Robind Air Force Base (Georgia), Jan 11: Some 500 US
troops shipped out of here bound for Kuwait today, part of a
contingent of thousands reinforcing those in the Gulf region
preparing for a possible war with Iraq.
The 3rd Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division climbed onto
a charter jet for the long flight to the gulf, hours after
pre-dawn tearful good-byes at their home base at Fort Benning.
The soldiers are among some 4,000 sent to the region this
week. They will meet up with two other us military brigades
for a total of some 16,000 troops near what could be the front
lines in a US-led invasion of Iraq .
The soldiers belong to a combat division, which uses
tanks and personnel carriers to move quickly across the
battlefield.
These men - combat units are comprised almost entirely of
men - just returned from several months in Kuwait. They are
now returning after only a month-long break.
Dressed in desert camouflage fatigues, boots and helmets,
and carrying all their gear and weapons on their backs, the
soldiers shuffled through the processing line, and then onto
the plane. Some squeezed out last minute cell phone calls from
the tarmac.
Bureau Report
