WITH MARINES IN OPERATiON PROVIDE COMFORT 59 Command's 14th Transportation Battalion was responsible to coordinate overland movement from Silopi to Incirlik and Iskenderun.107 Colonel Jones worried about several issues. There were no firm plans as to where the respective command posts were going to be located or how they were going to be configured as Joint Task Force Bravo moved back to Turkey. Jones hoped they could be collocated somewhere near the border. He also had questions about the overall force structure. Jones recommended that only combat echelons, what he called 1,trigger pullers," stay until the last day. Finally, it was necessary to carefully synchronize plans with the other allied forces, Joint Task Force Bravo, and the 3-325th Airborne Combat Team. Lieutenant Colonel Kohl (MSSG-24) was most concerned about Turkish customs and the agricultural inspection. The Turks had been very cooperative of late, but had recently returned to stringent customs inspections. They intended to strictly limit cross-border traffic at Habur and initiated detailed inspections to ensure no weapons were being smuggled inside Turkey to arm PKK terrorists. The washdown and follow-up agricultural inspection were difficult jobs. The first elements pulled back were the Bravo Command Group, Company H, and advance parties from MSSG-24 and HMM-264. They moved to Iskenderun on 1 June. General Shalikashvili declared 8 June `1R-Day,1' the official beginning of the retrograde. The first CTF umt out was Joint Task Force Alpha. The 24th MEU (SOC) was scheduled to begin pulling out once JTF-A left. Within two weeks, most of the 24th MEU (SOC) rear echelon personnel, equipment, and vehicles were either at Silopi or Iskenderun. On 12 June, the 4th Civil Affairs Group departed Zakho for Camp Lejeune. Colonel Corwin closed Camp Denton on 15 June. Battalion Landing Team 2/8's Command Element and Company F moved to Silopi after turning over the security zone to the Italians. Operational control of Company G was transferred to the French at Shaladiza, and Company E was attached to the British 40th Commando. On 16 June, Colonel Jones closed Camp Sommers and the 24th MEU (SOC) Command Element moved to a new command post which it shared with Joint Task Force Bravo. The new command post was located about four miles from the Turkish border along Route 6. Major Boyd, the 24th MEU (SOC) S-4, used a phased redeployment to move cargo, equipment, and personnel back to Iskenderun by echelon. His plan worked well and the MEU had returned 97 percent of its cargo, 85 percent of its equipment, and 50 percent of its personnel to the ships by the end of June.lOS Contingency MAGTF 1-91 ceased operations and recalled its teams in the end of June. Lieutenant Colonel Bailey noted a sense of accomplishment. During a visit by Lieutenant General Carl E. Mundy, Jr., Commanding General, FMF Atlantic/FMF Europe, Brigadier General Burch (CG, CSC) told the Marine commander that he was very pleased with the performance of CMAGTF 1-91 and intended to pass favorable comments to Major General Stackpole on Okinawa and to the Marine Commandant in Washington, D.C. The Marines of CMAGTF 1-91 had efficiently accomplished every mission given them.First Page | Prev Page | Next Page | Src Image |