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

The Breach 133
Meanwhile, 1SGT Parkey continued his search for the missing
A Troop vehicles, after spending the night with the combat
trains. As he and PV2 Witherspoon drove south through the
breach and searched for the lost vehicles, they were amazed at
the number of Iraqis who were still in the area trying to surrender.
They arrived back at the original troop assembly area
around 1030 hours but could not find the missing vehicles.
Parkey decided to remain for awhile and see if he could contact
SFC Steve Kuder, the missing Bradley’s commander. 44
By noon the division was in place on PL New Jersey and
Rhame notified the corps commander that the area was ready
for the British to begin their passage of lines. By 1330 hours the
lead elements of the famed “Desert Rats” were moving through
the lanes marked by the engineers. The Iraqi 26th Infantry Division
no longer existed. Its equipment was scattered in the
desert and its soldiers either dead or on their way to prisonerof-war
holding cages back in Saudi Arabia. While eating an
MRE and watching the Desert Rats pass, the support platoon
leader Matt Vanderfeltz was approached by a hungry British
soldier riding in a Land Rover. After a short chat the two allies
arranged a swap. In return for an MRE Vanderfeltz got a stuffed
British bear. He later gave the bear to one of the troop first sergeants
who passed it on to his daughter when he got home. 45
The forward passage of the British was uneventful, and as they
commenced their attack, the 1st Infantry Division reverted to
the role of corps reserve. However, it would not rest for long. 46