Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
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9:01 | After the Battle of Mogadishu had resulted in heavy Somali casualties, the rules of engagement were tightened for subsequent operations. Alex Adkins was part of an amphibious force that came to evacuate UN forces and he had this constant dilemma. Can I fire back now? How about now? Part 2 of 3.
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Seventeen year old Alex Adkins was about to sign up for the Army when he got a call from a Marine recruiter. Son, are you about to make the biggest mistake of your life?
Desert Shield was kicking off when Alex Adkins reported to boot camp. His first unit was a reserve outfit that had been activated for the war and never deployed. But he was an active duty grunt so the Marines had another plan for him.
When Alex Adkins reported to 1st LAI, it was deserted. The unit had deployed to Desert Storm and when they did return, he instantly became a unworthy boot. The unit then combined with the DEA to search for drug traffickers in the California desert which made for some unusual interactions with the locals.
When Alex Adkins got to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, the first stop was Okinawa. There was a memorable incident involving a typhoon, a swimming pool and beer. His enlistment period was just about up when he extended to deploy to Somalia.
It was a unique operation in the history of the Marines. International UN forces had to be evacuated from Somalia and an amphibious landing was planned. Alex Adkins was part of the Marine component which was tasked with security. He was finally going to get to land on a beach like in the movies. Part 1 of 3.
The Marines were loaded up with less than lethal weapons. Alex Adkins figured that the president, the Joint Chiefs and the State Department were worried about a bloodbath when they landed in Somalia to evacuate UN forces under siege by warlords. Even the Cobras had flares instead of high explosives. Part 3 of 3.
On his way back from Mogadishu, Alex Adkins had the pleasure of a Tiger Cruise. This allows male relatives to sail with the Marines from Hawaii back to San Diego. His father joined him and got to fire many weapons from the fan tail. Where was all this ammo when I was in Mogadishu?
