moi'jngraph captaji'j roger h. palmateer · 2018-11-09 · maintenance p~irl off when no...

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Page 1: MOI'JnGRAPH CAPTAJI'J ROGER H. PALMATEER · 2018-11-09 · maintenance p~irl off when no vehicles were Jost to maintenance problems. In r Company, J can only thank m/ new MAintenance

• ,.·~ .:!·· ... ·.

. . .. .. ~-".-..t .......... _ ... - ..... -· - . . . ... ~-'~:.....A ~ ... ) .. J ... ,..

TA~:;K FORCE IR(Jf'.j ll-JR FERRlJARY l99J

MOI'JnGRAPH

CAPTAJI'J ROGER H. PALMATEER

USa IS liBRARy· ET BENNING GA "-.,.,y " Jlfl .,MAn'

Page 2: MOI'JnGRAPH CAPTAJI'J ROGER H. PALMATEER · 2018-11-09 · maintenance p~irl off when no vehicles were Jost to maintenance problems. In r Company, J can only thank m/ new MAintenance

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T hi;:; i ll\/A_:::; i () n did t l.AIO t r·, i ng:=:

g Pi \I P A h 0 S t i .J P 9 Cl \I P 1· 1l m P. 1l ~~ 0 \/ P. r ? 0 ~~ () f t h 8 t () t A J IA.l 0 ~- ) rl '"' 1. ! p p J Y

Over thP next three months, the United Nations passPd

f' om Kt.J.v..ta it ..

committed one Armored, one mech;:;ni?Prl inf;:;ntry, nnP ;:;Jr

assault, and one airborne division to the Gulf defense. With

the passage of United Nat.inns mPa:-:;u,-Ps '"'hich could mean using

force against ~raq, PrPsident GeorgP Rush ordPred more trnnps

to the Gulf region In a surprise mnvs, the United States VIT

Corps, tAJhich included the lst and 3d Armored Divisions, J,,,as

ordered to move to the Gulf. To !ound out the VIT Corp) the l<.::t

Tnf.:::;nt:y Di,;isinn Mechanized, from Fn-rt Riley, Ka.nsa!":, ,,,a_cc~ aic::o

sent. The 1st Infant!y Division was not at fttl] strength; onP

of its brigades was permanently st;:;t ionPd in Furope.

To g}\/A thic:

Page 3: MOI'JnGRAPH CAPTAJI'J ROGER H. PALMATEER · 2018-11-09 · maintenance p~irl off when no vehicles were Jost to maintenance problems. In r Company, J can only thank m/ new MAintenance

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J<lln t:hA ist Tnf.snt·ry :·)1\/j~c:;ion

c:;,:wdi ;~nrl arri\JAd At. TA<-t·i<-Al Ac::=-~embly ArPA Ro0se,1elt, JocAtArl

near the SAurl; 'JillagA of Ad Dibrlib;::, IAihich is fort/ miles from

t~he b0rrler beti..JAen Ku1 ... 1ait, SAudi Arabi.a, and Iraq .. (see map

one .. )

During the peri0rl fr0m 24 December 1990 untiJ. 24 January

199J, T was part of t:hA advAnce party from Germany, then from

the port arP;:;. I held the S-4 position, but on 24 Janu.sry, I

1 ..... 1a.s sent tr .. c: Company, t:;;;t Ra.ttalion, 41.st Infantry, to A.S:"-~urne

the duties of FxectJti\/e Officer The pre11ious Fxecuti\JP

Officer had been p1-ornoted and 1"1as no1"J the batta.lion l..iaison

Officer with brigade I HAS chosPn because T had been the

Fxecutive Officer of F Company for 1.8 months t;ntil its

deactivation. While at Assembly Area Ro0sevelt, the batt.slion

task organized into a balanced Task Force .. The Task Force had

two tank companies and two Bradley eq11ipped infantry companies.

Also, a c0mpany of engtneers anrl a plAtoon of Air Defense

Artillery .srriverl to finish 0ur combRt organization This lAIMS

the organization thAt became known AS TAsk Force Iron

No long after thA .srrival, the 1st Rattalion, 41st

Inf.sntry RegimPnt, WAS chosen to move A<-ross the Iraqi-Saudi

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l.?.RQ

Page 5: MOI'JnGRAPH CAPTAJI'J ROGER H. PALMATEER · 2018-11-09 · maintenance p~irl off when no vehicles were Jost to maintenance problems. In r Company, J can only thank m/ new MAintenance

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The movement w~s over a two day period and covered over 100

miles. The rommanrlers were on the border on a leaders recon;

the first riA/. The rommanders rejoined the unit on the

movement, by using helicopter transport, the evening of the

f .i rst rlay. The movement was more than successfr1l; the hours of

maintenance p~irl off when no vehicles were Jost to maintenance

problems. In r Company, J can only thank m/ new MAintenance

SergeAnt StAff SergeAnt Mor·tor¢'1

!Aiho harl ·:ecentl y tAken ""he

position His dedication Anrl drive is what drove the

maintenance program, and his great knowledge of the systems

v.Jould fix things almo:3t as fast A.S 11..1e could break them. ()n 1 4

Februa.1y 1991, the Task Fo!ce re!5e-.;ed the screening battAlion

on the borde!. Task Force Iron faced Iraq, only four

ki1omete!s a1;.~ay.

The plan for Task Force Iron was simple: move forward,

cross the border, anrl then cleA•- in sector to within three

kilometers of the Iraqi main defensive bel.t. (See map two)

This required A three phase operation.

Phase One'®__:AJ;::;s to mo\;e tn .=Jnd ;:;cross t.he Sau.di berm. In

with Iraq to keep rhe neser~ peoples from crossing thP hoy-rler

\

Page 6: MOI'JnGRAPH CAPTAJI'J ROGER H. PALMATEER · 2018-11-09 · maintenance p~irl off when no vehicles were Jost to maintenance problems. In r Company, J can only thank m/ new MAintenance

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Page 7: MOI'JnGRAPH CAPTAJI'J ROGER H. PALMATEER · 2018-11-09 · maintenance p~irl off when no vehicles were Jost to maintenance problems. In r Company, J can only thank m/ new MAintenance

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Dt!e tn it:-:-~ height, thi~~ building p1ovirled

observation of the desert for many miles around, so its seizure

was ke/ to the plan. After this, the vehicles would move to the

berm and dismount the infantry. The dismounts would cross the

berm, clea1ing 2,000 meters into Iraq. This IA'ould ;::;.11 he

accomplished by 1200 hours. At 1200 hours, six armored combat

e;::;r t hmo\ler s L•Jnu l d cut t h; aug h t hF! berm ;::; t t:AJe l ve points The

Rradleys would then join the dismo11nted soldiers~ ThR r rompany

;,Jot) l d rno\1e S<)tJ t h, ;::; nri 8 Cornpa ny ;AIOt.:l d move nor !' 1--, 8 (:nrnpa ny ,

Tank, would then move into the gap created by the movement.

When the three companies were on line, Phase I was complete.

IAI h i 1 e '·A' e c' o :sse d i n to I r- a q , l s t ~:; ~ u a. d r on , 4 t h C a \J a. 11- y , 1 :s t

Infantry Oivision, was to cross to the no;th of ou1 battalion.

To the sotJth} 1st S~uadron, 7th C;::;,;aJr-y, 1st Ca\/Alry D5 v.i.:=::;_i.r1n

l.-\.18.8 t.o cross,. ( SPP mA.P ~-.}-~~-- ·)

During PhAse Ti..-JO, the TAsk Fo;ce 1 . ..-JOtJld mo,;e fon,fATd by t~A.IO

:rt- ~rn Wn we1e to move 1~ kilomete;s

forwArd, to within only 2 kilometers of the Iraqi mAin

defensive line Ou; intelligenc:A told us that, in :·he R.::;tta1ion

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nur-ing Phas(~ Th~·ee, IA_IA IA_IOIJ_]d hnld niJ~- pnsit·ions fo~- ?4 t_o

n~n1ai ned fon"IATd, the Angi nAers HOU 1 rl An] ;:q-gA the cuts in the

berm so thAt e.sch cut !AJOIJld allo!AI a pl."ltoon to pass in battle

formation .. AftAr the engineers werA complete, we would

withdraw to Saudi Arabia. Another battalion would assume

picket duty frorn the Saurli side.

In addition to our attachments given in the Task

On 15 Febn1ary, at 0700 hou_r-s, I ;:;n-ived 1"!5 th the Armored

rombat: F.srthmo\Jerc:: aJ}ott0rl to ot_Jy comp;:;ny; five kilornete1s

from the berm, I stopped to await the word to bring them

forward. We waited here for the next th1ee hours. During this 7

time, our company moved forward to within two berm.· The 1st

--------------------------Platoon suppressed and then captured the three sto1y houc::e on

the Saudi side of the berm. Berause of the fJ;:;tness of the -2. ~ <.. ~b'fY' ~ -

l;::; nd, from the r onf of the housA y(\u cou 1 d see tor ?0 t ,:) 30

miles with gno~ binoculars. ThA hotJse ;,.,lA:::; bobbytn:;ped anrl had

weapons, ammunition, anti-tank rockets, 1adios, ;:;nd othAr

eqr1jpment in it-, btJi- the Ir-aqis h,3d left long ;:;gn. The

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Sergeant and directed him to his position

first pJatoon to reach the herm J ... Jas .?d Platoon, under ?! t .Jim

SJ ... JP.nty, He I...Ji3.s quite shock(~ri tn find a tAnk ditch otq- side nf

the herm. This had nnt been noted by any rec::on of the area and

looked like a road from the air·.. It l.Na.s 10 fX~t?J ... Jide a.nd six

~~~t~ deep, f:o 1 .... 1e moved the armnred combat earthmmlers al J the

way to the berm early. They immediately began to fill in the

ditch 1...1here J.,..Je JAJere going to CtJt the berm T n t: he compB. ny

in charge of t~e armored combat earthmover to cut the center

two breaches. The First Sergeant, on the left, had an Armored

Combat Earthmover to cut two more breaches The Fire S11pport

Team (FIST), on the right, had the third armored combat

earthmnver to cut the last two breaches. The Commander needed

the FIST that morning, so the 3d Platoon Leader, ?Lt Minot

Crews, was put in charge of the right vehicle. •

Tnfantry covering it They moved forward three kiJ.ometers and

stopped It I....Ja.s ahout 1 ?00~J ... Jhen the !;..J(wd JAJAs gJ\len t() \:lJ.t.

Page 10: MOI'JnGRAPH CAPTAJI'J ROGER H. PALMATEER · 2018-11-09 · maintenance p~irl off when no vehicles were Jost to maintenance problems. In r Company, J can only thank m/ new MAintenance

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nn '( A~:po nsP . T ht J'( r i Hd rny \/A t"!ic:: l e rloJ"I n the bFn· rn t n f i nd t hA

1 . ..JA.i1~.1 ng and gnt ~st .. "'l·t.Hd

r-:tJtt:}ng his t1."1n holes

Platoon to use the next closest cut to reinforce their

dismounts; it was now 1115, and the nther two platoons had

fully crossed. By 1400, the last two cuts were completed, and

I was returning the armored combat earthmover. The Jd Platoon

Tt was nearly 1430 before I was in

position. My commFJnder hF>rl not tAJaited for me but h0rl stF>rterl

the company movement without me. T easily caught up because the

movement was slow and deliher8tP..

We only moved forward six kil.ometers during the day, not

the fifteen I.A.1e had planed on. I,.Je found out ; .... thy later .: .. n the

The lst Squadron, 7th Ca] vary, IAL"!S to cross to n1y

r.ompany 's right, and the 1st SqtJarlron, 4th (:;~)\Jary, IAJA.S to

cross to left of the Task Force. This would cover the flanks of

The problem was that the 1st Squadron, 7th

Calvary did not cross at all, and the 1st Squadron, 4th

Calvary, was rlelayed by dismoLtnted infantry resistance So, as

night feJl, we were mostly aJone across the berm.

:si ng.J..e t!<)0P c)f t: h~~ Tst ~,qljA_rl'f~()n;. 4th CA . .l\JA.!Y ;. c~o\'e:ec1 OtJ.r J..pft

7

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fell

~anuary JA began great; we prepared t.o move forwarrl t.o

clear ~he area to the Iraqi trenches. However, the ]s~

Squadron, 7th Calvary, refused to cross the berm or even to put

its cuts into it. The fact t ha.t the l st Ca ]\tAry Divis ion '"1a.s

under control of the XVTIIth Airborne Corps, while we were

under the VTith Corps, meant that it wasn't just trying to get

a Rrigade or Division Commander t.o coordinate the movement but

difficult. To my knowledge, the two commanders never cooperated

nere. We were still able to move forward some three kilometers.

However, we were able to move by adding the Rrigade Scouts to

ou1 right f)ank screen,. This gavA t:he screen the extra three

ki Jnmeters. l"le a.lso received t1"1o Gn)und StJrveillance k'adar

vehicles on the flank for ~he night nne was set up at the

right angle corner, the intersection of the company anrl scot;ts

~t...·

j ; !.~ .. s

can tell the exact range of a target up ~o six miles away.

prPparerl -~n·r r:ornhat·. wP started to get

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f r c)n ~

t'r1 . .:~rl tn gRt .~1 f).x:- hl0 ~c=lt::.prnPnt i_-,·rn:--:t~ (1r)t ..... .ln; .;:::;nrl i'hF-: .~(·~ft·

ptJt. orJt ·r;::;ngA str>kes,. which lAter· pio\./Prl t:o be r>. ve1y h1g

mist.ske .. As night: wore on, T

.! let my crew s]eep whi]P I kept

My vehicle w.ss positionerl 300 meters to the re.sr of the

right most platoon. The platoon tn my front was Jst Platoon,

11nder 2Lt D.sn Stricklanrl. Dan hAs spent nine years, .ss

enlisted, in Special Operations, so he was not as nervous as

many of the othPr men who h.sd less time in service .. At about

2200, the commande1 gave permission for the 3d and 2d platoons

to open fire. It was estimated that the enemy w.ss 3,000 meters

aw;::;y, but we now know that the enemy was actually between 4,000

and 5,000 meters away. Neithe1 0111 25mm cannon nor the TOW anti

tank missile t ... tould fiTe that fa1· .. About mirlnight, t . .-Je started to

get 1eports fn-:>rn the 2rl .::;nd 3d pl0toon that they ha.rl rlismou.nted

Jnfant1·y tn theiY frnnt It wa.s .s]so reporterl that sever;::;]

Two vehicles fired TOWs at the t;::;rget.s

which disintegraterl nn impact These target.s we1e ve,·ified by

t . .::;r· 9<~ t:=; IAJer A ba ~-~- P J :'.: t h.s. j~ J it j- P \' t. h<"' de'":::;,;- y· t

Page 13: MOI'JnGRAPH CAPTAJI'J ROGER H. PALMATEER · 2018-11-09 · maintenance p~irl off when no vehicles were Jost to maintenance problems. In r Company, J can only thank m/ new MAintenance

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.. -_, , ... ·. ( ; .;:~

out of the vehicle and shot an azimuth with a compass. The

eight ~anks were the twn ?latoons of the Battalion Reserve tank

night movement and orientation

While this was going nn, hoth other companies had sighted

the enemy vehicles, to the north.

vehicles as best they could. Enemy di::=:mou.nts : ..... •ere reported as

far back as the Battalion TOC

At about 0100, 17 February, it was determined that the

dismot.Jnted infantry I.AJA.S otJr onJ.y 1 . .-..1nrry a.t this time Th~C,1·e wer(~

t.snks to our front, but they : ..... 1ere out of our range. It tAJas

then that the Battalion called upon the Divisional Attack

Helicopter Battalion to come and help. At 0?00, Apaches were

on hand. The Battalion Commander tal ked them to a position to

~ne rear of C Company Both Apaches ID'rl two tanks and an

Page 14: MOI'JnGRAPH CAPTAJI'J ROGER H. PALMATEER · 2018-11-09 · maintenance p~irl off when no vehicles were Jost to maintenance problems. In r Company, J can only thank m/ new MAintenance

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\

i] -<:>'\

\ I I .:-:.t>L::.-___:,f.!.~~;,,.L.._i ____ ---tf--------1--f ---H-----i-( _1 ____ ------------·-··- --------------+-~•·•~ I

Page 15: MOI'JnGRAPH CAPTAJI'J ROGER H. PALMATEER · 2018-11-09 · maintenance p~irl off when no vehicles were Jost to maintenance problems. In r Company, J can only thank m/ new MAintenance

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Radar Vehirle. At this time, nn nne nn ~he ground knew that the

by a. n RPG te""'ln' ..

Dan came onto the company net and said that the two

The Commander asked why he sho11ld gn help when we were

VF<hi(:les .. It was then that I came over the net and said that I

t~VliJ ld go help them .. A::=; t.-'\le rnoved to aid the dest l- oyed 1.1eh.i.c Jes

crews, I called the Mediral track to move as fast as possible

to the site of the destroyed vehicles. He asked where to go; J

told him to go to the fire By the time we reached the site,

the Bradley was starting to have serondary explosions from the

ammunition aboard. I stopped my vehicle some 300 meters from

the burning vehicles and tn]rl Specialist Gregory Bateham to

grab the First Aid box and come with me. I iA.ta.s A}!e;::;rly jurnping

Mf."$_r:I--~inegu.n;; the hF~A.\J.isst l.AiAr)pon (':·fi ;ny· \/Ah.i.c--:.1.e;. a.n(-1 SergeM.nt

fight.

Page 16: MOI'JnGRAPH CAPTAJI'J ROGER H. PALMATEER · 2018-11-09 · maintenance p~irl off when no vehicles were Jost to maintenance problems. In r Company, J can only thank m/ new MAintenance

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\/f~h.-i .. I, 1_ P ..

t __ j_rne=- sma.l . .l a.rn1s arnrntJn~;t:._j_()i' F{nc~ ;.;.J..J 1~hc ~ ... lAA\liP~~ A.!TifllL_Jnji-jc)n 1.'-.i . .;:::~:

exploding. 8;;-!::eh;;m Anrl T. nper:erl OtJr f1.'1k vest"': ..:;r:d, lifting the

two wounderl men to their feet, wrapped them insirle nur f]ak

We then moverl as f;;st ,.:;s we ~ouJrl ;;s far as

they ~auld go, only about S0 meters nnGe the soldie,-s were

vehicles attention. T fnt.J.nd nt.J.t t.hese \lPh;cles I..,Je:F" 8 ::::;e~t.ic>r,

from D;;n's platoon (two vehicles): Dan was try3ng to find any

st .. i.r\/_1..\1();-:3 a.nci gt __ Jp;y-cJ l.J.:~

t~me, my merlical vehicle w;;s on hanrl. My chief medic, Sergeant

Post, ca.me up and cheGke0 ou1- t.he L>,IOlJnde~d, A:::; h<"·: 1,,;;:.::'--~ ch<'-'c-.k5 ng

out SFr Miller, a piece of shrapnel from one of the many

explosions caught him nn the chin He felt his chin, saw that

it was still there, and continuerl to work SFC Miller. We had

gotten both men into the Aid vehi~le when the two other men

were brought in.

had found out th;;t there were eight men in the two vehicles So

n·J.=,teJ-:3 u:sing hi:"': night \/JSJ.nn si.ghj~::::; to look out, 1.A.1hile T !.-'tent

: . .~.i.p iA_lfi flt.Ari t f)

Page 17: MOI'JnGRAPH CAPTAJI'J ROGER H. PALMATEER · 2018-11-09 · maintenance p~irl off when no vehicles were Jost to maintenance problems. In r Company, J can only thank m/ new MAintenance

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: £ I ~. •-

,;_:;'to:.! nc~

I • •, I

\/Ph.1 c.l ~~::. r1n(~

his rear, had tried to rlrop the ramp to th2 hack to let out the

t-J,..IO men in the re;:;_r ;;nd then jumped n::t. He harl founrl thP APC

driver laying on the ground and pulled him About 100 meters

away from the vehicle Dan had found the dyivers hirling

wounded mPn nn my vehicle.

directly to the berm. However, I did not realize that the

Scout line was Angled b;:;ck to the southwest This caused me to

go to the ~ront of the Scouts. Soon: on ~- R.s tta. .1. i f'>fl r.nrnrnA. nr1

~Jet , I J.._J;;;.s he,=; r -~ ng reports f~- orn the Senti t s that a. n ¢:PC I"Ja.s

going across their front. The Commander then put t;AJn ;;nd t~,.o.;o

together and knew it was me. He broke tn on their net and told

them that jt might be me.

(:.l } .1. f () l J I '_,,_; 0 I. J n d A (j : 11 h ) " \/ P h 1 C. : ·"' '"! .:=, .,. <": :~: ~- A_ h ) R ,. T '~' P t t f·. ,"';

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c; i dp of the :ght

to t he s i t A to pi r. k ': p t he hod i e <::

BrigadA CommandRr, Colonel Weisman already thPre .

. ;:;;bout picking up thP bnd1Rs.

During the day, we searched the are~ 1n whirh the fight

next 48 hnttiS, r T c.~t.J '(

~--.inlP:3;; l,...JF-: hA.Ci jt.JSt fi!0\/8(~; anc1 i ~- n;i_SSf-;r~ U:S" ThE~ ()thP'( t.~.fnE! 5 _,_

hit directly in front of the 2d and 3d platoons It did not

i. ':jur·e .3.nyone but d.id hit so c.~ nse to : .. t- c·r-e:At '::::: vehicle that he

1ost his hearing for +wo days.

By n i g h t , ~ ... ~ e h .3. d r t3 p l e n i :s he d o u r am m t J. n i t. i o n r~. n d set i n

;:::;irning stokes. At 1700, we got the mission ~o move ~orwarrl SJX

kilometers aftPr dark.

c~ornpA. ny ha.d lost .i. nc>f=·eJ a.t . .i \/8 ..

[,ihiJe R CompA..n¢ nP.l.y h,;irl nnv'/1:.'-.sd]P/.j.-;ghting \}ehir.le ~,Jjt·h c:·;.:·e-r-at·i.ona] t.hPrrn.0Y/Jof t:>-,p thi.:·t,=o-sn 8.""'"'';·;JnPci P.y t.'~~ing .3.

n.i_gt .... ~t s.i.g~--~t. c:c)nt..inl_JOU:~-:;}~,__.. fr)1- 0\JP;t~ :i0 hc)\! 1 -:~:::: t'"h(~~/ ~t-.Ji.1.1. :st-.. :--...:-1~ i·_.:)

,_ -.... ~- ~ 1 . - () ... h 1. u-. . , r • ... J () )l 1 . P

)

' .,

Page 19: MOI'JnGRAPH CAPTAJI'J ROGER H. PALMATEER · 2018-11-09 · maintenance p~irl off when no vehicles were Jost to maintenance problems. In r Company, J can only thank m/ new MAintenance

c .. ,rnrn."l nde·1· J ....... '.I

0

8ne of the

bursts blew a hole jn the side of the medical vehjc]e About the

size of a man's fist

The rnc was not this ]ucky: just as it was

attempting to move to a new position, 82mm mort~~ fi~s came

1n. The people inside the HMMWVE's were very vulnerable; nne,

.1.1 ... ~ ::?)tA\JPn Nott l.A.IA~~: i.A./Ot.J_nrled; ou.r- f.i.f'st ::::::n.1rJ5r::~· >.iC·l ... :.nrler~ by-

\~~ n.:~rny f .i.r e ..

I,.,Je found

out, as we moved, that we were not to be replaced after all.-

We withdrew to assemb]y points prior to crossing the berm.

When we arrived at these points arti]let·y hit the tank company

np, )< t. to thp F.xec:ut i\/e Officer·::.~ 1~r;.>c:k.

Tl-'-~p f:YPC:t.rti\/~~ C:ffi.cp;-"::::: .. ,..._:..:h: .. --:··- _;;;_;-:-;() ~r)::::~t

~ c i .)

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Cavalry Regiment.

During the mission, ~he battalion had lost two vehicles

a.nd two men killed, pltJS nine men l.":ntJnded

a~raid of artillery or th~ enemy

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~=ght sights for so long

~nntinuously for

worked out a solution: only nne hal+ of the people wn1lri have

them on unless in contact.

2. Ranges in the desert are nearly impossible to guess T , _ _, } 1!

the desert, you can see for extremely long ranges. You need t.o

have one of two things: Either a laser range finder or range

.~ .(.: ~ ·' ; n:;··

C~:ot .. Jnd St_j_:-\'Pi . .l ; __ ,snce Ra.d.s_;-; 0-.JR h.~_c1 f1() r..:-jngP f5_-;-:.:J.i.ng

capa.bilities .. YotJ mu:st alt ... JF,.y:s ptJt 5 n t-Ange stakes, r-egR..:·d]e::::::::;

the thermal night sights, we were lost Using a compass to

move in pitch black darkness is not easy, nor lS it safe. In /

the morning, we found that we had only moved a hundred meters, ./

bt Jt two eng 5 llf"!Pr veh i c J es had made CJ0 degree turns .. You mtJSt ------~

lack nf maintaining procedure.

instead of missi].es first

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I,'

r:: •. J .,

~n my company, the commanrler of the vehicle next to ~he

destroyerl scout vehicle froze ~Jhen a. :~n.1.c{5. f--~~- freA7PS =- y()t_J

shou.ld get him help 1rnmed5 i'lteJ y .. We a)lowerl the solrlier ~o go

he finally s&w a rloctor

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ncr.:

.... ~--;f r··· nt :- :··/

::~. nrnf.).~_ ny' R ('>rnpAn)/ C:;

r-0rn}:·0 ny~ r-"::;;

0

F:pg i. ~nent l s t 8 ,-; t~ t A. 1. in ; : , 1 ~: t 8 n t t~ ;.;_ 1 .i. f) Tl .

~c1 R.~'i t. tA. 1. 5 .. (> n

0

{~ ~ c~ ~ T ; '] -l:-' •j r. t ~- '/ q (:': ·.; ~ !YI (-.:.:· ~--: -~

41~-.t- T.,--if··.=-int·:>~ ~ffJPl·lt

66th Armn~ Regime~~ ~nmpany R, 3d Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment ~omp."lny· [.', 3l7th Fn9inep;- G..::•t:t-.3) ion

~~ _., .- :

3rl Platoon, Battery C, ?rl Battalion, 3rl Ai~ ~eFense Artillery Regiment

Fil-e '?-uppcn-t Fiernent Regiment

·syst.Pn·, Su.pport. Te0.rn :- 498t.h ~)u_ppc;rt 8.s.t~.r~ . .J.: nn

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0

(~ !. J -t- h () l i t )'' : p A I M g I rl_ p h ·~ w. '"!_ (~J .. (~ F< f~) 7 _--:, -- .r:) ·· 1.

Rery ::-;;<) n: F () 1- (-:: ~< t..1· An;- c~ ~i n.4 ·~"" ~/ ht-~ y· c:. ~ ::::rn 1 ~-: ... l c. t- -; c) n .~ :_~ . .:::) _j 11~=: t· n ~-l .~-3 r- rni-::·c:

.:::nPrny .. T;:;.sk F\)'((:P "1,~4~ iJ..iA:.-::-: r:--l[-! f~i·r::::";t (~();..,"~-:-·inn ~r-_.:·-;-_p t-c:. h·(,~ ... ':JC:~-: 1-h~"' SAudi A1-AhiAn hnrc-Jr_,r- on 15 F~~bn;.o::;1·y ~<::)·?~ .-"lnd (-.n~idt;,_t ~.;;~-nt:'1.:-

r:ornt";Pit. n!=~P·:-;3_t.i()ns in T;·,.-:,q engA_g.ing ln rli_·r-.c:::(t ,;T";(i 1:--~""li·rr.::r.~ fi·r,::..~

f i g h t. :3 w 5_ t h t- h F~ P n ern ~/ r'> r: .1.. 7 F t? ~) r i ; .::::; 1- y 1 9 (_) ·; T }-~ P T .s s k F c. r .: ·: t=·: 1.~1.3 :~::

p0rt ()f t.hP \/TT CC·lp~; rnAin att ... :;r.k t)r:~gin~-~-;---~·:-; :/>1 r=:,~r)-r:Jnr;./ i..9gl .-~:-.

u- conducted A. fon .. J;::;nj pA:3sAge through 1st Tnf;:,n1::·y Di<.;j::::;inYr elements and begAn A mission to c]eAr a ?nne which again 1·esulted in enemy contact. On .26 Feb1-:J;;,-y, fed }o1,.,1i ng n (,(?;

kilometer roAd mArch, the TAsk Force immerllately engAged ~n ground combAt with armored and dismounted enemy of brigAde si?:e. For six horJ;:s i.t J...J.">~: i.m;o)\/ed in contintJous comb;::;t :.Ai~i·!---,

a tenacious and determined enemy occupying extremely well prepared and heavily fortified bunkers. Task Force infAntry elements dismounted And engaged the enemy in numerous short rAnge fire fights while methodicAlly clearing the extensive hunker complex. By Morning the Task Force had systematicAlly ,..educed the entrenchPrl eonemy po::=dtion:~~ in ?:one C:ont.in:Ji::g ,=<:"":

p.;;yt of the \!IT Co1·p::::: .sttAck the TAsk r(wc<=:, tL31/e1Jed s:::, k .i 1 om etA r f.~ 5. n .1. e s s t ~A. n ? 4. h () u -r s w h .i .1 e ·8 n g A g i. n g 8. t· s h () r t r a n g e multiple, dug in enemy tAnks Jn ambush pns'tinns the Task For c e : e a c he d i t s f i il a. _;__ o t:= j e c.~- .i. \; e ?. e cAl): t. _; 0. ·r y -~- 9 91 :.N 5 t h A p u. 2: h which continued the destructjnn of enemy Prmored vehicles. During the entire ground cAmpaign, invol.vi~g their at.t.Ack through Iraq into KuwAit, Task Force 1-41 travelled over 200 kilometers in 72 hours And destroyed 65 armored vehicles and 10 Artillery pieces, while cApturing over 300 enemy prisoners.

Thef~e tc.)ta.1.s d<) not. inc:.l.lJ.rl~ the rn.:.:~n>/ c-a.pt;:.rer: enern::/ .s·,...-;nor-r~rl

ve h 5. c J. es; v.;h i J. e the 300 p:·- .i. :sc)ner s is A. l CH/..: f .1 gt.n·- <-::

-·(7,1

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Arrr1/ TimP:'-~, "SI-JTFT I<Tr:K: ?d 1'~1-nH'H-"d Cn<.i.'lll·y nf u·,p Gtlriid." :-) (,llSJIISt ]C:91; pp 10-l'·l, 18

Reg i f'\){:o,ni· ':'··:

?8-<i0; {, ~ t .-1.rn i n9

?'\nny TirnP:':o: , "r:nM T NCo THROUG:---:: T hP F~ i ~~l !·:;·ed R n i d . " ~)r·, (~t 1 <_;:JL; :~~: 1001, pp .. :? u.:,-1n, 20.

Ar n1y Ti CfiPS, "HFI ! nr:tobPr 1991 , pp

I\ITGHT: Thp Rlnnd/ R;:;rt Jr, nf 1\ln-.-fcq· ,, R , 1 4 -· J {-, , 1. 8 , :? ti 6 q .

Thr, Wall StrAet Journal 1991, pp A1 and AS.

., /