Seven Marines died in their first 10 days of deployment. A third Marine, Lance Cpl. New book about Battle of Fallujah takes a look at - United States Army "We've lost more guys to suicide than we lost in the battle now," Jake Edwards, a former combat engineer who fought as a lance corporal in Fallujah. A roadside bombing outside Fallujah, about 25 miles west of Baghdad, kills 10 U.S. Marines and wounds 11 others. The Slate Group LLC. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. If this step (which was reportedly proposed by the Iraqi general) succeedsif the Fallujans accept the unit as legitimateit could serve as a precedent for establishing security elsewhere in Iraqs Sunni areas and as the basis for an American exit strategy. And that's not unique to me. a Soldier. https://www.army.mil/article/178601/november_2004_into_the_hot_zone_at_the_second_battle_of_fallujah. For most of them, any kind of wound could end their major-league dreams forever. We were celebrating our birthday in the heat of battle. All rights reserved. "I had a period of, like, a year or two when I just had zero cares about anything in the world.". 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. You also have two sons who were deploying. While defending our position, the executive officer took control of the weapon system on the tracked vehicle he was riding and was killed by a rocket propelled grenade while pushing the enemy back so the team could get through. 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? Disabled Veterans Sign up for a Career Change. 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. So we've got to stay in the fight.'". Not only does it slow down operations, it also solidifies the reality that no one is safe from the horrors of the battlefield. The Navy Cross recipient recalled drinking heavily and suffering nightmares about that stairway he kept running up in that house. All contents Battle of Fallujah - Phantom Fury - MCA The Battle of Fallujah - Army University Press The insurgents holding Fallujah were formidable. Strict sharia [Islamic law] was enforced. "I could hear the steel slapping against the building we were in. We brought three mine-clearing line charges (MCLCs) with M113 personnel carriers to penetrate the enemys minefields. In 2007, he published a memoir, House to House: An Epic Memoir of War, co-written with John R. Bruning. Iraq's hardest fight: The US battle for Falluja 2004 - BBC News Post-Phantom Fury suicides have hit all the ranks, from enlisted to officer, he said. Success in a counter-insurgency environment is based on winning popular support, not blowing up peoples houses.. "I ask all Marines to get connected. After the city was cleared, it really began the awakening. Are walking blood banks coming to a field hospital near you? We were in the city for but a few hours when the war became very real for us. The military translator stood and shouted down to the street. 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.

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