2ND SQDRN CPT SARTLANO GHOST TRP COMMANDING

File: 970107_sep96_decls4_0002.txt
Page: 0002
Total Pages: 6

Subject: 2ND SQDRN  CPT SARTLANO  GHOST TRP  COMMANDING                  

Unit: 2D ACR      

Parent Organization: VII  CORPS  

Box  ID: BX001703

Folder Title: 2D ACR HISTORICAL INTERVIEWS                                                                    

Document Number:         13

Folder Seq  #:         39




           COMBAT
                Before crossing the berm, this was the  set-up for ghost
           troop. They held the far east sector of 2d  Squadron, tying in with
           the western elements of I TRP, 3d Squadron,  2d ACR. Riding behind
           Fox Troop, they rode in their standard diamond formation.
                Sartiano knows there was absolutely no contact made by his
           troop throughout the first day. The mission for most of the troops
           upon crossing the berm was to recon by fire: permission to fire up
           on any enemy obstacles or fortifications. On the second day, Fox
           troop made the first contact for 2d Squad. Initially, Sartiano and
           Ghost troop were a little dissapointed not to make enemy contact
           while Eagle and Fox troops were. Sartiano felt that his troop was
           "scaled into contact.m On the 24 Feb. he took prisoners. On the
           25th he made contact with a small dismounted infantry platoon.
           During this engagement, he had the mortar teams drop rounds on the
           enemy's fighting position. When 3 prisoners stood up with their
           hands up in surrender, saritano consistently gave the cease fire
           orders. Unfortunately, there was already a mortar round on the way
           which happened to land right in front of the surrendering soldiers,
           thus resulting in the rapid vaporization of their body remnants
           into the surrounding sands of time.
                On the 26 the squadron came up on a forward recon element of
           10 MTLBS. Killed 5 and captured 5. Ile doesn't recall taking fire
           from the enemy vehicles. On the morning of the 27th the squadron
           switched to a Box formation carrying (10 km wide) Eagle in South
           and Ghost in North. They had shifted course from heading north to
           heading east. Trailing Ghost was Fox, behind Eagle was Hawk
           company. As the formation reoriented its direction of travel in
       mid morning, 10 MTLBS were seen traveling basically south to north
           about 2000 meters infront of the squadron. Ghost's scouts took out
           3 of them. The rest of the vehicles and soldiers were capture,
           revealing one of the most significant turning points in the war.
           The enemy vehicles bore the red d @ ond markings of the Republican
           Guard. Upon reaching the 67-68 easting, Eagle troop began
           engaging lst echelon of enemy tanks. Ghost troop soon after
           started its battle with a second echelon of enemy armored
           vehicles. Sartiano organized his troop into a wedge, a scout plt.
           and left and right flanks.
                Another element which played a significant part in this
           picture is the sandstorm which, by this time, had increased in
           violence and intesity. "We could not see shit, ... All we saw out
           there, it's hard to explain, were right angles." The thermal
           sights did not paint a clear picture for the tankers. What it
           would reveal was a contrast between "something and something." The
           first engagement was a heat round fired at approxamately 600 m from
           the target. Visibility was significantly hampered. The only thing
           Ghost troopers could do were to aim center of mass at the right
           angles picked up in the thermals. Sartiano remembers sending up
           kill reports to his XO, "Engaged and destroyed to vehicles," "What
           were they?" "I have no fucking ideal,,
                Upon engaging this initial group of 12-20 enemy vehicles
           Sartiano felt that they "caught them so fucking off guard" that
           they was no reaction time.
                The battle actually ended around 19:00. But by day's end,
           Sartiano and Ghost troop, low on ammo, were replaced by Hawk to
           their rear.

Document 6 f:/Week-48/BX001703/2D ACR HISTORICAL INTERVIEWS/2nd sqdrn cpt sartlano ghost trp commanding:0102971842159
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-48
Box ID = BX001703
Unit = 2D ACR
Parent Organization = VII CORPS
Folder Title = 2D ACR HISTORICAL INTERVIEWS
Folder Seq # = 39
Subject = 2ND SQDRN CPT SARTLANO GHOST TRP COMMANDING
Document Seq # = 13
Document Date =
Scan Date =
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 = 02-JAN-1997