Tech Orders,

File: aacep_26.txt
Page: 26
Total Pages: 59
26
      
       service..."(57) Jeddah AS experienced four separate FBIs attributed
       to food prepared in off-base facilities. One case affected 648 Air
       Force personnel during the Air War. Contaminated ice used to cool
       canned drinks was the culprit in two outbreaks at Bateen and Al
       Dhafra. Of course, the specter of food sabotage was always
       present.
      
        Base Sustainment Phase.
      
      After a few weeks, most bases had settled into a routine--the
      crisis of August had lessened, Saddam had been stopped, personnel
      had been bedded down and the initial excitement of the operation
      evaporated. The base population began to wonder how long they
      would be at their deployed location before rotating back home.
      Well-meaning officers had exacerbated the situation by telling
      their personnel that they would only be gone for 60 or 90 days.
      Morale became a critical factor for the deployed forces. For
      engineers, the prospect of a long term deployment meant that
      planning bad to begin for a more permanent presence. They began
      exploring the possibility of connecting with the host national
      commercial power or water system, paving roads and walkways,
      constructing fixed latrines and showers, and preparing their
      equipment and people for a prolonged deployment.
      Some sites had been content to run off either portable
      generators or the MEP-12s because they did not have the cable to
      hook up to a commercial power source.  However, as the power
      requirements grew and the duration of the deployment became
      uncertain, this became more attractive to those sites that had
      commercial power available. To reduce the dust in tent city, most
      sites eventually paved or graveled the roadways. This made the
      tent city more livable and prepared the sites for the expected
      winter rains that would turn the areas into quagmires. Engineers
      usually contracted for the paving projects. One of the ways
      engineers improved the living conditions at the sites was to
      replace the field latrines with semi-permanent structures that
      offered a little more privacy. While the Harvest Falcon latrines
      and shower/shave units functioned adequately, they left a little to
      be desired for a long term deployment. A hardwall latrine was a
      welcome addition to any site. At Al Minhad AB, the wing commander 
      took one look at the field latrines and ordered his engineers to
      begin constructing hardwall facilities.
      Air Force engineers, with CENTCOM, Army, and Navy engineers,
      began to formulate a construction policy for the deployed forces in
      September 1990. The host nations were reluctant to permit any type
      of construction that gave the appearance of a permanent American
      presence. Two standards applied during Operation Desert Shield.
      The initial standard was characterized by austere facilities with
      minimal engineer construction effort and intended for use from one
      to six months."  "Temporary" was characterized by minimum facilities
      intended to increase efficiency of operations for use extending to