Kuwait Marine camp starts to take shape

starnewsonline. ^ | Feb 17, 2003 | Trista Talton

[Dubya]

Editor's Note: Trista Talton is on assignment with U.S. Marines in Kuwait.

CAMP FOX, KUWAIT - As the sun's rays bathed the desert here Saturday morning, many awoke to the sound of machinery shifting sand to make way for more tents.

Things are coming together at this camp in the Kuwaiti desert, soon to be home to about 4,000 Marines and sailors based at Camp Lejeune. "Today is day one," Col. Craig Crenshaw, battalion commanding officer, said Saturday. "It's going to get crowded." Throughout the 20-mile-wide camp, guarded by armed Marines in towers around the perimeter, colonies of tents dot the sandy landscape. Safeguards are built daily.

Across a gravel road lined by razor wire that encompasses dozens of tents now home to hundreds of troops, a bulldozer burrowed a hole for a cement bunker. The plan is to install 80 bunkers throughout the camp. When the protective barriers, layered with sandbags, are finished, each Marine and sailor will be assigned to a bunker.

If Scud missiles are fired from Iraq, the bunkers will protect the troops from shrapnel. The troops already know how much time they'll have to take cover once a missile is fired.

"If they're in Baghdad, we have eight minutes," said Chief Warrant Officer Allen Mayfield. "If they're on the southern border, we'll have two minutes."

Chief Warrant Officer Mayfield directed Marines on how to place the bunkers.

"We're just standing by," he said. "We're just waiting for our commander-in-chief to make a decision." He hopes a decision comes soon. Should that mean war, Chief Warrant Officer Mayfield said he simply wants to get the job done and go home. As he talked of his wife, children and parents, he put the pending war in a simple perspective.

"We're doing this for them – for everybody in the U.S.," he said. The pace Saturday was somewhat slow as the temperature rose to the mid-70s.

Many of the troops are waiting now for their equipment to be pulled off ships, some of which left North Carolina nearly a month ago. Ships are expected to pull into a Kuwaiti port early next week. The government hired subcontractors to build many of the existing tents.

Shower and toilet facilities have been an unexpected treat for Marines and sailors who anticipated coming into an area with no running water. There's even laundry service. Laundry is picked up three days a week. That will eventually expand as more troops arrive.

Living quarters even have bunk beds, next to which the troops are starting to build their own personal living areas. These tents may be home to these Marines and sailors for the next several months. Hot showers and meals prepared in mess hall tents are morale boosters, Col. Crenshaw said, but it doesn't mean the troops here are safe.

"Complacency is a concern," he said. "We want to keep them busy. It's important that their minds stay sharp. Our purpose here is still undetermined. There's still a lot of negotiating going on."

One stern rule here is that everyone must wear their gas mask, which is stored in a pouch that hangs from the waist, and carry their weapon. The troops have been told to inspect and clean their gas masks daily - similar care they give their weapons.

Warnings extend beyond the threat of a chemical or biological attack. Five explosive devises have been uncovered, remnants from the Gulf War that ended little more then a decade ago.

Poisonous snakes, scorpions and aggressive lizards also are a hazard here. Navy corpsmen confiscated a captured scorpion. "You have to watch out for these things," said Lt. Cmdr. William Tanner.

A cardboard sign outside of the small medical and dental tent posts its hours. Medical attention thus far has been given to sunburns, dehydration and troops involved in two vehicle accidents.

They'll consider themselves lucky if that's all they have to treat. But, they are prepared to handle chemical and biological exposure. "It changes one's perspective," Lt. Cmdr. Tanner said. Trista Talton: 343-2070

[Arpege92]

Our Military is the finest in the world and Saddam will get a taste of it soon! God bless our troops.

[Auntie Mame]

My nephew is over there right now. He is in the Navy and writes that he is involved in building an enormous tent city, apparently the subject of this news report. One interesting comment from one of his emails: "There are many services on Sundays at the chapel but they are all catholic or protestent or whatever and no non denominational christian services, so I just read my bible before I go to sleep. I try to walk in Jesus' footsteps however I can and I know I am doing as best a job as I can."

And then, my absolute favorite line from a couple emails ago: "They were taking shots at us with small arms last
night but I do not worry because Marines are always
itching for a fire fight so they quell any problem
very quickly. These are just isolated incidents, most
Kuwaiti's are pretty cool about us being here."

Just thought the freepers would like to know what fine young men we have over there protecting this world from madmen. All prayers are, of course, welcome and appreciated.

[Dubya]

Amen. They are the very best. Thank you.

[Dubya]

God bless you and God bless and protect your son.
Thank you for sharing this with us.

[Auntie Mame]

Thanks Dubya. I saw your post about this over on the foxhole thread. I think it's good for everyone to know a little about what's going on. It's kind of amazing to me that email has brought us so close together. In the "old days" it would take weeks to get a letter delivered.

He's told me a whole lot more, even mentioned, as did this article, about the scorpions and strange-looking bettles. He says there's a lizard which lives outside his offices that lies in wait for the "bugs" and snaps them up for dinner. He says everyone is unusually cooperative with each other, much different than here on base, there have been very few incidents of people going to the brig except for a couple of women sailors who have gotten pregnant. Says whenever they have free time they work on the physical Kuwaiti base, fixing decrepit plumbing, stuff like that, says the place needs a lot of work and the Kuwaitis are very grateful. His friend cut off his finger, it was sewn back on, but they sent him home. He himself hit his foot with a sledgehammer but he's okay now. I told him if he wants to come home he's going to have to hit his foot a lot harder next time. ; - )

[Dubya]

Hope his foot don't hurt anymore.
Got to hit it harder LOL.