The Road to Safwan: The 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry in the 1991 ...

Task Force Iron 101
was identified and its crew subjected to direct and indirect fires.
Finally, soon after 0300 hours, the Iraqi probing ended. 23 The
squadron now settled down to its combat routine.
The squadron’s tactical command post crew, located near
the berm and centered on the two troops, monitored and coordinated
squadron activities. Like other command posts in the
desert, one of its most important problems was to adapt to living
and working in a combat environment. The simple question
for many was where to sleep when they were not working their
twelve-hour shift. SGM Ken Shields lived and operated from
the Diazo trailer, designed to carry the squadron’s reproduction
machine of the same name. When they could, the crews set up
GP (General Purpose) tents to live in. Of course, during this period
they were worried about incoming artillery and the possibility
of having to displace rapidly. So, the TOC crews set up a
couple of cots beside the M577 and slept on them during their
off-cycle. They also dug out a small trench beside it so that they
could roll over into it in the event of an artillery barrage. Although
it was rather uncomfortable, this arrangement was flexible
and very convenient. Flight Operations was deployed near
the Squadron TOC with a stinger team, as well as its slice of logistics
support from both HHT and CPT Smith’s E Troop. 24
Things were not different with the ground troops. The armored
crew members lived in, on, or alongside their vehicles.
When possible, they set up a cot. Usually, there were at least
two crew members awake and manning the weapons and optical
sights at all times. When it was time to replenish the vehicle
with fuel, food, water, and ammunition, the crew guided it out
of position and drove it a few hundred yards to the rear. There
they linked up with elements from 1LT Matt Vanderfeltz’s support
platoon and replenished their supplies. With all lights off,
it was not uncommon for a crew occasionally to get disoriented.
Fortunately, there were no major problems during this period.
The squadron’s service support operated from either the combat
trains or the logistics support area where they lived in tents
or in their vehicles. The air troops, along with E Troop, remained
in the Aviation Brigade’s assembly area where CPT
Pete Smith coordinated all aviation activity since Flight Operations
was now deployed forward. When not flying, air crew