wrr~ THE 1ST MARINE DIVISION IN DESERT SHIELD AND DESERT STORM           119


Company A immediately engaged an armored personnel carrier, destroying the
vehicle  and  capturing three Iraqi soldiers. However, the     company  also
encountered antipersonnel mines and stopped. Mines could be seen all around
the company, and little else. Visibility started deteriorating when another wind
shift brought in clouds of black smoke from the oilfield. To Lieutenant Colonel
Myers, the poor visibility coupled with the mines and the unknown enemy
situation, posed an unacceptable risk to the Marines. With the enemy clearly
routed he felt there was nothing to be gained by pressing the attack at that
moment. He therefore halted Task Force Shepherd until dawn and recommenced
the attack at about 0615. Thirty minutes later, Marines of Company A raised the
United States flag and a replica of the Marine Corps colors from flag poles in
front of an airport terminal that later became the division headquarters.'86 Task
Force Taro arrived about 0800 and Colonel Admire met with Lieutenant Colonel
Myers, after which 2d Battalion, 3d Marines, commenced clearing and security
operations. They captured more than 80 Iraqi soldiers in and around the airport.
   At 0900 General Myatt with the forward command post arrived and set up
operations. Fighting had ceased across the division front, so Myatt and his staff
immediately aimed at minimizing casualties to both sides. He ordered units not
to advance any farther, but to conduct a thorough reconnaissance of their
respective zones for stragglers, mines, and anything that might be of intelligence
value. At 1615 General Myatt passed the well-received order downgrading the
MOPP level to zero. For the first time in days, Marines of the division climbed
out of their cumbersome, heavy, and, by then, oil-blackened suits.


       ~~-;~~~    --f-~------------------~

                                       Painting by LtCoI Keith A. McConnell, USMCR
Destroyed commerdal airliner near the control tower ofthe Ku wa it hzternationalAirport.
The snioke from ll~e buniing oilfields can be seen in the backgrnrnid.