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

The Port 47
balization, was generally frowned on and Wilson had to post a
guard to keep it from happening until the appropriate support
command representatives arrived to secure the vehicles.
On January 9, the squadron began inventorying and signing
for their new M3A2s, with MAJ Wimbish supervising the
process of ensuring proper installation of radios and installation
kits. The crewmen also received their training session on
differences between the old and new models. Many of the
unit’s Bradleys were truly brand new, with only four to six kilometers
on their odometers. The 22nd Support Command’s
maintenance units provided the specialized support the
squadron needed to mount their old equipment, including installing
cables and radio antennas and mounts. This exchange
and turn-in process is always frustrating, but it was obvious
that each crew was excited as it took possession of its new war
chariot. One could also see the special attentiveness each
trooper displayed as the new equipment training team instructed
him on his new weapon system. 12
That same day the division headquarters gave Wilson final
approval to sign for twelve M1A1 tanks. He sent six to B
Troop immediately and three to A Troop once they arrived in
Saudi Arabia. The three remaining tanks, identified for MG
Rhame’s command group, were soon transferred to the division’s
Headquarters Company. These tanks came from the
warehouses near Kaiserslautern, Germany, that Wilson had
walked through when the Iraqi Army invaded Kuwait six
months earlier. The army shipped them to Ad Dammam
where a 600-person material fielding team conducted essential
maintenance checks and applied a variety of modifications
to each tank, including additional armor, improved optical
sights, more efficient fire extinguishers, and all of the
manuals and tools they were required to have. Each tank crew
then inspected the vehicle and installed radios, machine guns,
and other items. Then, the crews loaded ammunition on each
tank and prepared to move it to the desert. 13
Of course, the transition for Quarter Horse was not as
smooth as it could have been, especially in regards to manning
the tanks. Added to the diversion of supervising the preparation
of the commanding general’s three tanks, Wilson struggled