The lightning in the STORM

  

   With Iraqis forces invade Kuwait on August 2,1990, the interest of the United States in the area was immediately threatened. The US not only wanted to defend neighboring Saudi Arabia and its interests in the area but wanted to force Saddam Hussein to remove his forces from a defenseless Kuwait, in the months that followed a  massive military build-up and effort would ensue.

    The call for to the 101st to deploy came on August 10,1990.  To do this all the divisions equipment and members had to be taken to Jacksonville FL for shipment to the Mid-East.  On their way to Jacksonville the Eagles would pass through small towns, where people would line the streets to see this "National Treasure" on its way to another Rendezvous with Destiny.  It seemed that the attitude of the nation had changed since the last full deployment of the 101st ( Vietnam ) and everyone wanted to show them their support and gratitude. 

One of the ships ( The American Eagle ) that carried the soldiers and equipment to the Mid-East  was the same one the "Screaming Eagles" road on over twenty years earlier when the division was sent to Vietnam.  Upon arriving in Saudi Arabia, the Eagle's base camp was dubbed Camp Eagle II following the tradition of the division's Camp Eagle in Vietnam. By October 1990 the entire division was on the ground and ready for whatever was to come next.   

    King Fahd International Airport was to be protected in the first of several defensive plans the 101st would take part in. This plan was code named OPLAN 90-1. To assist friendly forces in Eastern Saudi Arabia the 101st would delay enemy forces in OPLAN 90-2, the second defensive plan. During these defenses the 101st would often run out of ammunition.

    For Operation Desert Shield the main defensive plan would be conducted by the 101st. This plan's code name was OPLAN 90-3. During this mission the Eagles would have to defend the Ad Damman and Dhahran area. Another part of this mission would be for the 101st to remain prepared for offensive operations.

     As November rolled around the 101st began planning for their offensive operations.  OPLAN 90-4, redeployment to the west was the first step in the operation that would later become part of Desert Storm. They would then build up a logistical support site to aid in the deep strikes into enemy territory. Part of the plan was to seize a Forward Operating Base (FOB) code named Viper, this would be accomplished by an air assault task force. If this was completed they would be able to destroy or capture any retreating Iraqis retreating from Kuwait City and surrounding areas.

    Another part of the offensive plan "OPLAN 90-5"  would be the last part of the major offensive plan developed. FOB Cobra would be the next base an air assault task force would attempt to take. Here they would dig in and build up strength  in preparation for the next big push which would be to the Euphrates River Valley, deep inside Iraq.

   The UN deadline, January 15th, for the Iraqis to pull out of Kuwait was not met, thus turning Operation Desert Shield into Operation Desert Storm. Besides changing the name of the operation the Coalition Forces began a forceful eviction of the Iraqi forces from their occupation of Kuwait. In Desert Storm, the first shots fired were by the 101st. This happened on January 17th when eight Apache helicopters, from the 1st Attack Aviation Battalion, made a surprise visit on enemy radar stations eliminating them. This enabled coalition aircraft to fly through undetected on their way to Baghdad. 

    After the opening of hostilities, the 101st immediately began to prepare for OPLAN 90-5. Forces were pulled back from their defense positions to deploy to a Tactical Assembly Area (TAA) named Campbell. There they prepared for the ground offensive. During the redeployment to TAA Campbell, the Division had their first contact with Iraq's surface-to-surface missiles also known as "SCUD's" this was on January 18,1991. The redeployment to TAA Campbell was completed by January 29,1991. The conditions at TAA Campbell were harsh during the month of February, because of blowing sand and temperatures going from the high sixties during the day to the lower thirties at night. 

    On February 17th Apache helicopters captured 41 enemy soldiers. The POW's were willing to supply information due to irregular pay and inadequate supplies, which was breeding disloyalty among the Iraqi soldiers.   Often during operations entire battalions would surrender to a single helicopter, this was done out of fear and because of the treatment they received from their leader Saddam Hussein. 

    With the start of the ground offensive, on February 24th, OPLAN 90-5 was put into effect.  The 1st Brigade air assaulted to FOB Cobra securing the area. Because of the surprise and overwhelming fire power of the 101st and supporting Air Force aircraft an Iraqi battalion commander was captured, and convinced, what was left of, his battalion about 300 soldiers to surrender. After the 1st Brigade quick victory at FOB Cobra they where able to move farther northward. FOB Cobra was then occupied by elements of the 2nd Brigade, they prepared for the next air assault and waited for the order to advance. The seizing of FOB Cobra was the largest air assault in a 24 hour period in history. The division was able to deploy two of its brigades deep in enemy territory because of the seizing of FOB Cobra. While all this was going on the 3rd Brigade was preparing for their air assault all the way to the Euphrates River Valley. On the 25th the 3rd brigade was the first U.S. troops to reach the Euphrates. The air assault the 3rd Brigade conducted was the longest in history. The total mileage was 310 miles, this includes a round trip from TAA Campbell to AO (Area of Operations) Eagle. 

    The 101st is part of the XVIII Airborne Corps, so when the XVIII Airborne Corps ordered that all offenses be redirected to the east the 101st went east. The XVIII Airborne Corps then attached the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade and 5-8th Field Artillery to the division, this would give the 101st additional support. Establishing FOB Viper was the next date on the 2nd Brigades agenda. They prepared to leave on the 26th but were unable to because of bad weather. The weather cleared, so they left the next day and took FOB Viper with great success. 

    A Blackhawk helicopter was downed by small arms fire killing, all five soldiers aboard. The Blackhawk was return to FOB Viper on its way back from a search and rescue mission. 

    The Brigade started preparing for further operations on February 27th but all further operations were canceled because of the cease-fire called that day. Most of the soldiers of the 101st were back at Fort Campbell between April 3rd and April 15th. The last 101st soldier to leave Saudi Arabia left on May 1st.

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