After U.S. Forces struck Baghdad with 3000 cruise missiles and precision guided bombs, the 3rd Infantry division crossed over the Kuwaiti-Iraqi border spearheading Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 3rd Infantry Division raced over 300 miles across the Iraqi desert to reach the outskirts of Baghdad. Advancing north while engaged in heavy fighting, the Division captured key cities and killed hundreds of Iraqi soldiers along the way.
About 80 miles southwest of Baghdad, a 3rd Infantry Division tank company team fought and destroyed an Iraqi Republican Guard force at point-blank range. The firefight came near the end of a running 30-hour series of shootouts that was described as the largest battle of the war.
The Iraqi troops fought back with AK-47 assault rifles, but were overwhelmed by American firepower. Within minutes they destroyed four armed Iraqi pickups and killed all the Republican Guard soldiers. "We didn't take any prisoners," said the U.S. company commander. Iraqi troops killed were anywhere from 150 to 650. In less than three weeks, The 3rd Infantry Division entered Baghdad.
Like their WW II counterparts, soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division wore their division insignia on the side of their helmets. All U.S. Armies advanced into Iraq wearing the latest chemical suits fearing the use of Iraqi chemical weapons under their Interceptor Body Armor. Unlike the bulky chemical suits from the first Gulf War, U.S. soldiers were equipped with the new Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology (JSLIST). Both suits are available in woodland and three color desert camouflage. |
