28 U.S. MARINES IN THE PERSIAN GULF, 1990-1991 world-class body builder, in one of the Jubayl Camps on 4 November. It was used by slightly over 1,000 Marine and British patrons a day until the force moved north for the offensive. Many American families in the expatriate housing compounds at Jubayl and Ras Tannurah also opened their homes to Marine troops for a shower and dinner in "Operation Scrub and Grub." A lucky few got to go on board a cruise ship, the Gulf Princess, docked at Bahrain. For most Marines, however, an occasional pick-up bail game or video movie was the extent of recreation in Saudi Arabia. Perhaps the most difficult area of Saudi-U.S. relations was the clash of driving cultures and resulting traffic accidents. The Saudi road network along the coast was excellent, but Marines were frightened by the fatalistic habits of the local drivers, some of whom were unlicensed and inexperienced. Marines saw numerous examples of speeding and passing two abreast on two lane roads. Inevitably, there were tragic accidents that resulted in the deaths of Saudis and Marines. The only formal protest ever made about Marine conduct developed as a result of a Cable News Network broadcast. Although it was illegal to receive the network in the kingdom, the Eastern Province Area Commander raised his concern to Lieutenant General Boomer of possible Iraqi propaganda exploitation of one of its broadcasts. A clip showed a touch football game, lightheartedly named the "Scud Bowl," between Marine and Navy females at an enclosed Marine area. The players wore typical American physical recreation clothing, shorts and T-shirts, and were being observed by male Marines. By contrast, Saudi law and custom required that women appear in public clad in head-to-foot attire accompanied by a male family member. Logistics: the Birth of `Saudi Motors' Colonel Raymond A. List was General Boomer's assistant chief of staff for logistics with 30 years of service as an artillery, communications, and logistics officer. As the force began its expansion, one of List's greatest concerns was overland transportation. Doctrinally, the Marine Corps planned for moving support no more than about 50-SO kilometers from a beachhead port. Faced with double and triple these distances, and this was only the beginning, List and Brigadier General Brabham, commander of the 1st Force Service Support Group, found themselves with an acute shortage of "line haul" surface transport. To make matters worse, the mileage being put on tactical vehicles was rapidly increasing. They now resorted to a series of practical if somewhat unconventional actions to solve the problem. The most orthodox form of help came from the CentCom itself. The assistant chief of staff for logistics, Lieutenant General William "Gus" Pagonis, USA, directed ArCent to supply MarCent with the first of an eventual total of 246 trucks, mainly 5,000-gallon tankers. Next, List appointed the I MEF Supply Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Timothy "Trucks" M. Taylor, as the force's truck "czar." Taylor began leasing as many civilian trucks as he could find.First Page | Prev Page | Next Page | Src Image |