Operation Desert Storm

At 2am on January 17th, I was in my dorm room watching CNN, when Breaking News announced that the U.S. Navy had begun launching cruise missiles from their ships in the Persian Gulf attacking Iraqi troop concentrations in Kuwait. The U.N. security council had previously given the green light to military action in case Iraq would not comply with the conditions of the ultimatum given in a U.N. resolution. So it has begun. We had been briefed earlier during the afternoon of the 16th, that military action would begin the following morning, but we didn't have any part of the operation itself, and there was no need to know any details. 

The troop deployments during Operation Desert Shield in preparation of Operation Desert Storm decimated the U.S. personnel on base significantly. Not only were the men and women attached to the ECS and TCW units, their maintenance and support crews deployed to Italy and Turkey in the last days and weeks. It was also other support staff that left the base almost empty. The NCO club was practically deserted, and notably the American Post Office on base (APO) was understaffed. 

Me and my Admin Supervisor,

MSgt Lewis O'Bryant,

nicknamed "O.B."

One day, I was doing admin duties at our HQ 17th Air Force admin offices, a sergeant walked in and asked for a U.S. supervisor. I called MSgt O'Bryant over and continued with my tasks at hand. However, I was able to overhear what the sergeant told O.B. The post office was desperately looking for volunteers from other units on base not affected by the operation, since their regular staff had been sent to Incirlik to provide postal services there. After the sergeant who was from the office of the Base Commander left, I had an idea. 

It had bothered me that my American friends were deployed to defend a helpless nation from being overrun by a madman, and that Germany did nothing, other than following Chancellor Kohl's infamous "Checkbook Diplomacy". But there was nothing I could do. Except now! I walked over to the Deputy Commander's office, who with the Commander always being a U.S. General, was by default always a German Colonel and my direct German Air Force superior officer. 

Colonel Fricke was a career officer who rose through the ranks being assigned to mostly German Air Force Air Defense Missile units. We sometimes called those guys the Air Force artillery, and just like their army siblings, the Air Defense guys in the German Air Force, at least back then, always had a stricter, more disciplinarian attitude. Since Col Fricke replaced the first "DC", Col Kluss, even Fricke loosened up after a while and developed a more relaxed, and most importantly approachable attitude. His secretary was a local German lady in her late 20s, and she and I usually got along nicely. I asked her, if the Colonel was available and after she announced me, I entered his office. 

The U.S. Post office (APO) on Sembach Air Base

I told him about the need of the U.S. Post office for volunteers, and since we as Germans had our hands tied when it comes to supporting Desert Storm, at least we could see if the Base Commander would also accept German military personnel as volunteers. Col Fricke, who shared my frustration of not being able to actively participate in Desert Storm, was very happy to hear my proposal and immediately picked up the phone to call LtCol Walker, his DO to share the idea and to have Walker approach the Base Commander. The Base Commander was very grateful for the offer, and gladly accepted. 

At that point it had only been me volunteering, as none of my German comrades knew of any of this. However, I quickly went down to the bunker to talk to my buddies who had the second day shift (the afternoon shift was called the swing shift). I can't remember who was on duty that afternoon but everyone immediately agreed and committed to helping out. We ended up being about a half a dozen or so volunteering, and the next morning, some of us, who were able to spare the time, showed up at the APO to be trained as post office workers. Just like myself, my bunker buddies of course would still have to honor their primary duties as SAM, Flight, or Early Warning Technicians and could only participate on their spare time outside of their shifts.

Apart from helping out at the post office and continuing our daily work at the SOC, Desert Storm had no significant impact on our lives, other than the deserted base, and missing my deployed friends. Colin was able to periodically use a satellite phone (remember, this was a time before cell phones!), and sometimes called me to say hi, and that everything was ok, apart from occasional air raid warnings they received, but without any major consequences. I continued to call his family every once in a while to convey Colin's messages. I did not hear from any of my other friends in Turkey, but like I said, communication wasn't easy back in 1991, since there was no such thing as Internet, Email or Cell Phones.