Document Page: First | Prev | Next | All | Image | This Release | Search
File: 081996_jul96_decls1_0213.txt
Subject: 3AD HISTORY OF OPERATION DESERT STORM AND SPEAR
Box ID: BX001301
Document Number: 3
Folder Title: OPORDS AND COMMAND AND CONTROL
Folder Seq #: 4
Unit: 3D AD
Parent Organzation: VII CORPS
We rt-alizc?d that we were in the way of the artillery tubes anci
that we- needed to fly olti,. of that Ar(eA, find a I)eti.cr t)zlttlc-
pc)t,i.tic,)n and i-c---oriej-i-L on the erig,:tgpfii(%,n,t area. We dol,),ki-tt-d tii,,tt
area and found a better L)attle position with no overhead
artillery fire, I can't be (-ertain exactly which direction we
went, it is real easy to get riiisoriented flying night system and
staying clear of the terrai.n arOtArid you.
We t(:)ot,. up ,A battle position on line behind -A line of r@i-adlr@ys.
Cliris Batt saw tanks, he said the were M-.1s, but all I saw was
,tli(? Braclleys liril-- The position of my airarkfi. put me behind R
Bradley that was on fire. There were secoricjai-y explosions, 1'.
could imagine that the 25mai rounds inside were cooking off.
There were secondary and tertiary explosions.
There was some conftASion du('.- to the difficulty (if identifying
the targets, whether enemy or friendly, bpc.iu,,e tht@f,,(? wc@r(? ;(-,)
many friendlies in our area- Front our position, the confusion
comes from the night system. It is confusing to see targets
from a great range. Unless we could positively ID the green
blobs we weren't going to fire.
Up to that point we had not been cleared to t-ngagt, the enemy- I
wanted to know, even tholtgl-i we didn,,t have a oood target ID.
thal. anything that we would"-,L-o would be enemy t@trqets. litt i
because there was no clearance to fire '. we tter(-ii't q(:)inq to
engage unless posi-Livc-, it was the enemy-
Back to what I saw in front of me. The Bradley w,k,r, I-)ttriiiri(-j
quite heavily and finally exploded. It was IOLtCi c.?nC)LtC4t) i.tiixl I
could hear it over the sound of the engines, my fi-ont-,eAter, said
he could feel the concussion of the blast. Thc, s,.ize indicated
the fuel cell or possible some tow missiles hRd (-.ool,(--d (3,ff
i.nsicle it, because the explosion wks qui.1c.., l@At,clo.
I canie ovei- the radio and addressing tti(@ that I
friendly vehicles burning in front. (@)l- fn(@, .tri(i I
clear to fire?" 'There was obviously a lot. (,,' tell, (@ri
frequencies on radio and I did not ,% r,c.@l)ly (-)v(-i tlic-
for a clearance to fire. lm(nediatply ,A-ft(@r ri.y rc@cittt?st for title
clearance, the light team lead aircraft, wt.ic.!Ii -I(,a my
fii-(?d a Hellfire. Tl-iat's when I lli.kt -At, unit l@(-
cleared, because my platoon leader is -firirici a
Due to our orientation in the BP (rikttl.e rogation)., t[it, li(:?@kvy
team was between us and the targets. F'i,-nmm my Aircr,%ft.'s
position, because of the flame and the smoP@(, of the I)tti-riin@j
Bradley, we were not picking out tArgLLT-,@ a,, c-tor)(1 tl(,Ai-ly- I
WC)Ltld see them as they WOtAld 'I:)i- (@Lti ' I,,
@-tncl beriiis added lc) flil. (if'
cl-i f fi(-ul,L to (lis(:c?rn if it. was i v(,I@i, 1-@-
Document Page: First | Prev | Next | All | Image | This Release | Search
Document 269 f:/Week-28/BX001301/OPORDS AND COMMAND AND CONTROL/3ad history of operation desert storm and spear:0816961333481
Control Fields 17
File Room = jul96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-28
Box ID = BX001301
Unit = 3D AD
Parent Organization = VII CORPS
Folder Title = OPORDS AND COMMAND AND CONTROL
Folder Seq # = 4
Subject = 3AD HISTORY OF OPERATION DESERT STORM AND SPEAR
Document Seq # = 1
Document Date =
Scan Date = 18-JUL-1996
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 16-AUG-1996