Page 22 - 100 Hours to Destiny

In this ultra-rare photo on 2/22/91 Delta Marines begin to form a Company Coil around
American Hero, the COs vehicle. We were waiting for S-2 to land and deliver information.
Here is where we learned to expect an 80% casualty rate going into Saddam’s minefields and
traps. Tough news…tough prediction.

As the Company began to shut down the LAVs, the whirring turbos of
the 275hp Detroit diesels came to a whisper. The slow methodical throbbing
of cooling down engines had a near harmonic tone.
The voice of the Company Commander’s Gunner, Sgt Terry Davis,
cracked over the radio with the next command of action. Everybody in Delta
Company respected Sgt Davis as the Company’s most distinguished gunner.
In the turret of the LAV-25, Terry’s expertise with the 25mm bushmaster
cannon, land navigation skills, and knowledge of the vehicle, in general, had
earned him a spot next to Captain Pollard, not to mention Davis’ non-stop
comic relief. So, when Terry Davis spoke it might as well be Captain Pollard
himself telling us.
Davis gave the command to leave one man per vehicle on the gun
sight standing watch, all other Delta elements to the Captain's POS now,
meaning all Delta Marines were to come to the Captain to listen to the
word/instructions about to be handed down.
146 Marines and Navy Corpsmen (excluding the 15 still on watch) in
full combat gear with their personal weapon gathered around Captain
Pollard of whom was standing atop the vehicle American Hero so he could
see and speak to everyone clearly. Captain Pollard merely had to speak in a
normal tone, as this Marine had a voice that commanded Marines, a voice to
be heard without shouting. As he began to speak, he was letting us know
that some very important people were in flight at this very moment, coming