76                                      U.S. MARINES IN THE PERSIAN GULF, 199O~1991


                           C Baghdad                The Persian Gulf Area
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                                        UNITED ARA~ EMIRATES


Kuwait.  The Marine concept of compositing forces was also validated, with
Marines and units from all three active divisions, wings, and force service sup-
port groups, augmented by Reserve organizations, melding together into I MEF,
exactly as conceived. These Marines and their units came together from around
the globe, to include California, Hawaii, North and South Carolina, Okinawa,
the Philippines, and every point in between to j()in into the largest Marine force
assembled for combat since World War II.     In the process of the buildup, the
Marines had met every deadline imposed by the CinC, and were ready at every
significant point in the timeline to perform their assigned missions.   While
preparing for combat in Southwest Asia, the Marines managed to maintain a
credible presence in the Western Pacific (Okinawa and the Philippines) and
conducted successful noncombatant evacuation operations in two locations in
Africa: the long-term (eight-month) Liberian mission in support of the U.S.
Embassy in Monrovia, and the rapid extraction of several hundred noncom-
batants from the international diplomatic community in Mogadishu, Somalia, 4
through 6 January 1991.

                                 The Day Before

    On 15 January 1991, Marine forces were preparing for combat.       For the
Marines, the reinforcement directed by the President had been accomplished with
the closure of additional forces from II MEF in North Carolina and the arrival
of 5th MEB from southern California.     The 13th MEU, which previously had