- Introduction
Introduction to the writer - Breaking the News
How I told my family I was leaving in ten days. - The Road to War
Planning for combat operations aboard the USS Bataan enroute to the Middle East - Hurry Up & Wait
Life in the assembly area - Camp Shoup, Kuwait - Attack Positions
Occupation of final staging areas in Kuwait - Crossing the Line of Departure
Attacking into Iraq. - Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Speeding down the highway at night, without lights (going the wrong-way). - Attack!
Attack to seize key bridges in An Nasiryah. - "Punch out the TAC CP"
More action in the Battle of An Nasiriyah. - Running the Gauntlet
Racing through 4 miles of enemy held city. - Return to Friendly Lines
My encounter with an Iraqi tank on the return trip. - Counter Attack!
Iraqi night attack on our rear area. - Jessica Lynch Rescue
The rescue of Jessica Lynch and the next mission.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
A Personal Account of the Battle of An Nasiriyah
Attack Positions
We knew something was up. Voice of America was reporting that the President was going to set a deadline in the next day or so. The Army’s 3d Infantry Division had moved out of their camps to an area near the Iraqi border -- ostensibly to make room for the 101st Airborne Division that was flowing into theater. The 1st Marine Division had left their camps for a mobile command post exercise that was supposed to end near the Iraqi border. We knew we would be getting our orders to move out soon.
Vehicles staged to move out to attack positions
The Regimental Combat Team command element was broken down into three components. The Advanced Logistic Operations Center (ALOC) was home of our administrative, supply, motor transport, and maintenance sections. The Main Command Post (Main CP) contained the majority of the regiment’s command and control systems and personnel and was where the commanding officer and staff were normally located during the war. The Tactical Command Post (TAC CP) was the regiment’s forward command post usually comprised of eight vehicles and 30 or so Marines. The TAC CP went forward to get closer to control the battle or facilitate the movement of the Main CP. When not active, the Marines of the TAC CP fell in with the Main. I was a member of the TAC CP.
The RCT moved to the tactical assembly area on the 20th of March. The TAC CP was established in Camp Shoup to control the units’ movement north to the border. On that day, the 3d Infantry Division and the 1st Marine Division kicked off their attack early. Our movement out of camp was delayed by the failure of some Heavy Equipment Transports to show up on time to move our bulldozers, tanks and Amphibious Assaulot Vehicle (AAVs or Amtracks). Several times throughout the day, we donned our gas masks in response to Iraqi SCUDs fired in our vicinity. On one SCUD alert we heard and felt a large explosion nearby.
The RCT-2 Tactical Command Post
We set out for our attack position as the sun was setting on the evening of the 20th. The amount of military traffic heading for the border was unlike anything I had seen before. It was like the worse beltway traffic jam I had ever experienced. After driving for about three hours, we were stopped by a 1st Marine Division roadblock about 5 kilometers shy of our objective. They wanted us to go back from where we came and take a different route. It took 20 minutes of convincing from the Regimental Commander himself to get us through that intersection.
After we finally arrived at the assembly area, we were instructed to dig in and go to MOPP level 2. MOPP stands for Mission Oriented Protective Posture and provides different levels of protection against biological or chemical attacks. MOPP-2 forced us to put on our chemical protective suit. Wearing the chemical suit is like wearing a kid’s snowsuit -- not the most comfortable apparel in the Iraqi desert. We wore our MOPP suits for a month. Fortunately, they are made of layers of charcoal and carbon fibers. It’s like wearing a body-sized "odor eater", which was good thing because our next shower was about a month down the road.
We were close to an Army mobile rocket launching system (MLRS) battery that evening. It was surreal watching the MLRS rockets launch, seeing the Tomahawk cruise missiles fly over, and listening to the aircraft scream north on their strike missions. It was a strange feeling knowing that tomorrow I would be attacking into Iraq. I wouldn’t say I was scared or even nervous; I was just amazed at the whole spectacle and exhausted from the day. I did some final coordination and hit the rack, watching the spectacle until I fell asleep.
Next...
Crossing the Line of Departure
Attacking into Iraq.