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

Combat Command Carter 83
With Gross’s task force now in the sector, Wilson was able
to pull one platoon at a time from each troop off the screen line
and back to the assembly area. There the unit commanders supervised
the training these platoons would need during the assault,
including conducting a zone reconnaissance and a hasty
attack. These skills were perishing while the troopers occupied
their stationary observation posts. This training was especially
important for CPT Pope who had only worked with his platoon
leaders for a short period of time, and would pay great dividends
later. Combat crews continued preparing for their upcoming
assault, rotating back to a firing range in the rear. There,
the tank crews finally had the chance to calibrate their guns
with their optical sights and fire 120-mm service rounds for the
first time. Mortar squads practiced adjusting their indirect fires,
and scout crews, in their new M3A2 Cavalry Fighting Vehicles,
practiced acquiring, and without actually pulling the trigger,
engaging targets. It took time to work out all of the little problems
in the new systems. The air troops also used this time to
train their troopers. The troop commanders and their platoon
leaders worked with their pilots to develop the scout-weapon
teamwork needed to ensure survival on the battlefield. Daily
air patrols along the screen line helped to establish the needed
routines and coordination requirements between flight operations,
the squadron tactical operations center, and the ground/
air troops. As a rule, the squadron tried to match C Troop aviators
with A Troop and the D Troop aviators with B Troop. CPT
Pete Smith’s aircraft maintenance teams did a masterful job of
supporting all of this air activity by keeping the squadron’s aircraft
repaired and serviced. This was not an easy task as the
flow of repair parts was not as steady as it was stateside and the
flying environment was far more hostile. 6
One of the most serious equipment problems encountered
by the squadron during this period was with the Bradley’s
TOW missile systems. One night, a large explosion startled the
command and everyone went on alert. Rather than enemy soldiers,
however, a CFV driver in the maintenance area had
caused the commotion. As he turned on the vehicle’s master
power switch, the two live TOW missiles suddenly launched
and flew north, exploding harmlessly in the desert. At first, the