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

110 The Road to Safwan
ered a crack in the hull of its M3A2 Bradley. It was quite severe
and extended from the right rear all the way to the left front. In
no time, squadron and direct-support maintenance crews were
joining in the discussion. There was not much a tactical unit
could do to solve this kind of a problem, since it requires a factory
rebuilding, so the division sent one of its “float” or extra
Bradleys forward as a direct exchange. This vehicle turned out
to be a M2A2, the improved infantry version of the Bradley that
had more room for an infantry squad and fewer storage racks
for the TOW missiles. Using this extra space, CPT Bills decided
to assign his Stinger air defense team to Danussi. 12
Iraq had a record of using chemical munitions and was suspected
of experimenting with biological ones. As a result, the
army tried to protect its soldiers from these terrifying weapons
as best it could. Everyone had a protective mask and chemical
protective suits. Vehicles had chemical alarms and all soldiers
were trained to react to a chemical attack. In case of nerve agent
contamination, soldiers had atropine injectors to counter its effect.
In advance, they were supposed to take “PB” pills that contributed
to the effectiveness of the atropine. 13
Biological agents require different kinds of protection and
one of the most effective is vaccination. In preparation for the
advance, the medics began giving shots that were designed to
ward off botulism. Although the Food and Drug Administration
had not approved the vaccine, the army’s leadership felt it
was safe to provide it to the troops in the field. Not everyone
shared that confidence and one of the squadron’s aviators refused
to take it. LTC Wilson and others in the chain of command
counseled the aviator, but to no avail. Wilson had little
choice but to ground him. Other than this one case, everyone
else grudgingly took his medicine and completed their preparation
for combat. 14
Chaplain Lou Parker visited the crews as they prepared for
battle. An army chaplain is not only a religious leader, but often
acts as the soldier’s counselor and advisor. As he circulated
among the crews, some broke away from their daily activities
to spend a few minutes in prayer or conversation with Parker.
At each stop the soldiers quietly talked about their fears and
worries, the kind that have always bothered young men on the