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File: 970725_dec96_decls34_0117.txt
Subject = AAR 1ST MARDIV IN SWA
Parent Organization = MCCDC
Unit = WDID
Folder Title = AFTER ACTION REPORT 1ST MARINE DIVISION IN SOUTHWEST ASIA WDID SWA 0073
Document Number = 1
Box ID = BX600145
OK UNCLASSIFIED
. -The Batt a I 2 on re?joi ned the Tas@, Fo-ce RI p per format I or) at
Battle Pc)sltlor" 17 at Once again, the Battalion Commanding
Officer had to rein in the maneuver elements and hc)ld.up-the
Battalion to permit other pieces of the puzzle to fall-into place.
Task Force Ripper reported that ZN/Il@was displacing and that the
Tasl,,For@ce,twould not,@move without,.+ire-F,suppc3f't. Thi-s halt gave LtE-
the opportunity to refit both'Teams with Mi@154s and::top Dffl)some
of Team.Tank's vehicles with fuel.
Upon 3/1 1 's i I re cap, Task Force RI pper con+ i rmed i the t i me of
attack as 112'@, and 1/7 crossed the:LD at@.ll'-T6; Over-.an b(3ur
bef ore,, 3rd - Tanks had cal I ed i n on the de+endi ng I raqi ? s -a taste
of @hot-Marine steel In the form of indirect HE-and DPIGM., Series
Rict, and Zele, prepl.anned tar-gets on- the far.-side of the--breach4
combined to give the I raqi s - a - 22 mi nute, -;f I ve hundred and f i f ty
two round rain of terror. , The targets in.-)tt3e series had been
Changed a.number of times prior to G-Day i,ntorder to -stayabreast
of the situation. The target list was only'completely.solidi+ied
after, a detai I ed revi ew of lavai I abl e al-ri al ;photos -byte
d 1, II earth fs@ t@t-Oi@4W:E--gn cv
L
L
e7
QDZV -t"9@R n6p pim--"eeapmostd -?I
tksotq@t lbtobf cokln.4 grew./
-- PPVSApt .
kik,tiyt3eL,ped -,to,@pl ay, haoocwbnntheml-raqtt%Mktimodnifag@
I:s But 1/7 was to -Find tt-.,At the Iraqis st :
ill had a bit ci ilqht
left. Moving from F'hasL- Lne Yellow, the LD,-throuah PhaTe@Line
Rifle to the second Breach, 1/7 began-taking liaht,
indiscriminate 82mm mortar and-artillery-fire. Team Mech,zlearn
Tant, Company C, and the Main Co a reported incoming, passing
'@SNOWSTORM" on fire support n@?_t5.@lOnly Team Tanl, was to fall
victim to this sporadic +ire. It certainly didn't seem sporadic to
St&++ bl-rgearit I Am"clvzi li@1.1,
in Alpha 21. Both were hit while moving @c-i -0 witri learr, lar)@ 5
OCD. Luci ily, neither SLtStained immediate life threatenir-.c-
injLtrles.-@captain Mzncini made a QLIICI, e>!chanoe of dr@vers@with
his AVLEr@and continued forward to the minefield. Larce Corpct-al
ias medevaced to the ReQimental Aid Station (RAS) from
battle F'osition 17::. 5 U.S.C. "21b)(6)n
.As the teau@s continued to conv rgE, their respective breach
sites, 1/7 too@@ its first dose of enemy direct +ire. ' As 'Team Tend
began its breach, they identified sporadic machine gltn fire from,
their riaht-+Iznt. These direct fires were quickly squashed with
main CLin and '@(') cal fire-. In addition, two 82mim tubes were,
quietly silenced with the tants' fire power. SlffLtltameously,
LieL(tenant Larry Her--og called an immediate smo@e +ire mission
followed b@, @ COLTDIE- 0+ VI missions on dug in enemy a -few @nutes
A_
later. Then Captain Mancini ordered his DCD into action.
commanded by Staff Sergeant Ernest Henderson, and a three 0 t
line charce AAV +c)llc-wino in trace, forged into the mine+leld.
The@, fired two 0+ their three to get completely throl(ch the field.
Both had to be rranLkallY primed by an engineer. The engineer
rr.ari-inq vehlcle- 4c-11 in a bomb crater and another had
to bE- called Ltp. Evcr, with all this adversity, Team Tanl. popped
go
UNCLASSIFIED
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