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

The Basra Highway 173
troops were to put out security and consolidate their positions.
During this discussion, Majors Wimbish and Burdan were
having a discussion of their own. At this point, the TOC was located
approximately eight kilometers southwest of the highway.
They had been monitoring what was occurring on the road, but
they too were out of contact with the remainder of the division.
The XO and S3 discussed what they should do with the
squadron’s command post. Since Wilson and those on the highway
were not yet in contact with the division or any of the
brigades and CPT Peter’s SWT was on the ground and not able
to safely fly, they decided that the TOC would remain at its present
location. It would try to reestablish communications with
the division and serve as a relay between it and the squadron on
the highway. They contacted Wilson, who had wanted the command
post’s thin-skinned M577 vehicles brought up into the
safety of the hasty defensive perimeter. However, the presence
of the SWT’s grounded helicopters complicated the situation
and he had little choice but to acquiesce to Burdan’s recommendation.
But, he did need his S3 to help coordinate his fight and
directed him to head towards his location on the highway. Burdan
set out at once for the highway along with SPC Kenworthy
who was driving Wilson’s HMMWV. 34
By 1800 hours, CPT Doug Morrison and the squadron’s forward
support elements, which now included the combat trains,
were approaching the Basra Highway. Morrison had moved his
group along a different route from Wimbish’s group, and did
not run into the command post. 35 From Morrison’s perspective,
the highway was a scene of total confusion as red and green
tracers shot through the air. From the perimeter defenders’ perspective,
the combat trains merged with other columns of Iraqi
vehicles. Morrison reached the B Troop commander on the radio:
“I don’t know where you are . . . and I don’t know where I
am, but don’t shoot me!” Morrison then left his vehicles on the
western side of the highway and began scouting a route into
the perimeter and for a location for his support vehicles. 36
Soon after the headquarters commander departed, MAJ
Burdan, who was now en route to the perimeter, encountered a
line of strange vehicles in the dark, which turned out to be Morrison’s
supply vehicles. With gunfire and burning hulks all