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A year after deadly Saudi bombing, U.S. forces carry on
June 25, 1997
Web posted at: 6:54 p.m. EDT (2254 GMT)In this story:
From Reporter Rick Lockridge
AL KHARJ, Saudi Arabia (CNN) -- A year ago, a terrorist bomb tore through a U.S. military complex in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 Americans in a surprise nighttime attack.
With its housing destroyed, the Air Force relocated its personnel to a tent city at an air base in the Saudi desert. But even with enhanced security, the 4,000 men and women who live there are seldom at ease.
Their mission is to help defend Saudi Arabia from Iraq, enforcing the no-fly zone and keeping Saddam Hussein in check. But it's not the Iraqi military that the U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia fear most.
Their greatest threat comes from inside the country they are defending. Well-organized Saudi terrorists are bent on driving out the Americans, whom they perceive as infidels. And U.S. commanders have gone to great lengths to avoid another attack like the deadly truck bomb that exploded June 25, 1996, at Khobar Towers.
'It's going to happen again'
"We know it's going to happen again, so every day we are not attacked, unfortunately, I feel, puts us closer to the next terrorist attack," said Brig. Gen. Daniel M. Dick, commander of the "tent city."
These days, however, the American forces are not as vulnerable as those who were at Khobar. The tent city has multiple perimeters, each heavily fortified.
"The theory is defense in depth," said Lt. Col. Ron Armstrong, squadron commander. "We have over 300 security policemen and women assigned to the squadron."
Few outside vehicles are permitted to enter. And those are exhaustively searched.
"The truck bomb has so far been the preferred method of terrorists," Armstrong said. "We address that in various ways. We have physical security measures as well as technical ways of trying to prevent that kind of attack from happening again."
Aftermath painful for survivor
At the center of all the defenses is a single, long airstrip where commanders choreograph the daily patrols over southern Iraq. One of the planes carries Staff Sgt. John McCarthy, who was in Khobar Towers the day of the bombing and nearly lost his life.
"I don't remember the explosion," McCarthy said. "After the explosion I sat up, tried to see and found out I was blind. (I) screamed a few words. The next thing I remember I'm outside."
McCarthy said the aftermath of the blast was also painful.
"I knew five of the ones from our squadron who didn't make it," he said. "It's tough. It's one of those things where you just press on with your life. You think of the five individuals when you can. You never forget."
Inside the tent city, boredom is often a problem for the young Americans, although the tents are deluxe models with wood floors and even cable television.
Comfort aside, there is little socializing, and the Saudi hosts allow no alcohol on base and frown on co-mingling. The Saudis, who are building permanent housing nearby, insist that their American guests abide by strict codes of conduct.
'Welcome to hell'
"There's a policy against sexual activity on the base, and as far as we can tell, it's being adhered to," Capt. Emily Piercefield said.
"My daughter wrote me a poem and that made me cry, but it also made me happy because I know she misses me and I talk to my husband, and I'm just waiting to get back to him," Sgt. Kim Dukes of Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, said.
Before rotating home, tradition calls for a visit to boot hill. That's where the airmen leave their footwear along with irreverent messages before gratefully boarding the transport back to the states.
Those arriving here face a different greeting. "To the new GIs ... Welcome to hell," a sign reads.
These forces have indeed been through hell -- and now endure its closest earthly parallel on a daily basis. Hardened by fire and numbed by boredom, they draw their commander's praise for what they have built out of canvas, rope and courage.
"We truly have risen (like) a phoenix from this desert," Gen. Dick said. "I'm extremely proud of what the men and women of the United States Air Force have accomplished here."
Special Section:
- Video Almanac: 1996 -- Saudi blast
Related stories:
- Saudi dissident's plea postponed for medical tests - June 19, 1997
- Impact: Osama Bin Ladin: Holy Terror?
- FBI chief's trip to Saudi Arabia indicates blast probe 'coming to a head' - November 22, 1996
- Massive bomb rocks U.S. military complex - June 26, 1996
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