Victory Over Chaos: U.S. Marines Battle for Khafji

Victory Over Chaos: U.S. Marines Battle for Khafji

CHRISTOPHER SCOTT KUNKEL

ISBN (Print Edition): 979-8-35094-425-9

ISBN (eBook Edition): 979-8-35094-426-6

©2024 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.

To my fellow Marines of Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion 12th Marines. We never knew just how special we had it until we looked back on it. Glorious times, in glorious places with some of the finest men on the planet. A 1/12 88-92.

Semper Fidelis my brothers

Contents

ONE Khafji

TWO Thou shall not kill

THREE Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit

Training Thirty-Five Years Later.

FOUR Fun in the Sun!

FIVE Battle of Khafji—The True Story

SIX That Was Just the Beginning

SEVEN Remember the Fallen

EIGHT Thirty Years Later

NINE Post Traumatic Growth

TEN Tuefulhunden

ONE

Khafji

It’s amazing how quickly things can change. One night I was on guard duty like I had been a million times before when all of a sudden the dark sky glowed orange, and among other things, a massive convoy was on the move and headed our way. War is one of those instances that change things very quickly. War is chaos with no happy endings. It’s a real failure of humanity that we have wars at all, resulting in incredible human and environmental destruction that serves no useful purpose. Yet it goes on and on.

The chaos of war is so profound it can be disorienting. When you hear the description of combat experiences, you might hear things like tunnel vision, vivid memories, especially smells, flashbacks, shell shock, PTSD, and even the thousand-yard stare. It’s stressful, to say the least, to have people shooting at you, trying to kill you. It’s an experience that’s physically and mentally stressful. But it was something we were well-trained for.

I never could have imagined the scale of destruction and power that was going to be unleashed. I don’t think anyone predicted this would happen. It was early in the evening, but very dark. There wasn’t even any moonlight, but it was about to get very bright.

I was on guard duty overlooking the main highway to Khafji when word came down on the radio that there was strong intelligence that the Iraqis were on the move and that we should be ready for a possible attack. It wasn’t long after that the otherwise quiet night turned to hell. The sky glowed orange from the Iraqi attack and response of American warplanes—so bright that the entire horizon seemed to be on fire. At the same time, a massive convoy moved south past us. Vehicles were on the move in mass convoys. Tanks and artillery, in some cases, were firing at each other. The sky was so busy with artillery, planes, and helicopters—it was like a northern lights show. Chaos had been unleashed, and we were smack in the middle of it.

We were vastly outnumbered, and the smart thing to do would have been to pull back. The problem was that there were Marines trapped in the city. Besides that, the Marine Corps has a long history of fighting fierce battles against overwhelming odds. Never once in over two hundred years has the Marine Corps backed down, and it wasn’t going to happen this time either. If it came down to it, we would fight out, and we would not be taken alive. It was a commitment that was never spoken of but was broadly agreed upon. If you ask me, I will tell you that it’s the essence of being a Marine, willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission and defeat the enemy. That, combined with an ironclad commitment to stand together with our brothers, no matter what. That tenacity is why our enemies fear the United States Marines and why this attack would prove to be a big mistake on the part of the Iraqis.

This might sound funny coming from a United States Marine veteran, but I never imagined myself fighting in a war. My decision to join the military was fueled by a desire to be a part of something bigger than myself. I was only seventeen years old at the time, and I had no idea what the future held for me. I never imagined that I would end up fighting in a war, especially since I joined during peacetime.

I vividly recall a conversation I had with a neighbor and family friend who remarked that I was lucky to be joining during peacetime and that I would get to travel. Traveling was a big selling point for joining the military at that time, and I was excited at the prospect. I was looking forward to exploring new places, meeting new people, and experiencing different cultures.

As it turned out, I did get to travel extensively during my time in the military. In fact, I traveled completely around the globe, visiting exotic and far-flung destinations that I had never even heard of before, including Khafji! I did see incredible places and amazing things.

Looking back on my journey, it’s hard to believe how much has changed since I first joined the military. The M199, 155MM towed Howitzers we used are now used as monuments at bases, parks, and parade fields. At this point, they’re ancient cannons people look at with amazement. It’s a symbol of how much has changed in that time.

For many Marines, after finishing boot camp, there is a desire to be tested in combat. Boot camp romanticizes combat with chants and stories. These chants are so vulgar that they are banned from being used in public and even around base housing or areas where military families live. Secret chants I suppose you could say, but they play an important role in mentally preparing recruits for the Marine Corps and possibly combat. But I never really believed it would happen. Not after completing boot camp, not upon arriving at my unit, and not even after being deployed to Okinawa for six months and returning to Hawaii. I never really gave it any thought.

It was August 8, 1990. I remember the day vividly. We were standing in formation with the sun beating down on us, but we were used to that. About the only thing on our mind was liberty! I hadn’t even heard of Kuwait, let alone that it had been invaded by Iraq.

Every morning and every evening, we would hold formation. During the formation, there would be a roll call, a quick uniform inspection, and any work assignments and items to report were provided by the battery Gunny.

Our battery gunnery sergeant, with his Guamanian accent, stood in front of the formation and declared, Nobody’s going to Kuwait. I don’t want to hear anything more about Kuwait. I turned to one of the guys standing next to me and asked, What the heck is Kuwait and why is he telling us where we’re not going?

I really had no idea, and I really didn’t care. About the only thing on my mind was getting off this base! We had just been in Japan for six months. As great a trip as it was, we were excited about getting back to America!

Four days later, the same gunny had a very different message. He was reading off a short list of names that would be leaving the advanced party. I was instructed to prepare my combat gear, draw my weapon from the armory, and report to headquarters as I was leaving with the advance party. What a difference four days can make. I had trained on the Maritime prepositioning ships, and now I was being called to deploy with those ships. Four days later, I was on my way to Singapore to join those ships. We would then sail to the Persian Gulf where our unit would meet up with us and our gear.

That marked the beginning of our deployment as part of Desert Storm. We were attached to the First Marine Division. I remember writing a letter home to my family, informing them that I was unable to disclose any details, but they should know that wherever the First Marine Division is, that is likely where I would be. That was in August of 1990.

It turned out that, as is commonly known now, Saddam Hussien had ordered the Iraqi invasion of the bordering nation of Kuwait. After the invasion, he moved nearly all his million-man army into Kuwait along the border with Saudi Arabia. Whether genuine or not, there were reported concerns that Iraq would also invade Saudi Arabia and destabilize the world oil markets.

Once the rest of our unit arrived, we quickly prepared our gear and established a fire position in the desert within a short time. We waited for months—the calm before the storm—during which we trained, worked out, pulled guard duty, and fought boredom. A popular pastime was playing Spades, the card game. Spades seemed to go on non-stop, although it wasn’t really my thing. There were a few guys who liked to catch scorpions, put them in an ammo can, and watch them fight each other; it was exciting stuff, indeed. It’s amazing the things young men do when they get bored. Hurry up and wait was one of our many mottos, and this was a perfect example: rushing halfway around the world to sit there and wait for four months. It’s amazing we didn’t get into more trouble than we did.

It wasn’t all fun and games. We dug a lot of foxholes and pulled a lot of guard duty. In between we did our best to train and stay in shape. It’s amazing the amount of digging we did. Every time we changed positions, we had to dig new foxholes. These holes were critical for security and self-preservation, so no one complained, but it was hard work. The sand made the digging easier but it also meant the holes would cave in. It was a never-ending battle and never-ending digging.

It wasn’t easy living in the middle of the desert with no modern comforts. Hot meals and hot showers were coveted and rare. We went months with few breaks, eating mostly MREs, drinking water out of canteens, and washing up with a bottle of water. We had little access to news, and other than limited calls home, we had no contact with the outside world for eight months. It was bearable but mostly boring.

Things quickly changed by early January.