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Keith McCord reportingOne of the "embedded journalists" covering the war in Iraq is a Utah man who is working for the Salt Lake Tribune.
His name is Greg Grant, and he's with a unit that is deeper into Iraq than any other.
Last Friday when we first spoke with him, his unit had been fired upon, on its way north from Kuwait.
Now he's just outside of Baghdad, and late last night he told me that Iraqi soldiers were coming at them from all sides, and had been for days!
Greg Grant, SL Tribune Correspondent: "We found ourselves surrounded, not cut off, but surrounded on all sides by a combination of regular army and paramilitary. We lost one of our tanks from a rocket propelled grenade. One of the crewmembers was injured."
Greg has been traveling with the Army's 3rd Infantry since February 20th. Since leaving Kuwait his units have advanced further into Iraq than any other.
Late last night he told us he was within a few miles of Baghdad, and had been under fire for a couple of days. He says his units took control of a bridge that had been wired for explosives. Once they crossed it, it got nasty.
Greg Grant, SL Tribune Correspondent: "I think they realized that we have seized their bridge, so they started throwing everything they have. Hundreds of Iraqis were attacking all night long, and I guess the best way to describe it would be in human waves, almost."
"At one point I think everyone was a little nervous, when we were stretched a little thin and they were coming from every direction."
Since we spoke, Greg's units have advanced further. He told us they've been assigned a new mission. At this point, he's not inside the urban areas of Baghdad.
For now, his home and office is in the rear of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
Greg Grant, SL Tribune Correspondent: "I don't get out much. I try to stay in here, mainly because we take incoming mortar rounds and artillery. Of course, we don't know when that's going to hit, so it's nice to have steel walls around you."
He said during the battle near the bridge, his units killed a lot of Iraqi soldiers, and had taken quite a few prisoners.
Even though he's with a division of 20,000 soldiers, Greg Grant says he feels isolated. He says he doesn't get the latest news about what's happening in other parts of Baghdad. He finds out more when he calls home, or calls us!
