AAR 1ST MARDIV IN SWA

File: 970725_dec96_decls34_0120.txt
Page: 0120
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

we stopped just Shy .04 Ptiase Line Mac!E@_, . orients ng
south/soLithwest on the rAl Jabc?r Air-Fi-eld and tying,,in with 1/5 or,
our left. With Al Jaber. cut -off, the.Battalion then;4nOved,into a
defensive per2meter.- Eventually over.15C) pr2soner,.fi...-taken during
the- attack can Al Jaber,i )werl, herded down tQ the CoAlt@a:t ;Irain...where
the,/chad made arrangements +or the EPW'.s security. ..Thc? rest of
the evening was speht:awaiting-,an..expected fuel resupply that
never OCCLirrE?d. LLICJil-Y, thL-.wlr)d was 'I.n our -favor tarLcl.,didi.'t
blow the blackness upon us. i The refuel-Eir r-ame +r-om CS.E@D iin-.,early
morning of 6+1 , al 1 vehi-cles -were ref Lieled, Atid al 1_Liej4@RnIeRts. .
restocked. Later that morning, Task, Force Ri-oper passed ?word to
detach our TOW platoon and Immediately send them to-the..-/i-cinity
of the EEmi r's Farm 'to 'r-epel s;mn'attack on the Di visi..on GF. Jhe
Division Commander retained line section thrc)ughout.cthe..dLtrAtijon of
the War. Lieutenant Dennis Har@,ins with his platoon minus rejoined
us the next morning a-Fter.,idestroying -three..enemy tankss.-foLtr:t c. -
personnel cal-ri ers, -four truct,,s and enemy an rf our t)u
njc_,P,r sLy, t@kb us
neutralizing the threat tothe'Division:CP -fr..om.thepert

6+1

The relief in place with -@/7 went smoothly, though IatLr ther.
anticipated. 1/7 moved from itsLpositic3ns around the ai:r-Fi-elsJ as
Soon as i' Could. ' Around 1530, day-,seLmc-d ,to tLtrn-i-ptAp.-night..
The wind was Changing direction-and the sun had vanished. By
1800, Marines could 12terall-y not..-see -hands-rin.-Fr@ont oi C-fAc-es.
With CAAT I screening 1/7's left front, the Battalion pressed
forward in a wedge iormataon-with Team Mech at the point, Company
C on the le4t, and Team Tan@@ on the right with CAAT 2 screening
the Pattalior,'s riaht front. The Battalion's mission: move into
the sttaci position at and be prepared to clear in zone the
ne.,:t day.

G+2

Twice during the night 1/7 received reports from outside the
Battalion to do to MOPF' Level 4 due to gas. Both times, after
dispatching monitor and survey teams and conducting detection
operations with the CAM and M2@@6 Kits, the all clear was sounded.
Due to a combination of smog and smoke -from the burning Burqan Oil
Field to our southeast, visibility was at times limited to less
than 20(.) meters and day became night. Nonetheless, the thermal
sights of the CAAT and FAC Teams picked up the slack and provided
excellent early warning and..xntelligence as the Battalion moved
northward crossing the LQ at 06Z@().
Shortly into our movement c. larc '3e unmapped quarry appeared in
1/7's zone bloci,ing our northward path. Coordination was
immediately made with Tiger '.5 (Zrd lank Battalion) on our left and
the Ecattztlion shifted westward, temporarily into the,r zone, in
order to bypass trie obstacle. With main gun tan@, turrets
overwz,tchina the quarry the Battalion shifted to a coll@mn a$ it
prec-sec: forward.

UNCLASSIFIED