A Desert Shield/Storm Christmas

[SgtHopperUSMC]

Anyone have any stories about that Christmas? I remember getting my first piece of mail on Christmas Eve. It had a canned ham in it that had spoiled on the way over. Plenty of hard candy also. It was from my wife at the time. It was a good time to get it.:p Oh, except for the rotting meat.

Merry Christmas!!

[Zulu 36]

My unit (Air Guard) was at Ramstein AB on the way over that Christmas. The local USO fixed up a really nice turkey dinner with all the trimmings, plus a movie (Total Recall). The chow was excellent and the movie was good too (first time I saw it).

Probably the best memory I have was from during the movie, right after ol' Arnold has his first bloody gunfight and kills four guys. One of our NCOs was a Detroit cop and he popped up (humorously) with, "Shots fired and four dead on the street. Thanks, for bringing us a little slice of home."

The joke brought the house down, but left the USO people puzzled until we explained that many of us were civilian cops.

[CplMikeCox]

That Christmas was the closest I have ever felt to the real spirit of the holiday. We liberated a gallon of peanut butter and jelly from the seebees, and a couple loaves of bread from the mess tent. Everyone broke out there treats from home and passed them around to round out a genuine Christmas feast.
That is how it's suposed to be, everyone putting there differences aside, sharing what they have and expecting nothing in return but company and friendship.
Looking back I don't think I have ever appreciated a Christmas meal as much as that humble little lunch.

Here's a picture of our camo netting Christmas tree

http://www2.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=189462500/PictureID=4266845921/a=114821412_114821412/t_=114821412

[Big Jim]

December of 1990, our platoon was just south of the Kuwait border in Saudi Arabia living in the desert and morale was pretty low with Christmas right around the corner. I got a letter from my wife, who was due with our first daughter back then, with pictures of the new baby!!! Man, those new pictures of that beautiful little girl brightened everyone's mood and we all talked of what college she'd go to and how I'd raise her and love her and we ALL agreed to never let her date a Marine!
Our moods and morale never faltered once after that moment. We called her "our little Christmas girl". That same night, the rear command finally thought of us and sent us some hot chow and it was GREAT! Beef stroganoff with noodles!! I'm still in contact with a few of those guys and one of them, my best friend, reminded me of that day when I bought my daughter her very first car last month. I've never forgotten about that day...I just bring it out on special occasions. My pride and love for her has greatly grown over the years. I never told her how she lifted all our spirits that day....maybe I will...someday.

[ojibway]

I remember our Chrismas prior to the storm. we all were listening to Bing Crosby since I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. We had a 3 foot tree in the middle of our netting. Those were the days. :flag:

[levatte]

I remember being in the rear @ Al Jabaal in a hamburger line drinking warm apple cider and Odouls.:)

[kaboom1371]

Christmas? Don't remember it but I'm sure I was either packing or unpacking from the moving every 2 or three day trip...

Big Jim, speaking of hot food on the line. remember those great scrambled eggs for breakfast. the ones you had to drain a gallon of water out before you ate them. hmmmm. those were tasty.. lmao

[sparkie]

I live in Vegas, and go to the buffets from time to time,,,,,, And still love those scrambled eggs,,,,, My wife don't get it, but they haven't changed a bit!
I'm with ya Kaboom.

Best day was drinking a coke, and seeing a roundeye. LOL.

[Big Jim]

Christmas? Don't remember it but I'm sure I was either packing or unpacking from the moving every 2 or three day trip...

Big Jim, speaking of hot food on the line. remember those great scrambled eggs for breakfast. the ones you had to drain a gallon of water out before you ate them. hmmmm. those were tasty.. lmao

Yeah, I remember those nasty eggs! Thatz cause they steamed them and left them in the steamer to just be served from there!! I got into it with the messhall Msgt. one day over that! We only got hot chow at the most twice a week! And they wanted to feed us watery nasty green eggs! We were eating MRE's dated 1985 the rest of the time!!! Oh well, you can't get chocolate milk from a desert goat!!! No matter how hard you squeeze the teets!! Did you ever make it down to Shaik Isa Air Base at Bahrain? the Airforce had a giant red & white striped circus tent with a small fastfood order station with a beergarden and it was all A/C!!! They built a chow hall there...I mean a real building!! Those basturds had air conditioners in every tent in their tent city....I still hate those guys!!!!

[kaboom1371]

we went to a place called tent city that had a hamburger joint. Can't remember what it was called. but it was a franchise place back here. It was a small camp trailer turned into a burger joint. That was great. Other than that we went to camp 3 (i think) 2 times that had an olympic pool. there were girls and everything there. lol didn't get to stay long but was nice.

[kaboom1371]

here's another one. we went over 30 days without a shower. remember trying to trade dick cheese for peanut butter. who was to know the difference anyway. lol

[kaboom1371]

I live in Vegas, and go to the buffets from time to time,,,,,, And still love those scrambled eggs,,,,, My wife don't get it, but they haven't changed a bit!
I'm with ya Kaboom.

Best day was drinking a coke, and seeing a roundeye. LOL.

dang sparky, you have to be the only one that did. I would grab what ever "mystery meat" was sevred and an MRE and call it good. I liked Dr. Seuss when I was a kid but green eggs and ham didn't do it for me.

[Phantom Blooper]

Did you ever make it down to Shaik Isa Air Base at Bahrain? the Airforce had a giant red & white striped circus tent with a small fastfood order station with a beergarden and it was all A/C!!! They built a chow hall there...I mean a real building!! Those basturds had air conditioners in every tent in their tent city....I still hate those guys!!!!


I enjoyed reading ALL your stories.I was not there...but I was with you ALL in spirit and brother prayers!

Jim,this quote reminds me of this past Christmas. Our oldest daughters fiancé (good kid/ E-7) is in the Air Force serving in Qatar due to rotate back to CONUS in February. She said that he was depressed because he couldn't be stateside with family and friends and that his unit was having Christmas dinner at Applebees restaurant when he called her on his cell phone,while drinking beer and Santa giving out CD players and IPOD's.....good kid but this story just broke my fuken heart and damn near ruined what little Christmas spirit I had! LMAO:evilgrin: <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

[Big Jim]

I enjoyed reading ALL your stories.I was not there...but I was with you ALL in spirit and brother prayers!

Jim,this quote reminds me of this past Christmas. Our oldest daughters fiancé (good kid/ E-7) is in the Air Force serving in Qatar due to rotate back to CONUS in February. She said that he was depressed because he couldn't be stateside with family and friends and that his unit was having Christmas dinner at Applebees restaurant when he called her on his cell phone,while drinking beer and Santa giving out CD players and IPOD's.....good kid but this story just broke my fuken heart and damn near ruined what little Christmas spirit I had! LMAO:evilgrin: <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

Man...life was rough for them wasn't it? If they endured what we Marines had to endure, they'd be better people and more appreciative of what they have and where they are in life! "AIM HIGH!!," what a joke of a branch of United States military! They flaunted those comforts in our face and even almost started fights when we went in their chow hall once a month in Bahrain!! They really didn't wanna get beat up but they cried so much about Marines being in their chow hall, some Major set up "Marine" hours only!! Man, I felt discriminated against!! Your story just confirms my experience with them "Wingnuts." APPLEBEE'S!! Man, life in the Air Force is rough, ain't it?! Those experiences just makes a person hard, you know?

I mean only at Mildenhall Airforce Base, England where we Marines were treated with the utmost respect I had ever seen. I, along with 30 other Marines, had to fly a special filght home on a C-141, which was barely flying for all its broke d!ck controls and we barely made it to England! Being fresh out of the desert and around civilization again and real food, we all turned in our weapons at the Armory and made a bee line for the chow hall!! We walked in and everyone stood up and cheered and clapped for us!! That was my first parade! LOL! They gave us whatever food and drink we wanted until we couldn't eat no more! I had prime rib and mashed taters and gravy and stuffing and cranberry sauce...man, it was like Christmas!!! You know as well as I do, the true way to a Marine's heart is through his stomach!! So, I guess the Airforce are good for something....

[ojibway]

The last 2 months prior to hell opening up was primitive. We lived in dug out L trenches. I got in touch with my squad leader last year and we had went 100 days without a shower. After awhile you just pressed on and scrubbed off the crusties with the k-bar or bayonet. AH those were the days. God Bless my fellow Spartans past and present. You have never lived until you have almost died.:devious: :devious:

[mark king]

christmas 1990,sitting in a fox hole staring out into the desert.what fun we had that day.

[ojibway]

Outstanding to hear from a hound from 2/2. I knew a few guys from 2/2.:evilgrin:

[EO-3 George Ker]

Christmas Day... Dec.25,1990: the only 1/2 day off we had...07:30 - 13:00 since arrival in the Saudi Kingdom.
Dec. 26, 1990... 23:45pm local SWA time zone; left Camp 13 at Al Jubail on convoy to Kibrit via 20ton truck.
24:00 hrs. Turned North along the coastal road to Meshalb.
02:00 hrs. Stopped briefly at Marine check-point for vehicle check. Swiched fuel tanks from port to starbord. Made the trun westerly out into the MSR (open desert) headed to the old village of Al Meshalb.
02:30-03:30 hrs. Made the turn northerly again to head for Kibrit... forward area encampments.

What happened next can be found on www.desertveteransearch.com (http://www.desertveteransearch.com) .
Letters of support:
1. Captian David L. Sullivan, CEC USN, NMCB-24 Alfa Co., C.O.
2. Col. C.O. Skipper, USMC, Ret. 8th.Marine Engineers, X.O.
3. Col. J.P. Hull, USMC, Ret. 8th Marine Engineers, Charlie Co. Cmdr.
4. Sr. Chief Roy Grasham, USN NMCB-24, Alfa Co.


Today... Dec. 20, 2008: I find myself still searching for the U.S.Marines and the Navy corpsman, that saved my butt, and took care of me when I was shot. I sill feel the need to tell these very special Marines, and the Corpsman who was with them, THANK YOU !
Some things in life you just do not forget. I won't forget the people who were there for me when I NEEDED the U.S. Marines. I just never knew any of their names. If you can help find them...please, contact EO-3 George Kernaghan. All contact information located on the Desert Veteran Search webpage.

Semper Fi

EO-3 George Kernaghan, NMCB-24
DS/DS 1990-91 Alfa Co.
"Seabee's Can Do!"

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

[SgtHopperUSMC]

I am glad that so many have shared their stories here. Have a very merry Christmas!! Best for a new year also! :marine:

[2ndLAADBnWRENCH]

Christmas 1990, I was aboard the USS NASSUA LHA-4..Christmas eve. I was the Mail Nco for 10 plus units embarked.. My momma as usual when I was deployed sent a special package that was fit in your hand to hold and heavy as 3 bricks lmlao. Several of us had made a hooch away from berthing area near the well deck. I was a jack of all trades and had like 9 hats for extra jobs while aboard the NASSAU. 1st Sgt Fred Klott caught me opening this package in our hooch when he came looking for me for another honey do. Ahh, Sgt Starkenegger's got the booze he asclaimed! No first seargent its mom's german stollen fruit cake. I had just sliced several 1/2 inch pieces for the 24 hour on going D&D crew. He grabbed a piece and wolfed it down coughing and eyes reddened at the potency of what he had just consumed.. A smile came about and he says that if half a this cake is cantraband for the CO Captain King and him this secret will go away. I warned him that small slices will do the trick for your holiday sperits. He gaffed it off and told us to be on the flight deck at 0430 for PT. We enjoyed a few pieces of this great undercooked fruit cake doused with 3 bottles of brandy. Played a few rolls of D&D and headed to the rack for some rest. The next morning all were standing by till almost 0500 when the 2 seniors showed up on the flight desk anouncing illness and to proceed with out them. Both our old guys were green gilled and a tad bit red eyed to say the least.. Doc Jones was there when I warned the 1st Shirt of the fruit cake. The boat wasn't even pitching 10 degree's.. Christmas day was nice. Yep them nasty green eggs n ham for morning chow and some over cooked turkey mid afternoon with all the fixings. I gotta say the Navy sure can feed the Marines..

[KawiGunny]

I spent Christmas of 1990 at PISC. I recieved orders there shortly after coming back from Panama for Operation Just Cause. Before I checked out of 3/6 to head down to PI, the Bn recieved word that they were heading across the pond. I tried everything I could to get out of those orders but everyone kept telling me the same thing. I couldn't change my oorders since they were to a training environment. I was ****ed-off. I even requested mast to the CG. Same old story. Had to go. I hated not being there with my friends and my unit. That hurt. But as always, those of you that were there, conducted Marine Corps buisness as expected. Semper Fi !

[EO-3 George Ker]

Marine Buisness......A Christmas Message..December 2008... God Bless the United States Marines!!! Thank You. EO-3 George E. Kernaghan, USN, NMCB-24, DS/DS 90-91.
Re: Dec.26,1990 02:30-03:30am Local (SWA) time zone, Kibrit.
Messg: Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. Thanks to you...I am alive!
Semper Fi

[Mugsy]

I was in India 3/3 we were one of the first Marine Combat Units to arrive. We were there since Aug/Sept. I remember vividly sitting on a hill of sand by our defensive perimiter with Cpl Dave Wetzel drinking Jack Danies smuggled to us in a Wisk bottle(boy it tasted nasty) Talking about how we didnt want to die in this God forsaken place! I remember Christmas Eve like it was yesterday!

[EO-3 George Ker]

Hello Mugsy India 3/3, <br />
Seabee here...I'd like you to give me a call. There are a few questions I'd like to ask about our tour of duty in Saudi Arabia...Especially about Christmas time. I'm usualy...