Springfield News-Leader (Springfield, MO) April 01, 2003
Understanding war
Local reserve unit has an important role in the military mission.
Local troops help with war
Army Reserve units based in Springfield play an important role in getting material and people -- from pancake mix to troops themselves -- where they are needed. Two of those reserve groups are active in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The 459th Transportation Company loads, unloads and moves material. The soldiers move material from storage depots and take it to a port to be loaded on ships. On the receiving end, they take it off the ship, load it up and take it to wherever it is needed.
The soldiers in the 561st Transportation Detachment make sure that material makes it to its destination on time.
The 561st handles troop and equipment movement. Their primary function is controlling road networks, assigning routes for convoys, establishing checkpoints, and tracking vehicles and cargo.
Reservists leave their regular jobs to do their military jobs -- jobs that will keep the U.S. military moving and supplied.
Soldiers need pancake mix, ammo
The right supplies at the right time are essential to keeping U.S. military doing its job in peace or war.
Napoleon Bonaparte is credited with saying that "an army moves on its stomach." But for today's armed forces, it takes more than food to move successfully.
Today's warriors depend on such things as ammunition, spare tires, reinforcements, fresh water and health care. And they need these things on time.
When America's soldiers, sailors and airmen go to war, they rely on a secondary army of support personnel to provide everything that's needed by men and machines.
The Army Material Command is the unit that is prepared to provide the Army with everything from "beans to bullets, helmets to helicopters, spare parts to spare ribs."
The mission of supplying troops in the field is accomplished through detailed planning and training, and through experience and schooling.
In reality, the United States military is always getting ready for war, fighting a war or recovering from a war. This provides the experience that is needed to supply and restock every imaginable kind of material.
Whether the military is in a time of peace or a time of war, warehouses, arsenals and depots are well stocked. And when the call comes for supplies, there has to be a way to get them from one point to another. That means that transportation must always be at the ready.
Many hours of preparation and schooling, and many years of experience have taught military logistics experts exactly how many tents, or how much food, medicine, personal gear and ammunition will be needed for every military operation.
Front line soldiers must not only get what they need, they must get it on time and in the proper amounts.
Depending on the type of cargo -- be it pancake mix, helicopters, or a division of Marines -- transportation is a serious consideration.
Thanks to modern equipment such as huge cargo transport planes and giant cargo ships, supplies can be moved in hours or days rather than in weeks or months.
One vital supply that is critical in battle is fuel. The use of long-range aircraft for bombing raids means that these big planes may travel thousands of miles on a raid. Refueling these aircraft in mid-air is a major operation. The dangerous mission of bringing a flying gas station into contact with jet fighters high over the earth is a dangerous and delicate mission.
Whether they do it by land, sea or air, those soldiers and sailors responsible for moving cargo, human or otherwise, must be constantly prepared. Timing, good communication and proper equipment are the keys to moving men and material to and from a battlefield.
Being there "firstest with the mostest" makes all the difference.
Medical assistance for injured comes quickly in combat
The Navy's medical motto, "steaming to assist," illustrates the determination of all the military services to move quickly in times of medical need.
During the American Civil War, a badly wounded soldier would most likely die. If he was lucky, he might live with only the loss of an arm or a leg or his eyesight. War wounds were not the only means of death during the Civil War. A high percentage of soldiers on both sides of the conflict died from illness and accident. Just a minor cut could lead to a fatal infection.
A sailor, soldier or airman who is wounded or becomes sick today has a very good chance of recovery. All branches of the military have huge medical units, which are prepared to care for sick and wounded in every kind of environment.
Portable equipment and powerful medicines can be carried by medics right into battle.
Communication and speed now play a vital role in saving lives. Ambulances and medical helicopters can be guided directly to a wounded soldier for swift evacuation.
After life-preserving, front-line medical care is provided, the U.S. Army relies heavily on its aeromedical evacuation units to transport patients to standard, fixed-base hospitals.
The Army's primary medical air transport is the C-9 Nightingale. This airplane is specifically designed to move patients over long distances -- even thousands of miles.
The plane, staffed by medical doctors, nurses and technicians, is equipped with oxygen outlets as well as outlets for heart monitors, respirators and incubators.
The U.S. Navy has a medical unit on all seagoing vessels. In addition to these small units stationed aboard ships, the navy has hospital ships like COMFORT III which operate a full medical facility.
One of the newest concerns for military doctors is the treatment of patients who have been attacked with biological or chemical weapons. To combat these and all other injuries, military medical personnel are in constant training, just as their brothers in arms are each day.
Living conditions tough in wartime
During times of peace, soldiers and sailors on shore duty live very much like most other Americans.
On military installations, most housing is single-family dwellings where military personnel live with their families. Life is very much like civilian life. The soldier or sailor goes to work each morning and comes home each evening.
In many cases, soldiers and sailors do not even live on the base or in the camp. They live in homes throughout the local area.
But when men and women are sent into a ground battle, housing changes dramatically. In past wars, battle-weary soldiers often had little more than a rain-filled foxhole for a bed. A pup tent was luxury.
With an expected war in the desert terrain of the Middle East, rain will probably not be a factor in the everyday life of a soldier. Overcrowded tents, with a sand floor, will likely be the housing of choice for ground troops.
Rather than dealing with water, soldiers are more likely to deal with natural enemies such as fleas, scorpions and other insects that might invade the tent.
Sailors and Marines who will be serving aboard ship will be more comfortably housed. Even though sleeping quarters on ships and submarines are tight, shipboard housing does include a bed and mattress and shelter from the elements.
If the war stretches into the hottest time of year, soldiers must seek protection during daylight hours.
To protect themselves from the blazing hot sun, any shade will do. Soldiers have always had a way of adapting to their environment, and no doubt soldiers who may be on the ground in Iraq will quickly find ways to locate or even make their own shade.
At least for a while, even a little shady spot in the desert can be home sweet home.
Q&A
Q: "How long would the war last?"
-- Andrew Bourgeois, 14, Winooski, Vt.
A: That's hard to know. The last time the United States and its allies fought against Iraq, in January 1991, the war lasted 42 days.
But the goal then was simpler: to drive Iraq's forces from Kuwait, a country next door that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invaded in August 1990.
The goal now is to get rid of any dangerous weapons Iraq has and to change those in control of the country.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said it's hard to know how long a new war with Iraq will last.
"It could last six days, six weeks," he told reporters recently.
"I doubt six months."
Editor's Note: Gannett News Service collected some of the questions children are asking about a possible war. School psychologist Scott Poland, director of school psychological services for the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District outside Houston, Texas, and a past president of the National Association of School Psychologists, reviewed the answers.
About this series
Author-historian Kay Hively of Neosho presents a look at how the United States and the world have responded to war and its impact.
These News-Leader Class Activities are sponsored by John Q. Hammons. Teachers who want more copies of this newspaper may contact Linda Baird at 837-1377.
GRAPHIC: (map) Improving U.S. military's global reach; The U.S. military can now move nore equipment faster than it did in the 1991 Persian Gulf War and get supplies to the right place at the right time. A lok at the system and some of its major new tools: Transporting troops, weapons; During a U.S. military buildup, about 90 percen tof tropps move on chartered commercial airplanes; Air Force cargo planes and Navy's sealift fleet, which has world's fastest cargo ships, carry heavy equipment; Moving soldiers to Mideast: an example: Army infantry unit starts from Fort riley, Kan. Equipment on trains to seaport (2-4 days); loading takes a few days; Navy sealift ships to Persian Gulf via Suez Canal; two to three weeks; Troops fly to Persian Gulf to meet equipment; Who is in charge? U.S. Transportation Command manages all U.S. military transportation; Pre-positioned equipment; Equipment has been stored near trouble spots, reducing deployment time from weeks to days. Closest to Iraq; U.S. Army warehouses in Qatar and Kuwait hold more than 700 armored vehicles, nearly enough for a division of about 15,000 soldiers. Diego Garcia, crucial island near Mideast; United States maintains a military base on tiny British island near equator in Indian Ocean; Ships stand ready to carry equipment, ammunition, supplies, fuel for war or humanitarian missions; Harbor in natural atoll holds about 20 ships; Paul Soutar - Knight Ridder, Tribune; Source: U.S. Transportation Command; U.S. Defense Department; Globalsecurity.org; Check out these Web sites; * C-9 Nightingale: http://www.au.af.mil/, au, database, projects, ay1996, acsc, 96-004, hardware, docs, c9.htm; * Comfort (III): navymedicine.med.navy.mil, med09h, newpage21.htm; * Army Material Command: http://www.amc.army.milpararescue/ Troops Jump in to Provide Assistance Wherever Downed Air Crew Members are Located. The Associated Press; Color photoDefense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Said the Length of the War in Iraq Is Uncertain. The Associated Press; Color photoA Convoy of Military Trucks and Armored Vehicles Prepare to Cross Into Iraq. The Associated Press; Color photoJohn Q. Hammons; Mug
Copyright © 2003, Springfield News-Leader (Springfield, MO)
