War Diary from the Gulf, Feb-Mar 1991

14 Feb 1991 Division fired a stinger at an Iraqi RPV. Missed, not enough heat. TOC duty from midnight to 0230. Stand-to at 0530 - rolled at 0630. Freezing cold night - slept without bag. SCUD shot down over our heads by Patriot near Hafir al Batin. We have entered the Neutral Zone. OPORD is fucked up - trying to fix it (covering force). S-2/FSO are weak. I am going to take over as S-3 if LTC lets me. We are close enough now to feel Arty/bomb bursts from the front. (about 20k away). 

15 Feb 1991 TOC duty 0230-0530. Had my first Oporder briefing as the defacto S-3 at 1000. We are critically short on water - someone goofed at division. Read report - Iraqi POWs are terrified of our technology. Good! 2-15 Inf (other Bde) took 4 WIAs to fratricide. People are getting on each other's nerves. Covering force mission is very dangerous. I feel quite naked in an M577. Saw three B-52s flying northeast today. We've been told Basra is a dead city now due to Iraq's own chemicals which spilled. <?> Had to take the experimental botulism shot. It hurt like hell. 

16 Feb 1991 OPORD is done. What a bitch it was. The battalion XO is checking it over. We had a rehearsal on a giant sand table. News of a mobility kill on an M1 and a friendly arty ammo carrier blew up, probably D/1-5FA. All our casualties have been fratricide/accidents so far. Rumor has it that Bde is making new graphics for the operation (Oh No, Mr. Bill!) Might be another all-nighter. I've fixed up a picture of Cindy in my helmet, so I can see it when I take it off. Helps to know which pot is yours, too. TF 1-41 lost a Bradley, 7 casualties. 

17 Feb 1991 Big dust storm followed by rain. The weather here is unreal. Went on a recon to the big berm. Saw 7 camels - one was a baby. They move like Imperial Walkers from Star Wars. The Magellan system (GPS) is wonderful. It is going to change the Army. Breaches at NT 581224 NT 601222 (triple) NT 616222 NT 641220. Stepped into Iraq today, without a passport. Strange feeling. Found a surrender leaflet. Back at the TOC, sleeping.....we took three artillery rounds about a 1000 meters away. Suddenly there is a renewed interest in body armor and digging slit trenches. Just found out - we took 5 MLRS rockets from the north, they had been accidentally fired 180 degrees off. 0700 5-16 / 2-34 defend PL VERMONT 1100 - 1/4 Cav comes back FSCL is 30 grid line. Found out that the Bradley was killed by an Apache. If we can survive our own air force and artillery, we might live through this war.

18 Feb 1991 Bad day. Jumped the TOC, wrote two FRAGOs. The first FRAGO was our defensive plan. Next one was our counterrecon plan up to PL IOWA. It will be our first real contact. Arty firing now against enemy mortars. Can hear the explosions. We are close - I am wearing body armor now. The worst thing is taking a crap - it's absolutely flat, no vegetation. Like the surface of the moon sans craters. No privacy. I am exhausted from writing op orders. It's funny, as I type on a laptop computer in the middle of a combat zone. Maj xxxx (the nominal S-3) is such a weasel - self-centered, profane (vulgar beyond belief) cares only about himself, etc. He's politically connected to Rhame, which is why he hasn't been relieved. Total scumbag. 

19 Feb 1991 Saw about 170 MLRS rockets fired off. Set up the 12:30 OPORD brief, went ok. Then went to Bde rehearsal. *Moving in 2 hours. *Maybe go up on screen. Had a big brigade rehearsal, lasted 3 hours. Waste of time. I missed being able to take a shower. Pissed me off. Had to do FRAGO #9 - we're going up on the front line. Lots of dismounted patrols - flares - D company is already up on line, firing all night. XO seems to like my OPORDs. I've done 4 so far. Good talk with the SGM. He is not a happy camper. For that matter, this is probably the worst tank battalion I've ever been in. 

20 Feb 1991 Rained all night. Bn operations SGM had a fit because stand-to was screwed up. Smashed my finger in the M577 door yesterday - hurts like hell. Every little thing becomes more difficult in the field. I haven't showered in two weeks. Water minimize is in effect again. I need to change clothes but it's too windy and cold. PM - warmed up, washed my hair and feet. I feel human again. No word on why the war is on hold. 1st Cav Div lost an M1, CEV, M113 and M2 to an Iraqi tank ambush. We were expecting artillery, so I helped the S2 section dig their foxhole. Some dismounted skirmishes, D/1-34 on screen. Missed the daisycutter - they dropped it during the rainstorm, I thought it was thunder.

 21 Feb 1991 No word yet. CPT Meek got 12 letters. I was crushed. No one even knows I'm here yet, probably. Anyway, some characters: Marvin Meek. The ex-B commander, very squared away. The real S-3 Air. CPT XXXXXXXX - an idiotic version of Captain Hook from Peter Pan. He's the new B commander. The troops motto: "Kill the geek, bring back Meek." The XO Major Stewart - a little bit of a micromanager. Does it all himself. Otherwise a good man. LTC Ritter - good at heart, but flys off the handle about trivial shit. The S-2, CPT Don Smith - good guy but not very aggressive. The LNO, 1LT Mike Shaeffer - very good (got 5 boxes today, the weasel!!!) The HQ tank sergeant - Lazy, thinks only of himself. The S-3, MAJ XXXX - his vile Mississippi good ole boy accent turns my stomach. He is the antithesis of leadership. Had TOC duty from 2230 to 0530 - many enemy flares (probably because of Apache/OH58Ds working our sector). Eerie. 3 missiles overhead - maybe SCUDs. Airstrikes going in, several explosions. Orders to take PB pills starting on the 23d confirms (in my mind) that G-Day is the 24th. Oh shit here we go! 

22 Feb 1991 Stand-to for the Iraqis was about 0400, as a massive arty/air strike began. MTC from PL VERMONT to PL IOWA at 0538 24 Feb 91. Main attack 0600 25 Feb 91 1-34 moves to lane delta o/o as 1st Bde reserve. Moves centered behind 2-34. o/o assist 1-4 Cav in clearing its zone. Occupy ATTK POSN PAT if IOWA. Prep 0500-0600 25 Feb. PB pills 0500 23 Feb - 1 every 8 hours. TLQ jammer at 669300 MOPP 2 at 0500 24 Feb. PL MAPLE at 29 east-west gridline. PL PINE 24 e-w gridline. We attack in two days. I'm riding in a HUMMV!?! If I live it will be a miracle. Time to search the soul. I'm afraid again. My driver wanted an AT-4 and MAJ Stewart gave me some shit about it because I tried to get him one. Oh well. Received our anti-anthrax pills yesterday, some powerful antibiotic called Cipro. We feel like walking pharmacies.

 23 Feb 1991 Three B-52 strikes went in against the Iraqi 48th Inf Div (our sector) last night. The crumping of arty/air has been near continuous today. You can almost feel it rather than hear it. And we're 20k away! Nice sound though - I'm getting used to it. The main discussion with Foley, my driver, is who is going to play who in the movie, "The Big Red One II." Extremely heavy arty being fired in the 2nd ACR sector now - I hope it's hitting something. As I look around this last afternoon before G-day, I see soldiers doing everything you always wanted done without supervision. Masks being checked, weapons cleaned, PMCS pulled, etc. Some are reflective. Most are keeping busy with last minute checks and packing.

 24 Feb 1991 The day is here. Saw an ARCLIGHT. Felt it too. It was scary from 30km away. Unreal. I'm waiting for the war - 36 EPWs so far. Chemical release was given to enemy corps commanders according to intercept. I'm sitting in MOPP2, brand new suit, with my flakvest on. Our TF maintenance status is 58 up - can't believe it, 100% strength. Soldiers are trading last minute "if I die" letters. Allied TAC marking /\. We were given orders to pull film out of cameras if reporters pixed casualties. Lots of EPWs - 0945 report of EPW blowing himself up (rigged w/ explosives). Great. Over 350 EPWs now. Holding up until 1430 prep. 1500 we go in. Real hot in flak vest with MOPP2. No way we could do this in the summer. More arty/MLRS. Col Maggert is over controlling on the radio. Prep is great. Waves of MLRS crash after crash of 8" and 155. God help the Iraqis. 2 Lowboys packed with EPWs just drove by. Breach cleared easy - 2-34 5-16 shot through. We're taking arty at the breach. Good fight at objective 5k - 50 PWs coming in. Major hassle - PW needs more peacetime training. Some scary reports "use of chem in III corps sector" "Marines finding chemical mines". 67 enlisted, 11 officer EPWs. One was a LTC. Big complex of bunkers. Bn parked for the night in a DPICM field. One guy killed in 5-16 by the same.

 25 Feb 1991 Another gray day. Had TOC duty from 1900-2400 last night. Nearly comatose. No coffee, raining. Moving the TOC forward, we're caught in a DPICM area. Driving slow, looking for bomblets, don't want to hit any. Passing abandoned bunkers and a burned out truck. Craters everywhere. S-2 captured a Russian truck! AK-47s everywhere. TOC NT725510 Saw my first live mine. Just got word that another soldier was killed by picking up a DPICM bomblet, 3 critically wounded. We have to be very careful, everywhere we drive. 1600-about to get comfy for the night when we got word of JERIMIAH III.

 26 Feb 1991 Up all night last night making graphics and bn oporder for contingency plan JEREMIAH III. At least a 100 km movement to contact! Gray, rainy morning. Passing abandoned bunkers, a dozer. I gave the FRAGO from Bde to the battalion at 0400. We feel confident - had word of the 14,000 surrendering to the Marines. We are now the lead TF in the division! I've got flak vest on again. MOPP2. No sleep last 24 hours. Still at 58 tanks running. Brits passed us yesterday, in contact during the night with 12th AD. I expect contact with same. Pws spotted (we don't even call them soldiers) - orders are to take weapons and then drive past them. Ignore them! The panzer thrust is more vital. We are racing toward PL ABILENE, almost out of fuel toward an enemy mech bde. Pucker factor increasing. Moving for 5 hours, passing many EPWs. CAS and helos working on the mech bde. We will be about out of fuel when we meet them. PS in a sandstorm. We're at PL RALEIGH now, held up due to 2nd ACR in contact with RGFC Tawakalna Division, 20km ahead. Sandstorm is huge. 800 EPWs walking toward us 13:07 hours. Refuel under way. Mother of all sandstorms, can't believe helos can fly in this shit. Dug a slit trench while waiting. Dead tired, MOPP suit getting charcoal everywhere. Waiting for the next mission. FLASH - just fragged we're in exploitation mode now. Orders - chase them east till we run out of gas. Morale is high, we're chasing them now and can smell action. 

27 Feb 1991 Contact at 00:32 hours. Friendly fire killed Guido's gunner (we think), two Bradley's hit, we passed through 2nd ACR and made contact with Tawakalna. Tremendous explosion, Bradley showered huge sparks. Our first KIA, 5 are WIA, scout platoon survivors in shock. Unbelievable sight - burning Brads, ammo exploding all night like fireworks. This RGFC unit was crashed by fire at night. LTC Ritter personally killed a BMP. Tracer fire everywhere, like NTC live fire, bn med had to lie to medevac chopper to get him to come here and land. Told him LZ was cold. At dawn, A company killed two Bradleys that wandered into our area (lost). Reported at T62s. OBJ NORFOLK PT 850950. We got near in the morning, I helped search a POW (almost shot him), tracers over our heads don't know where from. Kept going. Crested a hill, saw 2 burning Bradleys, crew man staggered out and fell in the sand. Saw Iraqis in holes. I took some AK fire while looking over scene with binos, we brought up two tanks and an engineer M113, poured all kinds of fire into trenches. Iraqis and US in the trenches. So tired - 120km march followed by an all night battle. We killed a ZSU, 2 T-59s, many Pcs. New Frago -off to Basra. War is terrible. Friendly fire is worst of all. The emotion is staggering. We are now division reserve. 11:20 hours the battalion enters Kuwait. 2nd Bde reports destroying 2 tanks vic PL BERLIN. Big tank fight - many T-55s killed. I am following lead wave of tanks with the TOC, about 1 km back. Long road march in the dark - entire division is strung out - LTC R way up front - no gas - Iraqis with Aks all around him. Entire Bde goes to freeze on the road. Roadmarch instructions were hilarious - "go to the Partridge Family bus, take a left, go for awhile then take a right at the brand new abandoned MTLB." The terrain is incredibly rough. We finally got the TOC halfway together. Pucker factor is WAY high - a million dismounts with AK47s reported within 4km of here. The only thing that saved us was that Achmed was more confused that us. During yesterday, the TOC was way forward - I was only 800 meters from a T-55 which got wasted; secondary explosions tremendous. 

28 Feb 1991 Just got word of cease-fire at 0800. Demon 6 still in contact up front. ROE change - only fire if fired on. Driving toward the final objective, we pass many EPWs (I hate that term). They are sorry looking. We give them MREs and cigars as we pass. One refused - he already had a case of MREs! Passing by more EPWs, burning tanks, APCs etc. We are moving toward our final obj on fumes. Told to set up red TOC at QU474031. We have several mission o/o - destroying Iraqi equipment, or maybe going to Basra. The most incredible sight today - Kuwait on fire. 28 or more oil wells burning within view. Sky glowing red. You could see the fires leaping into the sky. Now it's time to wonder if we have to go to Basra and help wipe out Medina and Hammurabi. Would suit me OK. These other guys didn't even want to fight. Some things I'll never forget - the radio calls, Burnham's stoic report of his wounds, the sickening feeling of frustration as burning Bradleys blow up in front of your own eyes. I know one thing - nothing can withstand an M1A1 tank battalion attacking, especially at night. The bunkers were identified as either hot or cold, and treated appropriately. Soldiers with RPGs or AK's were killed without even knowing they were seen. Thermal advantage is crippling to the enemy. It's hard to hate these guys - they're so pathetic.