42 U.S. MARINES IN THE PERSIAN GULF, 19901991 deployed the 2d Marine Division just to the northwest of them. Both divisions remained there until moving into their tactical assembly areas in mid-February. At the same time, General Moore moved his 3d Marine Aircraft Wing headquarters to NAF Jubayl. Moore also began displacing his two helicopter groups north, but not until going through some travail regarding airfields. Even though the displacement of General Yeosock's ArCent units westward began in December, it was not completed for some time due to logistical constraints. A number of Army enclaves remained in the expanded MarCent area of operations near training areas and ranges. The main effect of this was to impinge on the ability of the 2d Marine Division to train. The last enclaves dissolved on 17 January. Along with the generals there came a final influx of staff to flesh out the force headquarters staff. The first of these was Colonel Billy C. Steed, who arrived on 14 December. Steed cut short a tour as commanding officer of the 25th Marines at the personal request of his former commander, General Boomer. He was a ruddy-faced 34-year veteran with a Mississippi drawl who had attained the rare distinction of a battlefield commission in Vietnam as a sergeant. Boomer had valued his counsel in combat before and made Steed his assistant chief of staff for operations, G-3. At Safaniyah, General Boomer instituted an evening operations briefing to supplement his morning staff meetings. The daily morning meetings began at 0800 with Boomer striding into the quonset-style briefing tent and giving his usual greeting: "Morning, folks, please sit down." Others present were his deputy, the principal and special staff members, liaison officers, senior staff, and the force's senior enlisted Marine, Sergeant Major Rafe J. Spencer. The group typically numbered 30 to 40 or more and was inclusive rather than exclusive. Contrary to a current trend of compartmentalizing and over- classifying information, Boomer wanted no pieces withheld from his staff that could help them in their duties. He also desired that the meetings help forge bonds within his staff which had at last reached its wartime strength. Boomer's fastwitted and articulate chief of staff, Colonel Eric Hastings, conducted the meetings. Hastings was fully capable of either stimulating give-and-take exchanges among the staff or metaphorically yanking them up by their necks, depending on the situation. The unruffled and fluent senior watch officer of the combat operations center, Lieutenant Colonel Max A. Corley, invariably gave the current operations brief followed by principal and special staff reports. After this, Hastings offered the staff a final challenge: "Anymore Oh-by-the-ways?" and then turned it over to his commander. Lieutenant General Boomer talked in measured words that reflected his current state of mind and perspective. On occasion he could be sharp, but, mindful of the continual pressure on them all, more often he was solicitous. As mentioned earlier, General Boomer usually met at least once a week with his generals for frank discussions of issues affecting the command, particularly future operations. Out of meetings at Safaniyah over the next five weeks came funda- mental decisions that changed the course of the force's campaign.First Page | Prev Page | Next Page | Src Image |