An American Oasis in Iraq's Shadow

 
By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service
  
	PRINCE BIN SULTAN AIR BASE, Saudi Arabia -- U.S. forces may 
have created an air-conditioned oasis here with cable news and 
swimming pools, but they can never forget one dire fact: Saddam 
Hussein looms to the north. They live and work in the shadow of 
Iraq. 
	U.S. troops here know they are "smack dab in the middle" of 
the conflict between the Iraqi dictator and the United Nations, 
said Air Force Brig. Gen. Bentley B. Rayburn. The 4404th Wing 
(Provisional) commander said recent tensions have put added focus 
on his unit's real-world mission.
	"We were the lead story for quite some time," Rayburn said. 
"For at least a month and a half, troops here knew what they were 
doing was the central issue of world events." 
	When CNN reported Hussein's threats to shoot down American 
U-2 surveillance planes, airmen knew it was their planes under 
the gun, he said. It was up to their jet fighters and other 
combat aircraft to protect the U-2s when they defied the Iraqi 
challenge. 
	People at the remote base are extremely interested in world 
events, the commander said. "I will get stopped by everybody from 
young enlisted members to officers talking about what's going on. 
They'll say, 'I heard them say this on CNN, what's your 
reaction?' And, they'll tell me what they think."
	Even those not actively involved in flight operations see 
and hear aircraft taking off nearly 24 hours a day, Rayburn said. 
Whether they're pilots, maintenance crews, security forces or 
support service personnel, everyone supports the same mission: 
Operation Southern Watch. 
	More than 4,500 troops here, including British and French 
air forces and U.S. Army Patriot missile crews, help enforce the 
U.N.-mandated no-fly, no-drive zone. Coalition aircraft fly 
sorties into what's known as "the box" over southern Iraq. 
	Readiness at Prince Bin Sultan is extremely high, Rayburn 
said. "We know the job we're supposed to do, and we are ready, 
willing and able to do it at a moment's notice."
	Stringent security measures help keep troops from feeling 
particularly vulnerable, he said. "Force protection measures are 
visible. Even the person who may work in civil engineering or as 
a jet engine mechanic, though his job may not be manning an 
outpost, nevertheless, he sees force protection each and every 
day."
	The American base is located within a Saudi Arabian air 
base. U.S. Air Force officials have ringed the U.S. working and 
living areas with observation posts, checkpoints, obstacles and 
high-tech security devices. Security forces make up about 10 
percent of the wing.
	"This is probably one of the most secure places in the 
world," said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Luke Carney, a support services 
NCO from San Jose, Calif. "First, [a terrorist would] have to get 
onto the Saudi base, then [the terrorist] have to get in through 
our gates. Everything that comes on [base] goes through a search 
procedure."
	Generally, morale remained high during recent tensions with 
Iraq, Carney said, but there was some apprehension among the 
ranks. "There were a lot of rumors floating around that people 
who were ready to go home might not get to go. But things have 
calmed down." 
	Base residents are "confidently cocky" about the Iraqi 
threat, said Air Force Staff Sgt. Harold Stull, from Omaha, Neb. 
The 55th Communications Squadron photographer said, "We're not 
too worried about Saddam."
	Air Force Master Sgt. Art Tovar, who arrived at the desert 
base in late November from the 838th Engineering and Installation 
Squadron at Kelley Air Force Base, Texas, echoed Stull's 
attitude. 
	Tovar said he's confident coalition forces can handle the 
situation with Iraq. "It doesn't scare me," he said. "We took 
care of it last time. We'll take care of it again."

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