354 TFW COMMANDERS SITREP

File: aabia_14.txt
Page: 14
Total Pages: 18

    (12) (U) Many aircraft are cold, need to travel with a blanket or
    field jacket.
    
    (13) (U) Bases supplying augmentees or specialized teams may not be
    totally in the information loop. Establish contact early and attempt
    to supply unanswered questions. 
    
    (14) (U) Medical records of deploying personnel should be
    screened prior to departure to ensure individuals with health
    problems or disqualifying profiles are not deployed.
    
    B. (U) Mobility Processing - Our Medical Readiness and Medical
    Logistics functions worked hard and put in long hours preparing for
    Operation Desert Shield. As a result processing - both personnel and
    equipment - went smoothly. Although time from initial recall to
    first flight was only three hours and fifteen minutes, the fact that
    personal affairs (shots, powers of attorney, emergency data cards,
    wills, etc.) had been taken care of allowed enough time for mandatory
    briefings, inventorying C-1 bags, and changing gas mask filters as
    well as attaching hoods. On the negative side three and a half weeks
    of two hour telephone standby, not knowing if the next day would be
    the day, was very taxing on many of our people. Augmentees on the
    mobility line could not answer routine questions about chemical gear;
    personnel were briefed only 70 lbs. of baggage plus a 15 lbs. carry-on
    bag while orders stated excess baggage was authorized; and the third
    increment, which flowed two weeks after the initial deployment,
    received no briefings on the area of deployment, terrorist activity,
    etc. Finally, many units at our deployed location had been issued
    expired antidotes. Closer scrutiny during mobility processing could
    have alleviated this problem.
    
    C. (U) ATH Marshaling - The ATH marshaling process is not as cut
    and dried as many line functions due to the sensitive cargo and
    refrigerated items. Medical materiel was marshaled too far in
    advance. As a consequence, the prolonged exposure to the summer heat
    damaged some drugs and x-ray film. Last minute "askings to procure
    and build two decontamination pallets competed with medical
    materiel's time for finalizing and marshaling ATH supplies and
    equipment.
    
    D. (U) Trip Over - MAC provided airlift on C-5s and C-141s.
    Although some people complained of being cold, the MAC flight crews
    were very hospitable and made us as comfortable as possible.
    
    E. (U) Arrival - Arrived approximately 0900 local. Although
    thoroughly briefed on the rigorous environment, many people still
    were not adequately prepared for the intense heat. The Deputy
    Commander for Resource Management and PERSCO representatives met us
    and we were efficiently transported to tent city to obtain billeting.
    Temper tent billets had not been properly erected and too few
    supplies for proper erection were immediately available to complete
    the job self-help.
    
    F. (U) Set up began the evening of 7 Sep 90 and we were open for
    business on 12 Sep 90. One night was essentially lost when
    environmental conditions forced tent erection to stop. All the work
    was done at night due to the intense daytime heat. Total set-up time
    was four nights.  We would have benefited from an ADVON team.