believe me, that LST ship did rock! It's a flat bottom ship used tor Troop Transport and AAV Transport. We quickly learned that everuthing aboard a ship is different and a challenge. Eating, showering, cooking, cleaning, everything! Most of the Marines immediately got sea sick. I guess I was one of the lucky ones. I never did. I've also never been out to sea before. I've hardly spent any time even in a boat.
The next day, revelie was sounded at 06:30 Hrs. The Kilo Marines immediately began a training schedule that was put togather by our Command staff. This training included weapons firing off the back of the ship at floating
balloon targets, Iraqi language classes, hand & arm signal classes, Infantry tactics, Desert Survival tactics, close quarter combat tactics, many Nuclear Biological & Chemical Warfare classes, many First Aide classes, Enemy Intelligence briefings with satellite and recon photo's, Marine History classes, physical training in the ship's weight room and runs out on the flight deck, and several other classes. All this went on for several days
while we sailed for Hawaii. During all this, the Navy did periodic ship evasive maneuvers for training purposes. Our fleet even went through a pretty sever storm somewhere between San Diego and Hawaii. Let me tell you,
the waves came up above the flight deck for several hours while the ship rocked, dipped, lundged, pitched, and rolled from side to side. Needless to say, many Marines and some sailors got real sea sick. However, Kilo's
training schedule didn't slow down because of the weather. We just conducted most of the training below deck.
Here is a interesting little story I was told about while pulling radio duty in the Kilo company office. On the second or third day out to sea, a Soviet Nuclear powered Submarine was trailing our convey of ships submerged.
Somehow, the U.S. Navy detected it and immediately issued radio orders for the Soviet sub to stop trailing our fleet. According to the report, the Soviet sub Captain requested permission to accompany our fleet as a guest or
escort to the Phillipine sea. Once there, they would turn and head back to their base in Russia. Naturally, our Fleet Admiral rejected this immediately. He supposedly contacted the State Department and the Pentagon,
and ordered the Soviet sub to leave the area immediately! I heard that U.S. Submarines escorted the Soviets away from our fleet. Wow! That's not something you hear about everyday. For the Soviet Captain to claim that they
want to accompany us as a guest. Yea right! They wanted to track our vessels and watch our Navy's war games maneuvers, not to mention monitor our radio transmissions. Anyway, back to the story. This storm that we got in delayed the fleet by 12 to 15 hours.

On December 8th 1990, our fleet finally pulled into historic Pearl Harbor around 09:00 Hrs. All the Marines lined the rails on each ships. We finally got to the pier around 10 or 11 A.M. . Once secured to the pier, the Navy personnel basicly did some minor ship board maintenance, picked out Marine working parties to assist in taking on fresh water & supplies, and other things. Each Kilo Company platoon then did it's own rigerous PT session before "Liberty" was finally sounded.

When Liberty was finally sounded, everyone quickly changed into jeans & t-shirts, and headed for the Bars, the clubs, the good restaurants, the mall, the pay phones, etc. That was my first time to Hawaii and I really liked it.

On December 10th, our ships departed Pearl Harbor and headed out accross the vast Pacific Ocean for the Philippines. This would take us a long two & a half weeks to reach PI. Rough seas were again present, however, by now, we Marines had developed our sea legs. Our fleet of ships were again in formation and tried to outrun, Typhoon Russ. However, we were not successful. Talk about a misreable time. Again, Marines & Sailors were vomiting due to sea sickness. The medics handed out sea sickness medical patches and preventive medicines. Somehow, I never got sick during this whole journey.

The Kilo Company Command designed a regular training schedule of combat preparation classes, physical training, medical & first aid training, weapons cleaning, Bible studies, etc.

Chow was a interesting event. The daily chow line stretched all the way out to the flight deck. Sailors &
Marines stood in line waiting for the substance the Navy cooks called, "Food". It was a joke. But, it atleast kept us from starving to death. In the evenings, Kilo Marines watched movies, wrote letters, played cards, drank sodas, took showers, prepaired for the next days events, and slept.

The constant rocking of the ship made it easy to fall asleep. Some Kilo Company Marines were required by the Navy to serve on Mess duty, Guard duty, Laundry duty, and constant working parties. Naturally, it was the Privates, the PFC's, and the Lance Corporals who held these positions. None of it was fun. But, it did pass the time.

Our Company Commander & 1st SGT were very strict on appearence. All our cammie uniforms had to be ironed, our boots had to be spit shined, and our hair had to meet the proper standards. We didn't like it at the time. But, I think it did us all some good in the long run. We looked professional, acted professional, and were professional. We had daily Company formations out on the flight deck. Sometimes these formations were for awards & promotions. Other times they were a chance for the Company Commander & 1st SGT to give
us the latest news as to what the Iraqi's were doing.

December 25th, Christmas day was misreable for everyone on board. We were still out to sea and in a storm. Everyone slept late that day. Church services were held by the Chaplins. The Ship's Captain turned on the speaker system throughout the ship and played Christmas music. It was nice to hear. But, I think it did more harm then good. Naturally, everybody had thoughts of home and being with families on their mind. The Mess hall served everyone miniture steaks & lobsters that day for chow. That was the best meal we had had while on ship up to that point.

Finally, on December 27th, (17 days after leaving Hawaii) we arrived at Subic Bay, the Phillipines. It was good to see land again. The whole battalion did a practice amphibious landing exercise. This was designated, "Operation Quick Thrust". We then spent the next three days on combat maneuvers, Jungle training, and live fired our weapons. Once back to ship, the Battalion was given a couple days of Liberty. We celebrated New Years Eve out in town at Olongapo at the clubs, the bars, the hotels, the restaurants, the gift shops, and anywhere else we could find. The townspeople fired off tons of fireworks. It sometimes sounded like a live fire training range to the Marines.

On January 2nd, 1991, our fleet of ships sailed out of Subic Bay with plenty of fresh supplies and and some badly needed R&R and mail. Our destination was now for the Persian Gulf. The daily ship routine and training schedule was quickly reinstated by the Kilo Command. Needless to say, a very intense Intelligence, detailed Battalion & Company missions, and contingency briefings were conducted daily by various Kilo Company officers. We did three hour long humps wearing full combat gear, weapons, Chemical suits & gas masks on the flight deck. We also had very intense hand to hand combat classes and exercises. We also started very detailed classes and training exercises in the ship's well deck about heavy resistance for the upcoming Amphibious Assault. As you now know, this Amphibious Assault never took place. But, it sure did scare the Iraqi defending the Kuwaiti coast.

Since we had several really big helicopter assault carriers in our fleet, our ship started receiving daily helicopters loaded down with live ammunition, live grenades, live missiles, live rockets, ect. These
helicopters were usually CH-46's or CH-53's. Both are large cargo capacity and troop transport choppers.

A 24 hour a day Marine armed Guard was now stationed outside the ships armory. The Ship's Captain put a ship wide series of training drills togather that included our combat stations if the ship was ever attacked. Other training drills included mass casulities first aide, abandon ship drills, man over board drills, damage control drills, and more air & sea self defense combat drills. As a ship, we received very little official outside news. Hardly any CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, or anything else. Basicly only what the Command staff passed along.

This frusterated alot of the Marines. We figured that if we were going to be expected to go in and fight to secure a hostile beach in Kuwait City, that we wanted to know what was happening that we were not being told about. We cautiously voiced our openions about this matter. But, very little was ever done to improve the situation any.
Finally on January 15th, 1991, the much antisipated deadline for the Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait came and went. The pressure and stress level on board the ship was now very high. Our Regimental and Battalion Commanders flew over to our ship for a Kilo Company formation and detailed briefing. We all gathered around in a semi-circle around the Colonel while he gave us details about the Iraqi's and what to expect in Combat that we had not heard before.

He also told us what other Coalition Forces were doing. Forces like the U.S. Army. As far as we Marines were concerned, our mind set was that we were better trained and far superior to the Army or any other military force in the Gulf. The Colonel then talked about the casualty rate of the Marines that the Regiment expected to take in this huge Amphibious Assault that we had trained for. According to what he said, the Regiment expected to take about a 35 to 40% casualty rate in the initial assault. That's of course without any Chemical or Biological weapons being used. If they were in fact used in the Assault, the casulity rate would no doubt be much higher.

WOW!! That hit us like a Bomb when we heard that. We started looking around at our friends in our platoon. According to the Colonel, 1 out of every six Marines would become a casualty without the Chemical or Biologicals. Either dead or wounded. The reality of that sank in like a knife.

The Colonel continued by saying, "EVEN WITH THE LARGE CASULITY RATE WE ARE EXPECTED TO TAKE, WE'RE GOING TO SECURE THE BEACH AND REACH OUR OBJECTIVES".
The Colonel concluded his briefing a little more then a hour later. The Battalion Commander then got up and spoke for about 30 minutes with more Intelligence details. We saw several satellite photo's, ariel photo's, Navy
Seal and Force Recon ground photo's. The Iraqi's had constructed a awesome, very deadly coastal fortification trench line along the Kuwaiti shoreline. They had thousands of landmines and water mines lined placed along their front. They had anti-aircraft weapons pointed down to shoot the Amtracks, Armored Personnel Carriers, Tanks, and other vehicles that would be coming ashore.

The Iraqi's had stationed 200,000 troops along the coast. Their Artillery Cannons were well within easy range of the beach. Seeing all this was good to know what we would be up against. But, it sure didn't comfort us any. Infact, it down right scared the hell out of us. We knew that we were good and very well trained. But seeing all that scared even the toughest of us.

Finally on January 17th, 1991 at 03:00 Hrs, the loud "GENERAL QUARTERS" alarm sounded aboard our ship. Everybody immediately jumped out of their racks, quickly grabbed out gear & weapons, shut the water tight doors, and prepaired the entire ship in a matter of two minutes for combat operations. All that from the heavy sleep we were in. All weapons were loaded with live ammo. All safety's were removed. All Combat stations on the whole ship were now manned. We were ready! One minute later, the ships's Captain came on the loud speaker system and announced that offensive combat operations of Operation Desert Storm had just begun moments ago. Every ship in the Persian Gulf was now at 100% alert and ready for War. He then said that during the
night, our fleet was now well within reach of enemy aircraft bombing & missile range. As a result, these combat stations aboard ship would now be manned 24 hours a day until the War ended. The Captain then put a live
broadcast of the CNN on the loud speaker for the next several hours. Shortly after the start of the War, the 5th MEB linked up with the 4th MEB's Marines from the east coast. Our fleet then sailed slightly southwest to the
country of Oman. This only took a few hours. The sight of seeing over 40 amphibious Warships from one horizion to the other was very impressive. Both to us and to the people of Oman.

Both MEB's then kicked off, "OPERATION SEA SOLDIER IV". This was a massive practice amphibious assault followed by a very intensive week of Desert combat training and survival. This was nearly 20,000 Marines that partisipated in this operation. As tough as this training was, it was gladly welcomed. It allowed us to get off ship, live fire our weapons, and prepare for operations in Kuwait. Heavy emphasis was placed on obstacle & minefield breaching, Infantry movement, Infantry & Tank operations, calling in artillery and air strikes, prepairing to fight on a desert chemical battlefield, patrolling, special operations, and the use of combined arms teams and scouts. It also allowed us to vent alot of the built up stress and pressure that we had been under.

Kilo 3/5 Marines even found time for a quick desert Football game using a empty canteen for the ball. Everybody
enjoyed this.

By the first of February, both MEB's found ourselfs back on ship and ready to sail north up near the Saudi/Kuwaiti coast. By far, the hardest thing about the long Pacific Ocean crossing and arriving in the theatre of combat operations was the lack of mail. A four week backlog of mail was definately taking it's toll on moral. As soon as we got back to ship, the large backlog caught up with us. We all received letters and packages from parents, wives, children, girlfriends, brothers & sisters, grandparents, friends, complete strangers that had sent their letter, "TO ANY MARINE", school teachers & students, American Corporations, banks, actors, rock groups, professional athletes, and churches.

The amount of support, encouragement, love, friendship, and prayers was completely awesome. It not only boosted our moral, it also gave us a fresh new sense of patriotism and motivation to accomplish our objectives and get back home as soon as possible.

As the Air War continued over Iraq & Kuwait, many new changes in possible missions were being considered by the Central Command leadership in Saudi Arabia. Two things seemed more certain everyday. One was that Kilo 3/5 would be going ashore with the rest of the 5th MEB somewhere. The second was that the much anticipated ground war was in fact going to take place.

Rumors were spread almost hourly about where & when we would go ashore. This did nothing except motivate us as a company. All the training we had done to get to this point was about to be unleashed full force against the Iraqi Military.

After more then a month of heavy Allied arial bombardment and Saddam's continued stubborness to leave Kuwait, it became clear that a full scale ground war was only hours away. Live ammunition was broken out and issued to the Kilo Company Marines late in the evening on February 23rd. A few hours later, the Ground War officially kicked off just after midnight. Later that Morning, the entire 5th MEB went ashore on Blue Beach in Al Mishab, (SAUDI ARABIA) in amtracks, landing craft, other amphibious vehicles, and helicopters. At the same time, the 4th MEB remained onboard their ships off the Kuwaiti coast to give the Iraqi's the impression that a huge amphibious assault was still going to take place.

As the units of the 5th MEB came ashore, they quickly consolidated inland and prepared to move north in a long convoy that stretched for miles. Remember that not only did we have our tanks, armored personnel carriers,
and assault crafts. We also had all our own Supply trucks. (Gas, Food, Water, Ammunition, First Aide Supplies, ect.) At this point, we were only 15 miles from the Kuwaiti border. Once the convoy started moving northwest
under grey cold skies that included biting wind & pockets of rain, everyone setteled in for a long and unexpected "9 hours" of travel.

As we moved northwest, the Iraqi for the most part were in retreat mode inside Kuwait. This is why it took us so long to reach the battlefield. Also, the thick sand of the middle east slowed our vehicles down. Even the tracked vehicles such as the Tanks had a difficult time moving forwards at various places. About 100 yards to our immediate left was a long convoy of flatbed and other cargo trucks heading south. These vehicles were loaded down with Iraqi Prisoners of War. We were told that they were being transported to heavily guarded POW Camps in Saudi Arabia. Seeing this gave us Marines more confidence every second.

All through the night, the colume of 5th MEB vehicles continued to procede northwest. We began to see the true signs of a combat zone. Iraqi Tanks, trucks, APC's, and bunkers lined the road. Several of these were destroyed
and on fire. The others had simply just been abandoned. The smell of death was in the air and all around us. The reality of what a heavily armed U.S. Marine Brigade could do in combat was overwelming. As we continued
northwest, we were constently within range of Marine artillery support, if and when it become necessary.

Our convoy stopped at Kibrit, Saudi Arabia to refuel the vehicles, stretch our legs, get some chow, and do a quick weapons cleaning. All this took about two hours to complete. Once we resumed, we turned directions, now
heading west. We continued this course for an additional 81 miles to an assembly area just inside the Kuwaiti border. This move took us 28 hours to complete. Naturally, it was a long boring ride for the Infantry. We kept
busy by telling stories about our families back home.

By the evening of February 26th 1991, 3/5 was just setting up a Battalion size defensive position for the night. Everybody was tired, dirty, hungery, cranky, and very sleepy. However, very little sleep was to be had that night. Since we were in Kuwait and in enemy territory, the Battalion immediately deployed security and recon patrols out around the Battalions position. The already dark night sky was made much worse by all the oil well fires. Thick black smoke was shooting high into the air, thus blocking all natural illumination. However, the fires themselves could be seen from horizion to horizion.

The security & recon patrols radioed back that they had spotted a small number of Soviet made Iraqi T-55 main battle tanks. However, by the morning, it had been determined that the tanks had been previously destroyed by
allied air forces. The whole area showed signs of War zone. Large fires burned in the distance that use to be enemy armored vehicles, artillery cannons, and supply trucks. Now they were nothing but worthless twisted
pieces of melting steel.

Later that morning, 3/5 received orders from Regimental HQ to conduct route & security sweeps along the main supply routes from the Saudi border to the Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait. This was a large area. However, we accomplished the mission relativly easily without a single shot being fired. We found bunkers full of stockpiled Soviet weapons and ammunition. We also found intelligence paperwork. The remainder of the day the Battalion continued to move to new positions. Once it was dark, Regimental HQ ordered us to stop and deploy more security & recon patrols for the night. Again, it was another night with very little if any sleep for anyone. Kilo Company Marines were instructed not to remove our boots. If we did receive a enemy attack during the night, the Command didn't want us trying to put them back on while fighting back. This same policy remained in effect throughout the rest of the War.

On the morning of February 28th 1991, a shortwave radio reporter just announced that a ceasefire was in the works and would probely be implemented within hours. Shock, disbelief, and frusteration hit the Kilo Marines all at the same time upon hearing that. We were shocked that the War was actually winding down. We were in disbelief because as far as we were concerned, there were still many Iraqi Soldiers in Kuwait. We were frusterated because we had been in a combat zone for several days now and not even been allowed to engage to enemy in a single firefight. We knew that we were good. We just wanted the opportunity to prove it.

Little did we know at the time, that opportunity would come soon enough.

A few hours later, the official radio report was broadcast over every radio in the Battalion. All offensive combat operations were to cease immediately. Very few expected the success that the Coalition had experienced to be so rapid. The ground war was stopped exactly 100 hours after it had began. However, that didn't mean that all shooting stopped. In fact, the shooting would begin shortly for 3/5.

Regimental HQ ordered 3/5 to clear our sector of Kuwait of all bypassed Iraqi units. In the process, we also cleared enemy bunkers of Iraqi Soldiers, gathered intelligence documents, and patrolled the area again without a shot being fired. Once completed, the Battalion reassembled and started movement on March 1st 1991 to clear a wide area of minefields. The immediate area was littered with Iraqi debris. At various places, dead emeny soldiers lay in the sand. Destroyed weapons were around. The smell of burning flesh was thick in the air. It made alot of us rather sick. A countless number of Artillery & Infantry positions were scattered throughout the area. 3/5 searched & secured each one.

That night, the Battalion again dug into defensive positions. The patrols were also deployed. That night, Regimental HQ radioed 3/5 that 2/5 had received a barage of enemy RPG-7 fire. In response, 3/5 was ordered to reposition for possible combat operations on March 2nd. This involved an early morning breach of the southern minefields and to begin sweeping operations into the Al Wafrah Forest.

The Al Wafrah forest was an area with several low trees, small farms, agriculture & livestock plots, homes, and a small town that was centrally located. The Al Wafrah oilfields were not too far away. The minefields had been under the watchful eyes of Marine Snipers throughout the night. Every now & then the Snipers would fire a round and take out a enemy soldier in one of the many bunkers. Once again Kilo 3/5 participated in clearing operations of the houses, buildings, and bunkers at Al Wafrah. Shots were fired. However, this was standard operating procedures when clearing a house or building.

Kilo Company as well as each company in the Battalion was reinforced with two M-60AE main battle tanks, a Combat Engenieer squad, and a squad of M-60 machinegunners. The remaining tanks, TOW anti-tank missile crews, and 81mm mortar platoons were held back in reserve to give support when needed. Extensive Psychological Warfare operations, (PSYOPS) were began, giving the enemy still in the area every oppertunity to surrender. This proved to be a complete waste of time and resulted in no enemy soldiers surrendering. At 12:00 Hrs, the enemy started sporadic small arms firing at the Battalion. Marine Snipers quickly took out the enemy soldiers and stopped the firing. Cobra attack helicopters patrolled the skies above while the small weapons firing took place. We took no friendly casulties diring this.

After clearing an additional 9 kilometers of area, 3/5 setteled in Company size defensive positions for the night. This proved to be another sleepless night for Kilo Marines. Patrols were again deployed out around the perimeter. Throughout the night, radio reports came in about possible enemy activity. However, none of these reports were ever confirmed. March 3rd, 1991 brought a continuation to the clearing operations. This was followed by a direct attack by four of 3/5's Infantry Companies on suspected enemy held bunkers & buildings near the Al Wafrah oilfields.

Kilo Company was one of the four attacking companies. Immediately upon entering the area, we noticed destroyed enemy tanks, APC's, and supply trucks that had been attacked by Cobra helicopters. We also noticed hundreds of dead animals spread over a rather wide area. Cows, Goats, Sheep, Dogs, Chickens, birds, and cats. Upon closer examination of the animals, we quickly noticed that none of the animals had any bullet holes or shrapnel wounds of any kind. We also noticed that the ants and other insects that normally swarm over a dead animal were also dead. Hundreds of them lay dead all around the animals. This made us stop and think for a moment.

Here we were standing in front of these dead animals that had no ovious wounds. Someone finally thought about sampling the air for any possible detection of Chemical Warfare agents. After several minutes, a Marine FOX vehicle reported low levels of a nerve agent was present in the area. This was immediately reported up the chain of command.

While waiting for some sort of answer from HQ, the Marines took pictures of the site. As far as we were concerned, the only way those animals could have died was through the use of some sort of Chemical or Biological weapon. We also noted that no rivers or streams were in the area. That answered the question about whether the animals could have been poisoned from the water supply. However, after several minutes went by, the Command determined that the area was non-toxic and that we should not put on our Gas masks.

Kilo 3/5 resumed it's mission.

A short time later, the Battalion found bunkers stockpiled with Soviet ammunition. We also found folding stocked AK-47 assault rifles in the bunkers. We reported these findings to Intelligence. They came back with a
report that these weapons specifically belonged to either a Iraqi Republican Guard unit or to an Iraqi Special Forces/Commando type unit. Regaurdless of which it was, these findings confirmed what the Intelligence guys had been suspecting all along. Somewhere close by was an elite Iraqi unit. Their tactics proved this another way by their refusal to comply with the cease-fire agreement and to continue to fight.

By 13:00 Hrs on March 3rd 1991, the Al Wafrah Forest was considered all clear. Now it was time to clear the oilfields themselves. Marine 155mm Artillery and Marine Air Support was immediately called in to prep the oilfields for our invasion. Cobra attack helicopters patrolled the skies while the prep continued. More then a hour later, the Artillery & Air Support firing missions were stopped. Instantly, all four 3/5 Infantry Companies sprang into action and secured the area without any opposition. As the four Companies completed their operation, the Battalion started receiving direct small arms & automatic weapons fire from enemy soldiers located in an abandoned building 400 meters to the north.

The Battalion immediately returned fire and called in additional air support. The abandoned building was quickly hit by a series of TOW missiles, Dragon missiles, M-16 rounds, 40mm Grenade launcher rounds, and automatic machinegun rounds. Within seconds, two Cobra attack helicopters arrived over head and fired their gatling guns into the building. All this firepower was brought to bear on the building. After a minute or so, a cease fire was called and the building was then searched. There inside lay five dead Iraqi Soldiers. No friendly casulties.

Later that afternoon, the Battalion received more small arms & automatic machinegun fire from a group of buildings just farther north. Kilo 3/5 again joined the rest of the Battalion in returning fire. Tanks, Tow missiles, Dragon missiles, machineguns, M-16's, grenade launchers, Cobra attack helicopters, and Artillery Cannons all fired in unison at the buildings. We continued this firefight for 45 minutes straight. This was the chance we had all been waiting for. All of our built up frusteration over the past two weeks was taken out here.

Very aggressive gunners and well placed shots did exactly what it was suppose to do. Once a cease fire was called, Recon teams proceded forwards to check out the damage assessment. Pictures were then taken of the battlefield that lay before us. Hand shakes, pats on the back, and congratulation shouts immediately started. We had done what we had trained to do in combat.

Minutes later, 3/5 received orders from Division & Regimental HQ to gather all our gear, equipment, & vehicles and depart Kuwait immediately. We proceded back to Saudi Arabia in one final road march that took about nine hours.

Once back in Saudi, the APC's dropped off the Infantry at an assembly area. The APC's then proceded on their own towards the ports in Al Mishab. That's where they would link up with the ships.

The Infantry then unloaded & turned in ammunition, cleaned weapons, ate a half way decent meal, and tried to get some sleep. We were all exhausted from nearly two full weeks of cold weather, rain, the desert, and nearly 300 miles of continous operations.

The next morning, a fleet of Marine Ch-46 and CH-53 helicopters landed at our position. The Infantry boarded the choppers and were transported back to the port to link up with our ships.

Once back on board, Kilo 3/5 immediately started cleaning weapons, gear, and equipment. We then ate some hot food, took badly long needed showers, and finally went to sleep in a bed with sheets. Kilo 3/5's involvement in
Operation Desert Storm concluded with every Marine and sailor alive, well, and accounted for. Kilo 3/5 had just helped make history. We had gone through a major ground war and lived to tell about it. We were ready to
return home. However, this was not to be the case.

Days slowly turned into weeks. Weeks slowly turned into months with us still sitting anchored in the Persian Gulf. We were told that the contingencies for pulling out of the Gulf were very complex, varied, and often hard to follow from day to day. Leaving was being tied to whether Iraq signed the official ceasefire agreement.

Then and only then would U.S. forces still in southern Iraq be pulled out. Saddam's continued attacks upon the Kurdish rebels complicated the situation for us. Battalion 3/5 was to be part of the rapid contingency force should further Coalition military action be needed.

On board ship, time was spent trying to keep that edge and maintain a high state of combat readiness. This was accomplished through Battalion Commander inspections, officer inspections, SNCO inspections, platoon Sergeants inspections, Battalion staff exercises, military classes, more weapons cleaning, PT sessions, and the never ending equipment maintenance.

Despite these onboard ship activities, the ever present waiting lines lingered throughout the day. The monotony was broken up by regular port visits & liberty calls to Jebel Ali, Dubai, Abu Dabi, and Bahrain. It didn't take us long to discover that the Arabs didn't particularly like Americans too much. But, they did like the money we spent. As a result, they treated us half way decently.

Being in port during the Muslim celebration of "RHAMADAN" was quite an experience in itself. No public eating or drinking during the day was allowed to anyone except in the American Hotels. This being the case, the hotels naturally charged roughly $20 for a burger, fries, and a soda. Anything fancier such as Steak, Lobster, and other things got really expensive. At night, the city streets would come alive with activity. Shopping malls and gift shops would be open till after midnight. Different tourist attractions would be packed with American Military personnel. Pay phones would have long lines.

Finally, in early May 1991, the day we had all been waiting for arrived. We got the word that we were going home. Kilo Company Marines jumped for joy and shouted with excitment as the ships anchor was raised and the fleet of ships rejoined back into formation for the voyage home.

Somehow, something just didn't seem right. A lot of Marines had this same feeling. Three days later, we found out that the feeling they had turned out to be right. We were finally out of the Persian Gulf and already into the Indian Ocean when word came that our fleet would be redirected to procede to the country of Bangladesh to assist in Humanitarian relief efforts.

Bangladesh had just been hit by a devastating storm which left an estimated 130,000 people dead and more then 9 million homeless. Stopping the voyage home for any reason was hard for Kilo Marines to accept. But, this was a unique situation and those people needed our help. Without hesitation, the ships turned and we were on our way. The official name for this mission was, "OPERATION SEA ANGEL".

3/5 was ordered to establish a logistical base for small boats and helicopters at the port in a town called, Cox's Bazaar. This was done in order to move food, water, and medical supplies to the worst sections of the country. On May 19 1991, massive amounts of supplies began to flow to those in need. Navy & Marine helicopters flew around the clock missions delivering supplies. Medical teams treated the injured and cared for the sick. Combat engineers rebuilt roads & bridges. These same efforts continued around the clock for the next two weeks. A total of 589,736 tons of relief supplies were delivered by helicopter from our fleet during those two weeks. The boat teams delivered another 100,000 lbs of supplies. It was a very worthy and satisfying operation.

The people of Bangladesh received some badly needed aide and we received both their genuine love and appreciation, a hightened awareness of how fortunate we as Americans truely are, and also the inner satisfaction which comes from selfless service.

At the end of May, our mission was complete and we continued our journey home. We arrived back at Subic Bay, the Phillipines a week and a half later. It was good to be back to somewhere that we had been before. We spent the next five days on Liberty call, packing gear & equipment up, and getting ready to return to the states.

We finally left Subic Bay. The very next day, a rather large Volcano erupted in the Phillipines near Clark Air Force base. The whole area was covered in ash from the volcano. The rumors immediately began that we were going to return to P.I. to assist them with relief efforts. However, to our luck & satisfaction, nothing ever materialized from the rumors.

We continued our course back accross the big Pacific Ocean to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This two week journey was spent having classes, doing PT sessions, more weapons cleaning, and packing up equipment. Every new time zone we entered gave us one hour less of sleep every night. That didn't bother us too much because we were on our way home. That's all that seemed to matter.

A day before we pulled into Pearl Harbor, a team of U.S. Customs agents was flown out to our ship on a Navy CH-53 helicopter. Kilo Company Marines were immediately told to grab everything we owned and assemble on the flight deck in Platoon formation. Once there, each Marine dumped his personal stuff out
into a pile for inspection. The Customs agents announced to everyone that it was their job to search for weapons, explossive devices, night vission equipment, or other items that we might be trying to smuggle in. These
included so called, "SENSITIVE PICTURES" that might be considered a threat to National Security. What we found out a few seconds later was that these "sensitive pictures" was a direct referal to the ones we had about all the dead animals we photographed in Kuwait. Someone in either the Pentagon, the CIA, the NSA, the State Department, or the White House had to have tipped off the Customs Agents ahead of time what to look for. Including pictures. As the photo's were confiscated, we were issued a receipt for them and told that maybe one day we would receive them back. That's all that was said. Their word was final and we could not appeal this. The Customs Agents then began their search through all our stuff.

The next day, our fleet pulled back into Pearl Harbor. What a sight for sore eyes. Atleast we were back on American soil again. Home to good food, hot showers, pretty girls, and adult beverages. The Battalion issued Liberty call immediately upon our arrivial at the dock. Two days later, we pulled out of Pearl and headed for our final stretch home.

This was now a happy time for everyone on board. That final week was spent getting ready for our return.

Finally, on June 30 1991, Kilo Company 3/5 boarded our Amtracks for the last time, with all our personal as well as professional gear. We splashed ashore on the beaches of Camp Pendleton, California a half hour later.

Naturally, this was one of the best feelings in the world. A large crowd of friends & family was there to greet us as we arrived. Marine bands were playing, people were cheering, military equipment was being displayed, and the hugs & kisses began.

Yes, Kilo Company 3/5 was finally home.