STORIES FROM THE DESERT

File: 970529_sep96_sagwi1_0002.txt
Page: 0002
Total Pages: 9
Subject = STORIES FROM THE DESERT                                         

Parent Organization = XVIII CORPS 

Unit = 101ST ID    

Folder Title = ANNODOTES OF THE WAR                                                                            

Document Number =          2

Box ID = BX001611






            Spc. Stuart C. Suchland
            C. Co. 1/187th INF
            798-6701




             After the air war started, I moved with the 187th
            to a point along the Saudi/Iraq border. We road in trucks
            all night. Our squad leaders told us we were headed ten
            clicks into Iraq. We put an air guard on top of the truck
            and promptly fell asleep. The trucks finally stopped about
            13 hours later. It was just about dawn. Our platoon had the
            far left flank of our perimeter. The ground was extremely
            rocky. Sandbags offered the best protection. That night
            began an endless string of night guard watches that lasted
            until our unit left Iraq.
                That first night is the time that this story happened.
            It was almost midnight straight up and down when I first heard
            the trucks approaching. I looked through my PVS-7-s and saw
            that they were american five-tons. The other guard and I
            watched as the trucks moved to a point about 3OOm-s to our
            front. After about an hour or two the trucks headed back
            the way they came. It was not until morning that we dis-
            covered that the trucks had dropped off 2nd Bat. 187th
            directly in front of Ist. Bat. We could not have fired
            at anything to our front without hitting our own men.
            If that wasn't bad enough, the next night 3rd. Bat. did the
            same thing to 2nd. We were never told why higher left the
            perimeter in this fashion. I suppose there was some good
            reason why, but I can't think of it. The units remained that
            way until we left for the ground war.
























            Iraginfo.WPF                  -2-