Thunder Run into Baghdad | April 2003

Thanks. M1 tanks are often used to make first ground contact because they have a lot of fire power and armor. Some the Iraqi fools wanted to use civilian vehicles to attack our tanks. It was not a good idea.

I was the S2 for then LTC Blount when he was my BN CDR in 3-64AR in Schweinfurt when the Wall fell and during the 1st Gulf War. Shortly after E Germany fell, W German units went in to oversee the drawdown of the E German forces. We were partnered with 354 Panzer out of Hammelburg, and thier BN CDR and a couple of officers and NCOs took over running an E German regiment in Halle. He called over to then LTC Blount and asked if he wanted to come and have a first hand look at the equipment and facilities. Was one of the coolest events had during my whole career in what we got to do that day - assisted by officers and soldiers who had grown up with us as the enemy until a few months prior. When the ground war went down - we were doing a rotation at Hohenfels. Blount's leadership was a key factor in my not leaving the Army after the drawdown, one of the finest officers ever served under.

That’s confusing … It was 1st Armored Division who arrived in ‘03 and the 1st Cavalry Division arrived in ‘04 and 3rd ID relieved us in ‘05.