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below are actual U.S. Army scenes from the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq
during late March and early April, 2003 – the location, soldiers and
timeslot of… |
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“The
L.P.” |
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By
squinting a bit… you can see Sergeant Ryan Parker’s squad
in them. |
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Photo
#1 |
Photo
#2 |
Photo
#3 |
Photo
#4 |
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Photo
#5 |
Photo
#6 |
Photo
#7 |
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| Photo
#1. |
Parker’s squad approaching the Bahmad house that would be the
L.P. |
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| Photo
#2. |
Sergeant
Parker’s wild predawn ride in the ARV as they escape from…
The L.P. |
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#3. |
The
Iraqi column pursuing the fleeing L.P. squad as their scout motorcycles,
attacked by Parker, Aldrink and Hengfelder, burn in the foreground. |
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| Photo
#4. |
Penya
readying his machinegun emplacement for the ambush by the tree at
the
stream. |
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#5. |
At
the stream, a helmet-less Parker, Aldrink and Hengfelder lay the ambush
for
the pursuing Iraqis. |
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#6. |
Stafford
peers over the rock surface while he and the Iraqi women wait for
the
dust-off helicopter. |
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#7. |
The
Black Hawk “Evac” helicopter as it comes in to pick up
Katra, Mira and the
wounded Stafford. |
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| What
follows now, are photos and facts about some of the equipment talked
about in The L.P. |
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Above:
The M-923 in The L.P. was just like this one except with an
M-60 machinegun mount on the passenger side. |

Above: A M-923 in Iraq, on fire and burning after being hit with
an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) in an ambush/2003. |
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| The
US M-923 5 ton military transport truck. Used for transporting everything
from supplies to weapons to troops, it is the transportation workhorse
of the US Army. It was a truck like this that was carrying Parker
and his squad when they were ambushed while crossing the Euphrates
River. |
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Above:
Photo of the US Army L250D8 during the first Gulf War/1990
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| Each
Battalion of the US Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment possesses ten
250cc Kawasaki L250D8 motorcycles. These bikes assist in providing
security and Mobility during airfield seizures. They’re most
commonly used as listening posts and observation posts (LP & OPs)
or as an economy of force screen for early warning. The motorcycles
offer the commander tactical mobility and intelligence gathering and
were used in both the 1st Gulf War and the 2003 invasion – the
current Iraqi Freedom War. Army Ranger Sgt. Toby Hengfelder was riding
a bike like this when he fell-in with the L.P. squad. |
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| Russian
Army photos of demonstrations given to Middle Eastern countries
of the Ural M-61K |
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| Above:
Photo of the Russian Ural motorcycles being delivered to the Middle East.
Once the bikes arrived, they were fitted with extra armor plating, machineguns
and various other forms of equipment and weapons. |
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The
Russian-built M-61K Ural military motorcycle. When equipped with a
sidecar, the M-61K is often touted as the AK-47 of motorcycles. The
machine boasts a 650cc engine and is based on an old and proven design
- the 1938 BMW motorcycle. Inexpensive to build, this bike was used
extensively by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It garnered a
strong record as both a reconnaissance platform and Communications
runner with the Soviets in Afghanistan. Since the Iron Curtain came
down, they’ve been sold heavily to foreign militaries. Many
Middle Eastern countries
have them in their arsenals today.
Saddam Hussein’s Fedayeen militia ordered Urals just before
the U.S. invasion of Iraq as part of a defensive strategy that relied
on high mobility. The Iraqi Army’s bikes, like the Soviet
military’s shown above, sported a sidecar-mounted machinegun
as well as various other armament such as rocket propelled grenades
(RPGs) and mortars. It was motorcycles like this that the Iraqi
Special Forces major sent ahead after the fleeing L.P. squad.
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An
ARV in active service with a Middle-Eastern country. |
An
Iraqi ARV captured during the First Gulf War/1991 |
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| The
Soviet-made BDRM2. The BDRM is an Amphibious Reconnaissance Vehicle,
also known by the abbreviation “ARV”. This vehicle was
highly mass-produced by the Soviet Union and other Eastern Block countries
during the Cold War. Up-dated versions of the ARV are still in production
today due to the unique versatility of this fighting machine. It is
amphibious and can operate as a boat in water for river or lake crossings
and ocean landings. It can serve as a troop transport, ambulance,
communications or weapons platform and in numerous other configurations.
A gas-powered lightly armed and armored vehicle, it was and is sold
to many Middle Eastern states such as Iraq. And indeed, the Iraqi
military possessed many of them in their inventory when the U.S. invaded
in the spring of 2003. It was an “ARV” like this that
Parker’s squad and the Iraqi women fled in from…”The
L.P.” |
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And
last but not least,
A promise from our warriors fighting terrorists…everywhere. |
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If you
kill the blameless, rape the defenseless or otherwise harm the innocent…..
Then these ‘American Indians’…. will come pay you a
visit… some fine morn’n! |
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“Apache
Dawn” by Cherokee artist, ‘Two Dogs’ |
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Site
design and contents by David Walks-As-Bear, copyright ©2003 |