Gunmenhunter
Member
8 years ago I found myself participating in one of the fiercest battles ever fought inside the “Triangle of Death”. What started off as a normal squad patrol with 15 Marines ended with hundreds of Marines battling their way through a town. For years I have been thinking about my actions on that day and what could have been done different. This is why I suggest everyone should bust their 6 and train hard. You never know where you may end up and who's lives may be on the line.
On 5 April 2004, Fox Company 2nd Battalion 2nd Marines participated in a five-day battalion operation to protect Shia pilgrims along Highway 8 aka “Route Jackson”. Over the course of the week, thousands of Iraqi Shia were expected to travel on foot between Baghdad and the cities of Najaf and Karbala in honor of the Shia religious event known as Arba’een. This was the first time in decades that the pilgrimage had been permitted and the number of people participating was greater than had been anticipated.
1st platoon occupied a firm base in the Karch Oil Facility and the rest of the company occupied a firm base several miles to the south in an ice factory. The company sent out patrols throughout the day and night in order to deter attacks on the thousands of Iraqis walking to the south. Fox Company positions were in Lutafiyah in the southern portion of the battalion’s AO while the other two companies occupied positions to the north in Mahmudiyah.
The company experienced contact each day, either through the detection or detonation of IEDs, mortar attacks on the firm base, or short firefights with insurgents. The company firm base was attacked with mortar and machine gun fire each night and several Marines were injured outside the ice factory when mortar rounds landed close to the company position. While the company’s Marines experienced multiple engagements throughout the week, no pilgrims were attacked within Fox Co’s AO.
I was the Platoon Sergeant for 1st Plt at the time and was responsible for taking care of my Marines and the platoon’s operational control while advising the platoon commander. We had set up the patrol base the day prior in an abandoned building the locals turned into a trash collection area.
It wasn’t the best place, but it didn’t stink and we could pull all the vehicles and Marines under the shade. The night prior myself and the Lt. climbed one of the highest tanks in the field located next to our patrol base. We did this at sunset so we could get eyes on patrol routes but hopefully not skyline ourselves in the process. After we had figured out the route the 1st squad patrol was to take, we sat for a while and enjoyed the sunset. We had been up there now for about 40 min when a long line of tracers appeared overhead, then started impacting the oil tank. Simultaneously two mortar rounds impacted in the area. We quickly slid down the backside of the tank to take cover. The attack was over in 20 seconds but drove home the fact that we were always being watched and the insurgents would exploit any opportunity we gave them.
Once we got off the tank we launched a squad on patrol. Their 1st checkpoint was the area where the insurgents had launched their attack. Then they were to head north while skirting the city on the east.
The squad didn’t expect contact, since the insurgents typically don’t attack and stay in an area. The patrol was to return to base in 4 hours. As soon as the patrol got to their northernmost checkpoint they were heavily engaged. Murphy’s Law came into play and all communications with the squad went down. I remember looking to the north and seeing tracers flying through the air in all directions. I kind of felt like a father watching their kids get into their 1st fight in school…and was hoping that they came out unscathed. As the other two squads were preparing to depart and link up with Marines in the fight communications were re-established. No one hurt, and the squad was returning to base. Once they got back I debriefed the squad. Plans for 1st light were to launch another squad into the same area to search for evidence left behind the night prior. You might not think that this would be important but it really does help to know where you enemy set up, how long they were waiting, if they were employing multiple belt fed machine guns, bolt guns, etc. Every bit of intel you can gather is important.
The next morning I had the Marines assist in reinforcing an observation post on top of the tallest tank in the field. This would allow us to keep an eye on the patrols, and more importantly an eye on the town. I took up an M82A3 (.50 cal sniper rifle) and an M40A3 (- the 10X) (7.62mm sniper rifle) and most importantly a Marine who could call wind. Cpl Tucker had been a range coach on Parris Island prior to getting to our unit. So he had a great understanding of how wind affects bullets, and how to read the wind. His ability to do so would prove critical that day.
The squad was to depart and head straight north to the southern edge of the town and then patrol through the easternmost part of the town until they reached the attack point from the night prior.
The patrol left the base around 07:00 that morning. As soon they were moving towards the town Cpl Tucker who was behind the spotting scope noticed a dead animal on the side of the road. Not too out of the ordinary. However, he did pick up a slight reflection coming off the animal. I got behind the glass and noticed the same glint. The squad was notified of a possible IED and preceded with caution. As they approached the dead animal they saw the wires leading into it so they set up a cordon per SOP.
Shortly after the cordon was set we noticed woman and children slowly clearing out of the area. All the Marines on the ground knew what that meant, but were unsure where the attack might come from. Cpl Tucker and I were actively scanning the area to their north for any sign of insurgent activity. EOD was called and they gave a 45 min ETA from their location. Moments later a motorcycle with two men on it drove by the squad; in their passing they dropped two grenades. By the time the grenades went off, the bike had disappeared behind buildings and made its way out. Then it seemed like all hell broke loose and the squad started taking heavy fire from the northwest. I immediately called for our remaining two squads to mount up and to link up with the squad in contact and extract them. They were to come into the town via the MSR then head east to link up with the squad. After that call both comm systems I had on the tower stopped working, we had zero ability to communicate with anyone.
The 1st shots out of my rifle were just over a thousand yards. Not an issue for the M82A3, especially since the one I had with me was one of the few that drilled. Cpl Tucker and I were both laying on a metal roof, surrounded by metal barriers, this combination reflects a lot of sound and about made us both deaf after the 1st shot. We took the 4 seconds to jam in some ear protection otherwise we would undoubtedly be completely deaf in minutes and practically useless.
The effect the Mk211 rounds had on the insurgents was devastating. Each guy who caught one of my rounds was blown into pieces and left a pinkish mist in the air. The insurgents were trying to flank the squad on the east, but our precision fires kept this from taking place. While all this was happening the other two squads at the patrol base were loading up and getting ready to drive into the fight. Meanwhile, the Company Commander and 2nd Plt left the Ice Factory to reinforce 1st Plt.
The squad in contact was taking more and more fire as the minutes went on, so they started moving to find a defendable position. As they were moving north two of the Marines became separated from the squad and the insurgents tried to maneuver on them. However, Cpl Tucker and I kept mixing metal & meat and the two Marines were able to rejoin the squad.
The squad eventually found themselves deep in the town. In their search for a defendable position they kept moving northwest. This made supporting them from my position even harder. As they would bound from one area to another Cpl Tucker & I would be scanning for targets of opportunity and killed them as they popped up.
Unlike how Hollywood might depict, it was not “one shot, one kill” 100% of the time (Short Video Here). Most of the targets were moving & only stopped for seconds at a time. They were at various distances, and the winds were coming from multiple directions and gusting. If a round did miss the target and Cpl Tucker saw the splash he fed me instant corrections and the next round was out a second later. This enabled us to connect a number of times on distant targets under bad conditions.
The squad finally located a small schoolhouse they could easily defend. They cleared the school and set in for one hell of a fight. The school was the best defendable position around and they were being surrounded by insurgents the second they took it over.
While the squad was defending their position Cpl Tucker and I kept the insurgents off the rooftops, for if they got access to a vantage point they could lay down effective machinegun fire and kill my Marines. I was not about to let that happen. We noticed three insurgents with belt fed machineguns heading up a tall building north of the schoolhouse. The rooftop of that building would have allowed the insurgents to fire down into the schoolhouse and also keep reinforcements from reaching the schoolhouse. Taking this team out became our priority. The 1st round we sent out was off by a few mils. Cpl Tucker picked up the splash and gave me a correction. 2nd round was also off, but a lot closer than the 1st. The 3rd round landed on the stairway wall they were crouched behind. The backside of the wall turned red and we didn’t see any activity from that point on. During the debrief at the COC the next day the distance from our position to the insurgent machinegun team was 1614 meters as measured by Falcon View.
EOD arrived with one of the battalion’s CAAT sections. As they approached the squad’s position, the CAAT section saw the muzzle blasts from our position and mistook those fires for an enemy sniper. They engaged our position with .50 cal machine gun fire as they attempted to link up with the squad. This went on for a while. We would fire, and then get a volley of .50cal back at us from multiple machineguns. When the rounds started impacting the oil tank I became a little worried…after all we are sitting on top of hundreds of thousands of gallons of flammable liquid. Lucky for us the Russians who built the tanks built them well and they withstood the hundreds of rounds of .50cal that slammed into the side.
Due to the ridiculous amounts of fire received on their planned route, the company had to find an alternate route to reach the squad. The company CO, the BN FAC (forward air controller), and the 2d platoon commander (along with a squad from 2d platoon) moved to establish observation of the enemy when they were engaged from the east-west road on the south side of Hy Salaam and the palm grove. They returned fire and attempted to move to a position where they could better observe the enemy positions and call for air support. As they were moving further east I noticed an insurgent heading down an ally way with what looked like an RPK. As he turned, I noticed the forend and the scope. By the time my round made it out there he jumped a wall and was gone. Seconds later Cpl Speer (a squad leader in 2nd Plt) was shot as he came around a corner. I did not know that at the time. By this time the QRF from 1st Plt had two casualties that needed to be airlifted out. I later found out that as the 1st Plt QRF came under heavy fire Marines that I once considered lazy, unmotivated, or weak minded were stepping up and taking charge.
The Battalion QRF was called in along with a Huey to evacuate the dead/wounded. When the BN QRF showed up with a full company (150+ Marines) and the BN jump CP, both companies got on line to clear the town from south to north. Fighting was intense for a few hours, but once the FAC got the F14′s rolling the insurgents started to head back home, and this was when time was on our side. From our point we could see insurgent’s running back home with weapons in hand. Most would go inside and not come back out; those who did were now targets of opportunity. I remember one middle aged man who ran to the hut in the back of his house. He dropped off his RPG and came back out with a pitchfork and began working his garden. 1st round out just missed him and he ducked behind a palm tree. Not only will the Mk211 round penetrate armor, it will also penetrate palm trees! The 2nd round made another pink mist cloud. These were bad people who had been trying to kill Marines, so in my mind (and in accordance with the ROE) they all needed to die.
As the day winded down, there were fewer and fewer people who needed killing. People started storing weapons and ammunition in coffins atop vehicles so they could drive them south out of the town past the Marines. I saw one group dump a body out of a coffin and fill it back up with weapons. We were bingo on Mk211 by that time and using my M40 would have not been effective. Had we more rounds for the .50 I would have thoroughly enjoyed dropping more bodies around the coffin.
The sun was starting to set so Cpl Tucker and I packed up shop and got off the tower. When we got back to the patrol base we were not surprised that everyone was gone. So we walked over to the guard building of the oil field. Inside we found 9 guards with AK-47’s. We did our best to ask for a key to one of the trucks, and eventually Cpl Tucker was able to talk the man into the keys. For those of you who know Cpl Tucker you know he’s a very diplomatic man who has certain abilities to persuade people. As we walked outside of the building the armed guards followed us. They started looking around for other Marines. The hair went up on the back of my neck and I started to talk on my non-operable radio. I then started pointing to various locations in the field and waiving. The guards also started looking. I pointed to my sniper rifle and then pointed to more locations. I was trying to give the guards the impression that we were under observation from multiple sniper teams. It must have worked because the guards got quiet and went back inside.
As Cpl Tucker and I were walking out to grab one of the vehicles and drive it back to base one of the CAAT teams drove in to pick us up. As this was the last day of the Arba’een pilgrimage and the operation had concluded, the company then consolidated on Route Jackson and returned to FOB Mahmudiyah. Once we linked back up with the Plt I learned of our two casualties and Cpl Speer. When I heard what had happened to him and where it happened I was saddened. All I could think of was the insurgent with the sniper rifle I saw and how he was able to kill Cpl Speer before the other Marines killed him. The ride back to the FOB was depressing. When we got back I went to the company CP to pick up my platoon’s mail. Next to 1st Plt’s mail was 2nd’s. On top of 2nd’s stack was a letter from Cpl Speer’s wife, with kisses all over it and little hearts. I knew she would be getting a visit by some Marines in Dress Blues shortly and it’s a visit no one wants to get. Could I have done something different and got the sniper before he shot Cpl Speer… maybe, but I’ll never know.
It’s one of those thoughts that will never leave you, always wondering “what if”. Could I have done something different? Could I have trained harder or been faster on the trigger? Should I have had that area inside my field of view? I was surprised that no other Marines were killed in that battle. It was 12+ hours of constant fighting with the sound of gunfire never leaving the town until sunset. This can probably be chalked up to the tactics the Marines employed and the leadership of the commanders.
Click here to read comments from the ground commanders and other Marines on the ground that day.
On 5 April 2004, Fox Company 2nd Battalion 2nd Marines participated in a five-day battalion operation to protect Shia pilgrims along Highway 8 aka “Route Jackson”. Over the course of the week, thousands of Iraqi Shia were expected to travel on foot between Baghdad and the cities of Najaf and Karbala in honor of the Shia religious event known as Arba’een. This was the first time in decades that the pilgrimage had been permitted and the number of people participating was greater than had been anticipated.
1st platoon occupied a firm base in the Karch Oil Facility and the rest of the company occupied a firm base several miles to the south in an ice factory. The company sent out patrols throughout the day and night in order to deter attacks on the thousands of Iraqis walking to the south. Fox Company positions were in Lutafiyah in the southern portion of the battalion’s AO while the other two companies occupied positions to the north in Mahmudiyah.
The company experienced contact each day, either through the detection or detonation of IEDs, mortar attacks on the firm base, or short firefights with insurgents. The company firm base was attacked with mortar and machine gun fire each night and several Marines were injured outside the ice factory when mortar rounds landed close to the company position. While the company’s Marines experienced multiple engagements throughout the week, no pilgrims were attacked within Fox Co’s AO.
I was the Platoon Sergeant for 1st Plt at the time and was responsible for taking care of my Marines and the platoon’s operational control while advising the platoon commander. We had set up the patrol base the day prior in an abandoned building the locals turned into a trash collection area.
It wasn’t the best place, but it didn’t stink and we could pull all the vehicles and Marines under the shade. The night prior myself and the Lt. climbed one of the highest tanks in the field located next to our patrol base. We did this at sunset so we could get eyes on patrol routes but hopefully not skyline ourselves in the process. After we had figured out the route the 1st squad patrol was to take, we sat for a while and enjoyed the sunset. We had been up there now for about 40 min when a long line of tracers appeared overhead, then started impacting the oil tank. Simultaneously two mortar rounds impacted in the area. We quickly slid down the backside of the tank to take cover. The attack was over in 20 seconds but drove home the fact that we were always being watched and the insurgents would exploit any opportunity we gave them.
Once we got off the tank we launched a squad on patrol. Their 1st checkpoint was the area where the insurgents had launched their attack. Then they were to head north while skirting the city on the east.
The squad didn’t expect contact, since the insurgents typically don’t attack and stay in an area. The patrol was to return to base in 4 hours. As soon as the patrol got to their northernmost checkpoint they were heavily engaged. Murphy’s Law came into play and all communications with the squad went down. I remember looking to the north and seeing tracers flying through the air in all directions. I kind of felt like a father watching their kids get into their 1st fight in school…and was hoping that they came out unscathed. As the other two squads were preparing to depart and link up with Marines in the fight communications were re-established. No one hurt, and the squad was returning to base. Once they got back I debriefed the squad. Plans for 1st light were to launch another squad into the same area to search for evidence left behind the night prior. You might not think that this would be important but it really does help to know where you enemy set up, how long they were waiting, if they were employing multiple belt fed machine guns, bolt guns, etc. Every bit of intel you can gather is important.
The next morning I had the Marines assist in reinforcing an observation post on top of the tallest tank in the field. This would allow us to keep an eye on the patrols, and more importantly an eye on the town. I took up an M82A3 (.50 cal sniper rifle) and an M40A3 (- the 10X) (7.62mm sniper rifle) and most importantly a Marine who could call wind. Cpl Tucker had been a range coach on Parris Island prior to getting to our unit. So he had a great understanding of how wind affects bullets, and how to read the wind. His ability to do so would prove critical that day.
The squad was to depart and head straight north to the southern edge of the town and then patrol through the easternmost part of the town until they reached the attack point from the night prior.
The patrol left the base around 07:00 that morning. As soon they were moving towards the town Cpl Tucker who was behind the spotting scope noticed a dead animal on the side of the road. Not too out of the ordinary. However, he did pick up a slight reflection coming off the animal. I got behind the glass and noticed the same glint. The squad was notified of a possible IED and preceded with caution. As they approached the dead animal they saw the wires leading into it so they set up a cordon per SOP.
Shortly after the cordon was set we noticed woman and children slowly clearing out of the area. All the Marines on the ground knew what that meant, but were unsure where the attack might come from. Cpl Tucker and I were actively scanning the area to their north for any sign of insurgent activity. EOD was called and they gave a 45 min ETA from their location. Moments later a motorcycle with two men on it drove by the squad; in their passing they dropped two grenades. By the time the grenades went off, the bike had disappeared behind buildings and made its way out. Then it seemed like all hell broke loose and the squad started taking heavy fire from the northwest. I immediately called for our remaining two squads to mount up and to link up with the squad in contact and extract them. They were to come into the town via the MSR then head east to link up with the squad. After that call both comm systems I had on the tower stopped working, we had zero ability to communicate with anyone.
The 1st shots out of my rifle were just over a thousand yards. Not an issue for the M82A3, especially since the one I had with me was one of the few that drilled. Cpl Tucker and I were both laying on a metal roof, surrounded by metal barriers, this combination reflects a lot of sound and about made us both deaf after the 1st shot. We took the 4 seconds to jam in some ear protection otherwise we would undoubtedly be completely deaf in minutes and practically useless.
The effect the Mk211 rounds had on the insurgents was devastating. Each guy who caught one of my rounds was blown into pieces and left a pinkish mist in the air. The insurgents were trying to flank the squad on the east, but our precision fires kept this from taking place. While all this was happening the other two squads at the patrol base were loading up and getting ready to drive into the fight. Meanwhile, the Company Commander and 2nd Plt left the Ice Factory to reinforce 1st Plt.
The squad in contact was taking more and more fire as the minutes went on, so they started moving to find a defendable position. As they were moving north two of the Marines became separated from the squad and the insurgents tried to maneuver on them. However, Cpl Tucker and I kept mixing metal & meat and the two Marines were able to rejoin the squad.
The squad eventually found themselves deep in the town. In their search for a defendable position they kept moving northwest. This made supporting them from my position even harder. As they would bound from one area to another Cpl Tucker & I would be scanning for targets of opportunity and killed them as they popped up.
Unlike how Hollywood might depict, it was not “one shot, one kill” 100% of the time (Short Video Here). Most of the targets were moving & only stopped for seconds at a time. They were at various distances, and the winds were coming from multiple directions and gusting. If a round did miss the target and Cpl Tucker saw the splash he fed me instant corrections and the next round was out a second later. This enabled us to connect a number of times on distant targets under bad conditions.
The squad finally located a small schoolhouse they could easily defend. They cleared the school and set in for one hell of a fight. The school was the best defendable position around and they were being surrounded by insurgents the second they took it over.
While the squad was defending their position Cpl Tucker and I kept the insurgents off the rooftops, for if they got access to a vantage point they could lay down effective machinegun fire and kill my Marines. I was not about to let that happen. We noticed three insurgents with belt fed machineguns heading up a tall building north of the schoolhouse. The rooftop of that building would have allowed the insurgents to fire down into the schoolhouse and also keep reinforcements from reaching the schoolhouse. Taking this team out became our priority. The 1st round we sent out was off by a few mils. Cpl Tucker picked up the splash and gave me a correction. 2nd round was also off, but a lot closer than the 1st. The 3rd round landed on the stairway wall they were crouched behind. The backside of the wall turned red and we didn’t see any activity from that point on. During the debrief at the COC the next day the distance from our position to the insurgent machinegun team was 1614 meters as measured by Falcon View.
EOD arrived with one of the battalion’s CAAT sections. As they approached the squad’s position, the CAAT section saw the muzzle blasts from our position and mistook those fires for an enemy sniper. They engaged our position with .50 cal machine gun fire as they attempted to link up with the squad. This went on for a while. We would fire, and then get a volley of .50cal back at us from multiple machineguns. When the rounds started impacting the oil tank I became a little worried…after all we are sitting on top of hundreds of thousands of gallons of flammable liquid. Lucky for us the Russians who built the tanks built them well and they withstood the hundreds of rounds of .50cal that slammed into the side.
Due to the ridiculous amounts of fire received on their planned route, the company had to find an alternate route to reach the squad. The company CO, the BN FAC (forward air controller), and the 2d platoon commander (along with a squad from 2d platoon) moved to establish observation of the enemy when they were engaged from the east-west road on the south side of Hy Salaam and the palm grove. They returned fire and attempted to move to a position where they could better observe the enemy positions and call for air support. As they were moving further east I noticed an insurgent heading down an ally way with what looked like an RPK. As he turned, I noticed the forend and the scope. By the time my round made it out there he jumped a wall and was gone. Seconds later Cpl Speer (a squad leader in 2nd Plt) was shot as he came around a corner. I did not know that at the time. By this time the QRF from 1st Plt had two casualties that needed to be airlifted out. I later found out that as the 1st Plt QRF came under heavy fire Marines that I once considered lazy, unmotivated, or weak minded were stepping up and taking charge.
The Battalion QRF was called in along with a Huey to evacuate the dead/wounded. When the BN QRF showed up with a full company (150+ Marines) and the BN jump CP, both companies got on line to clear the town from south to north. Fighting was intense for a few hours, but once the FAC got the F14′s rolling the insurgents started to head back home, and this was when time was on our side. From our point we could see insurgent’s running back home with weapons in hand. Most would go inside and not come back out; those who did were now targets of opportunity. I remember one middle aged man who ran to the hut in the back of his house. He dropped off his RPG and came back out with a pitchfork and began working his garden. 1st round out just missed him and he ducked behind a palm tree. Not only will the Mk211 round penetrate armor, it will also penetrate palm trees! The 2nd round made another pink mist cloud. These were bad people who had been trying to kill Marines, so in my mind (and in accordance with the ROE) they all needed to die.
As the day winded down, there were fewer and fewer people who needed killing. People started storing weapons and ammunition in coffins atop vehicles so they could drive them south out of the town past the Marines. I saw one group dump a body out of a coffin and fill it back up with weapons. We were bingo on Mk211 by that time and using my M40 would have not been effective. Had we more rounds for the .50 I would have thoroughly enjoyed dropping more bodies around the coffin.
The sun was starting to set so Cpl Tucker and I packed up shop and got off the tower. When we got back to the patrol base we were not surprised that everyone was gone. So we walked over to the guard building of the oil field. Inside we found 9 guards with AK-47’s. We did our best to ask for a key to one of the trucks, and eventually Cpl Tucker was able to talk the man into the keys. For those of you who know Cpl Tucker you know he’s a very diplomatic man who has certain abilities to persuade people. As we walked outside of the building the armed guards followed us. They started looking around for other Marines. The hair went up on the back of my neck and I started to talk on my non-operable radio. I then started pointing to various locations in the field and waiving. The guards also started looking. I pointed to my sniper rifle and then pointed to more locations. I was trying to give the guards the impression that we were under observation from multiple sniper teams. It must have worked because the guards got quiet and went back inside.
As Cpl Tucker and I were walking out to grab one of the vehicles and drive it back to base one of the CAAT teams drove in to pick us up. As this was the last day of the Arba’een pilgrimage and the operation had concluded, the company then consolidated on Route Jackson and returned to FOB Mahmudiyah. Once we linked back up with the Plt I learned of our two casualties and Cpl Speer. When I heard what had happened to him and where it happened I was saddened. All I could think of was the insurgent with the sniper rifle I saw and how he was able to kill Cpl Speer before the other Marines killed him. The ride back to the FOB was depressing. When we got back I went to the company CP to pick up my platoon’s mail. Next to 1st Plt’s mail was 2nd’s. On top of 2nd’s stack was a letter from Cpl Speer’s wife, with kisses all over it and little hearts. I knew she would be getting a visit by some Marines in Dress Blues shortly and it’s a visit no one wants to get. Could I have done something different and got the sniper before he shot Cpl Speer… maybe, but I’ll never know.
It’s one of those thoughts that will never leave you, always wondering “what if”. Could I have done something different? Could I have trained harder or been faster on the trigger? Should I have had that area inside my field of view? I was surprised that no other Marines were killed in that battle. It was 12+ hours of constant fighting with the sound of gunfire never leaving the town until sunset. This can probably be chalked up to the tactics the Marines employed and the leadership of the commanders.
Click here to read comments from the ground commanders and other Marines on the ground that day.
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