“Can you tell us how they describe the event? I have not read that book or read any accounts of that event outside official and classified military documents.”
As promised, ST, here’s the account from: “Desert Storm: A Forgotten War”:
RAS AL-KHAFJI AND OTHER MAJOR GROUND ACTIONS
(29/30 JAN 1991)
“The first attack occurred in the west; units of the U.S. Marine First Light Armored Infantry Battalion (LAI) engaged the Iraqi forces, calling in artillery and close air support from AH-1 Cobra helicopters, AV-8 Harriers, and A-10 Warthogs in addition to using their own TOWs mounted on LAVs. At about the same time, another LAI battalion repulsed the probe coming from al-Wafra.
The LAI was meant to be a reconnaissance and screening force, and was not designed to stop attacks by heavy armor; thus it had no armor, although it had anti-tank weapons. Nevertheless the LAI succeeded in stopping the Iraqi attacks, and the LAV performed very well its first time in combat. By the time the fighting ended, some 33 Iraqi tanks and 29 APCs had been destroyed. Eleven U.S. soldiers were killed in two friendly fire incidents. One involved a Maverick missile launched from an A-10 Warthog: the missile lost its intended target and instead destroyed an LAV, killing seven soldiers; four others were killed by friendly ground fire.”
Alberto Bin; Richard Hill; Archer Jones. Desert Storm: A Forgotten War [Praeger Publishing, 1998, Pp. 128-129] (Kindle Locations 1943-1946). Kindle Edition.
ST UnWoked & UnVaxxed! 
For Hypatia and Lizzie. Courtesy of “Chaps” D’Nanda.
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A privilege to be of assistance!
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I cannot begin to imagine the horror of this. God Bless all who serve.
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LAI was rightly name changed to LAR (Light Armored Recon) after Persian Gulf I. The LAV is very thin-skinned and its occupants are extremely vulnerable. It is better suited for “stealthy” missions.
The LAV performed well in Panama first, but our tactics were battle-tested for the first time in Kuwait. We did remarkably well. Most of our casualties came to the mothers of America courtesy of the US Air Force.
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Thank you so much, I am so sorry.
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This casts me back to the anti-war fervor I wrote about in Connection with VietNam. WHY?!?!
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ST, this is difficult to wrap my brain around – and impossible to wrap my heart around! Un abrazo to you and to the fallen. Where would we find their names/more about them?💔
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“Where would we find their names/more about them?💔”
What would you do with their names/ more about them?
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Remember them, just remember them, ST.
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Can you please remember them without me telling you were you can find their names/ more about them?
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Of course I can – and will….
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The anonymity of these fallen….hits harder, I guess.
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Harder than what?
A month or so ago you had never heard of this incident.
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I’m just relating reactions, to an incident that involved you, and your comrades in something unthinkable. I felt the same way when you linked to the book a while back.
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Whatevs dude.
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OK, then….I guess we’ve gone as far as possible with this, without my becoming an irritant; which is certainly not my intent. I need to sleep, anyway. Chao for now. Peace,…out.
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Don’t poke the bear, D’Nanda, please.
I don’t even see the bear; I have no desire to be near/disturb said bear, let alone *poke* it, for goodness’ sake. I’m sorry if questions were/are intrusive, and withdraw them, if so….Meantime, life is getting hectic at the office, and I’ll be holding down the desk for the next two weeks, so I’ll be here intermittently. Ongoing projects here will be wrapped up during that time, too. I’ll post them when complete.
Peace be within and among us….
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P. S. ST, this was published in 1998, if you want to add the date….FIFY, and me. (Would’ve included it, forgot.)
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“The LAI was meant to be a reconnaissance and screening force, and was not designed to stop attacks by heavy armor; thus it had no armor, although it had anti-tank weapons. Nevertheless the LAI succeeded in stopping the Iraqi attacks, and the LAV performed very well its first time in combat. By the time the fighting ended, some 33 Iraqi tanks and 29 APCs had been destroyed.”
This is amazing: in this particular altercation, the Iraqis massively outgunned the Marines, but the Marines won anyway. God Bless the U.S. Marines.
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Thnx JaC. Remember this was a fair fight in the middle of an open desert. Nobody on either side was taken by surprise when the slugging finally started.
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The Iraqis knew that the Marines didn’t have the weaponry the Iraqis had, and the Iraqis ended up getting their asses handed to them: Awesome.
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What Judy said.
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US Marines’ Light Armored Vehicles (LAVs) tactics, techniques, and procedures had never been tested in combat formation. They were developed by a bunch of LTs and me. We got the LAV because the US Army developed it then decided they didn’t want it. Marines saw an opportunity and bought it first. Figured out how to use it after-after. I was one of the dudes who helped figure out how to best utilize this ‘new tool’ in the warfighters toolbox.
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Thank you so much for everything you have done.
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My pleasure, ma’am.
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Also: thank you for writing about your experiences and sharing your perspective. I wish more military guys would do this, and am very grateful that you are doing it.
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