Storming the Desert: A Marine Lieutenant's Day-by-Day Chronicle of the Persian Gulf War

by Sean T. Coughlin

Overview

On December 15, 1990, Lieutenant Sean T. Coughlin left Norton Air Force Base, California. His destination: Saudi Arabia. For nearly six months, he served as a special staff officer with Marine Wing Support Group 37 (MWSG 37), Headquarters element.

Throughout his deployment, Lieutenant Coughlin kept a detailed diary of his thoughts and actions. The boredom of the waiting, the dread of Scud attacks, the anticipation of the impending air and ground war, the camaraderie of the troops in the field, and the anticipation of going home--all are revealed. As a part of MWSG 37, the lieutenant gives a firsthand account how the unit set up air bases throughout Saudi Arabia.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786473069
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	09/21/2012
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Sean T. Coughlin currently lives in Acton, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Chapter 1 December 1

Chapter 2 January 21

Chapter 3 February 63

Chapter 4 March 99

Chapter 5 April 135

Chapter 6 May 155

Military History 161

Index 163

Editorial Reviews

reminds us that war is 90 percent boredom followed by short periods of terror and dread”—Library Journal.

From the Publisher

Lieutenant Coughlin graduated from Annapolis and was commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1987. He was assigned to Marine Airwing Support Group 37 after completing Logistics School. Sent to Saudi Arabia, he provided essential services such as food, water, radios, supplies, fuel, and other necessities to the Third Marine Airwing. As his account reveals, in modern warfare only a small number of men actually do the fighting; most work as clerks, mechanics, computer operators, and supply people. The author kept a diary of his thoughts and actions, which remind us that war is 90 percent boredom followed by short periods of terror and dread. His book will be interesting to dedicated students of military logistics, but it is not an essential purchase.-Stanley Itkin, Hillside P.L., New Hyde Park, N.Y.

Library Journal