8TH TANK BN COMMAND CHRONOLOGY NOV 90 TO MAR 91 12 APR 91

File: 970107_aug96_decls2_0006.txt
Page: 0006
Total Pages: 60

Subject: 8TH TANK BN  COMMAND CHRONOLOGY NOV 90 TO MAR 91  12 APR 91     

Unit: 8TH TANK BN 

Parent Organization: 2 MARDIV    

Box  ID: BX600007

Folder Title: COMMAND CHRONOLOGY 8TH TANK BN 26 NOV - 31 MARCH 1991                                           

Document Number:          1

Folder Seq  #:          5





                                                UNCLASSIFIED


                    Various advance parties were dispatched to     SWA from the SIA to facilitate
                 the offloading and preparation of the battalion's MPS equipment. Despite
                 not having participated in an MPS offload training exercises the battalion
                 was able to achieve a good working knowledge of MPS quickly. An Equipment
                 Reception Party (ERP) under Major J. 0. TEBZES and consisting of 44 personnel
                 left Camp Lejeune on 10 December 1990 to establish a battalion cantonment area
                 for MPS gear in SWfk (One officer left on 8 December 1990 to join the KPS
               .Survey Liason and Reconnaissance Party (SLRP)). A debarkation group of 35 men
                 was sent to SWA on 10 December 1990 as part of the Offload Preparation Party
                 on board the MPF ships.






                    During the period that Bth Tank Battalion was in the SIA, a number of
                 personnel changes were required to prepare the unit for combat. Because
               .MPS carried only a 3 company tank battalion's assets, 'ID" Company was
                 dissolved. "D" Company's personnel were distributed among the other tank
                 companies to bring those units up to full TIO strength. Officers and staff
                 were used to fill vacancies and MOS mismatches at the company and battalion
                 staff level. Several officers filled division staff billets.
                    Several Inspector/Instructor personnel accompanied the battalion to the
                 SIA. Initially they were to return to 4th Marine Division duty once this
                 battalion left the SIA. Instead, these I + I personnel were integrated into
                 the battalion in critical billets and taken to SWA with the battalion. This
                 was a decision made to take advantage of the I + I's experience and expertise.
       The I + I personnel accompanied the battalion on extended TAD orders from
                 their parent command, which were further extended by CMC (Message: 07153OZ Jan
                 91).
                    Also during the SIA stand-to period, the battalion segregated its
                 non-deployable personnel. The non-deployables ranged from hardship discharge
                 and humanitarian transfer cases to personnel who were not mos qualified. Most
                 of these personnel, as well as the battalion's female personnel, were
                 transferred to Headquarters Battalion for final disposition or assignment to
                 authorized rear area billets.
                                              22 Dec 1990 - 31 Jan 194,
                    The 8th Tank Battalion arrived in SWA on 22 Decem     ber 1990 at Camp 15, just
                 west of the Part of Subail, Saudi Arabia. Upon arrival, the battalion
                 occupied area C of Camp 15. The camp was incomplete when the battalion
                 arrived, and consisted of concrete GP slabs and some "outhouse" style
                 latrines. Electricity and cold showers were established a few days later with
                 Piessing provided in a centralized camp mess facility.
                    Shortly after arriving at Camp 15, the battalion was tasked with providing
                 the assets to create "Task Force Al', a minefield breaching team consisting
                 (from 8th Tank Battalion) of eleven tanks. These tanks were equipped with
                 eight mineplows and three dozer blades. These assets were assigned to 2nd
                 Combat Engineers for Pianning, training and employment. The loss of these
                 -tanks left the battalion with three tank companies of fourteen tanks each.
                    The battalion continued to gain equipment and prepare for combat while at
                 Camp 15. Maintenance and Limited Technical Inspections were done on the
         battalion's wheeled and tracked vehicles that had come from the Maritime
                 Prepositioned Shipping (MPS). Several problem areas were identified with the
                 MPS vehicles at this time. Although the tanks were fully up to date on their


                                                         5
                                                  UNCLASSIFIED

Document 60 f:/Week-34/BX600007/COMMAND CHRONOLOGY 8TH TANK BN 26 NOV - 31 MARCH 1991/8th tank bn command chronology nov 90 to mar 91:01029709504317
Control Fields 17
File Room = aug96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-34
Box ID = BX600007
Unit = 8TH TANK BN
Parent Organization = 2 MARDIV
Folder Title = COMMAND CHRONOLOGY 8TH TANK BN 26 NOV - 31 MARCH 1991
Folder Seq # = 5
Subject = 8TH TANK BN COMMAND CHRONOLOGY NOV 90 TO MAR 91
Document Seq # = 1
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 02-JAN-1997