ISBN
Discusses the terrorist truck bombing of Khobar Towers that occurred in Saudi Arabia on June 25, 1996. Nineteen American servicemen were killed and many people were injured. This account of the Khobar Towers bombing, so eloquently narrated by Dr. Perry Jamieson, tells the story of the horrific attack and the magnificent response of airmen doing their duty under nearly impossible circumstances. None of them view their actions as heroic, yet the reader will marvel at their calm professionalism. All of them say it was just their job, but the reader will wonder how they could be so well trained to act almost instinstively to do the right thing at the right time. None of them would see their actions as selfless, yet countless numbers refused medical attention until the more seriously injured got treatment. Throughout this book, the themes of duty, commitment, and devotion to comrades resoundingly underscore the notion that America's brightest, bravest, and best wear her uniforms in service to the nation.
This book is more than heroic actions, though, for there is also controversy. Were commanders responsible for not adequately protecting their people? What should one make of the several conflicting investigations following the attack? Dr. Jamieson has not shied away from these difficult questions, and others, but has discussed them and other controversial judgments in a straight- forward and dispassionate way that will bring them into focus for everyone. It is clear from this book that there is a larger issue than just the response to the bombing. It is the issue of the example set by America's airmen. Future airmen who read this book will be stronger and will stand on the shoulders of those who suffered and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. No matter what conclusions the reader might reach, one continues to return to the magnificent actions of young Americans far from home working in grueling conditions, who just do their duty. A duty they do without equivocation and for the love of their country and their service. Ultimately, then, this is a story of victory, because the Air Force learned from Khobar Towers.
Table of Contents:
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
The Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XV
Tragedy
1 Approaching 10 PM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2 Operation Southern Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3 Stay Alert, Be Observant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4 The Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5 In the Wake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Response
6 Golden Hour. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
7 Accounting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
8 Wednesday: At Khobar Towers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
9 Wednesday: Elsewhere. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
10 Three Departures from Dhahran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
11 Honoring and Remembering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
12 After the Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Appendix: Biographical Sketches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Illustrations
Maps and Diagrams
Middle East . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
T-Building Typical Floor Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
U.S. Section Khobar Towers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Dhahran Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Photographs
This publication is filled with personal stories of American Air Force members and their experiences during the bombing and its aftermath, and the book is, therefore, an informative and inspirational account of what service members might experience abroad when disaster strikes. In addition, policymakers, members of government, and military tacticians and leaders can use this book as a reference for the real experiences which service members face during a bombing and how to train military members, be sensitive to the needs of the members after the event, and plan for increasingly better tactics in the face of violent attacks from enemy combatants. Military historians and students engaged in political and military study, and members of the general public who wish to read harrowing-yet-inspiring first-hand accounts by service members will find this publication useful.
