With the 1st Marine Division in Desert Shield and Desert Storm: U.S. Marines in the Persian Gulf, 1990-1991 - Khafji, Weapons Systems, Combat Engineer Breaching Equipment, Training with Saudi Army

Professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction, this unique monograph is an accounting of the role of the 1st Marine Division in the Persian Gulf War from August 1990 to April 1991. It is one of a series also covering the operations of I Marine Expeditionary Force, the 2d Marine Division, the 3d Marine Aircraft Wing, Marines afloat in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and humanitarian relief operations in northern Iraq and Turkey.

When the History and Museums Division began the historical collection effort concerning Marine activities in the Persian Gulf region, it called upon the members of Mobilization Training Unit (History) DC-7, of which the author, Lieutenant Colonel Charles H. Cureton, has been a member since 1983. This small organization of Individual Ready Reserve officers is the Marine Corps Reserve unit that provides historians, combat artists, archivists, and museum specialists in support of History and Museums Division programs. Most of its members have standard military occupational specialties and have subsequently gained in their civilian pursuits the additional qualifications necessary to serve in the unit. About half of its members served in Vietnam. During the Persian gulf conflict, seven MTU DC-7 officers were on active duty and five served in the Gulf.

The first Marine Reserve historians to arrive in theater were Colonel Charles J. Quilter, Commanding Officer of MTU DC-7, and Lieutenant Colonel Cureton, who landed in Saudi Arabia on 9 November 1990. Colonel Quilter was designated Command Historian of I Marine Expeditionary Force and Lieutenant Colonel Cureton became Deputy Command Historian. Over the next five months Lieutenant Colonel Cureton organized the document collection effort of I MEF headquarters, wrote the historical annex to the I MEF offensive operations plan, co-wrote I MEF Command Chronologies, and crisscrossed the entire Marine area of operations. As a result of his background as a tracked vehicle officer, Lieutenant Colonel Cureton transferred to the 1st Marine Division in mid-January to cover Marine land force operations. He participated in the first ground operation of the war (the artillery raid on the night of 20-21 January 1991), headed the division's combat camera element, and joined Task Force Papa Bear (1st Marines) for the drive to liberate Kuwait.

Deployment of the 1st Marine Division to Southwest Asia * Organizing and Deploying the Division * The 'Cement Factory' Defense Line * Training with the Saudi Army * The Mobile Defense; October through November Training Exercises * The Movement North * The War Begins: * The Fight for Observation Point 4, 29-30 January 1991 * The Engagement at Khafji, 30 January-1 February 1991 * Final Preparations * G Minus 3, 21 February 199 * G Minus 2, 22 February 1991 * G Minus 1, 23 February 1991 * G-Day * G Plus 1, 25 February 1991: 'Possible enemy attack' * G Plus 2, 26 February 1991 * G Plus 3, 27 February 1991 * G Plus 4, 28 February 1991 * Notes * Appendix A - 1st Marine Division Commanders and Staff * Appendix B - Major Weapons Systems * Appendix C - Combat Engineer Breaching Equipment * Appendix D - Uniforms in the 1st Marine Division