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| Axis of Evil |
| V Corps troops in Germany get orders |
| 2003-01-02 |
| A group of V Corps soldiers got their marching orders for the Middle East on New Yearâs Eve. The orders are the first of what officials expect to be a flurry of deployments to the region from Germany in the opening weeks of 2003. Some 800 troops from four of the corpsâ main support units will deploy to the Middle East over the next month, V Corps spokesman Maj. Dean Thurmond said. âThey will be deployed for an undetermined period of time,â said Thurmond. Soldiers on holiday leave will not be affected, he said. âThe deployment will take place over the next month or so, so thereâs really no reason to cancel leave.â The vast majority of the contingent, Thurmond, said, will come from the 94th Engineer Battalion (Heavy), part of the corpsâ 130th Engineer Brigade. Led by Lt. Col. Paul Grosskruger, the battalion is known as the Wolverines and is based in Vilseck, Germany. With more than 100 pieces of heavy construction equipment, the battalion specializes in building up infrastructure â airfields, roads, barracks and other support facilities â in time of war. Also handy for bridging rivers, got a couple of those around Baghdad In addition to the engineers, soldiers from the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade, communications experts from the 22nd Signal Brigade, and truck drivers, mechanics and logisticians from the 3rd Corps Support Command will also be deploying. Logistics win wars The latest group of V Corps soldiers will follow a 550-soldier task force of attack helicopters from V Corpsâ 11th Aviation Brigade, which deployed to Kuwait in October, as well as a cadre of headquarters staff, which has kept the corps command post up and running inside Iraqâs tiny southern neighbor following top-level war games there last month. Yup, the HQ is still operational, ready for kickoff Headquartered in Heidelberg, Lt. Gen. William Wallaceâs V Corps leads the vast majority of combat units in Europe, including the 1st Infantry Division and 1st Armored Division. The leaders of those units â along with top staffs of the U.S.-based 1st Cavalry Division and 101st Airborne Division â are slated to gather in Germany for war games under V Corps in mid-January. Dubbed Victory Scrimmage, the exercises are designed to flesh out invasion plans into Iraq, should the White House order the military to remove Saddam Hussein from power. Dotting the I's and crossing the T's While Thurmond declined to say specifically where the V Corps contingent was heading, a senior military official familiar with the orders said the majority of soldiers would be going to Kuwait, adding the deployment is only the first wave. âThere will be more to follow in the coming weeks,â the official said privately. Gathering speed, and hardly anyone back home who isn't paying close attention even notices it's happening |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #5 Here's a question: how many of our people will RETURN to Germany after Iraq is over? My guess, and it isn't original, is that this is the start of the eventual removal of our forces from Germany. Schroeder's cracks last year haven't been forgotten and there are other European countries would would LOVE to have our people stationed: Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary to name a few... |
| Posted by: R. McLeod 2003-01-03 02:55:31 |
| #4 Anonymous: If I read the article correctly, this is a staff exercise. The only people from the 101st going to Germany are a troupe of officers. The helicopters and men with guns will be . . . oh, someplace with a lot of sand, I'd wager. This will not delay the liberation of Iraq. Modern communications being what they are, those officers in Germany could issue orders to the troops without having to leave the Hofbrauhaus. Alternatively, the Middle East is just a C-130 ride away. |
| Posted by: Mike 2003-01-02 12:43:07 |
| #3 101st Airborne Division â are slated to gather in Germany for war games under V Corps in mid-January. Dubbed Victory Scrimmage.... Meaning the attack will not come in January but a minimum of 60 days after? |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-01-02 12:14:34 |
| #2 A few years ago. Everyone who wasn't disbanded moved down south to Heidelburg. All the facilities in Frankfurt were returned, except 97th hospital which is mothballed. Only thing left in Frankfurt, as far as I know, is AFN. They plan to move south as soon as new facilities are built. Sigh, the PX/Commisary compound including the Topper Club was torn down for a new police training facility. Spent many a night in the Topper Club, met my future wife there. Good times. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-01-02 12:09:15 |
| #1 V Corps used to be headquarted in Frankfurt - when did that change? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2003-01-02 11:56:32 |