Published Nov 8, 2021 11:07 AM EST. Pablo Villa, NCO Journal, Why The First US Jet Fighter Pilot Wore a Gorilla Mask During Test Flights, The World's Foremost Sex Therapist Is a Holocaust Survivor and Former Sniper, 6 Minor Leaguers Who Gave Up Baseball Careers to Become Heroes of World War II, A Poor Kid from Milwaukee Became the First Man to Fly to the Moon Twice, 1st Woman to Take Top Enlisted Job at Army Special Ops, Some Private Companies Charge Hefty Fees to Help Veterans With Disability Claims, 'I Let Down the Combatant Commander': Marine Leader Regrets His Forces Weren't Available for Recent Crises, Female Commander Investigated over Alleged Sexual Assaults of Male Subordinates, Pattern of Harassment. Death Platoon's sleeping arrangements in the desert of Iraq, 2004. Edwards didn't leave with 3/1. A brutal gunbattle began, leaving a Marine and an Iraqi soldier shot and trapped in the open courtyard. As they scrambled from the room, the ordnance failed to explode and was eventually detonated in place, taking the buildings upper floors with it. Over the centuries, Marines gained status as their very own military branch and earned a reputation as one of the most hardened, violent, and distinguished fighting forces in military history. All contents On 31 March 2004, four American private security contractors were ambushed in the centre of Falluja. The Battle of Fallujah was the biggest battle of the Iraq War yet many don't know about the battle itself, let alone a significant day in this battle. When you went back, could you tell Fallujah was going to be so pivotal? We started to see Iraqi tribal leaders turning against al-Qaida. Dan ran back up to that rooftop to see where the rounds were landing and call them off of us.". He had already seen his sergeant major, company commander and executive officer cut down by enemy fire, forcing him to assume command of A Company, Task Force 2-2, 1st Infantry Division. Subscriber sign . I am reminding Americans that it was in November, 10 years ago, when the U.S. Marines and Army soldiers sacrificed life and limb to save the Iraqi city of Fallujah from terrorists. Within months, Nicholson was back in Iraq, seeing the last moments of the operation and how the city would change for years to come. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. That surpasses the number of Marines the unit lost during the Second Battle of Fallujah, serving as a stark. They're larger than life and in some cases seem unbelievable. It may well be that this destructionand the prospect of moreaccelerated negotiations, which were also proceeding, between some insurgents and tribal elders. I think that they are doing what they think they have to do. Maj. Gen. James Mattis, commander of the 1st Marine Division, went further: If [the insurgents] choose to fight, they are going to regret it, but we also believe that part of the physicians oath that says, First, do no harm. If to kill a terrorist we have got to kill eight innocent people, you dont kill them., Speaking on background to the Washington PostsThomas Ricks, one Marine officer was blunter still: Im appalled at the [Armys] current heavy-handed use of air and artillery in Iraq. Strict sharia [Islamic law] was enforced. In early November, as the battalions two sniper teams met up in the evening at a six-story building in Fallujah dubbed the flower factory Sgt. He went back because of a desperate call from another lieutenant, Elliot Ackerman, whose platoon was coming under friendly fire. Maj. Eduardo Leardo III, who led Regimental Combat Team-1, will also address the crowd. Navy Surgeon Puts Life on the Line to Help Save Marines in Combat CWO-4 Randy Gaddo, USMC (Ret) Leatherneck April 2016 Read Here "If they want to ask for ideas about how to get over the hump or how to get out of a rut in life, I'm more than happy to help anybody while I'm there. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. A. I think it was really a turning point in the war there in the sense that no matter what we were trying to do, the largest city in Anbar province was occupied by al-Qaida, including Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. To make sure they returned home to their families. "I've done lots of therapy, I've done the medication, the counseling," he said. The Slate Group LLC. To know what its like to love your squad so much youd The Marines of 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment to which both Kasal and Burger belonged were the operations main effort. First Battle of Fallujah, (April 4-May 1, 2004), also called "Operation Valiant Resolve," U.S. military campaign during the Iraq War to pacify the Iraq city of Fallujah, rid it of extremists and insurgents, and find those responsible for the March 31 ambush and killing of four American military contractors. November, 2004 - Into the hot zone at the Second Battle of Fallujah. He currently is president of EMPact America, an American energy resiliency organization based in Elma, New York. There was no Iraqi government, no police this was a terrorist stronghold. One lesson of Fallujah is that neither the Army nor the Marine Corps is particularly well-suited for counter-insurgency warfare. Ten U.S. and two Iraqi troops have died in two days of battle.Marines from Charlie Company of the 1st Battalion, 8th Regiment take up positions along a narrow street in Fallujah. The bodies of insurgents lay in the streets for days, being gnawed at by dogs. It was strange to think this young captain had just promoted some of us only days prior to leaving FOB Normandy. | On Nov. 10, 1775, a man named Samuel Nicholas went to Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, Penn. Marines patrol the streets of Fallujah, Iraq during Operation Phantom Fury November, 2004. As we sat and waited for missions that never came, our bond as a platoon strengthened. By Nov. 16, after nine days of fighting, the Marine command described the action as mopping up pockets of resistance. As insurgent activity increased throughout Iraq, we received orders to move to an undisclosed location to prevent potential uprisings. The day before Lima Company and the rest of the battalion pushed into the city, one of the tires on the commanding officers Humvee popped. Most of the fighting in the Second Battle of Fallujah subsided by Nov. 13. Anyone suspected of being an insurgent was arrested at checkpoints. The only civilians we saw were on the first day, from the roof of the building where Lt Malcolm was killed. David G. Bellavia (n.d.). On Nov. 16, the Marine advance began meeting heavy resistance along phaseline Isabel the city was divided into phase lines with male and female names used to denote direction. Some houses were even leveled to take out any enemy defenses and personnel who might have been hiding within. At this point, five members of the platoon entered the house and took control of the first floor. Their attack in April 2004 - the first battle of Falluja - quickly got bogged down. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? Former Commandant Gen. Robert Neller started a reunion website in 2017 in an effort to address suicides. It was Marines and soldiers fighting block-by-block, street-by-street, kicking in doors during the most intense urban warfare the Corps waged since the battle of Hue City in Vietnam in 1968. As the sun came up on Nov. 10, Conner recalled standing with his men as they dressed and ate, while some shaved or took a quick cigarette break when able. We moved to a house with one squad. WEBCAST: Commemoration of the Second Battle of Fallujah, Operation AL FAJR. Along with the Silver Star, Bellavia also was awarded the Bronze Star, three Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals and the New York State Conspicuous Service Cross. Right there!" When another insurgent began firing from a floor above, Bellavia returned fire and killed him. "If [Workman] could do it, you can, too," Kent said. "I could hear the steel slapping against the building we were in. Fallujah secured its place in Marine Corps heritage, alongside battles fought during the same era, like that in Sangin, Afghanistan, as well as those of past wars, like Iwo Jima and Tarawa. Bellavia promptly shot him and charged into the house. A. All rights reserved. We all lay flat, an unseen force pressing down. Before their deployment in mid-March, Marine commanders said they would adopt a softer approach than the Army. In the moment that's very much rational.". During a lull in the fire, Bellavia approached the house again and observed an insurgent loading a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Before they could go room by room clearing the structure, however, they were ordered to move out of the area because close air support had been called in by a nearby unit. "The suicide rates are extremely high right now. "I had a period of, like, a year or two when I just had zero cares about anything in the world.". I remembered him as a quiet and thoughtful young officer who liked to play chess. Additionally, more than 250 awards for valor were awarded to the units Marines and sailors for their actions during the operation. Its mission was to eradicate the insurgent infestation (Villa, 2019). Helicopters crashed in mountains, fair weather, Army says, Your next tech and incoming AI | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 4.28.2023, Home Improvement Loans What are my options? Chris Adlesperger's Navy Cross citation is one I'm very familiar with, having known his family. Two 21-year-olds, Cpl. The city had been a stronghold for insurgent forces since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Our mission orders stated the city of Fallujah had been overrun by insurgents who fortified the city and its surroundings with minefields and obstacles, making it impossible for the light Marine units to penetrate the city without incurring numerous casualties. The 1/8 alone had lost more than 20 men. Instead of getting drunk and eating lobster and steak, we were doing the one thing every Marine trains for, thinks about, and begs to do. She knew what I did for a living when she married me, but I don't think she knew a part of that deal was that my sons would be deploying to combat as well. He co-founded Vets for Freedom and served as vice chairman. Military Exchange Products May Contain Forever Chemicals Despite Ban, Marine Veteran Killed Helping Evacuees in Besieged Ukrainian City, Michigan Giving Military Families Extra Time to Vote Under New Law, US Speaker McCarthy: Russia Must Pull Out of Ukraine, Military Expanding the Use of Fitness Trackers to Detect Disease Outbreaks Such as COVID-19, Top 3 Space-A Destinations for OCONUS Families, The Pat Tillman Military Scholarship Program Now Open, US Army: Helicopters Crashed in Mountains, Fair Weather, Army Identifies 3 Soldiers Killed in Alaska Helicopter Crash, Defending a Mock Invasion of Taiwan Signals Shift for Army Special Operations After Years of Counterinsurgency, Biden Awards Football Trophy to Air Force Academy, 2 Air Guard Leaders in Accused Pentagon Leaker's Massachusetts Unit Suspended, Military Sexual Assault Reports Rise, Even as Army Numbers Fall, Military Has Yet to Reveal Causes of Red Hill Fire Suppressant Spills, Biden, Marcos Set to Meet as Tensions Grow With China, Navy Investigators Suspect Arson in Fire Aboard Docked Destroyer, State, Tribal Veterans Cemeteries Help VA Close In on Burial Site Goals, 20-Year-Old Marine Dies During Pre-Deployment Training at 29 Palms, Mexico Ends Search for Missing Americans, Coast Guard Says, Coast Guard Pleads for Commercial Icebreaker as Timeline for New Polar Cutter Falls Apart, Coast Guard Cutter Changes Command in Honolulu en Route to South China Sea, The Best Military Movies and Shows Streaming Right Now on Paramount+, 'Minecraft Legends' Is a Strategy Spinoff with Some Flaws, 6 Things You Probably Didn't Know About TV Legend and Veteran Jerry Springer. He also wanted to create a landing force for some of the most intense battles in the Revolutionary War. That really hit full throttle in late 2007. And if ever there was a validation of that, it occurred in Fallujah, where young lance corporals and corporals and sergeants were leading fire teams and squads and doing incredibly heroic things. A. The Navy Cross recipient recalled drinking heavily and suffering nightmares about that stairway he kept running up in that house. "They were down, but I said, 'We've got an enemy that's desperate right now. Covered in dust, soot, and blood, the Marines stood among the debris and rubble of a city-turned warzone, looking rough and worn, just a few days into the fight. The Fallujah killings of April 2003 began when United States Army soldiers from the American 1st Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division fired into a crowd of Iraqi civilians who were protesting their presence at a school within the city of Fallujah killing 17 protestors. Bellavia chased the insurgent as he ran upstairs. The 10th of November was three days into the second battle. Excerpts, edited for space and clarity: Q. Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class James Pell was rushing toward a badly injured Marine on a Fallujah rooftop last fall when an insurgent popped out of a house and unloaded his AK47 in the doc's direction. At once, the Marines were surrounded by insurgents armed with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. Like Workman, Edwards leaned on his family. Disabled Veterans Sign up for a Career Change. That surpasses the number of Marines the unit lost during the Second Battle of Fallujah, serving as a stark reminder of the wounds still carried by many who fought the war's toughest fights. Instead, it's important to focus on a more recent Marine Corps birthday, one of which took place during The Battle of Fallujah. One rifle company would take the main road into Falluja. Are walking blood banks coming to a field hospital near you? James Conner, then a sergeant, and one of his team leaders, Lance Cpl. But we endured together and never felt alone because we were always watching each others backs. The stories that emerged from that battle are the kind that legends are built on. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins. Death Platoon received the call to move quickly to Fallujah with 2-2 Infantry and link up with the U.S. Marines, who were responsible for that area of operations. A. Like us, he had left the roof, the danger all too apparent. While Marines celebrate our birthday every year with exuberance and tradition, some of us remember Fallujah, the birthday that exemplified what it means to be a United States Marine. He is married and has three children. This floor was a large open bay with no doors and blown out holes where windows should have been. Read about our approach to external linking. Some of that was rewarding, he said. Editors note: This article was originally published in 2015. (Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker, who rose through the ranks of special-operations forces, is attempting to shift its focus to low-intensity conflicts, but such wholesale changes take time.) Sporadic fighting continued until Dec. 23. Despite the incredible efforts to save the critically wounded Marine, he died of his injuries. U.S. Army Soldiers rush a wounded soldier to a waiting U.S. Marine CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter during the Second Battle of Fallujah in November 2004. Navy SEAL snipers supporting the battalion had already taken the roof. The U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (MRDC) has learned valuable lessons by studying the Second Battle of Fallujah, which took place in Iraq . On March 27, the commanders took the offensive. This bond we built was crucial in the months to come. As combat engineers, we served as demolition experts since this was before the heavy use of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Soldiers. Some Jim Lovell spoke to the American Veterans Center about joining the Navy, becoming an astronaut and the rescue of the ill Command Sgt. He chatted with us daily and appreciated the advantages of having combat engineers attached to his command. Even tremendously, egregiously wounded Marines laying in a bed at hospital without a limb will say, "Sir, I want to get back in the fight." What sorts of changes did you start to see? U.S. Marines encircled Fallujah on April 5 and have fought an estimated 1,500 guerrillas in repeated battles as cease-fires unraveled, killing hundreds of Iraqis, including many civilians,. Jeremiah Workman was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism in Operation Phantom Fury. Pell was hit 11 times and fell two stories onto a nearby rooftop. In October 2004, journalists came to Camp Falluja to "embed" with the force that would shortly try to retake the city. From the vehicles vantage point, the gunner likely saw the three infrared silhouettes of men in beanies and buffalo jackets poking their heads over a window ledge and assumed they were enemy insurgents, and not in fact, Marines. What made the battles of Fallujah important, and why will they be studied by recruits and senior officers? On Sept. 24, 2004, a senior U.S. official told ABC News that catching Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was said to be operating in the city, was "the highest priority.". From here, it would be easy to go into the long and honorable history of the Marine Corps. The bond between us, built and strengthened from our training and previous months of suboptimal conditions (embracing the suck), ultimately allowed every member of Death Platoon to walk out of the house that night alive and together. We had no means of outside communication and had to rely on each other for socialization. During the height of the fight, he was too anxious to eat. Nearly 100 Americans, mostly Marines, would die in the battles of Fallujah during some of the toughest fights in the campaign. Making their way into the courtyard of a two-story building, they came under heavy attack. Marines doctrine was naval centric and flawed They wanted to frontal assault and end fighting quickly so fleet could leave and not be tied down as a sitting duck off . A second insurgent fired at him, and Bellavia wounded him in the shoulder. He also tried to take his own life after the battle. The insurgents were entrenched in a makeshift pillbox under a set of stairs. That didn't change until the Sunni tribal "Awakening" - and only then because Sunnis feared genocide at the hands of Shia death squads. They were some of the first Marines to push into Iraq, and now their unit has lost more members to suicide than it did in the war's most ruthless battle. (2004). "I let the darkness and the fears in my life take over," Edwards, who eventually transferred to the Reserve, said. On March 27, the commanders took the offensive. By late January 2005, news reports indicated U.S. combat units were leaving the area, and were assisting the local population in returning to the now heavily-damaged city. You also have two sons who were deploying. More than 250 Marines and soldiers are expected to attend the Nov. 8 event, exactly 15 years after Marines set out to launch the assault. Colonel Ahmed told us they never really went away. Ten years ago, US troops and coalition forces fought their deadliest battle since the Vietnam War when they pushed into the Iraqi city of Falluja to root out Sunni insurgents. A sniper was in a minaret a couple of hundred yards away. Seeing that Smith was being crushed under the incredible weight of the up-armored Humvee, 1st Sgt. Operation Phantom Fury, the second chapter of the fight to retake Fallujah from Iraqi insurgents, will forever be known to Marines. A year later, we went back to Falluja. Ian Smith set the jack and began changing the tire, the soft dirt and the blast from a rocket propelled grenade that landed nearby caused the vehicle to fall atop him. This is what I want for my young Soldiers now: https://www.army.mil/article/178601/november_2004_into_the_hot_zone_at_the_second_battle_of_fallujah. The impetus for the battle began in March when four American private military contractors from Blackwater USA were ambushed and killed in Fallujah. But people were angry at the US. That was the crucial difference with the first battle of Falluja. The last battalion of iraqi soldiers with 2nd brigade, 1st iraqi army division, withdrew from the anbar province city of fallujah, sept. 8 Marines killed near Fallujah by car bomb World News. Locals spoke of beheadings in the street. Is climate change killing Australian wine? Different coalition forces tried to secure the city and bring order to no avail; coalition troops backed out of the city and it quickly grew into a bastion for all enemy fighters in the area. Marines always had the more reporters assigned to them and ran the best PR campaigns lol Never forget the army did amphibious ops more often and better than the marines in ww2 . Marines hugged and shook hands, while others tore into MREs to pull out pound cakes, which they stuck matches in as if they were candles. The Marines are inherently oriented to lighter, lither modes of combat: In Vietnam, their combined-action platoonswhich lived among the people and trained them in self-defensewere widely considered more successful than the Armys search and destroy tactics. The Battle of Fallujah A Reflection on Resilience By Sgt. Once the smoke started to clear, only two of us were what remained of a seven-man machine gun squad. The Vietnam-era vehicle, which was designed to move through contested and rough ground, raced 60 miles an hour through the rubble-strewn streets of Fallujah before arriving at the train station where the battalion was headquartered. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Southwestern College and a Master of Arts in leadership studies from the University of Texas at El Paso. The event will give Marines and other Fallujah veterans a chance to share what's on their minds or ask questions of leadership about what happened there, he said. United States Army Special Operations Command: April 26, 2004: Fallujah (First Battle) Defended position against enemy fighters during evacuation of wounded Marines in Fallujah. During this time, the other units of our mother battalion were stationed more than 200 kilometers away. But that was exactly what the US Marines were ordered to do. To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request, 15 Years After the Iraq War's Deadliest Battle, Marines Fight to Save Their Comrades, Military Exchange Products May Contain Forever Chemicals Despite Ban, Marine Veteran Killed Helping Evacuees in Besieged Ukrainian City, Military Expanding the Use of Fitness Trackers to Detect Disease Outbreaks Such as COVID-19, Michigan Giving Military Families Extra Time to Vote Under New Law, 1st Woman to Take Top Enlisted Job at Army Special Ops, Some Private Companies Charge Hefty Fees to Help Veterans With Disability Claims, 'I Let Down the Combatant Commander': Marine Leader Regrets His Forces Weren't Available for Recent Crises, Female Commander Investigated over Alleged Sexual Assaults of Male Subordinates, Pattern of Harassment. None of that would have been possible without taking Fallujah away from the enemy. All of us Marines, sailors, soldiers we build teams, we train as teams, we deploy as teams and we fight as teams. He had been awake nearly 48 hours, denied sleep by a cacophony of sporadic gunfire aimed at him and his platoon as they made their way through the streets of Fallujah, Iraq. Note: We have received some reports of users experiencing technical difficulties when attempting to submit articles. The stories that emerged from that battle are the kind that legends are built on. From 2004 to 2013, either I or one of my sons was deployed for seven of those nine years. For most of them, any kind of wound could end their major-league dreams forever.