Page 120 - 100 Hours to Destiny

Despite unprecedented enthusiasm, Marines were starting to feel the toll of battle…sleep
deprivation and fast action kept coming in an ever-evolving battlefield. Marines pressed on…
determined…trained to endure these elements. A quote from Capt RRP, “Fall back on your
training. Remember what I taught you. No one said this was going to be easy.” We had our
boot heel on the grim-reaper’s neck, 80% casualty…still not a scratch.

“Delta 5, Delta 5 this is Delta 6 with the TOW Platoon, along with
Delta 7. Check your fire, check your fire. We’re coming in hard from the
north to the south. Standby to receive elements back into Company
formation. Silver Two this is Delta 6. Disperse your TOW variants again in
amongst the screen line and prepare to move forward.”
“Roger Six. It was good shooting up there. Thanks for the invitation.”
And all of the Marines of Delta Company came on the comms
shouting reassurance and congratulatory comments to the returning TOWs,
for a job well done in protection of the Company…. And taking out bad guys.
This truly was one of the most awe-inspiring triumphs of a small, yet
powerful element of Delta…. The mighty TOWs did it again!
As the thunderous, yet mechanically strained TOWs returned you
could hear the engines growling from the extra weight and demand this
desert environment had taken on their hull. LAV-25s had a turret and gun
system that had been built by General Dynamics and the weight distribution
for the hull was pretty much built around the needs for those loads. Now
here comes the introduction of the TOW rocket hammerhead which added
an extra four tons of weight resting high on the platform, not to mention the
weight of the 14 TOW missiles on board, and right now the TOWs were
feeling the strain mechanically as the engines were pushed well passed the
envelope of capability. Turbocharged Detroit Diesel engines of the TOWs
were completely pushed to the breaking point, and it was not over yet... no
less the US Marines behind the foot pedal had no mercy. We had come into
the final hours of the approach to Kuwait City and these machines and
Marines were under the cacophony of combat.