U.S. destroys Iraq mobile missile launchers U.S. Air Force jets destroyed two Iraqi mobile surface-to-surface missile launchers Friday, taking less than 30 minutes to accomplish a task that eluded coalition forces throughout the first Persian Gulf War.
Gordon Trowbridge | Air Force Times | March 22, 2003 | 4:51 pm
Iraqis fire on U.S. troops moving toward Baghdad U.S. and British troops faced stiffer than expected resistance Saturday from Iraqi forces determined to slow their drive to Baghdad. Nowhere was that more evident than in As Samawah, where the 3rd Infantry Division’s 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment fought a daylong battle with Iraqi troops at a canal crossing near the southern bank of the Euphrates River. By day’s end, the squadron had killed at least 40 Iraqi troops and was in control of the bridge.
Sean D. Naylor | Army Times | March 22, 2003 | 5:09 pm
Baghdad braced for ground troops, more ‘shock and awe’ The lights were on Saturday in Baghdad. Iraq’s government-run Internet was functioning. Local and international phone lines worked intermittently. It was a far cry from the destruction of Iraq’s infrastructure during the initial days of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, but on this first morning following Friday’s American-made "shock and awe," Iraqi civilians rose warily, certain the worst was yet to come.
For carrier's aviators, unrelenting 'hammer time' arrives Like their boss' boss' boss said the other day, hammer time has come to the 5,500 souls aboard this ship in the Persian Gulf. For much of Saturday, fighter jets roared off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier and joined the already crowded skies over Iraq.
The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News | March 22, 2003 | 8:19 pm
U.S. soldier held in attack on 101st An Army sergeant from Fort Campbell was detained as a suspect in a nighttime grenade attack here that killed one soldier from the 101st Airborne Division and injured 13 others, Army officials said.
The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf-Chronicle | March 23, 2003 | 5:45 am
1 dead, U.S. soldier detained in attack on 101st leaders An American soldier hurled a pair of grenades into his unit‘s Camp New York, Kuwait, command post early Sunday morning, killing one soldier and wounding 15, U.S. military spokesmen said.
Matthew Cox | Army Times | March 23, 2003 | 9:26 am
Al-Jazeera broadcast depicts injured, dead U.S. POWs Several people were identified on the Arab television network Al-Jazeera as U.S. soldiers captured by the Iraqi army. Five more people, apparently dressed in American uniforms, were shown dead on a concrete floor in the videotaped broadcast.
Robert Hodierne | Army Times | March 23, 2003 | 1:19 pm
John Bebow | The Detroit News | March 23, 2003 | 5:07 pm
Analysis - As casualties and challenges mount, are Americans prepared? Dead American soldiers and live POWs on television, a suspected case of fratricide in the vaunted 101st Airborne, hundreds of thousands of anti-war demonstrators around the globe. Even as public opinion marshals around President Bush, the march toward Baghdad has been tempered with its first trying moments.
Chuck Raasch | GNS | March 23, 2003 | 5:14 pm
Iraq gives 'barbarous' treatment to POWs, ex-prisoners say The U.S. soldiers captured by Iraqi forces could face beatings and humiliation. But just as agonizing, say former prisoners of war, is the isolation and the thoughts of what the family back home must be enduring.
Iraqi surrenders critical to ground war As U.S.-led coalition troops advance toward Baghdad, American military planners are banking heavily on Iraqi soldiers surrendering in large numbers to keep both coalition and enemy casualties to a minimum.
Gordon Trowbridge | Army Times | March 23, 2003 | 5:48 pm
Pentagon still searching for Iraqi weapons cache as danger grows Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Sunday that the Pentagon had seen no evidence so far that Iraq had used weapons of mass destruction, but cautioned that the danger to U.S. and coalition soldiers would grow as they get closer to Baghdad.
Derrick DePledge | GNS | March 23, 2003 | 6:33 pm
Southern Iraq city sees intense fighting Fighting between U.S. and Iraqi forces continued to rage Sunday along the banks of the Euphrates River as U.S. Marines and the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) tried to maintain the momentum of their high-speed assault toward Baghdad.
Sean D. Naylor | Army Times | March 23, 2003 | 7:21 pm
Accused soldier ‘was never like that,’ mother says Shock, surprise and complete disbelief are the reactions of those who knew the U.S. soldier accused of a fatal grenade attack on command tents at a 101st Airborne Division base in Kuwait yesterday.
The (Nashville) Tennessean | March 23, 2003 | 7:30 pm
Texas woman says son is one of captured soldiers The mother of Army Spc. Joseph Hudson, a Fort Bliss soldier who was taken prisoner by the Iraqis, clutched a picture of her son at her home while neighbors showed up Sunday afternoon to express their support.
The (Nashville) Tennessean | March 24, 2003 | 5:19 pm
1st Marine Division plows its way into position The entire 1st Marine Division, moving as one massive convoy to push the war closer to Baghdad, snaked into central Iraq on a 24-hour push that ended here early Monday morning.
C. Mark Brinkley | Marine Corps Times | March 24, 2003 | 5:32 pm
U.S., British forces press toward Baghdad British Royal Marines worked to gain control of Iraq’s largest southern town on Monday as U.S. Marines and soldiers continued sweeping north up the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys toward Baghdad.
Robert Hodierne | Military Times | March 24, 2003 | 5:34 pm
Coalition forces face trial by fire in Baghdad Coalition leaders and generals all had the same message following a weekend of tough fighting in southern Iraq: Brace for heavier casualties, especially as the battle moves on to heavily fortified Baghdad. The U.S.-led assault on the city could begin within days.
John Yaukey | Gannett News Service | March 24, 2003 | 6:41 pm
William H. McMichael | Navy Times | March 24, 2003 | 6:55 pm
Fate kept Marines out of firefight All day Sunday, word filtered back from the front lines: Casualties were mounting from a bloody firefight between Marines and Iraqi troops somewhere north of the town of An Nasiriyah. The four Marines aboard an M1A1 Abrams tank called "Pale Rider" should have been there.
John Bebow | The Detroit News | March 24, 2003 | 7:02 pm
Kirk Moore | Asbury (N.J.) Park Press | March 25, 2003 | 6:29 am
Missing, captured include soldiers from across U.S. While Fort Bliss, Texas, officials on Monday provided no further information on the 10 to 12 soldiers missing, captured or killed on Sunday by Iraqi troops, details about the men and women who made up part of Fort Bliss' 507th Maintenance Company were slowing being revealed.
El Paso Times | March 25, 2003 | 6:30 am
101st soldiers say goodbye to fallen comrade Hugs mixed with handshakes Monday for the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait after a short, somber memorial service for the officer killed in Sunday's grenade attack.
The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf-Chronicle | March 25, 2003 | 6:31 am
U.S. troops strive to maintain momentum The U.S. Marines' war plan has emphasized a rapid advance toward Baghdad, relying on intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and psychological warfare. Maintaining the attack's momentum is essential, commanders say, despite the problems caused for the Marines in southern Iraq by pockets of resistance and a vulnerable supply line.
USATODAY.com | March 25, 2003 | 6:37 am
Doctors might be treating Saddam in bunker CIA operatives and Army commandos who are hunting for Saddam Hussein believe that the Iraqi leader could be in a Baghdad bunker receiving medical attention from military doctors, U.S. intelligence and military sources said Monday.
Coalition troops prepare for Iraq's most loyal soldiers The impending ground battle between coalition forces and the elite Medina Division of Iraq's Republican Guard south of Baghdad promises to give war planners their first glimpse of how tenacious Saddam Hussein's most loyal forces are likely to be and their willingness to use chemical weapons.
John Bebow | The Detroit News | March 25, 2003 | 5:44 pm
Iraqis destroy 2 Abrams tanks; loss is first in its 20-year history Two American M1A1 Abrams tanks were destroyed Tuesday by fire from what officers believe was an Iraqi truck-mounted anti-tank gun. It was the first time an Abrams has been destroyed by enemy fire in its 20-year history.
Sean D. Naylor | Army Times | March 25, 2003 | 5:59 pm
Bush steps back into public eye for first time since war's start For the first time since he ordered the start of war in Iraq last week, President Bush is stepping out from the private confines of the White House and Camp David to meet with military brass and rank-and-file troops and to rally support for the campaign against Saddam Hussein.
Mike Madden | GNS | March 25, 2003 | 6:15 pm
U.S. officials ready to provide humanitarian aid to Iraq The largest disaster relief team in U.S. history is being assembled to coordinate humanitarian aid in Iraq and is prepared to move into the country within 24 hours of receiving the go-ahead from military authorities.
Sergio Bustos and Derrick DePledge | GNS | March 25, 2003 | 7:07 pm
Squadron's rookies see plenty of action during battle Capt. Clay Lyle's voice on the radio gave no hint of the violence that was about to erupt. ``We're in contact,'' Lyle said calmly. His words marked the first moments of a 24-hour running battle between his troops and Iraqi adversaries along the Euphrates river.
Sean D. Naylor | Army Times | March 25, 2003 | 7:08 pm
Grenade attack claims second victim A Boise, Idaho,-based Air National Guard major died Tuesday of injuries he suffered in a grenade attack on officers´ tents in Kuwait on Sunday.
Bush appearances aim to rally public Faced with the prospect of a messier war in Iraq than might have been anticipated, President Bush is appearing in public more to rally fighting forces and bolster the confidence of the public and allied nations.
British ship to deliver much-needed supplies to southern Iraq The Bush administration Tuesday blamed Iraq for cutting off electricity and water to that nation's second largest city, Basra, as British forces pledged to deliver water and other aid there despite fighting in the area.
USATODAY.com | March 26, 2003 | 6:23 am
Basra uprising could be model for Baghdad British forces at the gates of Basra waged fierce battles with more than 1,000 Iraqi militia fighters, supporting what they said appeared to be civilian unrest developing against Saddam Hussein in the key southern city.
USATODAY.com | March 26, 2003 | 6:23 am
Clash with Republican Guard part of 'largest battle' A 3rd Infantry Division tank company team fought and destroyed an Iraqi Republican Guard force at point-blank range Tuesday night about 80 miles southwest of Baghdad.
Sean D. Naylor | Army Times | March 26, 2003 | 10:29 am
Bush rallies military, projects confidence in victory against Iraq President Bush used a visit Wednesday to the U.S. military's nerve center here conducting the war on Iraq to rally the troops, thank coalition partners, provide a progress report to the American people and assure Iraqi citizens they soon will be free.
Richard Benedetto | GNS | March 26, 2003 | 2:06 pm
William H. McMichael | Navy Times | March 26, 2003 | 3:10 pm
Saddam still controls much of crumbling regime With U.S. troops approaching Baghdad, there can be little doubt that Saddam Hussein is a doomed man. Yet despite his potentially frail condition, he continues to wield considerable influence and authority over his crumbling regime and terrified population, confounding U.S. war planners and changing their strategies.
John Yaukey | GNS | March 26, 2003 | 5:43 pm
Treatment was bad, but improved for female POW in first gulf war It wasn't the sexual assault or mock execution that Army Major Rhonda Cornum recalls as the worst part of being a prisoner of war. It was the theft of her wedding ring, snatched from a chain around her neck.
