Print

Mail

wiki links

US troops feel adrenaline as conflict begins

US Marines M-1123 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit drive across the desert in Kuwait, near the Iraqi border, on Wednesday in preparation for war. PHOTO: AP

The first sign that the war had started came when three flashes of light tore through the desert night -- Tomahawk missiles hurtling northward toward their targets in Iraq.

News that the attack was finally under way spread rapidly among the thousands of US and British troops who have massed in the northern Kuwait wilderness awaiting orders to begin the long march on Baghdad.

"The adrenaline rush is on. We're so pumped up we just want to go, go, go and get it done," said Private Matthew Dummais from Burlington, Vermont.

US infantry units moved closer to the Iraqi border early on Thursday, driving through the moonlit night to their deployment positions. Military spokesmen said the invasion force was ready to go and awaiting the green light to attack.

US Marines in full battle gear gathered around radio sets after dawn to listen to President George W. Bush announce that the campaign to oust Saddam Hussein was under way.

"OK guys, it looks like we're heading north," Captain Mike Martin told his men. One Marine flashed a victory sign before heading back to his armored vehicle.

Many US and British soldiers have spent weeks in the harsh Kuwaiti desert training for the invasion and there was clear relief yesterday that the uncertainty was over.

"We're excited that we're going to do something that's going to help people out, not only the Iraqis, but people back in the States who will be able to sleep easier without Saddam Hussein," said Sergeant Roger Yarborough with the 3rd Infantry Division.

The moon cast a pale white glow over the desert, revealing hundreds of small army camps dotted across the horizon.

Row upon row of tanks, assault vehicles and Humvees waited to move forward, while the occasional Black Hawk helicopter clattered overhead.

As the sun rose, officers with the US 101st Airborne went through detailed "dress rehearsals" of their units' missions, while some soldiers took part in live ammunition drills on firing ranges.

"I'm worried. Everyone's worried and if they're not, something's wrong with them," said Staff Sergeant Arthur Terry, a veteran of the 1991 Gulf War. "But we're well trained and we know what we've got to do. So, we're ready."

On hearing reports that Iraq's president may have been the specific target of the first air raid on Baghdad, a couple of soldiers joked that they wanted him to survive just long enough for them to be part of the offensive aimed at toppling him.

"Hang on in there, Saddam," one said, laughing.
This story has been viewed 2026 times.