Carlton Meyer
American GIs can operate in austere environments for a month until morale begins to plummet from a lack of decent food, small exchange items and entertainment. During operation DESERT SHIELD in 1990, Marine Commandant General Gray addressed this problem with, "You will have high morale because I say you will have high morale." Marines were not amused. Our military has continued its harsh Saudi Arabian policy of no alcohol and no local liberty in Bosnia. A lack of recreation and good food leads to short tempers, accidents, destroys morale, lowers combat readiness, causes "incidents", and hurts reenlistments.
Our military should not wait for morale to collapse before essential human needs are provided. Whenever American GIs deploy inland by air or go ashore on a contingency mission which will last over a month, a "Liberty ship" should be deployed. This would be a small amphibious or roll-on/roll-off cargo ship loaded with fresh food, exchange items, a dozen MWR, exchange, and club personnel, and a hundred USO volunteers.
Once a "Liberty ship" arrives, the bulk food is transferred to mess units ashore and the ship is set up as a large exchange. Groups of GIs are brought aboard for a few hours to shop for candy, camera film, socks, razors, toothpaste, cookies, magazines, sunglasses, ect. The exchange includes a barber shop, check cashing, ATMs, field uniform sales, a book store, one hour film developing, video games, an ice cream parlor, and a barbecue pit topside.
As most of the exchange sells out, the empty space is utilized for entertainment. Basketball hoops and ping-pong tables are brought out and movies are shown. The wardroom becomes an officers bar, the chiefs mess becomes a Staff NCO bar, and a large enlisted club with music and drinks opens in the cargo hold. After a couple of weeks, the ship will run out of supplies and return home to load up for the next trip.
Liberty ships would have been very busy during the 1990-1991 deployment to the Persian Gulf. They would have made several trips to Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, and. again to the Persian Gulf during the first half of 1998. They can deploy within two weeks without the need to spend millions of dollars and send thousands of people to build and run base camps, like the Army has done in Hungary; though when the area is far inland, base camps are still needed and help boost war-stricken economies. Liberty ships anchored offshore are safe from terrorists, do not offend host nations (like dancing and alcohol in Arab countries), and prevent security breaches (like in Vietnam, Lebanon).
Liberty ships may also entertain crews of Navy task forces which are committed to an area and unable to make port calls for several weeks. The Navy needs to form a planning group to draw up details with mess halls, clubs, MWR, the exchange and commissary system, and the USO to allow Liberty ships to rapidly deploy. These organizations were created to support servicemen deployed to remote areas. They should welcome an opportunity to take part in real world missions to help maintain the combat readiness of American GIs deployed away from home.
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21st Century Weapons
e-mail May 1998