As Wheatley and his 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry unit rolled up central Iraq's "Machine Gun Alley" this week, they took nearly constant fire.

CNN: At the Front: 'Unimaginable' firefight lasts 72 hours

Seventh Cavalry, the unit with which I'm embedded just southwest of the city, has been under considerable fire throughout last evening and today.

CNN: Rodgers: U.S. Army says Baghdad is encircled

As a colonel leading a unit of (horseless) cavalry volunteers, known as the Rough Riders, he turned a relatively minor role in the San Juan battle into a national legend powerful enough to sweep him to the presidency.

ECONOMIST: THE WAR OF 1898