- 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
Return to Friendly Lines
It was starting to get dark and the wind and sand were starting to pick up so we assembled our group to run through the gauntlet of Ambush Alley yet again. For the return trip, I commandeered a Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) machine gun that wasn’t being used and felt a little better about my chances in a firefight. We lined up our four vehicles -- an LAV in the front, my vehicle, and the RCT-2 CO’s vehicle, followed by another LAV. We had two tanks standing by to come to our assistance if we ran into any problems.
With only four vehicles in the convoy, we were able to travel at a tremendous speed. I sat sideways in the HMMWV’s seat, facing outboard and ready to shoot anything that moved. Much to my relief, nothing did and soon we were across the southern bridge. We slowed to a safe speed as we re-entered friendly lines. It was getting dark fast and I was ready to be back in the relative safety of our command post.
Just as I was starting to breath easy again, 2/8’s battalion commander came on the radio and asked us to stop where we were. He related that a half a mile ahead of us one of his HMMWV’s had just been shot at by an Iraqi tank.
Oh great, I thought, there’s an Iraqi T-62 tank loose on the road in front of me! Our two light armored vehicles were ordered forward to help locate and destroy the tank that had now disappeared in the darkness. The wind started whipping ominously as I stood there peering into the dark looking for the Iraqi tank I just knew was heading in my direction.
We arrange our defenses the best we could. We had one AT-4, light anti-tank rocket launcher, two heavy machine guns, one light machine gun, rifles and a couple of grenades. We were very concerned about the possibility of shooting a Marine vehicle that might be traveling our way from the direction of the tank. The minutes ticked by.
Looking for the Iraqi tank ahead
After about a half an hour, several vehicles from 2/8’s Combined Anti-Armor Team (CAAT) pulled alongside of us from our rear. We breathed a collective sigh of relief with the TOW missiles pointed down the road. Their team leader stated they thought they knew where the tank was and were getting ready to call in artillery.
I was treated to the business end of the "king of battle" up close. Round after round impacted no more that 1000 yards in front of me. The artillery mission was repeated twice for good measure. As soon as the last round had impacted, the CAAT vehicles moved forward to ensure the tank had been destroyed.
An hour after we had stopped for the tank, we were given the go-ahead to move forward. After a seven-minute drive, we were back in camp. The wind had picked up and the sand was blowing hard. There was a storm front moving in.
That evening we moved 3/2 from their positions in the vicinity of the western bridge to a spot south of the Euphrates River Bridge near 2/8. We needed more combat power in the area to start clearing the city out. There were some minor engagements with the Iraqi’s occurring that evening, but the action was light enough for the night watch to handle without me.
It rained hard before I hit the rack that night. The farmer’s field we were in was designed to trap and retain rainwater using irrigation techniques perfected over thousands of years. What it meant for us was thick mud everywhere. I was exhausted. At quick scan outside indicated that the skies were clearing. I decided it would be safe to sleep outside in my usual spot behind my truck. I took off my boots and socks and set them beside my helmet and flack jacket where I could get them quickly in the middle of the night if required and crawled into my sleeping bag.
By the time I realized it was raining, it was too late. It was pouring cats and dogs. I was relatively dry and warm still inside my sleeping bag, thanks to its gortex outer shell, but my socks and boots were beyond hope. I tried to nudge them under the HMMWV and went back to sleep.
Waking up in the mud.
I woke up the next morning in four inches of water. My Staff Sergeant looked over at me with pity. He said later that he had never seen someone look so miserable as I did that morning. My helmet was half-full of water and my boots were drenched.
The Staff Sergeant had the sense to sleep in the HMMWV that night. He helped me build a cardboard bridge over the mud to my seat in the truck. I sat with the motor running in front of the heater for quite a while attempting to dry out my boots.
Next...
Iraqi Counter Attack!
Iraqi night attack on our rear area.