“In most cases, we killed the tanks before they even had a chance to move,” Gauthier said.Įagle Troop pushed onward through constant fire and across a minefield. The rest of the tanks were quickly destroyed by Eagle Troop. So in order to reorient on the contact, they actually had to back their tanks out of their fighting positions.”Īs a result, McMaster destroyed three of the T-72 tanks in just 10 seconds. They were at about a 25-30 degree offset and they were dug in that way. “One of the critical factors in the success of the attack,” Gauthier said during a town hall meeting in Vilseck, “was the enemy commander … had made assumptions of where you can maneuver in the desert. Within seconds, they obliterated all resistance.Īt 4:19 p.m., McMaster’s men crested what he described as an “almost imperceptible rise.” On the other side, eight Republican Guard Tawakalna Division tanks were set in an ambush formation, dug into deep fighting holes. The primary mission was to scout ahead and clear a path for the larger 1st Infantry Division. It was at 73 Easting - a coordinate line on a map - in 1991, that the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment served as the spearhead for the U.S. While the timeline of most wars is marked off in years, even decades, Desert Storm was - from opening salvo to final shot - over in six weeks. The Gulf War was, in many ways, a model of American military efficiency. “It also seemed the right thing to do to make sure the squadron and the regiment understood where we come from and why we do this.”
“It seemed like the right thing to do for the battle, to commemorate it,” said 2nd Squadron’s current commander, Lt. The efforts of 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, paved the way.
They would continue onward to engage in what would become known as the Battle of Norfolk, which effectively ended the war. That victory allowed the troops of the 1st Infantry Division to pass through their lines relatively unscathed. “I lead the regiment back in 1991 when this battle took place and it’s my part still to speak for the soldiers who were there at the time.” “It’s humbling in a way, but it’s also, I think, a part of my responsibility,” Holder said during an interview at the dedication. Don Holder, and a platoon leader of the battle, retired Lt. To help commemorate the event, the unit’s leaders brought in the former regimental commander of what was then the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, retired Lt.
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