Description

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During Operation Desert Shield the United States Army sent several hundreds of thousands of men and women to the Saudi Desert as part of the Coalition which would eventually liberate Kuwait. Some of these soldiers were Air Defense Artillerymen. Secrets and Scuds focuses on one of these units, "B" Battery, 2nd Battalion 1st ADA, as it is put on a war footing at Fort Bliss, TX, travels to the Middle East, and uses its Hawk surface-to-air missile system to help create an impressive network of antiaircraft systems in the region. What was not revealed at the time was that 2-1 ADA was equipped with a second, secret, weapon system. Where most medium-range SAM systems (like Hawk) employ radar to detect, track and destroy targets, the Alpha system employed an entirely new principle undetectable to the enemy. Desert Storm would be the first opportunity to test this weapon system. James "Doc" Crabtree served during the Persian Gulf War as a Tactical Control Officer for the Hawk missile system and an operator of the notorious Alpha system. Crabtree's humorous insights, photos and cartoons tell the story of Bravo Battery in a way no other medium could.

About the Author

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James "Doc" Crabtree is a veteran of the Cold War, serving as a U.S. Army Hawk Surface-to-Air Missile Crewman. He later served as a Launcher Crewman in the Patriot SAM system and was trained as a Stinger gunner. Commissioned prior to Desert Storm, he served as a Tactical Control Officer in a Hawk IIIA battery and also served as the site reconnaissance team leader. During Desert Storm he located and secured several missile sites in addition to his duties as a TCO. Leaving active duty for a time to pursue an academic career, he remained in the National Guard. He returned to active duty in 1998 and participated in Operation Desert Fox, which is largely forgotten now. Later he served in Operation Southern Watch, which served to enforce No-Fly Zones in Iraq and protect US allies in the Gulf from Iraqi air and ballistic missile attack. Crabtree returned to Iraq in 2005, serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He would also serve as a peacekeeper in the Sinai and as a Public Affairs Officer at Guantanamo Bay. Throughout his military career Crabtree has written prolifically and has drawn cartoons poking fun of military life. He has published three other books, On Air Defense, Guerilla Air Defense and Orange Berets, and has had cartoons featured in several military publications.