March 17, 2003
Jules Crittenden
Like the rest of the world watching from afar, those of us here in the desert camps in Kuwait sense that we are within days of rolling.
Like the rest of the world watching from afar, those of us here in the desert camps in Kuwait sense that we are within days of rolling.
Tankers and maintenance crews are test driving each tracked vehicle and truck. Tank commanders meet daily around roped-off squares of desert by the command post tent, with colored yarn strung between large spikes to mark the “phase lines” of the battle plan. Toy tanks are maneuvered to show how each phase of the battle will be executed.
“Let’s talk about the enemy, because this is the next place the enemy could influence us,” the CO says. “This right here could be our next fight. That’s why we’ll move two tanks platoons forward quickly and hope that motherfucker brings the fight on.”
Soldiers sit on the lowered ramps of 113s to get a last “high-and-tight” haircut. The live ammo was issued last week, and each morning after formation, tankers sit cleaning their sidearms, listening to the Voice of America and the BBC on shortwave radios for news that might offer a hint of when this thing will happen. Then a commotion breaks out, and the news spreads fast. ...
