thedrifter
03-30-03, 05:26 PM
March 29, 2003
Marines slow down so soldiers can get resupplied
By C. Mark Brinkley
Times staff writer
NEAR AL NASSIRIYAH, Iraq — The jokes go that sailors are fat and airmen are wimps, and the rumor here is that the Army ran out of gas in the middle of Iraq and the Marines had to slow down their war march so the soldiers wouldn’t look bad. Officially, Marine commanders here won’t comment on the Army or its logistical supply chain.
They will say that most of the 1st Marine Division has slowed its push north in order to secure the flow of supplies into the region and ensure a safe and steady push toward Baghdad.
“We’re here to let the logistics of the theater develop,” said Lt. Col. Kirk Hymes, 42, commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, from Altoona, Pa. “We’re getting a full tank of gas. We’re getting a truckload of bullets. And we’re getting chow to help us move north.”
Did the Army run out of gas? Army Times reporter Sean D. Naylor, traveling with the 3rd Infantry Division, said his elements did not run out of fuel but that fuel supplies were a critical issue.
Back at Central Command, Air Force Maj. Gen. Victor E. “Gene” Renuart Jr., director of operations, was asked about supply problems. He said: “As you can imagine when a mechanized or an armored unit pushes forward rapidly in the field, the units with ammunition, etc. have to follow along behind, and there’s a period of time that it takes to keep that supply train moving and make it robust. And so we’re more than comfortable with that rate.”
So, for whatever reason, the Marines here, about 60 miles north of Nassiriyah, have spent the past few days resting, repairing and resupplying. Only the essentials are coming in, and luxuries such as mail and hot food have been missing in action since days before the war kicked off.
Privately, the Marines joke that the Army is acting like the Air Force — worrying more about hot rations and shower facilities than ammo and fuel.
“They’ll want air conditioning next,” one Marine said, laughing.
Such jokes are common among the different branches of the military, usually with Marines being categorized as the dumbest. This time, Marines here say they were the smart ones.
Though no one here can speak for the Army’s woes, the Marines here said they haven’t had any real logistics problems. They’ve got gas, if not showers.
“That’s not to say had we pushed a greater distance we would not have experienced the same problems,” Hymes said. “But, to date, that has not been an issue.”
Contrary to some reports, the slowdown here is not because Saddam’s forces are winning, he said.
“Not at all,” Hymes said. “So far, we’ve been able to influence and go and do what we want to do and be where we want to be when we want to be there. This is just a pause to let the supplies get to where we can use them.”
Sempers,
Roger
Marines slow down so soldiers can get resupplied
By C. Mark Brinkley
Times staff writer
NEAR AL NASSIRIYAH, Iraq — The jokes go that sailors are fat and airmen are wimps, and the rumor here is that the Army ran out of gas in the middle of Iraq and the Marines had to slow down their war march so the soldiers wouldn’t look bad. Officially, Marine commanders here won’t comment on the Army or its logistical supply chain.
They will say that most of the 1st Marine Division has slowed its push north in order to secure the flow of supplies into the region and ensure a safe and steady push toward Baghdad.
“We’re here to let the logistics of the theater develop,” said Lt. Col. Kirk Hymes, 42, commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, from Altoona, Pa. “We’re getting a full tank of gas. We’re getting a truckload of bullets. And we’re getting chow to help us move north.”
Did the Army run out of gas? Army Times reporter Sean D. Naylor, traveling with the 3rd Infantry Division, said his elements did not run out of fuel but that fuel supplies were a critical issue.
Back at Central Command, Air Force Maj. Gen. Victor E. “Gene” Renuart Jr., director of operations, was asked about supply problems. He said: “As you can imagine when a mechanized or an armored unit pushes forward rapidly in the field, the units with ammunition, etc. have to follow along behind, and there’s a period of time that it takes to keep that supply train moving and make it robust. And so we’re more than comfortable with that rate.”
So, for whatever reason, the Marines here, about 60 miles north of Nassiriyah, have spent the past few days resting, repairing and resupplying. Only the essentials are coming in, and luxuries such as mail and hot food have been missing in action since days before the war kicked off.
Privately, the Marines joke that the Army is acting like the Air Force — worrying more about hot rations and shower facilities than ammo and fuel.
“They’ll want air conditioning next,” one Marine said, laughing.
Such jokes are common among the different branches of the military, usually with Marines being categorized as the dumbest. This time, Marines here say they were the smart ones.
Though no one here can speak for the Army’s woes, the Marines here said they haven’t had any real logistics problems. They’ve got gas, if not showers.
“That’s not to say had we pushed a greater distance we would not have experienced the same problems,” Hymes said. “But, to date, that has not been an issue.”
Contrary to some reports, the slowdown here is not because Saddam’s forces are winning, he said.
“Not at all,” Hymes said. “So far, we’ve been able to influence and go and do what we want to do and be where we want to be when we want to be there. This is just a pause to let the supplies get to where we can use them.”
Sempers,
Roger