Regardless of where Cerro went along the edge of the escarpment, he could hear First Sergeant Duncan's voice. "Come on! Come on, sweethearts! Let's see some hustlin' over there. It ain't the bleedin' Salvation Army that's comin' up the road after you. Let's go — let's get motivated here and do some serious mine laying." Given the task of emplacing the hasty protective mine fields, Duncan was everywhere, directing and supervising. In some cases he had to show the soldiers on the detail the proper techniques for arming the mines. It wasn't that they weren't trained; the men on the detail had all had refresher training the day before. Fear, anticipation of battle, and haste, however, can crowd a man's head, multiplying the number of thumbs he has to work with. At these times it is the mission of the NCO and officer to ensure that their soldiers are held to task and doing those things for which they were trained and that will allow them to succeed — and survive.
In front of the position Duncan was doing just that. By example, encouragement, and direction, he was ensuring that the antitank mines were sited, emplaced, and armed properly. On the escarpment First Lieutenant George Prentice, the company XO, was busy moving ammunition and supplies around to the proper locations with one of the two hummvees. Cerro himself was walking from position to position with the platoon leader responsible for the positions. This was his third tour of the morning.
On the first tour Cerro simply had reconfirmed his initial platoon and antitank positions. He wanted to make sure that the planned positions, plotted on a map, conformed to the realities of the actual ground. On the second trip Cerro took his time and looked at each position, now being dug, to make sure that the positions were mutually supporting. He also looked for dead space to his front and flanks. When he saw such a spot, where direct-fire weapons couldn't engage an approaching enemy due to a fold in the earth or a small wadi, Cerro took action to cover it. In most cases he turned to his fire support officer, or FIST chief, and directed that an artillery target be plotted on the dead spot. In some cases Cerro directed the platoon leader responsible for that sector to shift one or more positions or weapons to cover the dead spot. Without fail the soldiers, often nearly done digging their first position, moaned and groaned when told they had to dig a new one. And without fail they did so, knowing that if they didn't, they'd lose their asses, if not to the Libyans, then to Cerro.
By 0830 Cerro had begun to make his third tour. Most positions were finished. Those soldiers not on other details were busy improving their positions. These inspections and checks were to the accompaniment of explosions in the distance. Naval gunfire and an occasional screech of a high-performance jet screaming overhead reminded Cerro and his men that this was not a simple training exercise. In Fuka, less than ten miles to the east, a Libyan armored brigade sat. Everyone had expected that brigade, a unit recovering from earlier battles, to attack quickly in order to eliminate the airhead. Since landing, however, the only contact Cerro's unit had had been when a pair of BRDM armored recon vehicles came thundering down the coastal road. Both had been chased off by scout helicopters, which destroyed one of them in the process. Other than that, Cerro's men had seen nothing of the enemy. Looking to the east, Cerro studied the pillars of smoke rising in the distance. The Libyans had not been so fortunate. The Navy and the 1st of the 11th Attack Helicopter Battalion had been working the Libyans over without letup. If they never saw a Libyan tank, that would be all right in Cerro's book. Though he was confident that they would be able to hold, Cerro felt no burning desire to put that theory to test.
Turning away from the east, Cerro began to go back to his inspection, only to be interrupted by an overflight of Apaches. He paused and looked up. Two OH-58C Scout helicopters, with four AH-64 Apaches on their heels, thundered overhead, headed to the east. The pylons of Apaches were heavily ladened with Hellfire missiles. They were after tanks. Cerro watched, waving as the helicopters went by in a symbolic send-off. "Give 'em hell!"
Mennzinger watched the infantryman below them wave. He returned the wave before turning his full attention back to the east. Over the radio the tactical air controller called the leader of a flight of Navy A-6 Intruders. He notified them that the USS Clancy had ceased firing, allowing the A-6s to roll in and commence their attack. They were going after an armor formation forming southwest of Fuka, the same one Mennzinger and his company were after.
It wasn't even nine o'clock and they were on their third mission of the day. Already the company was down two aircraft. One had been left in Egypt due to an engine failure. The second one was back at the rearm/refuel point. Hit by small-arms fire on its last mission, every other warning light was flashing. It would be a while before it was up and ready. At least, Mennzinger thought, they hadn't lost any of the crews yet. That was something. Question was, however, who would give out first, the remaining crews or the aircraft. Sooner or later they would have to stand down to rest the crews and let the mechanics pull some maintenance on the aircraft. One could only run a surge operation for so long before both men and machines burned out. A sixteen-million-dollar helicopter that went in because the pilot was tired and made an error in judgment was just as dead as a helicopter shot down by a surface-to-air missile. Mennzinger knew that at some point they would have to hand the battle off to the men on the ground.
The deciding factor would be time. So long as the Libyans weren't given the time to mass and stage a deliberate attack, the soldiers of the 2nd Brigade, 11th Air Assault Division would hold. So long as the airhead held, the tanks of the 16th Armored Division could make it. It was Mennzinger's job, as well as the Navy's, to make sure the Libyans didn't have time to mount a full-scale attack and the 16th Armored Division had time to cover the distance from Jebel Kalakh to Ras el Kenayis. In the end, it was the units of the 16th Armored Division that would determine whether the operation was a success or failure. The heavy forces, going toe to toe with the Libyans, would be the final arbitrator. Until then Mennzinger had to make time.
The order to swing his task force north and engage a Libyan armored force coming south was greeted by Dixon with little fanfare, little emotion. He had been expecting it. The trail element of the brigade, Dixon's task force had the mission of attacking or blocking any Libyan forces that threatened the brigade's flank.
The Libyan force, fifteen miles to the northeast, had been found by a scout helicopter screening the brigade's flank. Operating in relays so as not to expose themselves for too long, other scout helicopters of the division's air cav troop began to shadow the Libyan force. Given information about the Libyan brigade, including its approximate size, location, direction of travel, and speed, Dixon decided to remain in diamond formation. That formation provided him the best all-round security and the most flexibility. Regardless of how they ran into the Libyans, only one unit would make initial contact. That would leave Dixon the freedom to maneuver the rest of the task force as he saw fit.