Instead, he got attached to another infantry battalion and stayed in the city for months. Dan ran back up to that rooftop to see where the rounds were landing and call them off of us.". They were helping to rebuild Fallujah after so much devastation, and they got to see the first attempt at an Iraqi election in 2005. 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. Marines I spoke to recalled being trapped, fired on from all sides as the young men of Falluja rose up to defend their city. After the battle, control was given back to the Iraqi government, but insurgent numbers in the city grew. David G. Bellavia (n.d.). 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. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. A roadside bombing outside Fallujah, about 25 miles west of Baghdad, kills 10 U.S. Marines and wounds 11 others. Operation Phantom Fury, the second chapter of the fight to retake Fallujah from Iraqi insurgents, will forever be known to Marines. I saw veterans . Published Nov 8, 2021 11:07 AM EST. 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. Marines like Workman often had to get danger-close to the enemy when called on to clear rooms. But neither the U.S. Army nor the Marines will be the force that establishes the peace. Of course, there were two battles there was one in April that didn't end the way we wanted. In 2007, he published a memoir, House to House: An Epic Memoir of War, co-written with John R. Bruning. And this article details the events that allowed 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. 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,. Maj. Kyle Matus). So as the sun rose a couple of days later, the US forces in the city centre buildings found themselves under fire from all sides. 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. Civilians were warned that they should leave. 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. Group, a Graham Holdings Company. How was it that the biggest battle of the Iraq campaign was fought more than a year-and-a-half after the invasion - and after the now notorious declaration by President Bush of "Mission Accomplished"? Post-Phantom Fury suicides have hit all the ranks, from enlisted to officer, he said. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness.". In the moment that's very much rational.". All these years later, Kent is one of the Marines with whom Workman stays in touch. The insurgents hung their burned bodies from a bridge as a sign of their superiority (Getlleman, 2004). . 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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. But families weren't told for years it was "friendly fire," a tragic accident, despite regulations. Fallujah rapidly fell under the influence of insurgent factions and violence against the American presence was rising. What sorts of changes did you start to see? The two also rode their motorcycles through the mountains. They're larger than life and in some cases seem unbelievable. Years later, that is still one of my most memorable quotes of the Iraq war. me to truly learn that lesson. That's when many of us suddenly realized was it was the Marine Corps Birthday, "OUR" birthday. I can appreciate now the lessons The American military said that by Tuesday evening, at least 10 American service members and two Iraqi soldiers had been killed in the assault on Fallujah. He previously served as the first sergeant for the Charlotte Recruiting Company in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo courtesy of Sgt. Marine snipers using thermal imagers could see the insurgents and shot them through the wall. Everyone learned a few useful Arabic phrases. He is married and has three children. A. Giving that city back to the Iraqi people was critically important. 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 . Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins. A. "There's so much that lives with us 15 years later," he said. The operation ended in late April with the formation of the Fallujah Brigade, a unit composed of. Vaughn regrouped the Marines near him, the majority of whom were non-infantry, and coordinated their defense. He trained with him, helped him focus and said he always told Marines it was OK to ask for help. 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. No matter your rank or experience, everyone is mortal in war. So out came the sledgehammers that Conway and other Marine generals had recently chided their Army counterparts for employinga crude siege of the city, followed by gunships firing howitzers, and fighter jets dropping 500- to 1,000pound bombs. Edwards didn't leave with 3/1. Here are eight extraordinary moments from one of the most brutal battles of the Iraq War. The commanding officer was killed when he entered a house where insurgents sat in ambush. Q. Seeing that Smith was being crushed under the incredible weight of the up-armored Humvee, 1st Sgt. From here, it would be easy to go into the long and honorable history of the Marine Corps. Our job, I think as leaders, is to man, train and equip our young Marines to make them successful in the fight. -- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. think back to my younger days in the Army The US Marines wanted to move into Falluja "like a soft mist" and quietly arrest the guilty, said the military historian Bing West, a former Marine Corps officer in Vietnam. Ten years on, Elliot Ackerman, deeply affected, still wears a wristband to remember Lt Malcolm. In the 24-hour period ending at 2 a.m.. Hanks returned a third and final time just as another Marine from their squad got a clear line of sight of their attacker, opened fire, and killed the shooter. Gen. James Conway, commander of the 1st MEF, told the New York Times Michael Gordon, I dont envision using that tactic. In 2012, Bellavia signed an agreement with 2012 Oscar-winning producer Rich Middlemas to make his memoir into a major motion picture. Some of the Marine Corps greatest heroes and most recent legends emerged from the battle. Its a sad, unsettling chronicle, this past month-and-a-half in Fallujah. To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request, Into the Hot Zone: The Battle for Fallujah, By 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. Read about our approach to external linking. 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 . As a combat engineer, he was responsible for helping the grunts breach barriers. Journal of Military Learning Submission Guide, Future Warfare Writing Program Submission Guidelines, 290 Stimson Ave. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 66027 Contact Us | 913-684-2127. This floor was a large open bay with no doors and blown out holes where windows should have been. When I talk about Marines about Fallujah, I think about the individual actions. We had to climb a rope to even get to it. Click the buttons below to read articles about the Second Battle of Fallujah - Operation Phantom Fury and its implication on the Corps, yesterday and today. David Bellavia was bleary eyed. The ranks of the 1st MEF were ordered not to curse, wear sunglasses, or wave with their left hands (all considered offensive in the local culture). But from almost the moment they arrived, the Marines in Fallujah came under fire. Col Brandl told his men they were leaving behind the shadow war of insurgent ambushes and roadside bombs planted by a "faceless enemy". (Photo courtesy of Sgt. "If you don't come together and gather, and then healing is limited -- especially with those you bled with.". 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. 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 first Battle of Fallujah took place in April of 2004 when insurgents killed and mangled the bodies of four Blackwater contractors, capturing the events on video. The Sons of Iraq was exploding all over Anbar, all over Iraq. 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. 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. It was Nov. 10, 2004, Bellavia's 29th birthday. Army.mil. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. As the battle for the city raged on, the resiliency every Soldier needed to keep picking themselves up, house after house, and continue the mission came from months of crucial team building. There was unrest among the Shia majority, not just among Sunnis. But Bellavia's unit was battle-hardened, too. Task & Purpose spoke with six Marines who served with 3/1 during the battle and asked them to share the most unbelievable things they witnessed during the operation. On Nov. 10, 1775, a man named Samuel Nicholas went to Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, Penn. You were wounded right after you took over as head of 1st Marine Regiment. Colonel Ahmed told us they never really went away. Edwards has spent months raising money and finding sponsors for a Phantom Fury reunion. (Photo courtesy of David Bellavia). Are walking blood banks coming to a field hospital near you? The Pentagon is expanding the use of wearable fitness trackers to help predict outbreaks of infectious diseases such as COVID Copyright 2023 Military.com. His Soldiers had searched nine houses along the street looking for six to eight insurgents that intelligence reports suggested were in the area. a Soldier. About 500 Fallujah veterans gathered at Camp Pendleton in 2014 to commemorate the battle's 10th reunion. The Second Battle of Fallujah - code-named Operation Al-Fajr and Operation Phantom Fury - as part of a joint American, Iraqi, and British offensive. Over 400 Marines received intensive language instruction. 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. All contents "This is what we were destined to do. You also have two sons who were deploying. Anyone suspected of being an insurgent was arrested at checkpoints. Shortly after the CSM died, we completed night operations with the company and found ourselves surrounded by insurgents in an open city square, just steps away from our operating base. 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. On the third day of the battle, Gunnery Sgt. The outcome: Both sides lost. We knew early on. He followed the wounded insurgent's bloody footprints to a room on the landing and threw in a fragmentation grenade. I remembered him as a quiet and thoughtful young officer who liked to play chess. Members of the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council threatened to walk out. The lesson of 10 years ago for Western governments battling the Islamic State today? Locals spoke of beheadings in the street. 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 was strange to think this young captain had just promoted some of us only days prior to leaving FOB Normandy. Read about our approach to external linking. Walter Jackson: Second Lieutenant: Distinguished Service Cross: 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment: September 27, 2006: Ramadi (Second Battle) After the city was cleared, it really began the awakening. As Mardan and the others yelled over the radio for a ceasefire, there was a sudden thump which he remembers to this day as a TOW missile burst through the wall and skidded to a halt, sputtering feet away from the radio and right in the center of the Marines. https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/bellavia/, Villa, P. (2019)). Last winter, when the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force was tapped to replace the Armys 82nd Airborne Division in Fallujah, Marine officers boasted that they knew how to run the occupation in smarter, subtler ways than the ham-fisted Army. 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. James Conner, then a sergeant, and one of his team leaders, Lance Cpl. The Second Battle of Fallujah was fought November 7 to 16, 2004, during the Iraq War (2003-2011). A noose was thrown around the city. At FOB Normandy, we were housed on the second floor of a two-story building. An enemy tracer round flew from the east and entered the left armhole of Calvins flak jacket, went into the flesh along his back, exiting his body through the opposite armhole. Maj. Kyle Matus is a recent graduate of the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Course (Class 71). Tip of the spear: U.S. Army small-unit action in Iraq, 2004-2007. https://history.army.mil/html/books/iraq/TotS/index.html, Medal of Honor: Staff Sgt. Thats roughly six airstrikes every hour and included attack runs from AC-130 gunships and warplanes dropping 500-pound bombs. Like us, he had left the roof, the danger all too apparent. So I got on the radio, screaming out, trying to figure out what was going on. The owners had left behind Baath party membership cards and pictures of Saddam Hussein. The insurgents were entrenched in a makeshift pillbox under a set of stairs. It began Nov. 7, 2004, and ended more than six weeks later on Dec. 23. The 1/8 alone had lost more than 20 men. The battalions three forward air controllers along with a team of Navy SEAL joint terminal attack controllers worked with Gallogly to call in 35 airstrikes on 24 targets, destroying all but four in the span of six hours. And they answered the bell every time. Two 21-year-olds, Cpl. 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. The Army at the time was calling in airstrikes to suppress insurgencies in the Sunni triangle. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. "Hey diddle-diddle, straight up the f-ing middle," one of the officers said to me quietly. But most of the people had left Falluja. Matthew Mardan and his fellow snipers took an overwatch position on the buildings top floor. 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 . He attended the 2006 State of the Union address as an honored guest. And this is what I want for every young Soldier coming up the ranks. What are some of the major accomplishments that stand out when you remember Fallujah? Bellavia promptly shot him and charged into the house. On March 27, the commanders took the offensive. Once the smoke started to clear, only two of us were what remained of a seven-man machine gun squad. 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. Some of that was rewarding, he said. There weren't great formations of battalions or companies or platoons. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. "Reach out, catch up, and when needed, help others.". For most of them, any kind of wound could end their major-league dreams forever. It's going to be therapy for those warriors to see those people after all those years.". 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The pair of hard-nosed contingents clashed immediately when the door of that 10th house opened. When you went back, could you tell Fallujah was going to be so pivotal? When he entered a bedroom, the wounded insurgent followed, forcing Bellavia to shoot him. Whether they talk about football or what they've been up to since leaving the Marine Corps, he said it's just important to just be in the same room, honoring their fallen comrades and reminding each other they're there to help. learned from combat. "The enemy has got a face," he said. Some units of the new Iraqi Army were also . As we packed our belongings, we couldnt help but be hopeful for better living conditions, but were instead greeted with cots on the desert sand and our vehicles in a circular security formation. 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. But you're immensely proud as you're watching and you're glued to this thing. 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. Workman detailed his struggles in his book, "Shadow of the Sword: A Marine's Journey of War, Heroism, and Redemption." He also served as a squad automatic weapon gunner. Hanks was killed a week later on Nov. 17 while providing security and was posthumously awarded a Silver Star for valor. Suddenly, they took fire from a 25 mm cannon as an Army Bradley fighting vehicle opened fire on their position. He didn't want Fallujah vets to have to spend a bunch of cash to be involved, so he got donations and help from the Semper Fi Fund, Azalea Charities, Reunite the Fight and others. Some houses were even leveled to take out any enemy defenses and personnel who might have been hiding within. Years Later, Some Are Saddled With Debt. While the Americans took fire from various vantage points inside the house, Bellavia called in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle to shell the houses. Disabled Veterans Sign up for a Career Change. A. Lance Cpl. When a Marine was shot between the eyes on Nov. 14, there wasnt enough time to wait for a helicopter to arrive at his location, explained Lt. Col. Patrick Gallogly, who was the battalion air officer at the time and was on the radio calling for a casualty evacuation. Before their deployment in mid-March, Marine commanders said they would adopt a softer approach than the Army. He also tried to take his own life after the battle. We all lay flat, an unseen force pressing down. Conner dove behind the dead body of an enemy insurgent as Hanks hurled himself behind a lone tree in the center of the yard. And you're watching what's occurring and you're hearing from old friends and teammates and you're incredibly proud of what your team is accomplishing, even if you can't be a part of it. Gettleman, J. The resilience. Seeing the two injured men in the open, Hanks sprung into action and darted across the killzone as enemy fire raked past him. Commemoration of the Second Battle of Fallujah, Operation AL FAJR, Early career airmen will soon have an easier time finding a new job, Meet 12M+, the new community app for military spouses, Kansas man upset he cant buy mini Toyotas like the Taliban and ISIS. Falluja was never going to welcome the Americans as crowds of Shia Muslims did when US forces arrived in Iraq, in March 2003. What he unwrapped upon opening the doors to that 10th house would etch his name into history as a recipient of the Silver Star, the nation's third highest decoration for valor in combat. It seemed as if everyone was wounded from enemy small arms fire and indirect fire, like RPGs and mortars. The amount of trust and confidence and responsibility put on young lance corporals and corporals was phenomenal. To know what its like to love your squad so much youd That was the crucial difference with the first battle of Falluja. The United States wasnt the first country to develop a jet-powered fighter aircraft, but it was definitely the first in Before Dr. Ruth Westheimer began teaching couples how best to shoot their shot, she was taking some shots of her own. In October 2004, journalists came to Camp Falluja to "embed" with the force that would shortly try to retake the city. A. Leading cooks, clerks, and candlestick makers, the combat judge, as he came to be known, was severely wounded during the battle, losing his ring finger with his wedding band still on it. A second insurgent fired at him, and Bellavia wounded him in the shoulder. The Slate Group LLC. 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.