Page 103 - 100 Hours to Destiny

1stLt D. Kindle and Lt Abdul were asking the men, “How do we know
this is not a trick? And if it is, you will be the first to die.” The two men were
shaking uncontrollably and asked if they could have water, which was
granted. Lt. Abdul told them to calm down and relax, that if they would just
do the right thing that no harm would come to them. 1stLt D. Kindle told the
men to go over and tell the others to come on and surrender. The two men
shook their heads no and were fearful that the US aircraft circling above
would kill them if they were seen in the open running back across the field.
Lt Abdul again ordered the men to run back across to retrieve the other
prisoners waiting, or he would shoot them. With tears in their eyes, the two
Iraqi prisoners looked at each other, shook their heads as to say yes to the
other, said something in Arabic, and turned to begin running back over the
rise.

Listen: Interpreter with
POWs, TOW rocket fires

“Gunny, do you think it’s a trap?”
“We’re going to find out. Just be ready to jump up there in my
Commander's hatch and man that 7.62 pintle mount.”
“Roger that Gunny, I’ll be ready.”
The two men disappeared approximately 100 yards over the rise in
the terrain features. We could no longer see them. In the next moment what
happened was startling. It took about three minutes of what was surely
some intense conversations on the backside of that hill by the first two men,
as now we saw a huge group stand up and begin to move to the crest of the
rise. I grabbed a pair of binoculars and quickly began to look and observe this
mass of prisoners. They were talking amongst themselves. Some shouting at
each other. Some shaking their heads no, and others shaking their heads yes.
Marines around me began to wave them to come on and started shouting,
“come on. Get over here.” One by one they began to walk towards us. Their
eyes cast upwards looking for American combat aircraft. They were scared to
death of our aircraft, which had for weeks terrorized troops as they hid or
rather attempted to hide from the relentless air assault. But now it was for
all of us to see the men up close on this 2nd day of their living hell, they
began to run toward us waving white flags and handkerchiefs. All the while