9781422277140

of an 8,000-vehicle, 100-mile (160 km) invasion force lumbering up a dusty highway to Baghdad. The 64 soldiers of the 507th traveled in 33 vehicles near the end of the line. Most were towing trailers loaded with supplies for a Patriot missile battery. Other vehicles included tow-trucks, Humvees, and heavy-duty wreckers. The strategy was simple. The invasion force was to flood Iraq’s capital of Baghdad, overwhelm Iraqi forces, and topple Saddam Hussein. Lightly armed with M16 assault rifles, hand-held machine guns, and a .50-caliber machine gun fixed to the top of a truck, the 507th headed into the center of Iraq. The journey began in Kuwait on March 20. After crossing into

Long convoys such as this one delivered vital supply supplies during the Iraq war, but also posed security risks.

12 12