Helmet Full Of Sand: Jif Miles: The Late Cold War Years

August 1990: Colonel Jif Miles commands a brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division when the powerful Iraqi Army conquers oil-rich Kuwait. Within weeks, the brigade is rushed to Saudi Arabia as the vanguard of Operation Desert Shield, tasked with helping the kingdom defend its vast oil reserves from an Iraqi invasion while other American and allied forces prepare to deploy, with the goal of creating an unbeatable coalition.

But coalition building is a difficult and complex undertaking. The Saudis, who despise the presence of non-Muslims on their sacred land, are hostile hosts and reluctant warriors. Every allied nation attempts to impose unworkable conditions for their participation. Armchair generals in Washington constantly hatch foolish strategies that risk turning the American vanguard into Iraqi speed bumps.

But there are more challenges facing Jif and his men than the numerically superior Iraqi Army just across the border. The oppression of living for months in the desert, where the ubiquitous sand infiltrates everything, takes its erosive toll on men and machines. The rumors of chemical weapons delivered by Scud missiles become a constant worry. And there’s the ever-present suspicion that their Arab allies, when put to the test, might not fight their fellow Arabs, the Iraqis.

But the sound military leadership and deliberate buildup of Desert Shield pay off; the combination of technology, brilliant strategy, and combat power culminates in a perfect storm—a Desert Storm. It makes veteran warriors like Jif Miles believe they’re finally living the embodiment of the Sun Tzu prophecy as expressed in The Art of
He will win who has the military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.