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

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Coming Home 239 Home.” Once on post, the bus headed to the air field where soldiers from the garrison and rear detachment, including squadron soldiers who had returned early, helped to lighten the returnees’ loads by collecting and securing weapons, protective masks, and other sensitive items. Then the troopers formed up one last time. Those who have not been part of one have no idea what a welcome home ceremony is like. As the troopers marched into the aircraft hangar decorated for the ceremony the crowd went wild. Lee Greenwood’s song “Proud to be an American” blared in the background as the troopers lined up. In the bleachers wives, girlfriends, and children clapped and screamed. Flags and color were everywhere. Then the division commander took center stage and asked for the happy, rambunctious crowd to settle down. First he asked for a moment of silence to remember those division soldiers, fortunately none from the 1-4 Cavalry, who had died in the service of their country in Iraq. Then he publicly, in front of their families, thanked the soldiers for their superb performance over the last several months. The troops could feel the pride and love of their families and friends in the stands as Rhame spoke. Then he called for the color guard. Five Quarter Horse troopers, with flags and rifles, marched forward and stood in front of the division commander. The sergeant in charge barked out commands as the color bearers lowered the encased national and divisional flags. With the help of his command sergeant major, Rhame pulled off the protective canvas casings, and stood back. The guard sergeant ordered the uncased flags elevated. Now, the 1st Infantry Division, one of the proudest and most decorated units in the United States Army, was home. Raising his hand in salute, Rhame barked “Duty-First!” and “dismissed.” The crowd went wild as soldiers broke ranks and families jumped from the bleachers. Soldiers and loved ones collided in hugs, tears, and kisses. Little children who had not seen their father for months, if at all, were not quite sure how to react to the whole scene while older ones struggled to get a word in edge wise. It was an experience that became a precious memory for all who were present. And into the memories of each and every member of the squadron burnt the experiences of each and every day of that
240 The Road to Safwan winter and spring. Events such as the alert, leaving the family behind, flying to a strange land, the desert, patrolling the border, the breach, the battle at Norfolk, the Basra Road and Safwan were all memories that would stay with these young men as long as they lived. As Oliver Wendell Holmes’s 1884 Memorial Day speech given to fellow Civil War veterans, and played again to a new generation of soldiers in the Ken Burns’ documentary playing on television during Desert Storm pointed out: We have shared the incommunicable experience of war. We have felt, we still feel, the passion of life to its top. . . . In our youths, our hearts were touched with fire. 12
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THE ROAD TO SAFWAN
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©2007 Stephen A. Bourque and John
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Contents List of Illustrations . .
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List of Photographs List of Photogr
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2 The Road to Safwan ahawk missiles
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4 The Road to Safwan This manuscrip
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6 The Road to Safwan book would nev
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8 The Road to Safwan commanders fou
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10 The Road to Safwan Harz Mountain
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12 The Road to Safwan time, he look
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14 The Road to Safwan problem and a
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16 The Road to Safwan ment was now
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18 The Road to Safwan weapons syste
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20 The Road to Safwan surveillance
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22 The Road to Safwan headquarters
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24 The Road to Safwan equipment to
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26 The Road to Safwan Teflon-based
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28 The Road to Safwan ready to figh
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30 The Road to Safwan Brigade began
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32 The Road to Safwan unmarried (or
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34 The Road to Safwan deploying to
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36 The Road to Safwan normal. A few
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38 The Road to Safwan navigator on
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40 The Road to Safwan the airlines
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42 The Road to Safwan west Asia and
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44 The Road to Safwan Forbes Field
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46 The Road to Safwan cranes to lif
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48 The Road to Safwan to find enoug
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50 The Road to Safwan diers broke o
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52 The Road to Safwan RIYADH RIYADH
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54 The Road to Safwan tion, COL Mow
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56 The Road to Safwan closely contr
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58 The Road to Safwan This was a dr
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60 The Road to Safwan thought was a
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62 The Road to Safwan Tedesco was t
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64 The Road to Safwan assembly area
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66 The Road to Safwan toon.” It w
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68 The Road to Safwan could delay t
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70 The Road to Safwan left for DSA
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72 The Road to Safwan Marable had n
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74 The Road to Safwan squadron’s
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76 The Road to Safwan In the course
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78 The Road to Safwan ported an uni
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7 Combat Command Carter Even before
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82 The Road to Safwan the squadron
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84 The Road to Safwan leaders belie
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86 The Road to Safwan to the rear f
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88 The Road to Safwan indicating th
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90 The Road to Safwan corps and arm
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92 The Road to Safwan to fire, whic
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94 The Road to Safwan grenades into
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96 The Road to Safwan would be much
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98 The Road to Safwan promised his
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100 The Road to Safwan At 0055 hour
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102 The Road to Safwan members perf
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104 The Road to Safwan alerted him
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106 The Road to Safwan Command. The
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108 The Road to Safwan 2nd Cavalry
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110 The Road to Safwan ered a crack
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112 The Road to Safwan handy guide
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114 The Road to Safwan SAUDI ARABIA
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116 The Road to Safwan A Figure 2 1
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118 The Road to Safwan helped turn
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120 The Road to Safwan dure, worked
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122 The Road to Safwan Christopher
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124 The Road to Safwan toothed plow
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126 The Road to Safwan observer, mo
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128 The Road to Safwan completed it
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130 The Road to Safwan render. As t
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132 The Road to Safwan a mortar or
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11 Objective Norfolk In the early m
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136 The Road to Safwan the enemy un
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138 The Road to Safwan oped a serie
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140 The Road to Safwan cloud ceilin
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142 The Road to Safwan squadrons wi
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144 The Road to Safwan lane for eac
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146 The Road to Safwan cated there.
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148 The Road to Safwan they were su
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150 The Road to Safwan platoon occu
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152 The Road to Safwan 2-34 3-7 II
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154 The Road to Safwan B ATK I 3-7
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156 The Road to Safwan arm the Iraq
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158 The Road to Safwan radio that o
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160 The Road to Safwan Iraq’s rem
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162 The Road to Safwan OBJECTIVE ZI
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164 The Road to Safwan lier in the
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166 The Road to Safwan erally tryin
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168 The Road to Safwan commander, a
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170 The Road to Safwan tion on the
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172 The Road to Safwan mingle with
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174 The Road to Safwan around, Burd
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176 The Road to Safwan sion and wor
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178 The Road to Safwan continuously
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180 The Road to Safwan up and surre
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182 The Road to Safwan cross on his
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184 The Road to Safwan When out of
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B Troop, at the Jay Hawk Firing Ran
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Late afternoon, 24 February 1991, 2
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According to Steve Gruenig, Mr. Phi
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Basra Highway, 28 February 1991, (l
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Squadron S3 Staff Section, Khobar T
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186 The Road to Safwan bodies with
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Page 219 and 220: 196 The Road to Safwan 1 MOVE
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Page 225 and 226: 202 The Road to Safwan dam Hussein
Page 227 and 228: 204 The Road to Safwan The context
Page 229 and 230: 206 The Road to Safwan British troo
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Page 233 and 234: 210 The Road to Safwan engineer tea
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Page 243 and 244: 220 The Road to Safwan server could
Page 245 and 246: 222 The Road to Safwan camels as if
Page 247 and 248: 224 The Road to Safwan At CP India
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Page 255 and 256: 232 The Road to Safwan A Troop. CPT
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Page 267 and 268: 244 The Road to Safwan forces) Trac
Page 269 and 270: 246 The Road to Safwan cal Army Res
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Page 273 and 274: 250 The Road to Safwan Desert Storm
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Page 277 and 278: 254 The Road to Safwan 6. 1st Squad
Page 279 and 280: 256 The Road to Safwan emerged duri
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Page 283 and 284: 260 The Road to Safwan potential we
Page 285 and 286: 262 The Road to Safwan Chapter 10 1
Page 287 and 288: 264 The Road to Safwan Squadron, 4t
Page 289 and 290: 266 The Road to Safwan referred to
Page 291 and 292: 268 The Road to Safwan 51. Bills in
Page 293 and 294: 270 The Road to Safwan 13. 1-4 Cava
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Page 297 and 298: 274 The Road to Safwan 21. Rhame in
Page 299 and 300: 276 The Road to Safwan 7 March 1991
Page 301 and 302: 278 The Road to Safwan 15. Osburn i
Page 303 and 304: Glossary 1IDF 1st Infantry Division
Page 305 and 306: 282 The Road to Safwan soldiers. Co
Page 307 and 308: 284 The Road to Safwan HHT Headquar
Page 309 and 310: 286 The Road to Safwan ROTC Reserve
Page 311 and 312: Bibliography For such a short confl
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290 The Road to Safwan Lieutenant G
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292 The Road to Safwan Clancy, Tom,
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294 The Road to Safwan Nilsen, Davi
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296 The Road to Safwan Van Creveld,
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298 The Road to Safwan 219, 221, 22
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300 The Road to Safwan British Army
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302 The Road to Safwan Division Sup
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304 The Road to Safwan Humanitarian
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306 The Road to Safwan Karns, 2LT,
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308 The Road to Safwan Phase Lines
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310 The Road to Safwan Schullo, CW3
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312 The Road to Safwan Air Troop Re
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