wITH THE I MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE IN DESERT SHIELD AND DESERT STORM 7 LiGen Walter E. Boomer, lefi, commanding general of 1 Marine Expeditionary Force, and his deputy, MajGen John L Hopkins, receive a briefing on the Iraqi threat at the 1 MEF command post at the Commercial Port of Jubayl on 26 No~ember 1990. Gen Hopkins led I MEF's spearhead formation, the 7th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, to the Gulf in mid-August 1990. He later commanded the defense of the Jubayl Vital Area dunng Operation Desert Storin. on the same soil as the two holy shrines of !slam at Mecca (Makkah) and Medina was anathema. Others had concerns whether Americans could operate in such a fundamentally different cultural environment. To assuage Saudi sensibilities, General Schwarzkopf issued Central Command General Order No. 1 which imposed a complete prohibition on alcohol within the theater. General Boomer in turn prohibited all forms of liberty for his force except those in the rear at Riyadh. The Saudi religious code of laws known as shariah prohibited public religious services other than Islamic, so for a time, chaplains in the force were known euphemistically as "morale officers." American flags were n0t flown officially at any Marine installation. The 3d Civil Affairs Group, a Marine Reserve unit of specialists commanded by Colonel John M. Kaheny, a San Diego city attorney, handled the necessary relations with the civilian community. By 20 August General Hopkins had successfully addressed Saudi concerns, and the brigade began moving into tactical positions northwest of the port. He declared the brigade "combat ready" on 25 August. To provide a base for the One unexpected byproduct of the no-drinking and no4iberty policies was a dramatic drop in disciplinary rates.First Page | Prev Page | Next Page | Src Image |