190                                 U.S. MARINES IN THE PERStAN GULF, 1990.1991


    Instead, said Delaney, "It was like a road march. . . . One lonely BMP
[armored personnel carrier] opened up on our rear.   One guy [Marine] opened
up with a machine gun."    American armored personnel carriers "came from
every direction.  We were climbing all over ourselves to get a shot at this one
guy.
    "We were very afraid of getting friendly fire. A tank exploded on the left--
somebody had shot from behind."   Delaney said he barked into the radio, "Sir,
tell them we've got friendlies up here!"
    On the dawn of the third day, the tank crews awoke at their encampment to
see Kuwait City just ahead.  "It felt like the test hadn't started.  We expected
it to be hard.  On a combat scale of 1 to 10, it was a 1."
    The Marines also found themselves surrounded by hundreds of deserted Iraqi
bunkers and fortifications.
    "We went in the bunkers. They had taken everything--cheap stereos, aerobic
exercise books.   And ominous things like women's underwear--it made you
wonder what was the story behind it."
    For Delaney, he had accomplished the mission he had anguished over in
dozens of heartfelt letters to his father over the previous months:   "If I'd lost
any of my men, I'd really be hurt. I'd taken these men around the world. They
were my responsibility."