With Baby Wipes and Spray Paint, Troops Prepare for Desert's Scourge (Sandstorms)

Washington Post Foreign Service ^ | 3.10.03 | Rick Atkinson

[mhking]

CAMP DOHA, Kuwait, March 9 -- Every day new signs of impending war appear. Today brings the disclosure that on Monday all forces poised to attack Iraq will switch to Zulu time, an adjustment often imposed before military operations to keep everyone in sync.

The announcement sends the chronologically-challenged -- such as those preoccupied with newspaper deadlines in the Eastern Time Zone -- scurrying to the post exchange in search of an extra wristwatch: 6 p.m. in Kuwait, which is 10 a.m. in Washington, will become 3 p.m. Zulu, which reflects Greenwich Mean Time. The clock is ticking.

Power shoppers flood the PX aisles, stockpiling items needed for the Kuwaiti desert and beyond. Soldiers scoop up newly stocked packets of baby wipes, a commodity as prized as ammunition. A major holding a box of Tide wonders aloud whether he will be able to hand-wash his laundry in the Euphrates River. Spec. Robert Woodward of the 101st Airborne Division holds up a pair of swimmer's goggles. "I made a key purchase," he says. "My friends who were stationed in Saudi said the Army issue stuff doesn't work very well."

Shopping carts at checkout registers suggest a Homeric catalogue of the dusty life to come: flashlight batteries, Ziploc bags, bandanas, orange light sticks that glow for 12 hours when snapped, spare bath towels, Chapstick, water pouches worn like a pack that are capable of holding two liters, sleeping mats, Vaseline Intensive Care lotion. Boxes of Q-tips are clutched like family heirlooms.

[mhking]

The military preparations continue. God bless 'em all.

Let's roll.

[mhking]

Today brings the disclosure that on Monday all forces poised to attack Iraq will switch to Zulu time, an adjustment often imposed before military operations to keep everyone in sync.

All hands, stand by for General Quarters!

This is a huge point, buried in a throw-away comment in this article. It all but convinces me that either Monday or Tuesday is the day.

[PhiKapMom]

I pray that we don't let this keep dragging out. The vote at the United Nations is now scheduled for Friday! They are awaiting the UN giving 24 hour notice that there is a vote. Do I have any faith in that -- no way!

Fox News is reporting that the 17 March deadline is still firm and that the President will give Saddam 7-10 days to comply and the President has not signed onto the UK ludicrous 2nd resolution.

[Sunshine Sister]

God, please walk with every US service man and women and keep them safe from harm.

[Tennessee_Bob]

They've switched to Zulu? I remember the last time I did that. It's getting ready to get warm.

[FRMAG]

Actually, in 26 years of active service, ZULU time was a standard for all messages and logs. Most operational areas had at least two clocks one set to local time and the other to ZULU.

Just the same as the 24 hour clock is a standard for most if not all military organizations. It is not "military time" it is almost universaly used world wide. Even today after almost 12 years of retirement I still use the 24 hour clock and interpoliate. 1300 is 1:00pm etc.

[Catspaw]

This was almost painful to read. My first instinct was to go to the supermarket & buy up every baby wipe they have & it ship them to Kuwait for our troops. And then I realized by the time they got there, these troops would be gone.

I pray for their safe return.

[joesnuffy]

I heard we went to war with Iraq a couple of weeks ago and just arent telling anybody about it.
need to know basis..

[RonF]

For those of you chronologically challenged: add 5 hours to EST, 6 hours to CST, 7 hours to MST, and 8 hours to PST to get Zulu time. So at 10 PM CST it's 0400 the next day Zulu time. For those of us who are amateur astronomers, that's the same as UTC.

And since we all like to talk about the French: UTC stands for Universal Coordinated Time. The English speaking world wanted the acronym to be UCT. The French wanted it to be (I believe) CUT or CTU, to reflect the phrase as it's worded in French. So UTC was adopted because it was the proper acronym for neither, and thus neither side would "win".

[uncbob]

If the delay is waiting for troops and equipment that is one thing if it is to give Blair cover than that is digusting and Bush deserves blame

[Tennessee_Bob]

The clock is ticking.

It's not ticking - the bell is ringing.

[DakotaGator]

...1300 is 1:00pm etc.

Or two bells of the Noon Watch ;>)

Seriously, I still use a 24 hour clock. And while on active duty, I always wore a dual time watch with one permanently on Zulu time.

[Britton J Wingfield]

You can give the baby wipes to the American Red Cross. At last weeks rally we had tons of them to turn over.

[Catspaw]

The Red Cross? Um...well...er....no. I'll give them to the local Guard support organization. They'll I know they'll sure to get them to the units for distribution.

[deadhead]

"Boxes of Q-tips are clutched like family heirlooms."

I have sent out a couple of care packages with the essentials, I am glad I thought to add Q-tips.

God Bless Our Troops

[Calvin Locke]

Here are a couple of links from recent posts in rec.radio.shortwave ng:

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/MAEL/ag/zulu.htm

http://www.apparent-wind.com/gmt-explained.html

http://www.boulder.nist.gov/timefreq/general/enc-ch.htm#utc

[Mo1]

Thanks for this thread

[mhking]

Thanks for this thread

I'm keeping half an eye out for more of these from the reporters who are embedded in the units over there.

God bless 'em all.

[S.O.L.]

I just got the names and addresses of soldiers with two units over there from Operation Military Pride. They requested Q-tips and I put them in my care package. But, pardon my ignorance, but what do they use them for?

[tiki]

Probably use them to get the sand out of their ears???? And baby wipes, what a great invention! I'd be lost without them so I know how the soldiers feel.