146                               U.S. MARINES IN THB PERSIAN GULF, 199~1991

Major General Keys commanded the 2d Marine Division.     With the U.S. Army's
flger Brigade attached, the 2d Division packed more combat power than any
other division in Marine Corps history. In this interview, General Keys discusses
the experience of the 2d Marine Division in the Persian Gulf conflict, including
the last minute decision to have the 2d Division create its own breach through
the Iraqi defenses.

Rolling With the 2d Marine Division

interview with Lieutenant General William M. Keys, USMC

U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, November 1991


Proceedings: The Marine Corps bases on the West Coast started emptying out
almost immediately, once the balloon went up.     What was going on at Camp
Lejeune?

Keys: Everyone was tracking the situation, and some units were getting ready
to go. Initially, all that mounted out was the 4th MEB [Marine Expeditionary
Brigade], which was in process of loading out for Norway, to conduct an annual
NATO exercise in the Teamwork series.   After a little reconfiguring, they
deployed to the Indian Ocean.
   The ground combat element of the 4th MEB was the 2d Marine Regiment,
which left me with two infantry regiments--the 6th Marines and 8th Marines.
Since it was quite possibly headed for combat, we let the 4th MEB go out a lot
heavier than we should have--particularly in the combat service support ele-
ments. I guess we figured that someday we'd link up out there, but I never saw
the 2d Marines again, for the duration of Desert Shield and Desert Storm.  In
the meantime they were floating around with assets that the rest of us would
need when the time arrived for us to mount out.      There's a lesson in there
somewhere.
   Between August and December, we tried to track developments in Southwest
Asia through situation reports and intelligence briefs.  We received several
warning orders that were later canceled: first, to send another regiment; next,
to mount out another MEB, this one designated to marry up with gear carried
into the theater of operations by an MPS [Maritime Prepositioning Ships]
squadron.  Late in November, we got the word that the entire 2d Marine
Division would go over there and fight under command of I MEF [Marine
Expeditionary Force], which in effect would become a corps-level command.
   When we received the mount-Out order, I still had the two activeduty
regiments--the 6th Marines and the 8th Marines.    The rest of the 2d Division
was filled out with reserves, about 4,000 of them.  We filled up our holes and