22                                   U.S. MARINES IN THE PERSIAN GULF, 199O~J99I


                                               Pbotograph by aufl~or, D'oember 1990
View of cenientfactoiyfrom coastal highway. The massive comple~ dominated the area.


    One of the first tasks facing the Marines of RCT 7 was the construction of
a series of field fortifications along the ridge line and among the quarries.
September was miserably hot and Colonel Fulford, the commander of RCT 7,
immediately established a schedule of digging positions at night and having the
Marines sleep during the day. While that helped, the experience at the cement
factory defense line remained  in memory   as one of suffocating heat and
exhaustion. Daylight brought hordes of flies that made sleeping and eating
difficult. Temperatures often soared to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Nightfall was
scarcely any better, for even a 20- to 30-degree drop in temperature was still
hot.39
    Nevertheless, RCT   7   completed  a  system of  interconnecting field
fortifications with positions for tanks and AAVs. Behind the defense line were
the M109A3 and M198 155mm howitzers of 3d Battalion, 11th Marines, and
RCT 3, which was in the process of receiving its equipment. In front of RCT
7 were the mechanized 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, and Task Force Shepherd as
general outposts. The Iraqi attack never materialized and as RCT 3 moved to the
field, RCT 7 began shifting battalions farther forward. By late October, the
entire division moved beyond~he cement factory positions and began rehearsing
mobile defensive operations.   Though never entirely abandoned, the cement
factory line receded in importance and later became a staging area for 2d Marine
Division units.

                      Training with the Saudi Anny

    The division's cross-training with the Arab coalition forces began soon after
the establishment of the cement factory defense line. Cross-training activities
were conducted primarily by elements of RCT 3 (Task Force Taro) commanded
by Colonel John Admire. They started as the result of a chance encounter.
Unlike the experience of RCT 7 (Task Force Ripper), Task Force Taro avoided