the Division Marines located at Camp Commando, as it impacted just outside the camp, less than

a kilometer from the Division Administration Center (DAC). (This was the first of only a very

few missiles that got through the shield of the Patriot system in that area. Later, others were to

strike civilian targets in Kuwait City, including a pier and a shopping mall.) The Scud Alarm

sounded 38 times at Commando Camp, but the Patriots successfully destroyed all other missiles.

The Marines at Camp Commando were made well aware that the defensive systems were not

infallible, and that they too were very much a part of this war. Fortunately, none of these

missiles were armed with chemical warheads.

20 March

Clearing the Obstacles and Passage Of Lines with the Kuwaitis

The last minute Kuwaiti obstacle reduction continued. The Kuwaiti contractors hired for the

job were skilled and efficient, but the Iraqis had chosen to make the task more difficult by the

occasional mortar attack. Some of these mortar fires were quite well aimed and caused the

Kuwaiti contractors a bit of concern. Alpha Company, 1st Tank Battalion, and Alpha Company,

3d LAR Battalion reassured the contractors by their presence, and the engineers continued to

push to get all the breaching work accomplished in time. Marines rode 'shotgun' on the

contractor's equipment, using their Night Vision Goggles (NVGs) to help guide the efforts. The

berm reduction crew even took two enemy prisoners prior to the commencement of ground

operations (G-day). Two Iraqi border guards had made their way across the border, and told a

tale of beatings and executions by the Regime. The legal status of these defectors was

questionable, as they had come into Kuwait prior to the commencement of ground operations,

and they were turned over to the Kuwaitis. The last of the breach lanes were cleared just in time

to support the Division's attack.

The Kuwaiti 26th Brigade in the east and the Brigade in the west manned their positions

along the border to detect and interdict any Iraqi infiltration. These units each had

Reconnaissance and antitank missile elements operating well forward in the border obstacle area.

In the tense pre-combat environment, conducting a smooth Passage of Lines (POL) that avoided

fratricide was critical. An accident at this point could derail the early momentum of the attack,

even before the Division crossed the LD. Over a two-day period, the Marines would conduct a

smooth RIP with the Kuwaitis on the border. On 19 March, RCT-7 passed forward of the 61St

Tank Battalion of the Kuwaiti 26th Brigade, and on the following day RCT-5 conducted a

passage of the 7th Battalion of the Kuwaiti 35th Brigade. Because of the careful pre-coordination

efforts of Major Clark Watson, the Division LNO to the Kuwaiti Land Forces, the POL at the

border was accomplished without incident. A few days later, after the Division had passed

through, the Kuwaitis occupied forward positions on the border and resumed their vigilance

against Iraqi threats to the Coalition's rear areas.

Tensions along the border area remained high, especially for Marines and the

counterbattery fight. With the counterbattery radars in position, the 'Cannon Cockers' provided

responsive fires within minutes. This aggressive, responsive counterfire was to be demonstrated

repeatedly during the ensuing weeks. In one instance, 3" LAR Battalion under Lieutenant

Colonel Stacy Clardy had pushed Alpha Company u to the berm to screen forward of the

Division's Attack Positions and the firing PAs of lit Marines. Captain John Custis' Alpha

141
Company began to receive incoming mortar fire from an Iraqi border guard post across the

border, and called it in. Before Alpha Company could even get the 'snowstorm' (incoming

artillery) report out over the radio, 11th Marines had detected the enemy mortar fire and had

engaged with counter battery artillery. Alpha Company also returned fire, in the Division's first

direct firefight cross the international border. Unwisely, the Iraqis initiated the action, and were

met with a deadly response by the Marines. A combination of indirect fire, 25mm Bushmaster

cannon, and a single TOW missile destroyed the border guard post, eliminating the threat.

Moving into the Attack

On 20 March, I MEF officially took control of the battlespace, and 3d MAW began vigorous

preparatory fires on the Iraqi 5 1st Mechanized Division. The Division still anticipated a two-day

separation between A-day and G-day, and waited, poised to go at anytime. The Division would

get its battlespace at 1500Z on 20 March, and H-hour was set for 0300Z on 21 March. ('Zulu'

time is referenced to Greenwich Mean Time. It provides a common time reference for forces

operating across time zones, and is important to avoid confusion between forces that may be

operating thousands of miles apart. The local time in Iraq was typically three hours ahead of

'Zulu', so 0300Z corresponded to six o'clock in the morning in most of fraq.) Fire Support

Coordination Line (FSCL) One would also be established at 1500Z, followed by FSCL Two at

1 530Z. The Division CG was in constant motion as he worked with higher headquarters to

adjust the timing of the opening

fight to match the circumstances on

the ground. Throughout the day,

he was to stay in close contact with

Lieutenant General Conway, Major

General Brimms from the 1st jj Division, and Major General Amos

from 3' MAW. The Blue Diamond

team was in its 'fighting stance',

and stood balanced and ready to

attack.

As the shaping fires began to

execute, and the Division prepared

to attack the following day, a

strange incident took place. The

G-2 had confirmed the movement

Marines in the Division Main CF monitor the progress of the of additional infantry elements to shaping efforts. Marines worked in close concert to collect and

process battlefield information in order to direct fire assets and the border area with the departure

maneuver units, of the tiN Observers. With the P-3

aircraft and Pioneer UAV, the

battlespace just across the LD had been observed repeatedly (to the limits of these platforms) and

there was no other significant activity noted. The Division was prepared to execute the attack

against the base enemy laydown that had been briefed. As always, there had been a number of

conflicting intelligence reports received, some indicating greater reinforcement by the Iraqis in

the south. One of the challenges for the Division had been to sift through the competing and

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often contradictory intelligence indicators received from external sources, and patch together its

own assessment of the enemy's laydown to the front. The G-2 had not been able to verify any of

the more 'spectacular' claims of massive reinforcements in the south. In fact, on 20 March,

NIMA had produced a comprehensive laydown of the 51 St Mechanized Infantry Division,

identifying the locations of most of their equipment, and not detecting any major reinforcement.

On this day, however, RCT-7 received a strange visitor who was to influence the execution of

the Opening Gambit.

An Iraqi informant was brought to the RCT-7 CP by a clandestine American unit. When

questioned by a skeptical RCT-7 command team, this informant was presented as a credible

source that had never been wrong in the past. Now he gave RCT-7 a new report that the Iraqis

had stealthily positioned an entire Republican Guard Armor Brigade to the terrain just north of

Safwan. To further corroborate his story, the informant made a phone call to a contact north of

the border, who reported that he could see the enemy tanks being hit by air as they spoke, and the

tank crewmen running for cover. This brigade had allegedly moved into their positions over the

last several nights by a combination of road and rail, and had infiltrated into well-camouflaged

positions under cover of darkness and bad weather. The reported presence of this brigade ran

counter to the intelligence reporting from higher, and, if true, significantly altered the enemy

picture to the front of RCT-7. The 'ghost brigade', if truly there, was right where one would

expect it to be in order to counter the Division's attack. Complete fidelity of the Iraqi order of

battle had been constrained by the lack of comprehensive imagery coverage for the last couple of

days. The report seemed highly unlikely, but it was possible. There had been various reports of

T-72s throughout the month of March, but none had been confirmed. The Division

Commander flew out for a face-to-face meeting with the informant. An entire brigade of T-72

tanks was a justifiable concern on the part of Colonel Hummer, and the concern was voiced to

the Division. The G-2 scrambled to confirm or deny this reporting, but could find nothing that

would indicate it was true. As is often the case with HUIMINT of this nature, however, it was not

possible to prove the negative (i.e. the G-2 could not 'prove' the tanks were not present.) The

tanks could not be detected by any of the assets looking at that area, but did that mean they were

not there, or was this a tribute to their excellent camouflage techniques? Did the enemy tanks, as

reported, have thermal covers that hid their heat signatures from infrared detection? The

Division CG received all this information and contemplated his options.

The Division's reaction to this crisis was a perfect example of the aggressive and proactive

spirit the CG had built into the Division. There was no way that the fog of war surrounding this

incident would be lifted before the Division planned to launch its attack, and many might have

recoiled from that uncertainty. Recognizing the criticality of every moment for the preservation

of the strategic oil infrastructure, however, the Division was to take a different course. The CG

was adamant about the Division's responsibility to facilitate the success of the RCT commanders,

and this would not be an exception. Now the CG was going to simultaneously address the RCT7 commander's concerns and accomplish the Division's operational missions by aggressive

action. Far from being deterred by this information, the Division viewed it as an opportunity.

Not only would the Division crush the 51st Mechanized Division, but they would also bottle up

and destroy whatever elements of the Republican Guard the Regime had foolishly thrown into

the path of the Marines. "If those bastards are down there, we were going to bottle them up and

kill them all," was the CG's expression of a new plan that would send a shock wave through the

143
enemy ranks. Within hours, the

Division made the necessary changes

to the base plan. In a tribute to the

flexibility of the Marines, a plan that

had been carefully worked for

months was quickly adjusted to meet

the realities on the battlefield within

hours. No small part of the new plan

was the participation of the everready 1st UK forces on the eastern

flank. With a quick call, the 1st

Marine Division CG and the

Commander of the 1st UK Division

were able to coordinate the attack of

1st UK forces into a portion of the

zone that would now be unused by The CG and ADC discuss intelligence concerning the 'Ghost

the Marines. Without hesitation, the Brigade' reported north of Safwan. "If they are really down

there, we are going to bottle them up and kill them alL" Brits agreed to support the revised

plan, sealing the enemy's fate.

Under the revised plan, the Division would first launch RCT-5 to block Highways 8 and 1

north of the Rumaylah oilfields to ensure nothing escaped west once the ground fight began.

RCT-5 would also take the early opportunity to seize the western elements of the critical oilfield

infrastructure, preventing their destruction. RCT-7 modified its scheme of maneuver to send

Tank Battalion and 3d Battalion, 4thi Marines (3/4) to the west of Jabal Sanam. This taskorganized force would emerge from the north side of the rugged Jabal Sanam terrain into the

flank of the alleged T-72 force. The other elements of RCT-7 would then attack through the

smoking ruins of the alleged Republican Guard unit, and seize their original objectives. Major

Ron Spears, the RCT-7 S-2, worked with the G-2 to find a new attack route for the Tank task

force and continued to look for T-72s. Lieutenant Colonel Nick Vuckovich, the RCT-7 S-3,

developed the new orders for the conduct of the attack. The RCT-7 staff emerged with a plan

that they later assessed was even better than their original base plan at achieving the RCT

objectives. The Division CG consulted with the I MEF CG and 3d MAW pushed fixed and

rotary wing aircraft north of the border to locate and destroy this alleged new tank threat.

As fate would have it, one of the Division's M1A1 tank platoons from 1st Tank Battalion was

in a forward position at this moment as part of the security force for the border obstacle

breaching. As a condition for continuing breaching operations, the Kuwaiti contractors working

on the berm had adamantly insisted upon tanks in an overwatch position. Alpha Company, 1St

Tank Battalion, sent one tank platoon forward. It grew dark but the berm reduction continued, as

did the enemy mortar fire. Rumors about enemy reinforcements near the border were also heard,

contributing to the fog of war experienced in the tense border area. Captain Banning, the

Company commander was with the forward platoon. While forward positioned, his tank

traversed the turret to the rear for the gunner to pass the thermal imager to the driver. The

tankers heard AH-1W Cobras overhead, and were motivated by the air support being provided

on the far side of the border. Realizing that the Cobras operating in their airspace were not under

144
their control, however, the Air Officer

scrambled to find out just who was

controlling them. Just then, one of the

Cobras fired a Hellfire missile toward

one of the friendly M1A1s on the

border. The missile impacted the tank,

generating a large explosion and a ball

of flame. Fortunately, this was a new

type of Hellfire called an AGM- 11 4M.

It was an Annular Blast Fragmentation

(ABF) munition designed to produce a

multi-directional blast designed to

destroy targets via fragmentation.

Because of the type of missile used, it

did not penetrate the tank's armor and

This MJA1 took a direct hit by a Hellfire missile when it was only Captain Banning was injured. He

mistaken for an Iraqi tank by supporting aircraft. refused evacuation, as it was "too early

to leave the fight." Alpha Company

was later chopped to RCT-l, and the Marines would be very happy to have Captain Banning and

his company later in the attack to Al Kut. The aircraft that fired the missile had come from

HMLA-269, flying off one of the ships of the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) offshore.

Subsequent investigation revealed that the aircrew had misidentified the tank and its position

relative to the border due to the poor visibility, and a

heightened awareness of a potential Iraqi armor

presence near the border. This incident served as a

significant reminder to the members of the Division

and 3d MAW. No one needed to be told twice to

display their air panels, and aircrews across the

Coalition were reminded of their positive identification

responsibilities. This incident was one of a very few

friendly air fire incidents that were to happen

throughout the war.

Now, another threat loomed. The Iraqis were

reportedly beginning to destroy oil wells near the

southernmost GOSP, only three kilometers north of the

Kuwaiti border. The Division's attack was still

planned for the following morning, but concerns began

to build as the risks to the oilfields became more acute.

The Pioneer detected and intelligence reports

confirmed the burning oil wells. Later in the morning,

VMIU reported that another welihead in the vicinity of

Iraqis began to ignite their own oil the GOSPs was on fire. This was an indication that the

wells as part of a 'scorched earth' much-anticipated destruction of the oil infrastructure

campaign. Because of the rapidity of . . . . . was beginning. Iraqi missile attacks continued, and the the attack, the Division was able to

secure most of them intact, alert code, "Lightning, Lightning, Lightning," was

145
repeatedly sounded. There were reports of missile strikes landing near Camp Commando, and

the boom of distant explosions in the Iraqi oilfield areas could be heard (whether from American

bombs or Iraqi sabotage was not known.) The risk of destruction of the oil infrastructure was

becoming unacceptably high.

On the Division's eastern flank, 3 Commando of the ls UK Division, including the attached

15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (whose ground combat element was 1st Marine Division's own

Battalion, 1st Marines) successfully seized the Mina-al Bakr offshore oil terminal in the Arabian

Gulf, and the pipeline manifolds on the Al Faw peninsula; critical elements to restoring the oil

infrastructure required to rebuild Iraq. The Division cheered the success of their comrades, and

looked across to the South Rumaylah infrastructure with anticipation. It was imperative that the

MEF unleash the Division soon before Iraqi sabotage made it too late to get the rest of the

infrastructure intact.

The CG and MEF Commander review options for Marines pass the final Kuwaiti border checkpoint

launching the attack to secure the oil infrastructure, before entering Iraq near the South Ruinaylah

oilfields.

The CG was in constant communication with the MEF Commander, and together they

reviewed the strategic options. Presented with the opportunity to secure the infrastructure intact

and possibly destroy an RG brigade in the process, both men were eager to strike. Lieutenant

General Conway communicated this to the CFLCC Commander. As the senior commanders

weighed this situation, the Division CG called Colonel Dunford at RCT-5 and told him to be

prepared to go earlier than the scheduled crossing of the Line of Departure (LD). "No problem,"

was the reply. The CG called back again and told Colonel Dunford to be ready to go the evening

of 20 March. Again, "No Problem." The CG called once more to say it did not look like the

Division would attack until dawn the next day. After receiving another call from the MEF

Commander, however, the CG called Colonel Dunford a final time. "Grizzly 6 (Colonel

Dunford) this is Chaos, how fast can you be ready to go?" "General, we can go now," came the

reply. The new LD time for RCT-5 was set for 1730Z on 20 March.

146
Crossing the Line of Departure

In the latest of a flurry of FRAGOs, the Division issued the order for RCT-5 to initiate the

attack. The main effort shifted from RCT-7 to RCT-5 to support the change. RCT-5 would

attack in zone to defeat enemy forces and secure the critical oil infrastructure. This would

prevent further destruction of South Rumaylah oilfields, would block the westward retreat of the

alleged RG brigade, and would isolate the 51st Mechanized Division.

Artillery-delivered shaping fires on their way to silence artillery supporting the Sf' Mechanized

Division in the South Rumaylah oilfields.

With the accelerated timetable, the shaping fight took on new urgency. Third MAW and 11th

Marines turned to the fight with a vengeance. With only a few hours before the scheduled

Division LD, Aerial Interdiction strikes were focused on the pre-attack targets identified by the

Division and previously cleared from the Restricted Target List. The previously scheduled

preparatory fires syllabus was adjusted to the new timings, and these fires began. Jabal Sanarn

was struck repeatedly in the afternoon and into the evening by fixed wing strikes. At 0220Z, a

section of Harrier jets dropped five Mk-83 one thousand pound bombs on Jabal Sanam. Rotary

wing strikes followed closely on their heels, and the Cobras closed in to kill anyone remaining

alive on the mountaintop observation post. The rotary wing assets also flew against identified

fixed border guard posts, and gave them similar treatment. Elements of RCT-7, deployed in the

Division's security zone, enjoyed a front row seat to this awesome demonstration of firepower,

147
and their confidence for the

coming battle continued to grow.

Now it was the Cannon Cockers

turn. 11 th Marine Regiment

preceded RCT-S's attack with a

30-minute preparation fire on the

enemy's artillery positions. As

the Marines of RCT-S later

passed through the devastated

Iraqi positions in the South

Rumaylah, Lieutenant Colonel

Mark Toal expressed

appreciation for their artillery

brethren, "Artillery did a hell of

ajob on the Iraqis!"

On 20 March, RCT-S, led by

Colonel Joe Dunford, became the

first major ground combat force

committed to the removal of the

Saddam Hussein Regime. The

major elements of RCT-S

included 2d Tank Battalion,

commanded by Lieutenant

Colonel Mike Oehl; 1SI LAR

Battalion, commanded by

Lieutenant Colonel Duffy White;

1sl Battalion, Slh Marines,

commanded by Lieutenant

Colonel Fred Padilla; 2d

I Batta · Slh M' lon, annes,

commanded by Lieutenant

Colonel Dan O'Donohue; and 3d

Battalion, Slh Marines,

commanded by Lieutenant

Colonel Sam Mundy. The RCT

was supported by 2d Battalion,

Illh Marines, commanded by

Lieutenant Colonel Paul

O'Leary, Bravo Company, 1sl

Combat Engineer Battalion,

commanded by Captain Brad

Aiello, and CSSC-US,

commanded by Captain Suzan

Thompson. Elements of 1SI

Radio Battalion, 1sl Intelligence

Captain R. Michael Ackerson describes the roll into

combat with Ironhorse:

Awakening at 0100 on 20 Mar 2003 to don MOPP suits,

comfort became the first, if unofficial, casualty of this

newborn war. Over the course of the next 12 hours, the

brevity code "Lightning, lightning, lightning" would ring out

at least 3 or 4 times. Scrambling into MOPP-4 became

altogether too familiar. Every Marine is well versed in

"sucking it up ", enduring conditions that would floor the

average civilian. Day one of the war was serving up an

appropriate warm-up - some time to mentally dig in for the

upcoming suffer-fest. Ironically, MOPP-4 does confer one

advantage: At that point, the discomfort meter is already

pegged. Simmering inside my NBC mask and protective

gloves, 1 knew 1 was at the maximum; "All-clear" would

bring the luxurious pleasure ofwearing only the MOPP suit,

flak, and associated combat gear. That is, ofcourse, until we

were being shot at...

At 1530 (on 20 Mar 2003), amid the bustle oflast-minute

preparations and adjustments, the words abruptly cut off a

thousand preoccupied thoughts: "We're going in two hours. "

So much for 12 hours of notice. A hundred faces, an equal

number of expressions. Excitement, fear, concern, relief that

the waiting was (finally) almost over. Game day had arrived.

Moving along the tanks ofDelta Company, 1 exchanged hasty

words with many of the Marines, particularly those of White

(2d) Platoon. Some of this group included Major Cox,

Captain Lindgren, Master Sergeant Eisel, Sergeants Hughes

and McDonald, Corporals White, Dolce, and Johnson, and

Lance Corporals Juliana and Bowers. Major Payne jogged

in, announcing our departure in 30 minutes. 1 gave a thumbsup, saying "Good luck, boys, kick ass" and broke into a trot

towards the cae.

A voice in the track shouted an expletive, announcing that

he hadjust seen an incoming Scud Missile shot out ofthe sky.

All eyes turned skyward, remaining there to watch the light

show provided by outbound ATACMS and RAP rounds. Not

long after that, "Lightning, lightning, lightning" was heard.

Sweet. Masked up, we settled in for the inevitable - a long

night in MOPP-4. We were amazed - but not complainingwhen we received the order to unmask. Back in monitormode, the Bravo Command rumbled through the breach.

Each Marine was absorbed in his own thoughts, isolatedfrom

one another by 80 decibels ofmechanized racket.

148
Battalion, and other supporting elements were included. The RCT's assault elements

successfully crossed the LD at 1 730Z, after smoothly adjusting to a timing that was nine and a

half hours earlier than the originally scheduled H-Hour.

20-2 1 March

Grizzly in the Attack

RCT-S's plan to cross into Iraq, block the alleged Republican Guard Brigade, and secure the North and

South Rumaylah oil infrastructure.

RCT-5's mission was to seize the four strategically significant GOSPs of the South

Rumaylah Oilfields, block the 6th Armor Division at the North Rumaylah Bridge, and block the

51st Iraqi Mechanized Infantry Division along Highway 8. RCT-7 would attack to their east at

the original H-hour, less than 10 hours later. RCT-5 attacked through two breach sites, each

consisting of three lanes. Just prior to the attack, the Iraqis emplaced a minefield in the middle

lane of the western breach site. The lane remained fouled during the attack despite the efforts of

Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams, and a sniper who shot several of the mines causing

them to explode. This obstacle had no significant effect on the attack. 1st LAR Battalion,

supported by 7th Royal Horse Artillery's light gun batteries, established the RCT security zone

149
inside Iraq, and provided overwatch across the RCT-5 zone of action as the RCT prepared to

attack.

Second Tank Battalion ('Ironhorse') led RCT-5's main attack through the western breach site,

moving through breach lanes 'Red 1' and 'Red 3'. Ironhorse attacked quickly through the

relatively open desert on the western flank, in order to establish a blocking position that would

trap the enemy in the Az Zubayr area. Over the next 10 hours, Ironhorse would push beyond the

initial over-watch set by 1st LAR Battalion and advance into uncovered enemy territory. They

attacked along an axis to the west of the oilfield infrastructure, uncovering Iraqi ground at a rapid

rate and destroying everything hostile in their path. Twenty-seven enemy vehicles and more that

100 enemy ground forces were destroyed in their initial attack.

As dawn broke on 21 March, 2d Tanks established their blocking position on Highway 8.

This was accomplished with minimal communications with the RCT-5 CP beyond RCT-5

reporting successive waypoints and significant enemy contacts. Battle Position (BP) 'Tank' was

25 km west of Iraq's second largest city, (Al Basrah), and situated in the rear of Iraq's 51st

Mechanized Brigade. From this position, Ironhorse was capable of disrupting the Iraqi defenses,

and provided a catalyst for the Iraqi's hasty retreat. The battalion had attacked through

approximately 70 km of enemy territory, entirely under the cover of darkness, in just 10 hours.

Conditions were now set for adjacent elements of RCT-5 to secure their key objectives.

While Ironhorse moved to trap enemy forces to the east, RCT-5's main effort, 2d Battalion,

5th Marines (2/5), followed in trace organized as a mechanized task force. The battalion peeled

off to the North Rumaylah oilfield highway bridge, establishing a blocking position. Along the

way, 2/5 secured the North Rumaylah oilfield infrastructure. The blocking position of 2/5 was

important to block any attempts of the Iraqi 6th Armored Division to reinforce or counterattack

south of the Saddam Canal. Second Battalion gained contact with the enemy, and soundly

defeated the estimated brigade-sized force in the North Rumaylah, capturing the brigade

commander. With 2/5 and 2d Tanks in

their blocking positions, the enemy

was held at arms length while the

remainder of the RCT moved in

swiftly to capture the oilfield

infrastructure.

First Battalion, 5th Marines (1/5),

followed by 3d Battalion, 5th Marines

(3/5), attacked through the eastern

breach site, lanes 'Red 4 - 6'. First

Battalion attacked to seize the two

southernmost GOSPs and the South

Rumaylah intermediate pumping

station. Just before the timetable had

been accelerated, the battalion staff

met to conduct a last minute review of On the road north through the oil fields, columns of dense

their attack (planned for the following oil smoke mark oil wells the Iraqis had ignited.

150
day.) During the session, the Marine on radio watch handed the Battalion Commander an urgent

message. Lieutenant Colonel Padilla read the note, then looked up and said, "Guys, we're going

right now." The Iraqi actions to ignite oil wells in the South Rumaylah required 1/5 and 3/5 to

cross the border immediately in order to prevent the further destruction of the oil infrastructu:re.

Lieutenant Colonel Padilla gave some final instructions, and the meeting began to disperse.

Before everyone could hurry off, he stopped everyone and said, "Hold on. Chaplain, where are

you?" Lieutenant Cash, the battalion chaplain, who had been standing behind Lieutenant

Colonel Padilla during the meeting, led everyone in a short prayer before they left to carry out

the mission.

After gearing up, the Battalion crossed the LD and entered Iraq. One hour prior to crossing

the line of departure, the battalion was notified that there would be 30 minutes of preparation

fires before they crossed the LD. The battalion quickly prosecuted known targets with available

assets, focusing on Air Defense Artillery (ADA) and indirect fire assets. Three km into Iraq,

Alpha Company encountered an Iraqi tank platoon supported by dismounted infantry. These

were quickly destroyed by javelin, tank main gun and AAV up-gun systems. The battalion

simultaneously secured the southernmost GOSPs (#3 and #4) with Bravo and Charlie

Companies, respectively. During Bravo Company's attack, led by Captain Jason E. Smith, they

took over 200 EPWs with little resistance. Once GOSPs 3 and 4 were secure, Alpha Company

conducted a forward passage of lines and turned east to seize the strategic intermediate pump

station. Once committed to the attack against the pump station, the battalion's Alpha Company

found the compound defended by more than 100 enemy soldiers. They enveloped the objective,

and utilized artillery Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICM) for suppression.

It became clear that the enemy had established well-prepared trench lines and bunkers

throughout the complex. The Alpha Company Commander, Captain Blair Sokol, moved forward

with his company, directing a methodical sweep of the maze of enemy positions. Utilizing

rockets, grenades, tank and small arms fire, his men followed his direction and rapidly moved

through the complex and into adjacent positions.

Marines are conditioned to face

danger and hardship, but nothing can

adequately prepare them for the loss

of one of their comrades. As the

company continued its systematic

clearing of the area around the pump

station, they again met enemy

resistance. During this fighting, the

Division suffered its first Marine

Killed-In-Action in Iraq. The

Division mourned the loss of Secon.d

Lieutenant Therrel S. Childers of

Alpha Company, 1St Battalion, 5th

Marine Regiment. He was fatally

wounded when Iraqi vehiclemounted troops launched a surprise AA Vs transported Marines across the LD. These vehicles and . . . . attack using civilian trucks. He died their onboard weapons systems provided protection and speed

for mechanized infantiy units during the war.

151