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

102 The Road to Safwan
members performed routine maintenance on their helicopters
with the help of the brigade’s aviation mechanics, conducted
crew training, and slept on cots inside tents. 25
While on the screen line, another field-grade officer arrived
to augment the squadron. There were excess officers throughout
the U.S. Army in Southwest Asia. The squadron headquarters
was authorized two majors, but had three for most of Operation
Desert Storm. Large command posts, such as for a
division, could have a field-grade excess of twenty or thirty
percent. MAJ John S. Dinnell, a West Point classmate of John
Burdan, joined the squadron and went to work in the command
post. Captains Tedesco and Sauer immediately began joking
about each having their own field grade to supervise them. Of
course, as soon as Dinnell arrived, the division pulled him
away and directed him to conduct an investigation on the incident
at As Samah, so he was unavailable for other duties. 26
About mid-afternoon on February 17, the squadron scrambled
for cover when a field artillery target acquisition battery
detected Iraqi mortars firing from positions just north of B
Troop’s screen line. CPT Tedesco in the squadron TOC notified
the troop, which sent a scout section to investigate. The section,
led by SSG Alvin Fugate, discovered two Soviet-made BRDM
scout cars and engaged them with TOW missiles, but missed
when the vehicles retired on the far side of a ridge. CPT Mike
Bills, on his way back from the squadron TOC when the original
alert arrived, sent out a second patrol, which he essentially
led, supported by an aerial scout-weapons team. They found
trash at the location identified by the radar but not much else. 27
This incident had several important results. It gave the
ground and air teams another opportunity to practice together.
It was also a drill that allowed the squadron command post to
react to a changing situation and assist in actually commanding
the squadron. Finally, it was another exercise that helped to season
its leaders at all levels. As an example, after the patrol returned,
its platoon leader 2LT Tom Karns approached his commander
and told CPT Bills it was his job to run his platoon, and
the troop commander was out of line taking charge unless he
really had to. Bills realized that his young platoon leader was
correct. Like all leaders, it was difficult for him to stand back