Free Republic

CAMP IWO JIMA: US forces poised to invade Iraq will face snakes and scorpions that might prove just as deadly for some as bullets, bombs or gas. Desert horned vipers, fat-tailed scorpions and hairy spiders the size of an outstretched hand are lurking in the sand, ready to spring a nasty surprise on troops unlucky or foolish enough to disturb them. Navy specialists tasked with warning marines of the dangers say the biggest risk comes from bored soldiers turning to serpents for entertainment -- the cause of 85 per cent of snakebites in the 1991 Gulf War. "They just...

ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT: The US Navy battle groups now in position to strike at Iraq bristle with fighting power: long-range missiles, jets and a menacing array of cannons, Gatling guns and attack helicopters. The five battle groups - aircraft carriers and accompanying warships - deployed in the Persian Gulf and eastern Mediterranean are a key part of the military build-up against Baghdad. If it comes to war, much of the long-range punch brought to bear on Iraq will be launched from ships like the USS Roosevelt and its three destroyers, two cruisers and frigate. Of the five carrier...

Base Commander Predicts 'Horrifying' War LAST UPDATE: 3/14/2003 3:25:37 PM By TARA COPP - Scripps Howard News Service 332ND AIR EXPEDITIONARY WING, Persian Gulf -- Saying war with Iraq has become unstoppable and imminent, the commander of a sprawling base in the Persian Gulf gave a somber prewar speech to his assembled troops Friday, predicting a "horrifying experience" likely to include chemical or biological attack. "In my opinion, this is the last time I'll do this before this thing kicks off," Col. Tom Jones said of his speech, a monthly base-wide "Commander's Call." "Three weeks ago, I would have told...

CAMP GRIZZLY, Kuwait, March 15 (UPI) -- Corporal James Lill is a Marine with a special mission along the Kuwait-Iraq border -- the care, feeding and emotional nuturing of "Dumb-ass," an involuntary conscript to the ranks of Bravo Company upon whom the lives of dozens of Marines may depend. Dumb-ass is there in case Iraqi forces use chemical weapons on troops invading the country to topple Saddam Hussein and rid it of weapons of mass destruction. So special is Dumb-ass, that he has his own special sleeping quarters, a constant supply of food, and heaps of attention. "Did you feed...

ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT, Mar 15, 2003 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- The U.S. Navy battle groups now in position to strike at Iraq bristle with fighting power: long-range missiles, jets and a menacing array of cannons, Gatling guns and attack helicopters. The five battle groups - aircraft carriers and accompanying warships - deployed in the Persian Gulf and eastern Mediterranean are a key part of the military buildup against Baghdad. If it comes to war, much of the long-range punch brought to bear on Iraq will be launched from ships like the USS Roosevelt and its three...

BENEATH the same harsh desert sun, 300 miles apart, two leaders yesterday rallied their forces for a clash of armies — and of civilisations — that is now just days away. At a makeshift parade ground in northern Kuwait, Lieutenant-General Jeff Conway told a vast sea of troops that he had supreme faith in their ability and promised that their superior weapons, greater striking power and longer reach would prevail. At almost the same moment Sheikh Abdul-Razzaq Saadi was exhorting thousands of the faithful in Baghdad’s Mother of all Battles Mosque. “Oh God, strike the oppressors,” he cried. “Oh God,...

HEAVY-METAL music wafts up from the Navy bars, DVDs are playing on the ship’s televisions and Kylie calendars are pinned up on more than one cabin wall. But a more traditional form of entertainment is also proving a big hit among British forces in the Gulf. The Royal Marines band is taking helicopters and boats from its base on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Argus to play morale-boosting concerts for the sailors and soldiers on board Royal Navy ships. The 39 musicians, who all play two instruments and double up as stretcher-bearers to bring wounded personnel into the RFA Argus hospital,...

<p>CAMP NEW JERSEY, Kuwait -- After a week, life for the soldiers of the 101st Airborne has settled into a windy, sandy, exhausting routine.</p> <p>Each morning, well before dawn, long lines of young infantrymen shuffle through a thick desert haze to the live-fire ranges where they practice shooting, breaching Iraqi trenches and waging urban warfare.</p> <p>Each afternoon, as the heat of the day turns their faces deep red, they train in battlefield first aid, combat rules of engagement and the evacuation of surrendering prisoners of war.</p>

SOMEWHERE IN KUWAIT - The crack paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division fought a night engagement this week against a tough opponent: the weather. "It was a pretty good sandstorm. I was amazed by it," said Sgt. Royce Achterberg of Houston. "We fought a good battle with it, and ours is one of the only good-looking tents today." Maj. Gen. Chuck Swannack Jr., commanding officer of the 82nd Airborne, said wind speeds exceeded 70 knots. Tents were blown clear off this secret base. The day after, sandbags anchored all the tent walls. The weather here is a warrior, and a...