With Marines in Operation Provide Comfort: Humanitarian Operations in Northern Iraq, 1991 - Kurds, Saddam Hussein, Incirlik Air Base, Camp Sommers, Zakho, Gallant Provider, Kurdish Relief Efforts

Professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction, this excellent book by the tells the story of more than 3,600 U.S. Marines who supported Operation Provide Comfort, an international relief effort in northern Iraq from 7 April to 15 July 1991. The term "monograph" was carefully chosen. This short work does not purport to tell the entire story of Operation Provide Comfort, but focuses on Marine activities and contributions. The author presents historical glimpses of the Kurds, modern Iraq, and non-Marine activities only to provide necessary background information. This monograph is not an exhaustive analysis of the operation nor does it try to define Provide Comfort's place in the diplomatic history of the Middle East.

The U.S. Marines have continued a long tradition of humanitarian relief operations. Assistance during the San Francisco earthquake, Hurricane Hugo, and Operations Sea Angel and Fiery Vigil, and Restore Hope are but a few recent examples of these efforts. Provide Comfort was another such operation. In less than three months allied forces created a safe haven in northern Iraq, provided emergency food and medical aid, moved more than 750,000 refugees back to their homeland, and helped them reestablish normal lives. Marines were among the first Americans to deploy, and then were among the last to leave northern Iraq. During that time the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) operated more than 500 miles from its sea base, the farthest inland a Marine expeditionary unit had ever been deployed. A purpose of this monograph is to show how the success of Operation Provide Comfort can serve as a case study for future humanitarian operations.

Lieutenant Colonel Ronald J. Brown has been a member of Mobilization Training Unit (Historical) DC-7 since its inception in 1976. This unit, composed of specially skilled reservists, augments the activities of the Marine Corps Historical Center. Members include historians, artists, and museum experts. Each member is assigned a suitable historical project. Additionally, members practice fieldcraft and test division doctrine by participating in major exercises or deployments. However, the ultimate purpose of the MTU has been to provide historians for combat and contingency operations. It was envisioned that teams of historians and artists would be called to active duty and assigned to major Marine commands should such a contingency arise. This plan was first tested during Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada) and was validated during Operations Desert Storm and Provide Comfort.

Lieutenant Colonel Brown, a history teacher in civilian life, was an infantry officer in Vietnam. Formerly executive officer of MTU(HIST) DC-7, he is also the author of A Brief History of the 14th Marines. Lieutenant Colonel Brown was sent to Saudi Arabia in 1991, where he served as deputy command historian, then later, command historian, I Marine Expeditionary Force. He volunteered to cover Operation Provide Comfort. He was joined at Zakho, Iraq, by Colonel Peter M. "Mike" Gish, a retired reservist famous for his work as an artist. The results of their efforts were combined to produce this monograph.

This work is one of an experimental series about U.S. Marine operations in the Persian Gulf. Each monograph will be written by historians who actually participated in the events described.