When the 1st Infantry Division stopped their attack in DESERT STORM, my
Support Battalion was assigned the duty of clearing the "Highway to
Hell" as it became known thru the news media. We had taken hold of a
guardhouse on the border inside Iraq and were tasked to clear the road
for the peace talks in Safwan It was a dreadful chore as we had to clear Iraqi trucks full of ammo,
civilian cars with children's things in them and of course, our mortuary
section handled all the dead bodies. Ultimately, we processed 74 bodies
and made a mass grave to lay them in. Transporting them several miles
from the camp, they were laid side by side in the grave. TAP, HQ, 201st Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division
As would be expected, our Chaplain was there to hold a service.
Paraphrased, his words still ring in my ears today:
"These soldiers did no more than what you have done. Asked to fight for
their country; follow orders and be prepared to die. They are no longer
your enemy, they are your comrades in arms"
