58
Liberating Kuwait
comprising the boarding force. After forming in late October, the special maritime force practiced boarding operations throughout November.6 In late December, the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade’s boarding force conducted its first maritime interdiction, the most complicated interdiction undertaken during the crisis. The Iraqi vessel Ibn Khaldoon was known as the “Peace Ship” and was intended as direct challenge to the UN embargo. It sailed from Tripoli, Libya, with female peace activists, children, and journalists from a variety of countries on board, and the vessel’s cargo was listed as milk and medicine. In accordance with the UN embargo, the Ibn Khaldoon was interdicted on 26 December. The Marines and sailors of the boarding force subdued the ship’s crew with minimal force; one Swedish peace activist who suffered a heart attack during the boarding was saved by the Trenton’s medical personnel. The swift, professional interdiction denied Iraq a propaganda victory. The final Marine boarding operation of Desert Shield came on 30 December when the brigade’s boarding force took an Iraqi tanker, the Ain Zallah, again with minimal force.7
Happy Holidays from Saudi Arabia The president’s 8 November announcement that American forces in the Persian Gulf would be reinforced in anticipation of liberating Kuwait led to a series of visits by senior civilian and military leadership throughout the month. These culminated in
the Thanksgiving visit of President Bush and his wife, First Lady Barbara P. Bush, accompanied by several senators and congressmen as well as Army General Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On 22 November the president and his wife enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with the Marines, and the president gave a speech warning Iraq again that it must withdraw from Kuwait. On 23 November the presidential couple visited with Marines and sailors on board the USS Nassau.8 Marines celebrated the Marine Corps birthday on 10 November with cake and food; the customary toasts were given using nonalcoholic beverages. Many Marines later recalled this birthday celebration in a war zone as one of the most memorable of their careers. Thanksgiving was celebrated in a similar manner, although the presidential visit dominated the holiday. Christmas was very sparse as preparations for the upcoming offensive kept all the Marines in the Gulf occupied, and Christmas religious observances were muted in deference to Saudi sensibilities. Despite these conditions, Marines were showered with packages from the Red Cross as well as myriad parcels from home addressed to “any Marine.” In fact they received so many of these packages that carrying them was difficult.9 Officers and noncommissioned officers worked hard to maintain troop morale during the holidays. Captain Michael J. McCusker of Company I, 3d Battalion, 3d Marines, later described one of his own efforts:
Jay Leno performs a stand-up routine for the Marines in the desert during a holiday USO tour. The unusual environment notwithstanding, Marines remember he was quite funny. Photo courtesy of Maj Thomas P. Simon
