Sun/Mon 30 Sept/01 Oct, 1990:  23:00-11:00

              CM-2 with Stark again.  Our initial duty is chow pick up.  We go and get the MRE’s and I play a little game with everyone.  I called it “Win, Lose, or Draw.”  You get to choose one MRE, out of a new box, and have the choice to keep it or throw it into the MRE junk box.  If you throw it into the junk box you then get to choose from the old MRE box from the night before, but this time you have to keep what you get.  There is one MRE that no one likes, that is the Chicken-a-la-king, called “Chicken-a-la-THING” because no one really knew what it was. A lot of fun.

The cops from Vandenberg AFB brought with them a Captain who thinks that he is the one with all the Knowledge.  His name is GI Hopper.

              Found out today that it looks like we are expecting to be attacked around

the first thru the fifth of October.  Defense just got intensified.  We started building bunkers on every gate and setting up additional 60 machine gun pits at Strategic points.  We also placed a four-man fire team behind the Pilot’s quarters.  Intel has it that Terrorist, have been seen in and around the base with some possible Shootings. 

01/02 Oct, 1990, 23:00-11:00;

CM-1…Craig

CM-2…Perry

CM-3…Fulbright

              Today we had a fire at the chow hall.  It was a fuel tank that everyone thought maybe a terrorist act but decided later that it was not.  No other excitement today.

Next Episode.

Mon/Tue 02/03 Oct, 1990, 23:00-11:00;

              CM-1 with Dennis and a new guy.  We set out to patrol the perimeter and it was cold.  I decided that we needed to get something to keep us warm so we went back to the barracks and got what we could.

      Sgt Fellin, was our “Rumor control officer” and we count on him to give us the low down on the low down.  He could spread the rumors so that not only do we hear them but every One else would.  By the time he’s finished it’s all over the base.

Sat/Sun 6/7 Oct 1990, 23:00-11:00;

              CM-2 with Douglas.  The time at night wasn’t too bad.  Patrolling and watching.  Then at 06:50 CE-2, Sgt Stark along with Martin and Bennett stopped and detained a vehicle that matched the description of a bolo.  The vehicle was supposedly used in some suspicious activities around some key locations.  OSI, bomb dogs, and various key units responded. Nothing came about from it and we let the vehicle go.

Mon 8 Oct 1990:

              CM-8 with Douglas.  We started out our shift with nothing out of the ordinary.  We did find out later on that our HQ personnel over in BDOC got to go to the “King’s Eastern Province palace” for lunch.  Now how about that?  We also had a Maj. Holz and SMSgt Green, join the BDOC crew. 

“Those claiming to be (Air Force Rangers, who were by the way deactivated back in Vietnam and would not be reactivated until 2001), came in and our commander “Wambo” went head over heels for them.  He was so excited about them being here he almost wet his pants.  Not only that, but he had a special job for them. He put them in charge of guarding the pool. Yep, that is what I said, the pool. These guys were “so special”, that, instead of allowing his own squadron to take over the pool protection duty, he selected these guys. He also gave them the responsibility of interior recon patrol.  These guys couldn’t even read a grid map much less a compass.  But because he thought they were “Rangers” they could do no wrong. Here is an example of their “Ranger” expertise.  I can’t remember the date but I do remember the event. I was given the assignment of picking up the four man team at 04:00 at a map co-ordinance that they established with BDOC and confirmed with Charlie Base.  Their designated pickup area was along a stretch of the perimeter road that ran parallel to what was to become Eagle city.  I picked up the duce and headed out to the pick- up point. I was there at 04:00 and waiting.  After about five minutes I made contact with the team leader to establish his location.  He told me he was at the pickup point.  I confirmed the location.  After he had realized he was in the “wrong one” he made contact with me and said that he would be at the pickup point in five.  It took ten to twelve because they had to run to get there, they were about four hundred meters away.  Funny ain’t it.

Tue 9 Oct 1990:

              CM-3 with Douglas, for the third day and again, not much was happening.  We made changeover, got fresh batteries, patrolled our area and checked on CE posting.

Wed 10 Oct 1990:

              CM-2 with Simmons.  Charlie-Mike two is the “GO FOR” patrol.  We get MRE’s, Pick up the night patrol and drop them off, do some laundry, go to supply, and then start chow.  Very eventful I must say. But it keeps us busy.

Thur. 11 Oct 1990:

              CM-1 with James A. Douglas.  Here lately I’ve been partnered up with this guy.  Remember Captain Hopper (1 Oct entry), well before I tell you what he did let me tell you that about a month after we arrive in country each flight was given the task of filling sandbags to build bunkers with. We did and one of the guys who were instrumental in getting it done was A1C Wagner. He and Rogers built the bunker at CE-1 and it took five days to do it. They put the top cover on it and everything. Now we come to Capt. Hopper. He decided that, instead of his people filling sandbags for their bunkers, he would go to CE-1 and tear down that bunker. Well, we all thought how inconsiderate, but, that didn’t bother Wagner and Rogers, they went right out, filled more sand bags and built an even better bunker.

              Here is something of some interest.  At least it was at the time.  At 07:00 Charlie Base transmitted that a lone individual, in a blue car, stopped at the Bank and entered carrying an AK-47.

              “Charlie Base, Charlie-Mike 1 we are in-route,” I said as I hammered down on the accelerator of the Hummer.

              “Charlie Base we copy,” said the voice of Sgt Mark S. Pierce on Charlie-Mike 3.

              The bank was located on the corner of two main roads with a lot of grass area around it.  I parked my Hummer across from the bank on the south side and Pierce on the east.  He took Snelgrow to the southeast corner and I took Baker around to the northwest creating a 360 around the building.  Once the 360 was established Baker, staying low, made his way to the front door and checked to see if it was secure or not. I radioed in to BDOC that the bank was all secure and that we were waiting for the arrival of the Saudi Police. They didn’t come and Col. Pack (Wambo), said to terminate the response, the bank was closed anyway and the person who entered was more than likely the Police.