For Troops at Border, ‘It’s Kickoff Time’ : Prelude: U.S. soldiers take time to make peace with themselves and their families before starting the all-out assault on Iraq.

In the hours before allied ground forces moved against Iraq to begin the hoped-for liberation of Kuwait, coalition troops knew that the turning point for which they had long prepared was at hand.

“It’s the beginning of the end,” said Sgt. William Hutchison, 22, of Wexford, Pa. “We know when this is all over we’re going home.”

“It’s kickoff time,” added infantryman John Wilson, 29, of Parkersburg, W. Va. “Once we cross that line, there’s no looking back.”

Hutchison and Wilson were among the tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers who broke camp over the weekend and began massing along the Saudi Arabia border with Iraq and Kuwait, their flak jackets on and their chemical-warfare protection gear nearby.

“It’s the day we all hoped wouldn’t have to come,” said Maj. Baxter Ennis, an officer in a division of paratroopers. “But the coalition has given diplomacy every chance to work, and up to this point it has failed.”

As he spoke, motorized columns snaked for miles across the bleak Saudi Arabian desert.

“See you in Kuwait!” one soldier shouted to another.

“See you in Baghdad!” came a reply.

The GIs were laden with ammunition, grenades and mortar rounds.

Many of them waved the American flag. Others flashed the ‘V for victory’ sign.

“No sleep ‘til Brooklyn,” one GI yelled as he drove by.

Another chimed in: “Purple heart”--the military award given to those wounded in battle.

A third infantryman called the unpaved path “highway to hell.”

“I have never seen morale higher,” said Lt. Col. John Vines, a battalion commander.

“It’s unbelievable, but it’s happening,” said Pvt. Michael Day, 24, of Costa Mesa, Calif.

Just before moving to their final positions near the border, the troops took a final timeout to write letters home and to bid one another Godspeed and farewell--vowing at the same time to have a reunion soon back in the United States.

Wilson wrote 12 letters before moving out. “You never know if it’s going to be the last goodby or not,” he said. “I thanked my mom for raising me. Told her not to worry; I’ll be home soon. I also made peace with my father.”

Day said: “I wrote to my wife and told her to take care of my son, drive on with life and be happy. I don’t want anyone crying for me.”

“Lots of guys are making peace with themselves,” said Capt. Clint Esarey. Inside his Humvee utility vehicle was an American flag.

“Time to get the show on the road,” shouted Sgt. Brian Henderson, 26, of Titusville, Pa. “It’s one step closer to home, one step closer to seeing the wife and kids. It’s the only way home I know.” Henderson carried with him a Bart Simpson doll that his children had sent him.

“Everybody’s got a score to settle,” said Sgt. Michael Spellman, 23, of San Diego. Referring to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, he added: “One man changed so many people’s lives--forever. People just want to go in there, go home and get their lives back on track.”

Many soldiers expressed a similar grudge against Hussein. “As long as he’s around, there’s still going to be a problem. If we leave him in power, we’ll be back in five years,” said Sgt. Frank Givens, 31, of Hinton, W. Va. “When we leave the theater, I’d like Saddam Hussein to be referred to as ‘the late. . . .’ ”

“He’s messed up all our lives for being here so long,” agreed Specialist Don Hancock, 26, a forward observer from Washington, D.C. “I want to hurt him.”

But others cared less about Hussein than about themselves. “I’d just like to come home in one piece,” said Pfc. Michael A. O’Donnell, 22, of New Hyde Park, N.Y.

“I’m hoping the Air Force has wiped them out so we don’t have to see that much,” added Specialist Greg Scott, 21, of San Antonio. A Bradley Fighting Vehicle driver, Scott added: “If we do get hit, we won’t even feel it. I’d rather go quick and fast than slow and suffer.”

This article was drawn from pool reports reviewed by military censors.