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

Safwan 187
The previous day, SSG William Ball and CW2 Gerald Kovach
from the maintenance platoon had discovered a B Troop M113
that had broken down. After an inspection, they determined
that it needed to replace a final drive. This was a lengthy
process, so they left the broken vehicle with an M88 crew led by
Specialist Kevin Lockridge. Kovach ensured that Lockridge had
all he needed to finish the job as well as a GPS. After getting the
work started, Kovach and Ball raced ahead to catch up with the
squadron. After repairing the personnel carrier, the M88 and
the M113 headed back to join the squadron. The B Troop M113
crew established radio contact with B Troop but by nightfall,
Lockridge and his crew had not arrived and the maintenance
leaders began to get worried. The next morning, after the ceasefire,
Lockridge had still not shown up and CPT Mark Johnson,
the squadron maintenance officer, decided to search for him,
taking a driver, extra water, and a case of MREs. Over ten hours
later, Johnson returned leading the M88. The young Lockridge
had stopped convoy after convoy asking where the squadron
was. In addition, he had been asking for fuel, food, and water.
With thousands of vehicles heading into Kuwait from hundreds
of different units, it is not surprising that no one knew.
Johnson had spotted the lone M88 slowly heading in the right
direction. 4
In the aftermath of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, one of the
most consistent comments was praise by leaders, at all levels
and from all kinds of units, for the incredible dedication and
professionalism of the junior enlisted soldiers. Young men and
women with only a vague understanding of where they were
and the big picture around them consistently performed their
duties just as they had been trained. Many were not combat soldiers,
but like Lockridge, commanded a maintenance vehicle,
drove a fuel truck, or worked as a medic. When faced with the
unknown, and in the absence of the leaders they normally
could consult, they continued to do what they believed was
right. Although only an E4, Lockridge knew what his leaders
and the army expected of him and did everything he could to
skillfully accomplish his mission. It was not the weapons and
super technology that won this conflict, but the judgment,
training, and motivation of the soldiers, from youngest private