The fighting was at close quarters, with the two sides sometimes just a few yards apart. https://www.army.mil/article/178601/november_2004_into_the_hot_zone_at_the_second_battle_of_fallujah. James Clark Here are eight extraordinary moments from one of the most brutal battles of the Iraq War. All rights reserved. We refused to let the mission fail and were able to clear a lane in and out of the city for the entire 2-2 Infantry and Marine units to use. At one point during the fighting, after his unit had suffered several casualties, he was asked if he was okay. And that's not unique to me. Outside, a long, slow military build-up began. Nearly 100 Americans, mostly Marines, would die in the battles of Fallujah during some of the toughest fights in the campaign. And I think it's just important to be able to lean on your family and stay in touch with those Marines.". Note: We have received some reports of users experiencing technical difficulties when attempting to submit articles. Bellavia chased the insurgent as he ran upstairs. My oldest son was in Fallujah during my second tour, and my youngest son was in Afghanistan during my tour there. Q. "OK. The image of a city packed with non-combatants being pounded with artillery and white phosphorous was wrong. "It will always be synonymous with an urban fight where small unit leaders won the fight.". The way we fought not just to survive but to protect each Chris Adlesperger's Navy Cross citation is one I'm very familiar with, having known his family. To make sure they returned home to their families. 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. After deadlifting an armored truck, Hertz suffered a herniated disc and nerve damage and had to be medically evacuated. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. In October 2004, journalists came to Camp Falluja to "embed" with the force that would shortly try to retake the city. Bellavia's men were mired in the opening stages of the Second Battle of Fallujah. Nicholson, now the commanding general of 1st Marine Division, planned a reunion and commemoration here for Marines who fought in the deadly battles in Fallujah. Learn more here and be sure to check out more great stories on our homepage. 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. The command sergeant major (CSM) of 2-2 Infantry exited his vehicle to help strategically park in front of the new operations house when an enemy sniper killed him, causing a ripple effect in leadership. As it turned, the ramp was lowered so the patient could be quickly moved off the vehicle. Army saves marines in fallujah testimonios de personas operadas de tiroides. According to his Silver Star citation, Bellavia, armed with an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon gun, entered the room where the insurgents were holed up and sprayed it with gunfire, forcing the enemy to take cover and allowing the squad to move into the street. Marines patrol the streets of Fallujah, Iraq during Operation Phantom Fury November, 2004. More than 20,000 Russians dead in Bakhmut, US says, France May Day protests leave dozens of police injured, JP Morgan snaps up troubled US bank First Republic. (Then again, it may have hampered or delayed the talks; the situation is not yet clear.) His plans to make a lateral career move and become a human intelligence Marine began to fade. Gone was the need for self-preservation, and in its place was a desire to protect the Soldiers on our left and right. When another insurgent began firing from a floor above, Bellavia returned fire and killed him. The second battle of Fallujah was the largest urban battle since Hue City in Vietnam, which was, coincidentally, also a joint fight with Marines and units from the 3rd Brigade of the 1st. During this battle, joint American, Iraqi, and British forces attacked Islamic insurgents in the Sunni province of Al-Anbar. Feature image: U.S. Marine Corps/ Lance Corporal James J. Vooris. But we endured together and never felt alone because we were always watching each others backs. The camaraderie. Members of the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council threatened to walk out. Anyone suspected of being an insurgent was arrested at checkpoints. 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. They were helping to rebuild Fallujah after so much devastation, and they got to see the first attempt at an Iraqi election in 2005. Though the Marine Corps' birthday has landed on many the days of battles over time, Fallujah is the most recent and was called, "the biggest urban battle since the battle of Hue City in Vietnam.". They were being used as insurgent bases, the minarets sniper positions. Marines were sent to start taking over the city in early 2004, but many political problems arose and the advance was stopped. Eventually, he wrote, he tried to take his own life. Acting on instinct, the two immediately started trying to lift the vehicle off Smith, recalled Hertz, who retired two years ago as a sergeant major. Incredibly, they were able to take enough of the weight off of Smith that other Marines, who ran over when they heard screaming, were able to pull the pinned man to safety. It marked some of the fiercest fighting the U.S. military had seen in some thirty years. Conner, who was laying down suppressing fire, watched as Hanks ran forward, leaned down, and in one fluid motion, grabbed the wounded Marine, threw him over his shoulder and darted out of the courtyard, kicking open a side door. No one is immune to the stresses of combat. He also wanted to create a landing force for some of the most intense, The Army bought nearly $5 billion worth of rockets, Inside the stealthy defense budget of China, Army aviators are getting locked in for 3 more years on active duty, Geothermal engineers might have a hot future in the Army. Editor's Note: If you or someone you know needs help, the Veterans Crisis Line is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 800-273-8255, press 1. Some of the wounded were never told. Sunnis have turned to them because of hatred of the Shia-led government in Baghdad. Maj. Kyle Matus). But families weren't told for years it was "friendly fire," a tragic accident, despite regulations. That force was fear. American military advisers are back in Iraq but the US is not about to refight the battle of Falluja. 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. It began Nov. 7, 2004, and ended more than six weeks later on Dec. 23. "The enemy has got a face," he said. Falluja was never going to welcome the Americans as crowds of Shia Muslims did when US forces arrived in Iraq, in March 2003. When Workman and his Marines made it out, they were devastated, Kent said. There he began a recruitment process to put sharpshooters on Naval vessels to protect them. They're forever linked by gritty combat and heroism -- as well as terrible memories and loss. The operation ended in late April with the formation of the Fallujah Brigade, a unit composed of Iraqis, which was charged with keeping insurgents out of the city. Our platoon crashed through a door of a house and engaged in one firefight after another. Giving that city back to the Iraqi people was critically important. "And the marines said, in a polite way, 'Do you know what it takes to seize a city of 300,000?'". Retired Col. Mike Shupp and Sgt. The commanding officer was killed when he entered a house where insurgents sat in ambush. We crawled off the roof and fell down the stairs, back into the noise and confusion of the building. According to Mardan, as the rest of the snipers prepared to take some well-deserved rest, he and two other Marines looked out over the city from their vantage point. But Vietnam was a long time ago; the institutional memory has vanished, as has the necessary training. A fourth insurgent then emerged from a closet in the bedroom, yelling and firing his weapon as he leaped over a bed trying to reach Bellavia. The marines lost a man in an intense firefight for another house that went on most of the morning. (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.) 1st Class Johancharles Van Boers), As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, I The city had been a stronghold for insurgent forces since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. When this happens, youll truly be ready to defend this great nation and make sure your brothers and sisters in uniform make it back home. We did our job and we did it well, despite what's going on there today, or in the past or in the future there's not much we can do about that. We knew early on. They have been for a long time. 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. When the call to action rang out, the Marines breach failed because their MCLC would not fire. and appreciate the roads I have traveled to get 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. We would sporadically get news from command of the casualties they sustained and friends we would never see again. All these years later, Kent is one of the Marines with whom Workman stays in touch. None of that would have been possible without taking Fallujah away from the enemy. By Nov. 16, after nine days of fighting, the Marine command described the action as mopping up pockets of resistance. I wanted to be that leader that I promised I would be," he said. The details were so vivid, he said. He lied and said yes because he wasnt thinking about himself, he was thinking about his fellow Soldiers and the fact they needed him because they had to continue fighting. 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. He was afraid they were hiding suicide belts. Sporadic fighting continued until Dec. 23. Once we set boots on the ground, we set up shop at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Normandy, an Army post close to the Iranian border. A. CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. It has been a decade since Marines fought for their lives and their brothers-in-arms in Iraq's bloodiest battles, which would spark a turning point in the eight-year war. James Phillips, were killed inside the house. By this time, the enemy inside began to mount a major defense a complex, formidable one. 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. I think this was one of those iconic and epic Corps battles; we knew exactly what we had to do. "I think that that's the most important thing. Some joined the "resistance". Group, a Graham Holdings Company. He's one of eight Navy Crosses Marines earned in Fallujah, and what that young Marine did was so far above and beyond any reasonable expectation and is what helped characterize this as an iconic battle. The First Battle of Fallujah, also known as Operation Vigilant Resolve, was an operation to root out extremist elements of Fallujah and an act of retaliation. (2004). November, 2004 - Into the hot zone at the Second Battle of Fallujah. Insurgents were killed and their hideouts were destroyed, but so were civilians and their homes. He trained with him, helped him focus and said he always told Marines it was OK to ask for help. "They just opened up on us with belt-fed machine guns," Bellavia said. 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. Some turned to crime: the highway near Falluja became notorious for armed hijackings. A. An official website of the United States government, New Extended Battlefield - Multi-Domain Operations, France 44: The Wet Gap Crossings at Nancy, Battles of the Korean War Virtual Staff Rides, https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/31/international/worldspecial/enraged-mob-in-falluja-kills-4-american.html, https://history.army.mil/html/books/iraq/TotS/index.html, https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/bellavia/, https://www.army.mil/article/178601/november_2004_into_the_hot_zone_at_the_second_battle_of_fallujah, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. A. By And this article details the events that allowed he yelled. Dale Burgerwas severely injured, but returned to his unit just three days later and again led his men back into combat before being killed in action on Nov. 14. After being severely injured by enemy gunfire,1st Sgt. He was also nominated for the Medal of Honor. The Sons of Iraq was exploding all over Anbar, all over Iraq. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. It's going to be therapy for those warriors to see those people after all those years.". Marine Corps commandant Gen. Michael Hagee told the House Armed Services Committee that their training had drawn on procedures used by the Los Angeles Police Department for neighborhood patrolling in gang-dominated areas, as well as best practices from other small wars and peacekeeping operations. The unit's pastor said the "wrath of God" would be called down on the "terrorists, evildoers" in Falluja, with the US Marine Corps the instrument of that wrath. United States Army Special Operations Command: April 26, 2004: Fallujah (First Battle) Defended position against enemy fighters during evacuation of wounded Marines in Fallujah. "Hey diddle-diddle, straight up the f-ing middle," one of the officers said to me quietly. Yet, over the past couple of weeks, this is precisely what the Marines have been doing: calling in air power, killing (unavoidably) innocent people, blowing up peoples houses. The Army, with its premium on armor and artillery, has never much tried to be good at it. The Pentagon is expanding the use of wearable fitness trackers to help predict outbreaks of infectious diseases such as COVID Military and overseas voters will effectively get more time to return absentee ballots under a bill Gov. Many Marines of 3rd battalion 1st Marines engaged in grueling house-to-house fighting. "My plan is to go and meet as many people as I can, since there's going to be several units there, including Army units that were on the ground," Workman said. Find your fellow Marines," he wrote when announcing the website. And I'm a beneficiary of it still today. And of course, many were abandoned, and when you hit a house where the enemy was well-entrenched and well-supplied, there were some incredible fights. We played chess, card games, shared stories about our families and plans for the future, and listened to each others music (even though some of my fellow Soldiers tastes in music were terrible). That didn't change until the Sunni tribal "Awakening" - and only then because Sunnis feared genocide at the hands of Shia death squads. (You can find instructions on how to set Outlook as your default email application here.). Workman detailed his struggles in his book, "Shadow of the Sword: A Marine's Journey of War, Heroism, and Redemption." "Reach out, catch up, and when needed, help others.". "I let the darkness and the fears in my life take over," Edwards, who eventually transferred to the Reserve, said. The situation had taken its toll though. Theyre larger than life and in some cases seem unbelievable. The whole squad was very upset about that. And I'd say, "OK, OK, I get that. The Army at the time was calling in airstrikes to suppress insurgencies in the Sunni triangle. Meanwhile, Col Brandl strode around like a Hollywood version of what a Marine Corps officer should be, cigar stuck between his teeth as he dished out orders. Running roughly one-sixteenth of an inch under the skin, the tracer round drew a vicious line directly underneath his Marine tattoo, perfectly underlining it. It marked some of the fiercest fighting the U.S. military had seen in some thirty years. Some of the Marine Corps greatest heroes and most recent legends emerged from the battle. Post-Phantom Fury suicides have hit all the ranks, from enlisted to officer, he said. Eventually, we acquired a generator, which helped quality of life tremendously, and ultimately built stairs and even acquired furniture, which allowed us to hold movie nights on a small computer screen. And this is what I want for every young Soldier coming up the ranks. Bellavia promptly shot him and charged into the house. He shared his thoughts about the battles during an interview here on Nov. 5. Also called Operation Al-Fajr or Operation Phantom Fury, the Second Battle of Fallujah took place from November 7, 2004 until December 23, 2004. Fallujah has been home to a brutal insurgency since the Iraq war. Both the Marines and the Army led coalition forces. It was very challenging for Marines going house to house to house to identify who was left. As we sat and waited for missions that never came, our bond as a platoon strengthened. Excerpts, edited for space and clarity: Q. Raleigh Smith and Lance Cpl. (Photo courtesy of Sgt. I remembered him as a quiet and thoughtful young officer who liked to play chess. 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. During the first battle, in April, Muslim opinion had been outraged by US targeting of mosques. The marines were ordered to retreat. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. Death Platoon's sleeping arrangements in the desert of Iraq, 2004. Journal of Military Learning Submission Guide, Future Warfare Writing Program Submission Guidelines, 290 Stimson Ave. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 66027 Contact Us | 913-684-2127. The insurgents holding Fallujah were formidable. Soldiers of 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, enter and clear a building during heavy fighting, Nov. 9, 2004, in the Askari District of North Eastern Fallujah. 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. I can appreciate now the lessons The BBC's Paul Wood was embedded with Marines as they went into Falluja, Fighting took place house-to-house, incurring heavy casualties, Insurgents used mosques as bases, with snipers positioned on their minarets, Ten years after the battle, Falluja fell to the Sunni extremist group Islamic State, Most civilians had left Falluja before coalition forces attacked, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. He did not fire his weapon for fear of setting off an explosion and instead engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the insurgent, fatally stabbing him in the neck. On March 27, the commanders took the offensive. Outside, insurgents were hiding behind a breeze block wall. We were celebrating our birthday in the heat of battle. Falluja was Sunni - and it had done well under Saddam Hussein's Baath. 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. other. to where I am today. "I think Fallujah will always be remembered as that gritty, hard fought, room by room, house-by-house battle where our Marines and soldiers prevailed," Nicholson told Marine Corps Times. From here, it would be easy to go into the long and honorable history of the Marine Corps. "They were down, but I said, 'We've got an enemy that's desperate right now. "I had a period of, like, a year or two when I just had zero cares about anything in the world.". Ultimately, we kept two MCLCs and allowed the Marines to use the third. The impetus for the battle began in March when four American private military contractors from Blackwater USA were ambushed and killed in Fallujah. Right as Calvin bent down to pick up the handset of his radio, he took fire. The Marines appear to be withdrawing (or, in U.S. parlance, re-positioning), and 1,100 carefully selected soldiers from the old Iraqi armycommanded by a well-known, former Baathist generalare stepping in to provide security. Still, we all continued the fight, clearing houses of multiple enemy occupants. Years later, Bellavia recalled his actions as reactionary. They're both home now, and I know she's very pleased. Vaughn regrouped the Marines near him, the majority of whom were non-infantry, and coordinated their defense. New York, NY: Free Press. The interesting thing here is that my squad leader and I crossfired and shot the insurgent diagonal from our respective positions we were more concerned with saving each other rather than protecting ourselves. Success in a counter-insurgency environment is based on winning popular support, not blowing up peoples houses.. Our job, I think as leaders, is to man, train and equip our young Marines to make them successful in the fight. I dont want to condemn what [Army] people are doing. "If you don't come together and gather, and then healing is limited -- especially with those you bled with.". Of that number, 23 were killed and 275 were wounded during 12 days of intense and unrelenting combat as the Marines fought to take Fallujah from enemy hands. Marines with information operations played the Marines hymn over their loudspeakers and for a few brief moments among all of that chaos, they celebrated their Corps birthday.

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