Missions and Experiences from the 325th Maint Co, FL Army National Guard, During Desert Shield/Storm

For those who might be interested here is some of what it was like in Saudi Arabia in 1990/91.  This is what I wrote for a "buddy" letter for a soldier who was in the unit and is gathering evidence for a VA claim.

     I was a lieutenant in the 325^th Maintenance Company, Florida Army National Guard, when it deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm/Clean-up.  During this time period I was the officer in charge of the Al Jubail Chemical Agent Resistant Coating (CARC) Paint site; one of the officers at Convoy Support Zebra; and one of the officers at the company’s detachment at Logbase Bastogne located near the town of Nairyah on route 85.  Prior to being sent on missions the company as a whole had landed in Dharan/Damman and was assigned billets at one of the former migrant camps near the Damman Expo.  During our time frame there were constant issues with the sewer backing up into the bathhouses.  Many of the bathhouses utilized the system of using the same stall for urination and defecation and taking a shower.

            The CARC paint sites the 325^th were in charge of were located at the ports of Al Jubail and Damman in Saudi Arabia.  The site at Al Jubail was located in a depression that at least 15 and possibly as much as 30 feet below the surrounding roads, and was probably less than five acres in total size.  It was within a half mile of a huge chemical or oil refining facility.  I recall the Initial Staging Area’s (aka Dew Drop Inn) base commader or one of his subordinates saying they did not want the paint site anywhere near them and thus was ½-1 mile away as the crow flies from the nearest point of the ISA.  The paint tents were the army’s large maintenance tents; the air compressors initially were a five horsepower and a 7.5 or 8 horsepower compressor each equipped with only a charcoal filter. These compressors ended up running multiple tents with two paint guns and two air hoses for each compressor.   

            The protective gear was paper suits, and the breathing apparatus varied.  Some soldiers used their chemical suit masks until ordered not to do so, others painted with face masks that had interchangeable cartridges.  Eventually the painters received full face masks with a forced air system, but the air compressors were still too small, running multiple painters and paint guns off of each one, and located where the overspray was sucked into the filter.  Hazardous waste from the mixing of the paint and solvent/catalyst was kept on site.  The living quarters for the painters were located approximately 25-100 yards from the paint tents. 

             The first Al Jubail paint site painted over 6000 pieces of equipment in approximately a three month period.  I believe the Damman paint site had similar numbers.  Because of the topography and meteorology of the area it was more common than not to come out of the nightly briefing at the ISA and see a cloud of paint and solvent vapors over the paint site with the dome extending beyond the perimeter of the site.  The paint and solvent were so dangerous that the Department of Defense after the Gulf War had the manufacturers develop a new, less toxic chemical resistant paint.  Some of the hazards that were in the paint and/or solvent the 325^th Maint Co used included methyl ethyl ketones, iso and di-isocyanates, silica, volatile organic compounds, and other toxic elements.  When talking safety protocol with Department of Defense civilian painters their advice/guidance was that if the paint or solvent ever caught on fire to “run like hell and make sure you run upwind.”  According to the DOD civilians some of the by-products of combustion would have been toxic fumes such as cyanide gas.  The painting that the 325^th was tasked with was actually general support or depot level maintenance in enclosed paint booths with separate forced air systems for painting equipment, the painters, and as I understood it the air in the booth was supposed to be forced to the bottom and then sucked out the side for filtering.  At the second Al Jubail site the paint tents were located on a side road, but it was noticed that the overspray was causing the pavement to crack and crumble.

             Some miscellaneous events that occurred at the paint site or the ISA which provided support for us and was a mile or less away included local meals being stopped provided because of sanitary concerns and food handling by the local contractor (spoiled food being served, unsafe food handling practices) causing food borne illnesses among the soldiers; kerosene heaters in the sleeping tents; pests such as flies and rodents in the living area and field latrines; and field expedient latrines which required the on-site burning of human waste.  Generators were running constantly and were located throughout the site including near the tents that were provided for living areas.  We experienced several sand storms in the time frame of the operation.  The Jubail paint site was also highly active the nights when Scud missiles were shot toward the city and also toward Damman.  At least once we were told anti-missile missiles had been fired at an in-coming projectile.  The night this happened many of the troops who were asleep were awoken by a very loud, sharp noise. 

            The site was not far from the different bases in Jubail that had positive results when the Sea-Bees or Marines tested for chemical weapons.  There was also unsubstantiated talk at the time there was a Fox Chemical vehicle in Jubail that had also received positive results when they tested one night for chemical agents.  At the paint site itself, one morning, and I believe it was the morning after we had gone to MOPP 2 the night before, a sergeant came up to me and asked “LT, does it mean anything when the red light is flashing on the M-8 (Chemical Alarm)?”  At the time as we had not been trained on all the intricacies of the M-8 we thought it was just low batteries or the chemicals from the paint site activating the alarm.  However, since that time it has been stated in a congressional report, the Riegel report I believe, that the M-8 Chemical alarm was specifically designed not to activate because of low or exhausted batteries.

            Besides the M-8 being activated at least some of the time, we were told to take the Pyridostigmine Bromide (PB) tablets/pills.  Many of the troops at the Jubail site where I was the OIC spent considerable amount of time running to the latrine to evacuate bowels as the pills caused diarrhea to strike within minutes of taking the pills.  There were also complaints of jitteriness and edginess while taking the pills.  I personally experienced the diarrhea and the jitteriness/heart racing after taking the tablets. 

            The stress level was high as the mission was a high profile operation with generals often making visits on site; captains, majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels often trying to get vehicles that were not on the priority list to be painted; a hawk air defense launcher was positioned immediately on the outside of the perimeter of the paint site; and we would occasionally receive reports to be on the look out for drive by attacks using mortars.  There was also the stress of having equipment breaking down or busting (locally procured hoses would explode because of the chemical reaction of the paint and solvent); health concerns using inadequate equipment; concerns not being adequately met, and the stress of being at a site in a combat theater that was dangerous to work at and was potentially a prime target for missiles or terrorist attacks.

            At Logbase Bastogne the paint was not present however the living conditions were not improved.  The troops still lived in GP mediums with kerosene heaters providing heat when needed; outside latrines with barely adequate washing facilities; insects, and diesel fuel being used on the major pathways in the base to dampen and pack down the sand.  At Logbase Bastogne we experienced several sandstorms.  The logbase also experienced the effects of the soot and particulate matter of the Kuwaiti oil field fires covering equipment and personnel.

            Personnel at Convoy Support Center (CSC) Zebra also experienced the effects of the oil field fires.  The CSC was on a major supply route coming out of Kuwait and thus many vehicles utilized it.  Just as at Logbase Bastogne oil well fires’ smoke and soot were plainly visible and coating people and equipment.   After combat hostilities ended many tractor-trailer combinations carrying damaged or destroyed Iraqi equipment stopped at the CSC.  While I know of no one who went into the equipment many troops went over and looked at and touched the equipment.  Much of the damaged equipment had been hit with US ammunition possibly containing depleted uranium.  At CSC Zebra there were also many single serve meals in a can such as Chef Boyardee and Dinty Moore products.  Many of these products were served in hard plastic containers with metal lids.  They may have contained BPA and emitted it when heated.  Soft drinks were also locally procured. 

            One of the duties of the CSC was to provide fuel for vehicles going in both directions on the main supply route.  As such there were several 50,000-100,000 gallon bladders of diesel oil kept on sight.  This resulted in raw diesel fumes being let into the air, and then mixing with the fumes from the other vehicles’ exhaust.  There was seldom a time when there were not vehicles at least idling in the CSC parking or fuel areas.

            Some other items that occurred for the 325^th while in Saudi Arabia included some extremely hot days in excess of 130 Fahrenheit with some days having extremely high humidity; other times there was ice in the field showers; multiple sand storms throughout the areas we were assigned to; and being assigned living quarters above a former landfill (Camp Rambo near the Damman Expo.  Background ambient noise was always there with large equipment moving around and generators running.  There was also loud engine and wind noise while driving the equipment in convoys, on a mission, and around the bases we were located at.  We were exposed to spiders, mosquitos, scorpions, flies, and other bugs and pests.  At all locations we were exposed to insecticides dispersed into the air by local contractors.  During the redeployment the troops were required to clean the equipment returning to the United States with specific cleaners. 

            Prior to deployment from Ft Stewart, GA, we received a large number of vaccinations.  These included typhoid, DPT, plague, and others.  At one time we were told botulism was one of the vaccinations we received.