On Point: the United States Army in Operation Iraqi ... - Boekje Pienter

Figure 112. Relief in place of 3-7 CAV around An Najaf, 26-27 March 20033-7 CAV reported that C Troop, under heavy counterattack, needed reinforcement. Shortly afterthis call the Division ordered 2 BCT to send help to C Troop. Colonel Perkins ordered LieutenantColonel Rick Schwartz’s TF 1-64 AR to assist C Troop. The task force moved out at sunset,relieving C Troop after dark, crossing the Euphrates and continuing throughout the night toreaching B Troop the next day. Fierce fighting continued on the 26th, although by nightfall theTF felt it had the situation in hand, but as the unit history reported, “That night, nobody slept.” 150Iraqis attacked at JENKINS and everywhere there were Americans east of the Euphratesthroughout 26 March. At sunset that day, Lieutenant Colonel J. R. Sanderson’s TF 2-69AR relieved Dave Benton’s Team B 3-7 IN at JENKINS. Sanderson’s task force had beenreassigned to Grimsley’s 1st Brigade since the remainder of his own brigade remained in actionat As Samawah. Sanderson had just closed on JENKINS when Grimsley ordered him to mounta limited objective attack from JENKINS south to relieve pressure on Apache Troop, 3-7 CAV.Captain Stu James, accompanied by Major Ken Duxbury, the task force operations officer,leading a tank company team based on his A/2-69 AR, attacked after dark south toward ApacheTroop. That did the trick for the moment. With the situation stabilized but still dangerous,3rd ID elected to leave 3-7 CAV in place until 27 March. That morning Grimsley assigned207