507th Maintenance Company

The 507th Maintenance Company was a unit of the U.S. Army which provided maintenance support to 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery (ADA) (PATRIOT), based at Fort Bliss, Texas. Prior to that, it was part of the 2/7 Battalion, 11th Air Defense Artillery (ADA) (PATRIOT), also based at Fort Bliss, Texas, which played a major support role in the first Gulf war.

Contents

An Nasiriyah incident

Main article: Battle of Nasiriyah

A trail vehicle convoy element of this unit was ambushed during the rapid advance towards Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom on 23 March 2003. The 507th was last in a march column of over 600 vehicles from the 3rd Infantry Division. This element which included the heavier, slower vehicles of the 507th, made a wrong turn into Nasiriyah, a major crossing point over the Euphrates River northwest of Basra.

A U.S. Army investigation[1] concluded that this wrong turn was the result of a navigational error compounded by a lack of rest, limited communications and human error.

In the summer of 2005, the 507th was disbanded and re-formed as E Company, 5/52 ADA BN. As of fall, 2007, they are now F Company. A monument was placed at the battalion's area on Fort Bliss.[2]

Killed in action

The following soldiers of the 507th were killed in action (KIA):

The following were assigned to the 3rd Forward Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division Fort Stewart, Georgia and had fallen back in the march column to assist the 507th in vehicle recovery:

Prisoners of war

Main article: American P.O.W.s in 2003 Invasion of Iraq

The following 507th soldiers were captured and held as prisoners of war (POWs):

Wounded in action

The following 507th soldiers were listed as wounded in action (WIA) by media accounts:

Others

Other 507th soldiers who escaped capture as reported by media accounts:

Media coverage

The most famous member of the unit became Private First Class Jessica Lynch whose dramatic rescue from an Iraqi hospital received world wide media coverage. This media interest in Jessica Lynch has largely overshadowed the sacrifice and valor displayed by other members of the unit. For example, Sergeant Donald Walters and Private First Class Patrick Miller were awarded the Silver Star for valor.

Notes

  1. ^ "Attack on the 507th Maintenance Company, 23 March 2003, An Nasiriyah, Iraq". http://www.army.mil/features/507thMaintCmpy/AttackOnThe507MaintCmpy.pdf. Retrieved 28 October 2008. 
  2. ^ "Honoring those who have come before". Laven Publishing/US Army. http://www.lavenpublishing.com/monitor/2006/06%20June/060106%20/060106honor.html. Retrieved 1 June 2006. 

References