ABSTRACT
With these words, US President George W. Bush announced to the citizens of the United States that Operation Iraqi Freedom had begun. The campaign commenced with the US Air Force bombing Baghdad and other strategic targets. Shortly thereafter, on Thursday, March 20, US and Allied Coalition Ground Forces crossed the Kuwaiti−Iraqi border and began their attack north to Baghdad and other key locations. Over the next few days, Coalition aircraft flew between 1500 and 2000 sorties per day, warships launched 500 cruise missiles, and ground troops traveled hundreds of kilometers often meeting fierce resistance along the way. Coalition forces pressed on day and night with little rest. According to the 3rd Infantry Division After Action Report (AAR), a senior leader noted that he “slept for about half an hour at the assault position and really did not rest again until 24 March. The troops did not rest either.” The AAR also stated that another leader “recalled that at one point [his] battalion moved only to discover that it had left a battery asleep by the side of the road.”
