Point of honor 93rd Evacuation Hospital claims record in setting up for Operation Desert Storm By Bill Roche was one of them. He said that while at Camp ESSAYONS Contributor Shelby, the members of the 93rd had only one chance to set up the On the face of it, the 93rd Evacuation Hos- 384-bed DEPMEDS. It was difficult, pital's mission during Operation Desert he said, but ultimately it was enough. Storm sounds routine: provide medical sup- "In Saudi, it was hard to remember port to the 82nd Airborne Division. how (to set it up) at first, but we got But ask the unit to carry out their mission better," he said. with an entirely new hospital configuration, So much better, claimed his commander, and ask them to augment their ranks with Col. George Sampson, that of the five evacua- personnel they've never met, and it doesn't tion hospitals supporting the XVIIIth Air- sound so simple any more. borne Corps, the 93rd set up its DEPMEDS The 93rd is a Medical Unit, Self-contained fastest, and was operational in record time. Transportable (MUST) hospital outfit. Its nor- Sgt. Kevin Harris, an operating room spe- mal field hospital facility is made up of a se- cialist, heard that claim as well. "I heard we ries of inflatable quonset hut-like wards kept set up fastest of any hospital in the theater," erect by huge, jet fuel-powered blowers. he said. "Of course, I can't verify that." When not in use, the 93rd keeps its blow-up But Harris added that it was teamwork, not hospital packed in shipping containers, ready speed, that was important. "As far as people to go. working together, that's what really made it But for Operation Desert Storm, said Exec- happen. It was great to have that feeling that utive Officer Capt. Keith Heuser, the unit was we were functioning on our own and it all tasked to set up and operate a completely dif- came together." ferent facility, called a DEPMEDS, for Deploy- What made the 93rd's success even sweet- able Medical System. DEPMEDS wards are er, Sampson said, was that the unit took on house-like structures made of canvas at- several reserve component medical officers- tached to an aluminum framework, and most officers who were entirely new to the organi- of the members of the 93rd had never even zation-to augment its operations, under the laid eyes on one prior to deploying to Saudi Officer Filler System (PROFIS). Arabia. To complicate matters, the equip- Professional ment the unit used during Desert Storm was 'With PROFIS and DEPMEDS," the colonel shipped to the Persian Gulf directly from pre- said, "this deployment was not at all like the positioned sites in Europe, the captain ex- 93rd's normal mission." plained. But if you ask most any member of the unit For that reason, two weeks before deploy- what was "best" about their participation in ing, 80 of the unit's 407 soldiers went to Operation Desert Storm, they're likely to say Camp Shelby, Miss., for DEPMEDS training. that it's the fact that the war was brief, and Of that 80, Heuser said, only about a dozen produced few American casualties. actually helped set up the hospital in Saudi 'We're glad, as a medical unit, that we Arabia. didn't have to do any more than we did," Sgt. Oscar Lopez, a respiratory therapist, Sampson said. _ _~_ Aspin rejects Mobility for maneuvering draft, urges 'fair shake' 5th Engineer mission helped speed attack, assured steady flow of support to front in force cuts line By Chris LaSonde Chairman Les Aspin of the ESSAYONS Staff Writer House Armed Services Com- mittee defended the all-vol- The 5th Engineer Battalion received a well- SOur primary goal unteer Army recently, saying deserved heroes' welcome when they re- was to free Kuwait. It that a return to the draft turned to Fort Leonard Wood earlier this "would surely lead to a lower month. was totally immaterial quality force." The welcoming parade and ceremony payed Aspin released the findings tribute to the unit and the successful comple- that we did not have to of a committee report that ex- tion of its mission during the massive ground amined numerous allega- offensive against Iraqi forces in Kuwait and shoot and kill enemy tions raised during the Per- southern Iraq. The 5th played an integral role sian Gulf war that blacks in speeding the progress of both the maneu- soldiers to do that. Mis- comprise a disproportionate ver force and the vital support elements sup- percentage of the force, and plying the attacking force from the rear. sion accomplishment because of that, would bear a "Our primary purpose during the attack disproportionate share of the was mobility," said Lt. Col. William T. Mad- was our number one fighting and dying. dox, battalion commander. '"We marked the Many of those making the combat trails from the line of departure to the goal. 99 allegations claim that a re- (objective)." turn to the draft is needed to During the course of Operation Desert Lt. Col. William T. Maddox ensure the military is more Storm the 5th was one of three engineer bat- Battalion commander representative of society. talions attached to the 24th Infantry Division "A draft would not bring a (Mechanized), with each of the 24th's three fully representative military maneuver brigades supported by an engineer force," said Aspin. "Today, we solved their mobility problems by placing en- battalion. gineers in the infantry have a race-neutral volun- tracked vehicles. The "During that time, the marking was done also took pains to select the tary system that produces a routes carefully, Ron Staszcuk around the clock, regardless of the weather," keeping the superb military while offering vehicles on hard surfaces as said Maddox. "It enhanced the capabilities of much as individuals advancement on they could. Final salute the support unit to get to the objective quick- "Although the basis of merit. If that the routes went straight across ly and provide the ammo and fuel that the the desert in many places, we were able to makes the military more at- CSM Walton Woodall (left), accompanied by his wife, Regi- combat forces needed." than job prepare for the tractors," said Maddox. tractive to blacks na, and CSM Carl Tate, salutes the colors during the Friday During the weeks and months preceding Although the engineers were scrupulous in prospects in the society at retreat ceremony marking his departure from Fort Leonard the ground action, the engineers had planned their route selection, there were large, then it is the society at some areas Wood. Woodall has been selected to take over as Training and trained extensively for their role. which they didn't have sufficient information large that is broken. Let's fix and Doctrine Command's top NCO. His successor, CSM In their desert encampments commanders about. that. Richard Wilson, presently serving in Korea, is expected to pored over area maps, aided extensively by '"We expected to find minefields and "Resuming a draft in order even take over as Fort Leonard Wood's command sergeant major aerial photographs, in order to select the best some major roadblocks," said Maddox. 'We to achieve a military that bet- later this month. possible routes. Engineers accompanied in- brought equipment to handle that. Our engi- ter meets an abstract notion fantry scouts on reconnaissance missions. neers were prepared with demolitions to han- of representativeness would The scouts were able to report back on fac- dle bunkers or anything that would have 1' _ im- be a grave mistake." tors which would affect the mobility of the peded the progress of the assault force." Black Americans of recruit- r. task forces. The 5th fulfilled its trail marking mission ment age - 18 to 24 -- com- Hand in hand with the planning sessions through the use of tripods, pickets prise about 14 percent of the and flash- were numerous training exercises for the sol- ing yellow lights. Highly colored cloth was al- population as a whole, but 26 Update diers. In early exercises the 5th learned that so placed on the tripods to make them more percent of new Army recruits. * The U.S. is still sending masses of supplies to the Per- its mobility was restricted by the terrain. visible to vehicle operators negotiating the Overall, blacks comprise 31 sian Gulf. Wheeled vehicles and bulldozers hauled by trail. Once marked, all the drivers had to do percent of the enlisted Army, tractors were especially affected by the desert was * Is money burning a hole in your pocket keep the pickets on one side of their vehi- compared to 12 percent of after months in conditions. cle. the general population age 18 Southwest Asia? Army financial counselors advise re- "It's pretty obvious that when you have 5-- Once on the move the 5th Engineers were to 44. straint. ton dump trucks, you are not going to be able able to adjust the planned route of the trail According to the committee a * Desert BDU wear now restricted. to go where tracked vehicles are going," said little to overcome poor terrain or obstacles. See page 6 for the details. Maddox. 'We planned for this." See ASPIN, page 7 When the actual assault began, the 5th See MOBILITY, page 7 COMMENTARY FM 1~_~*____lrr___ll____ Fi ------ ~i --~ _ ~ ___ I_ Thank you, TRADOC Bikers bite the dust (Thefollowing is a messagefrom Army Chiefof Staff Gen. Carl Vuono to Training and By Bill Roche Doctrine Command's Gen.