A Very Special Gift
In April of 2003, I received a letter from then SSgt Adrian Walker, one of my former students. I didn’t comprehend the true significance of that letter at the time, but in it he described his unit’s (3/7) move into Baghdad. He explained how the AAV he was riding in crossed the Tigris River and then ran into a minefield. The blast damaged the left track, but the AAV continued to advance for about 1/4 mile before the track came completely off. His Marines provided security for the vehicle until it could be towed back to the Maintainence Collection Point (MCP). They fired on a couple of suspicious vehicles during the night and engaged in some firefights, but finally were towed back to MCP. There, they transfered to another vehicle and made their way back into Baghdad. Eventually, they moved into the Iraqi Olympic Training facility where they set up camp. That is where they were when they were informed that Hussein’s regime had collapsed.
