Doha military personnel remain vigilant despite SCUD alerts
USMC News
Story Identification Number: 200332914321
Story by Sgt. Jacques-René Hébert
CAMP DOHA, Kuwait(March 29, 2003) -- "Lightning... lightning... lightning... This is not a drill... repeat... this is not a drill... Incoming SCUDs... incoming SCUDs... Put on protective mask... Seek cover... Go to MOPP level 4... Put on helmet, flak vest, and LBV... Remain stationary... Do not move... Wait for instructions from PA system..."
Like an Orwellian voice coming from above, the announcement shattered the early afternoon calm March 27, warning Camp Doha's military and civilian personnel of approaching Iraqi missiles.
"The first time I heard it, my feet were actually moving faster than my body, trying to get me to the bunker," remembered U.S. Marine Capt. Deborah Bornhorst, a communications coordinator for the Combined / Joint Task Force - Consequence Management. "I kept thinking, 'Could this actually be the one to hit us?'"
The sound, now familiar, rings in the ears of some service members long after the "all clear" alert has been given.
"I'm used to the alarms now, but I haven't become complacent," said reserve Navy Lt. Cmdr. Lya Theodoratos, a civil engineer with the task force. "I react to each alert as if it's the real thing. It's irrelevant whether or not the alarm is false. It takes only one missile to create a tragedy."
Each time the announcement is made, scores of military personnel are sent scrambling to concrete and sandbag bunkers, desperately donning their gas masks and protective suits. Once inside, they wait - an impact is always a possibility. For the last week, it has been a blur of such announcements for service members in Kuwait.
"As soon as the first day was over and we had four alerts, I knew they would be a lasting fixture throughout the war," said Army Sgt. Angela Oliver, a task force computer technician. "Since that first alert, we've had at least one alert a day."
Though some alerts prove to be false, others are accurate, warning personnel of missiles launched from Southern Iraq. As of yet, 13 missiles have headed toward Kuwait, only to be thwarted by Patriot missiles mid-air. Luckily for coalition troops in Kuwait, the Patriots - effective in the first Gulf War - have been significantly upgraded.
According to the Army, the new Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) missile has increased effectiveness against tactical ballistic and cruise missiles, through the use of advanced hit-to-kill technology. After launch, a proximity fuse detonates the high explosive warhead sending the approaching enemy missile into oblivion. A reassuring thought, indeed, when the Kuwait skyline seems filled with Iraqi missiles.
"I feel a lot safer with the Patriots nearby," remarked Bornhorst, a Lima, Ohio, native. "I can sleep easily knowing they're close. Until, of course, another alarm goes off in the middle of the night."
As Operation Iraqi Freedom continues, the potential for Iraqi missiles to be fired toward the military personnel in Kuwait grows. Alarm after alarm has set the troops on edge, wondering if one will connect. Time will tell if the service members will leave unscathed.
In the early hours of March 29, an Iraqi missile slipped through U.S. defenses, striking a large shopping mall. A spokesman for the Kuwaiti information minister said Kuwait believes the missile was a Chinese-made "Seersucker."
Nevertheless, service members aboard Camp Doha retain their faith and optimism in the timeliness of the alarms and the defenses against such attacks.
"We're probably safer here than anywhere else," stated Marine Lance Cpl. Julio Montalvo, an administration clerk stationed at Camp Doha. "We're surrounded by Patriot missiles and service members that are well-trained and prepared for whatever the war holds in store for us. We came here to free the Iraqi people and a few missile attacks aren't going to throw us off from that mission."
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