STORIES FROM THE DESERT

File: 970529_sep96_sagwi1_0009.txt
Page: 0009
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 Suchland
             C. Co. 1/187th INF
             798-6701

                Probably two of the most famous phantom missions that
             came down were the infamous tank attack'and the infamous gas
             attack. Both happened within days of each other in the
             perimeter that had placed all three Bat.s of the 187th in such
             a way that only third bat. could fire without causing
             fratricide. It was late one night when my squad leader came
             rushing over claiming someone had spotted a large number of
             tanks coming right for us. The platoon busted open every
             anti-tank weapon we had. No one was to be asleep or even
             be under some sort of cover despite the fact it was freezing.
             My team leader and I remained true to the end. We spent the
             rest of the night waiting for an attack that never came lying
             on the cold ground. NeXt morning, we came to find out the
             tanks never got closer than 70 clicks. There was also some talk
             that the targets may not have been tanks at all. They may
             have been camels. I also found out that everyone else spent
             the night watching from inside their sleeping bags.
                The phantom gas attack was another great adventure. These
             attacks always came at night. This time we were told that
             US jets had blown up a chemical factory on the other side of the
             border. The gas was said to be floating directly towards us.
             We all masked and waited. Higher seemed to think this was
             no joke and I was a little bit nervous. As fate would have
             it, I could not find my gloves and my mask would not seal.
             My teamleader's wouldn't either so we spent the night staring
             at each other waiting for nerve agent symptoms to appear.
             After awhile your mind starts playing tricks on you, and
             you start to believe you might have symptoms that arn't really
             there. It turns out that there really was gas, but it floated
             across the border well away from us.























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