Contemporary Issues in the Persian Gulf I
American Military University
In The Generals’ War, Michael R. Gordon and General Bernard E. Trainor mention the January 29, 1991 offensive by Iraqi forces into Saudi Arabia. At the time of this offensive, my unit of approximately 20 Marines, including Brigadier General Charles C. Krulak, a full bird female Colonel (which would have created a serious P.O.W. issue had she been captured) and a few staff NCOs were in a nearly empty compound north of the Second Marine Division forces, also deployed from Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Until I read this book, it was a mystery to me why at that time we were sent north of the Second Marine Division, the guys with the big guns, tens of thousands of rounds and highly trained infantry units. I had always wondered what special brand of crazy had possessed General Krulak to put us ahead of the Division, with only 180 rounds each and two TOWs, which I did not know we possessed at the time. Personally, I would have preferred to have had a few 50 cals and a couple dozen M-1 tanks on the perimeter.
In short, we occupied a small compound with a light force of administrative Marines fully worn out from days of filling sandbags in the sun (not an infantry platoon as the book mentions) and too few rounds to put up a real fight against enemy tanks and other armored vehicles in defense of a large compound and a key general officer. Of the men and women on hand that evening I believe only General Krulak, a salty old gunnery sergeant, and a lance corporal (a former Coast Guard prior service transfer who had logged hundreds of hours on drug war raids) possessed any real combat experience.
I recall, as Gordon and Trainor mentioned, that the Tiger Brigade was dispatched to defend our compound in the event the advancing Iraqi vehicles reached Kibrit, although there was serious doubt that even they would reach us in time. While, I did not have to fire my weapon, that was indeed one of the longest nights of the ground war.
A lesson I learned that night was two-fold. First, all the will to fight in the world will not make up for insufficient resources. Second, never underestimate your enemy. Prior to night and at the ripe old age of 19, if you would have told me that an Iraqi armored unit would have dared charge headlong into the American war machine I’d have laughed aloud. At 34, after reading Gordon and Trainor’s book, I’m left a bit unnerved at the thought of what could have happened. To his credit, General Krulak displayed true leadership and did not convey his fears to the men and women of Kibrit that night. We had enough to think about without adding that to the mix. As a side note, I am grateful to the Army and the Tiger Brigade for helping a few dozen jarheads out of a tight spot.