4 1 AVIATION BATTALION HISTORICAL RECORD OPS

File: 090496_jul96_decls33_0016.txt
Page: 0016
Total Pages: 17
Subject: 4 1 AVIATION BATTALION HISTORICAL RECORD OPS                    

Box  ID: BX001066

Document Number:          9

Folder Title: MERITORIOUS UNIT COMMENDATION-4TH BN-1ST AVN REGIMENT                                           

Folder Seq #:         11

Unit: 1ST ID      

Parent Organzation: VII  CORPS  







                to move to tapline road where the convoy would spend the night. The convoy reached tapline road
                at 1750 hours, and everybody got some sleep before the long trip in the morning.
                        The aircraft departed RAA Huebner for West Heliport.


                28 April
                        4-1 Avn Battaliorf s convoy left for port at 0530. The convoy arrived at the parking area at
                Damman port as the sun was beginning to set. The A & B bags were off loaded from the vehicles
                and then loaded onto a 2 1/2 ton truck and trailer. A formation was held for accountability, and
                then all personnel were loaded on buses for movement to Khobar Towers where the battalion
                would be staying until departure to the States.

                                                       n E 0 F p L 0 I& V4 E NV


                29 April
                        The battalion began washing aircraft at West Heliport. The heliport had two washracks,
                each holding five aircraft. It took six hours to wash a UH-IH, seven hours to wash a UH-60, and
                three and one-half hours for an OH-58D .

                30 April
                        At Ft. Ri ley, the push packet vehicles of Ryder Vans, CUCVS, 5T Trucks, and school
                buses were received from the Ft. Riley TMP.
                        CPT Smith, the vehicle washrack OIC, took charge of the washrack at 1900. For the next
                forty eight hours the battalion washed vehicles continuously with teams of four to five soldiers
                working on a vehicle. When a vehicle was clean, it was taken to an inspection area. After the
                vehicle passed the inspection, it was taken to a sterile area until there were enough vehicles to form
                a convoy. After thirty vehicles passed inspection, a convoy was assembled for movement to King
the vehicles were inventoried and parked
                to await movement to the port. Four convoys and forty-eight hours later, all of the battalion's
                vehicles were inventoried and parked at King Faud airport.

                1 May
                        At Ft. Riley, the 4th Bde Rear Detachment moved from building 760 to Bde Headquarters.
                The battalion advance party occupied the Battalion Headquarters. The orderly rooms were
                inventoried and opened.

                1 May - 12 May
                        Over the next two weeks the battalion finished cleaning aircraft, and the last aircraft flew
                from West Heliport to the port on 9 May. After all of the vehicles and aircraft were cleaned, 4-1
                Avn soldiers spent the time cleaning personnel equipment and TA-50. 'Mere was also time for
                recreational activities. A resort on the gulf was open to American soldiers for two days out of the
                week. The resort had a swimming pool, snorkel ing, sailboating, water skiing, a movie theater,
                basketball, volleyball, ping-pong, bowling, and a very good restaurant. This resort was an
                excellent place to relax and enjoy oneself for the day. The other recreational spot was called the
                "Oasis" Tle"Oasis"waslocatedbyWestHeliportandhadping-pong,volleyball,twoswimming
                pools, and free hamburgers, hotdogs and refreshments.
                        In the evening hours, soldiers could take a bus or cab to downtown Daharan. This
                downtown section contained many stores where almost anything could be bought as souvenirs for
                family and fiiends. Jewelry stores were the main attraction, where gold jewelry could be bought at
                reasonable prices.
                        Back at Ft. Riley, the Battalion Arms Room was opened and inspected by the Provost
e. SSG Chapman of C Co.
                was the NCOIC of the Division's one hundred person contingent who participated in the 4 May