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

caught fire and ammunition began to cook off. Despite the drivers’ and other soldiers’ bestefforts, the fire quickly spread from the ammunition truck to a fuel tanker. Both vehicles werecompletely destroyed and several soldiers were wounded, along with a member of the supportplatoon, who received mortal injuries while defending his vehicle. Despite the best efforts ofthe battalion medics, the support platoon soldier died while being evacuated.At about this time at Objective PATTON, Captain Price came under attack by dismountedIraqi forces moving through buildings near the crossing site on the canal. Knowing thatthe tank-pure Charlie Company lacked supporting infantry, Sanderson and a small group,Mortars Under Attack: Enemy Action on Objective LIONSWhile conducting a hasty dismounted reconnaissance patrol and seeking a better position from whichto set up the mortars, Captain Matthew Paul and Sergeant Jose Adorno, Task Force 2-7 IN mortarplatoon, walked down the road the unit had used earlier to enter the airport. There they met one M1tank from the battalion that was towing a disabled tank into the maintenance collection point. Thetankers asked them where the maintenance collection point was located. Captain Paul directed themto Four Corners and continued on his search for a good firing position.Less than 10 seconds later, the ground rumbled with the sound of approaching armor once again,and Captain Paul and Sergeant Adorno turned to move out of the way, both instinctively raising theirhands to wave as they turned. Shock and horror gripped the two as they realized they were wavingat a pair of Iraqi T-72 tanks. Luckily, surprise and confusion also slowed the Iraqi tankers’ reactionsas they too waved initially. Captain Paul yelled “T-72!” and without another word the two split,knowing they would be shot in the back if they ran straight up the road. Captain Paul darted left, offthe road; Sergeant Adorno sprinted off to the right. Winding through the trees and bushes screeningFour Corners, he was back with the mortar platoon in minutes.Deciding between the two, the tanks chased Captain Paul off the road. Running for his life, the mortarplatoon leader dove into a water-filled -ditch beside the road, hiding in some tall reeds. The tanksrumbled forward, stopping just 40 meters from him, and began firing machine guns over his head intothe wall behind him. With his face pressed into the dirt and lying perfectly still, all Captain Paul coulddo was wait. Just then, another enemy tank section farther east began firing on the battalion TOC andthe vehicles driving across the overpass at Four Corners.Organizing a rescue for their platoon leader, Sergeant First Class Robert Broadwater, Jr. and themortar squads prepared to move. As the mortar crews mounted their vehicles, the US tank that haddriven by earlier stopped and asked where the T-72s were. Broadwater indicated the targets to them.The tank pulled around, quickly occupying a hasty attack by fire position.At this point, Captain Paul could hear frantic screams in Arabic from the Iraqi tank crews as theyidentified the M1. But it was too late for them. Both enemy tanks exploded, spraying burning debrisin all directions and tossing the turrets in the air. Seconds later, a mortar track pulled up, rescuingCaptain Paul and returning to the mortar platoon command post.In the middle of all the fighting at the mortar location, the platoon began receiving calls for mortarsupport. Although distracted by direct fire from the Iraqi dismounts, the mortars provided the muchneededfire support. With the gun tubes already laid in, the mission was fired and repeated.TF 2-7 IN IN unit history320