U.S. Planning to Send a Brigade to Kuwait
WASHINGTON - May 18 - The United States agreed this week
to a request from Kuwait to send a brigade of 3, 700
armored troops there from Europe to help maintain order
while Kuwaiti forces regroup in the aftermath of the
Persian Gulf War, Defense Secretary Dick Cheney said
today.
Mr. Cheney said the forces, elements of the 11th Armored
Cavalry based in Fulda Germany would arrive in Kuwait by
mid June and would remain until Sept 1. They will replace
members of the United States Marines and Third Armored
Division who are in the process of being withdrawn.
"The situation in Kuwait is still very unstable," Mr.
Cheney said on the Evans and Novak program televised on
Cable News Network. "They've not really been able to
reconstitute their own forces. They are necessarily
nervous, given what happened to them just last August."
Mr. Cheney emphasized that the move was temporary and
said: "It is our objective to get them out as quickly as
possible. And the president's made it clear we don't want
a permanent long - lasting ground presence in the gulf."
New York Times
12 July 1991
56 Soldiers hurt in Kuwait Blast
KUWAIT CITY, July 11 ( AP ) - An explosion ripped
through a United States ammunition depot today showering
soldiers with shrapnel. At least 50 Americans and six
Britons were wounded, officials said.
The military Central Command in Tampa, Fla., said injuries
ranged from minor cuts to severe shrapnel wounds.
The chain reaction of explosions at the Blackhorse Camp at
Doha, about 12 miles west of Kuwait City, apparently began
with an electrical fire on a truck carrying 155 - mm
howitzer shells, military officials said. The American
Embassy issued a statement ruling out sabotage.
The American and British military and United Nations
forces have bases near Doha. The explosion incinerated the
nearby vehicles and tore the roof off the British
headquarters building. The walls of several warehouses
used as barracks for American and British soldiers were
riddled with holes.
An American military spokeswoman said about two thirds of
the 3, 700 troops of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
stationed at Blackhorse were on desert maneuvers when the
explosion occurred. Full casualty figures were not
immediately available, but the Central Command in Tampa,
Fla. said at least 50 American soldiers were hurt.
Doctors at al Sabah Hospital said one American soldier
suffered serious brain damage when shrapnel shattered his
skull and that he was not expected to live. Three others
underwent surgery for abdominal wounds.
Six British soldiers from the nearby St. George Lions Camp
were slightly wounded and were not hospitalized, a Defense
Ministry spokesman in London said.
New York Times
24 July 1991
3 G.I.'s Killed in Explosion Near a U. S. Camp in
Kuwait
Manama, Bahrain, July 23 ( AP ) - Three American
soldiers died today in an accidental explosion near the
United Sates military camp at Doha, Kuwait, the United
States military said.
The soldiers were clearing ammunition remaining from a
fire and explosion that occurred at the camp on July 11
when some of the ammunition detonated, said a statement
from the Joint Information Bureau in Dhahran, Saudi
Arabia.
The names of the soldiers were being withheld until three
relatives could be notified.
"While the cause of the accident has not been determined,
we know it was not due to hostile action or sabotage," the
statement said.
Doha
The train up, deployment, activities in Kuwait and
subsequent return to Germany of the Eaglehorse
Squadron are big stories and they deserve to be told in
first hand accounts of the men who were there. So far,
only one trooper has volunteered a recollection and we are
grateful for his willingness to assist the web site. We
are, however, holding off on the narrative until at least
a few other troopers show an interest in recalling those
days in 1991. We also have very few images, less than
five, related to Kuwait in the data base. It's your
story, you guys should tell it.
What we currently offer are links specific to the Doha
explosion and fire, featuring highly detailed accounts and
images that help bring that day to life. None of the
sites are specifically concerned with the 2/11 ACR,
rather, they focus on the investigation into the fire,
explosions and then recovery efforts that occurred in the
Eaglehorse motor pool.
A factual report of the explosion, fires and clean up
efforts with photos and diagrams:
An officer assigned to the clean up recalls his exposure
to DU residue:
