U.S. infantry on the move in Kuwait (3rd Division Breaks Camp)

Cox News Service ^ | 3/7/03 | Ron Martz

[defenderSD]

By RON MARTZ
COX NEWS SERVICE

CAMP NEW YORK, Kuwait -- Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) have broken camp and moved deeper into the desert to await orders for a possible attack on Iraq.

Officials with the Fort Stewart-based unit said yesterday the move from three large bases in the northwestern Kuwaiti desert into smaller assembly areas did not indicate an attack was imminent.

"We have all our equipment. We are trained and ready to do what anybody asks us to do. But because of limited sleeping areas and infrastructure, we are making room for other units," said Maj. Mike Birmingham, a spokesman for the division.

The 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Ky., is moving into the three camps being vacated by the 3rd Infantry Division.

Soldiers from the 3rd's headquarters units, who had been based at Camp New York, about 50 miles northwest of Kuwait City, were packing equipment and tearing down tents yesterday morning in a blinding sandstorm.

Birmingham said in moving out of the base camps the division's soldiers will have to give up many amenities they had at Camp New York and two other similar camps, New Jersey and Virginia. The three were named for the states most affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A fourth camp, Pennsylvania, which housed division units, was turned over to other Army forces in February.

Birmingham said troops no longer will be able to take a daily shower, call home or have regular access to the Internet. Mail will still be delivered regularly, and hot meals will be served twice a day, he said.

While these moves may not indicate war is about to begin, they do indicate that significant elements of what will be needed to launch an attack are moving into position.

The 101st is an air assault unit with more than 250 helicopters and would be a vital link in any attack. The nearly 20,000 soldiers of the 101st could play several different roles, depending on the situation.

Soldiers of the 101st could provide security for forward refueling areas for the 3rd Division's tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles if they head for Baghdad. Or they could secure Iraq's oil fields to prevent Saddam Hussein's troops from torching them. More than 700 Kuwaiti wells were torched near the end of the Persian Gulf war 12 years ago.

If the 4th Infantry Division does not get political approval from Turkey to deploy through there, the 101st could jump over Baghdad in helicopters and open a front in northern Iraq.

The 3rd Division is expected to be a key element in any ground attack on Iraq, sweeping in along the Euphrates River Valley. Its troops have trained continuously in Kuwait for a second potential conflict with Iraq since the end of the 1991 Gulf War. Its ranks are sprinkled with veterans of that conflict and of this same unit, when it was known as the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized).

The division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team has been in Kuwait since September. Its 4,000 soldiers were joined in January by the division's other two combat elements and an aviation brigade. About 17,000 soldiers from the division are now in Kuwait. They are being augmented by Army Reserve and Army National Guard soldiers.

[defenderSD]

It's starting to look like the 4th division will only be involved in the war if it lasts much longer than expected. In that case, Turkey may vote to let us drive through their country or the 4th division will unload off their ships and attack through Kuwait. Geez...it must be getting real boring out in the Med on the 4th division's ships. Let's roll now.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

God Bless the men and women who are fighting to keep us all safe.

[snooker]

If Turkey allows, the 4th may make a ready reserve, or the backbone of the occupying force. When the Kuwait forces starts forcing the Iraqis north, the 4th comes down from the north and squish-squash.

Looks like we are going in without them at first.

snooker

[WOSG]

i hope 4th can get in it... secret hope is that Saudi's allow a back door and they can drive to Baghdad via western desert.

[friendly]

Isaiah Chapter 35:1: The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

[arkady_renko]

Don't you just wish it could be over with just one cruise missle while Sadam is exhorting his troops to take up swimming to stay in shape? Is this possible or just wishfull thinking? How accurate do you think our intel is on his and Uday's movements?

A_R

[leadpenny]

Something I read the other day gave me the impression that the majority of 4th ID's personnel have not left home base yet. Is it possible that what is already in the Med is mostly their equipment?

[gulfcoast6]

Nothing has changed, hurry up and wait.

[savedbygrace]

That scripture has been fulfilled by the establishment and building of the State of Israel some time ago. It has no reference to these current events.

[PhilDragoo]

Most Decorated World War II Combat Soldier

Official Narrative
For Medal of Honor Recipient
MURPHY, AUDIE L.
Rank and organization:
Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B, 15th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division.
Place and date: Near Holtzwihr France,
26 January 1945.
Entered service at: Dallas, Tex.
Birth: Hunt County, near Kingston, Tex.
G.O. No.65, 9 August 1945.

CITATION: 2d Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by 6 tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions in a woods, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone.

With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machine gun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from 3 sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back.

For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted.

He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50.

2d Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective.

[defenderSD]

Yes, I think the ships are carrying mostly equipment and the majority of the soldiers will fly over later. Depending on the boldness of the Turkish military, we may have secretly unloaded some heavy armor and already driven it on back roads into Northern Iraq. In this case, when tanks appear in Northern Iraq with part of the 4th division, we will probably explain that "a small number of tanks" were airlifed there on C-17 Globemaster transport planes. It's all part of a clever strategery.

[CasearianDaoist]

Yes, it is their equipment. The troops would be flown in to match up with it. We don't move may Army troops by ship anymore, just mostly marine forward elements move around on ships these days.

[LS]

Except I just heard the fomer Army Sec on Fox say that the Turkish ARMY had already allowed us to unload one ship and that convoys escorted by the ARMY were already heading for the southern Turkey/northern Iraq area!!! Whazzzup?

[CasearianDaoist]

I hear that most of what was unloaded was just for the engineering teams that were expanding Turkish facilities. Could be wrong though...

[eastforker]

This is my son's unit,please keep him in your thoughts.

[defenderSD]

Which unit? The 3rd division or the 4th division?

[Stopislamnow]

Well the Turkish army is completely secular in nature.

Looks like a collective Army "middle finger" to the islamist regime to me. Somethings brewing in Turkey. If I was a radical islamist in Turkey I'd be a little worried, Turkish prisons being what they are and all.

[humblegunner]

This is my son's unit, please keep him in your thoughts.

Yes, Sir.. indeed I will! Damn proud, man!

[leadpenny]

Thanks. I spent 21 years in the Army and was never in a situation where the unit I was in received deployment orders. I did deploy with the 4th ID to Pleiku from Ft. Lewis, but that was planned before I joined up with them coming out of Army Flight School. My son, on the other hand, had three, count 'em, three drop-what-you-are-doing deliver-the-pizza deployments before he had five years AD: Haiti, Bosnia and Kosovo.

Thank goodness the Clinton wag-the-dog, legacy-building deployment days are gone. The adults are running the show now.

[Stopislamnow]

Moving our troops south, or out of Korea is a solid idea. I wouldn't want our troops so vulnerable to North Korean artillery and rockets either. Pulling them back, is in effect saving thier lives. Because one way or the other, North Korea's regime must go.