Although some soldiers left in advance, the main body of the 143rd Signal Battalion, as well as a detachment of soldiers from C Co. 17th Signal Battalion deployed from Frankfurt, Germany Christmas Eve, 1990.
The Small Extension Nodes (SEN) stayed back waiting to deploy with their subscribers. This group left between December and January of 1991.
The 143rd Signal Battalion arrived in country and gathered at what became known as "Tent City", and "Cement City" staging areas not too far from King Abdul Aziz Port, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
The SEN teams moved with their subscribers from the port
to various staging areas. Maintaining a system of Secure Mobile
Telecommunications, the
143rd kept pace with the 3AD as it moved
north participating in
FTX:
HUMMEX I & II, command level
training exercises designed to prepare the units for the upcoming
battle.