Chapter Thirty-Two

 

Thirty-Two

 

“Alea iacta est!”

(The die is cast!)

Julius Caesar

     Saddam Hussein’s Iraq had invaded the nearby nation of Kuwait a couple of weeks after I graduated from Officer Candidate School. As I recovered at the farm from the broken foot, I eagerly watched the news and read the account of the worsening situation. The two countries had long argued over various financial, border, and political issues, but the main sticking point was the Iraqi claim that the Kuwaitis were stealing their oil. They had learned that the Kuwaitis were placing oil wells near the border, and instead of drilling straight down, were slanting their wells under the border, and into the vast oil reserves beneath the Iraqi desert. In his sometimes awkward manner of speech, President Bush had stated that “This will not stand, this aggression against Kuwait.” Iraqi forces quickly overran their smaller neighbor, completely occupying it and then announcing that it was now a permanent part of the Iraqi nation. The entire world became tense, as the expected peace from the end of the Cold War was shattered. As most of the oil that powered the global economy flowed from the region, the disruption was a concern for countries of the entire world, especially the United States. The Iraqis immediately launched a campaign of verbal attacks against Saudi Arabia, which was located just on the other side of Kuwait. It was obvious that the Iraqis were on a land grab in the region, seeking to expand their power, influence, and territory by military force. If not stopped, the Iraqis would have the world economy in a chokehold.

Within hours of the invasion, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 660, which condemned the military action and demanded withdrawal of Iraqi troops. Additional resolutions were subsequently passed, authorizing sanctions and a naval blockade. While sanctions are often a tool to bring a recalcitrant nation back into line, a naval blockade amounts to an act of war, and the world steadied itself. Led by the US, the UN passed Resolution 678 which gave Iraq until January 15^th, 1991 to withdraw their military from Kuwait. It also authorized member nations to use "all necessary means" to force Iraq out of Kuwait if they didn’t comply. As I recited the Oath of Office in front of the naval armory in Chapel Hill, an order from the Pentagon directing the largest call up of reservists since Vietnam was being implemented. Our nation braced for war. Iraq at that time was no pushover. In the 80s, they fought a desperate struggle with their neighbor Iran, and their military included competent and combat hardened veterans. Their total military force was thought to be over half a million troops, including 68 ground combat divisions, hundreds of Soviet heavy battle tanks, thousands of long range artillery pieces, and both fixed and rotary wing aircraft. Trained by our Cold War enemies, the Soviet Union, they used a tactic called a “Fire Sack” to channel their enemy into a trap where they could be decimated by mass fires from heavy artillery. They also had large stores of deadly chemicals, which they had used to deadly effect against the Iranians only a few years earlier. To put it in perspective, the entire Marine Corps contains 3 active duty divisions, although our divisions are substantially larger and better equipped. Saddam’s power in the region had made him reckless and arrogant. Much like my old friend Porkchop years earlier at camp, he thought his strength was no match for his smaller neighbors. Just like Donald showed up to put the bully in his place years ago, justice was about to show up in the form of US troops, aircraft, and ships that streamed into Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf.

The US deployment to Saudi Arabia, known as Operation Desert Shield, continued and intensified. The eldest son of a Saudi billionaire watched with growing anger as western troops entered the holy land that was home to his religion’s most sacred sites. Osama Bin Laden’s visceral outrage against the US was ignited and would transform into hate, simmering over continued American presence and involvement over the next decade.