Tech Orders,

File: aacep_47.txt
Page: 47
Total Pages: 59
      





                                       47
      
       Turkey. By early May, allied forces bad moved into Northern Iraq to
       establish a security zone. Ibe engineers moved into ZaLbu and
       Sirsenk. The airfield at Sirsenk was under construction as
       Hussein' personal airfield for his palaces in the nearby
       foothills. During the war, the airfield was a dumping ground for
       unspent munitions from coalition aircraft departing Iraq to the
       north. Engineers and EOD personnel cleared the area of ordnance
       and repaired the runway allowing C-130 aircraft to use the airfield
       to provide supplies to thd area.
       Nearly every USAGE base sent Prime RIBS teams to the sites to
       provide billeting, laundry, mortuary, and food service. Working
       out of the M1948 Kitchen tents or simply General Purpose large
       tents in parlous configurations, food service workers toiled in
       oppressive beat. Ibey also learned first-band what the term
       "Combined Operation" meant. The kiteben at Silop1 was managed by
       an Ala Force Services NCO, but operated by US Army, Dutob' and
       Brltlsb cooks. After a difficult beglnnlng, they all quickly
       learned each otber~s strengths and weaknesses and transltloned into
       a smooth operation. Ibe bigger challenge was not knowing what
       base population flqure to use as a planning factor. Ibe camp at
       Sllopi grew beyond anyone expectations Tbe transient nature of
       the populatlou kept Services planners busy acquiring sufficient
       food. Food service workers used Tray packs' B-ratlons' and MREs
       until adequate supple could be delivered by line haul trucks from
       Incl~llk. Refrlgerated storage was a problem until forty-foot
       diesel-powered ref~lgerated vans were leased. Bllletlng was nearly
       sir ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
       Hobo transited the camp dally. Field laundry units gave the Palms
       RIBS personnel the most Clef. Approxlmately half of the units
       were cannibalized to keep the remalulng IFEs operatlonal.109
       Altbougb the area remains tense' Air Force E & S personnel
       contclbuted direct assistance to the relief effort. Operation
      Provide Comfort _ engineers have a role
      in nation building and civic action. alto their skills and
      equipment, they were a vital part of any such operation. Prime
      RIBS teams set a standard of support for the other services and
      allies that they will probably never see again. However, the most
      rewarding and unforgettable experiences for Air Force personnel
      were the visits to the Kurdlsb refugee camps. Ibe opportunity to
      see float band what their efforts back at the base camps were
      providing gave everyone a sense of accomplishment.
      The Gulf Mar will be studied and analyzed for years. However'
      one key lesson learned was that ala bases and the well-being of the
      personnel who live and work on those bases were key components of
      ala power. In all aspects of the Gulf War, Air Force Englneerlng
      and Services demonstrated that they can provide an optimum living
      and worklog environment to support the projection of air power
      around the world.