74 U.S. MARINES~IN~THE PERSIAN aULE, 1990-1991 A& Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 0732 8 91 Captured iraqi weapons are displayed at the 2d Marine Division command pa~t, March 1991. Such numbers, interesting as they are in themselves, cannot provide a complete picture of all that the division actually accomplished during the conflict. Even while deployment was a remote possibility, General Keys directed the assembly of the division and began to prepare it for combat. Ultimately, the division numbered more than 20,000 men and women Marines, soldiers and sailors. But nearly half of those who fought with the division were not a part of its regular establishment. The division was reinforced by units from the 3d and 4th Marine Divisions, Reservists from the Individual Ready Reserve, and by the nearly 5,000 soldiers of the Tiger Brigade. All of these units and individuals had to be integrated into the division's structure and trained within it. That this was successfully done cannot be better proved than by the effectiveness with which the division operated, and the camaraderie which prevailed. Little time elapsed from the departure of General Keys and the division's advance party from Camp Lejeune, through the start of offensive operations, to the ceasefire. Yet, in this short span of time, the division deployed more than 15,000 Marines, matched up units with their proper equipment, joined- the Tiger Brigade and other units, and moved into its combat role. Defensive missions were accomplished, an extensive course of training was conducted, and a detailed operation plan was prepared. Perhaps most important of all during this period was General Keys' convincing of Lieutenant General Boomer, commanding general of I MEF, to order the 2d Marine Division to perform its own separate breach of the Iraqi defensive lines. All of this work, to include the culminating four days of battle, was accomplished in less than three months.First Page | Prev Page | Next Page | Src Image |