AAR 1ST MARDIV IN SWA

File: 970725_dec96_decls34_0118.txt
Page: 0118
Total Pages: 130

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

UNCLASSIFIED
v

the green/whlte Star combination just eight mi4lUtes a4ter-4ocating
the mine4ield signifying that the lane was clear at.:-,t2Oi3.-,J
Team Mech faced much of the st%me.adversity withealiew
additional tvilsts. leatm Meah's OCD-moved forward -and'@Fired a
szngl'el.shot line charae and came.Ltp,enpty,handed. -T-be. shot mas a
r-ompl*;Le.,dud,.unablertQ-ebefmanually prijpedc..@,The%thriFd,@sta@c5t.'lzne
charge.came -Forward-and Team Mech continued to-drive.-nn. --They
fir-ed-the three shots primed it manuall.y.,.arld.proofed through the
length@of :the blast exploding a -mine on the-way; -They-. ther@ -Fired
ajipt to clearFthe -Aa-st
.P.Rr-,;@wo which did not explode in,.an.attempt
1.0.,4netjer-s@of the 4ield. Ezinall-y$ Captaint.Craiig -Baker'-finatiL@ the
call--And ordered Seroeant. Carlos:.Grahm :to proof the.r.L-st tof 'thE?
Way with_ot;t the bene-Fit,-of 'a reassuring linechargetbL-Ast.,,Lane
Was.-brea@ched, proofed, and marked@by, 1225.,i
Tiger 3 ef -Fectively -passed through :-ttoth lanes.-! At this
poi nt -hundreds upon hundreds,of. Iraqi s Lsporti ng -.whitL* rf-.L-ags began
converging on the breach sites, especially' 1,,ane 3. -,Lapbai-n Ba;.er
punched -Lieutenant Jim-Head's platoon through@to secuf-'ZVtbe-.-Far
SI de., .t@en ordered Li eltt-enent John Anders@en's - i n+antry arad
L@-E;t;tg.nio,t -Brent Wi I hoyt ;s engi neer pl atc;ons to attempt to herd
,the EPW's bac@ through the breach. Inthe process, .Lieutenant
Wilhoyt uncovered a cache with numerous RPG's and blew it in
lace.
L-P The overwhelming numbers of EPW s bea'an to boo down Team
Mech s advance. At 1'421 the Jump CF-, called -Captain Stan-Snock, -For
a platoon .(LieLtenants Ord's). from Company C to take charge of the
EPW situation by moving there, Z%O(.) meters south of the breach and
handing them over to Company B 1/5, the Tasit Force-Reserve. The
volume of EP'W's becoming even larger and the number of units in
such a small space compounded the confusion on the ground. The
Jump CP seized contrc.. oy calling -For all units to remount and
dispatching elements of the Combat Train to relieve the line
compz.riies of their All elements were directed to bypass and
point the EPW's south.
Meanwhile, Team Tan; had followed in trace of 3rd Tanif
Battalion through breach lane 4 and pushed 2 1/2 kilometers out on
our right flanl, moving beyond our boundary with Tast@ Force F,apA
E(ear. They uncovered numerous bunkers and more FPW'S. 04f to
their right flanl , they with CAAT 2 engaged two tan$4s and
destroyed them. The Jump reined them backg directing them to
bypass al,l EF'W's ano move to a support by fire position south of
the Emir's Farfr-.
As Team Tan@ with CAAT .2 were establishing their position,
the rest of the Battalion prepared to kick of+ the attack at 140;).
Team Moch and Company C wc:?re'to envelop from we5t to east,
basically straddling Phase Line Hickock, with Team mech as the
main ef-Fort. 6roups of artillery targets were fired during the
conduct of the second breach so the area had already been
softened up a bit -For the maneuver elements. As they wheeled
around to the north, Team Mech called +or, then soon thereafter
checked fire on ABC and A9C due to the number of EPW's fleeing thc-
0 orchard. The@, ffoved to a position 170C) meters from the westen
4
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UNCLASSIFIED