- Introduction
Introduction to the writer - Breaking the News
How I told my family I was leaving in ten days. - The Road to War
Planning for combat operations aboard the USS Bataan enroute to the Middle East - Hurry Up & Wait
Life in the assembly area - Camp Shoup, Kuwait - Attack Positions
Occupation of final staging areas in Kuwait - Crossing the Line of Departure
Attacking into Iraq. - Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Speeding down the highway at night, without lights (going the wrong-way). - Attack!
Attack to seize key bridges in An Nasiryah. - "Punch out the TAC CP"
More action in the Battle of An Nasiriyah. - Running the Gauntlet
Racing through 4 miles of enemy held city. - Return to Friendly Lines
My encounter with an Iraqi tank on the return trip. - Counter Attack!
Iraqi night attack on our rear area. - Jessica Lynch Rescue
The rescue of Jessica Lynch and the next mission.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
A Personal Account of the Battle of An Nasiriyah
Running the Gauntlet
Early morning of the 25th of March, RCT-1 began their forward passage of lines. They went through Ambush Alley with "guns a blazing." Not surprisingly, they shot one of our Marines as they passed through our lines. Fortunately, the Marine was wearing one of the new SAPI plates, the bulletproof inserts for our flack jackets. He survived the impact of several rounds into his chest.
RCT-1 stages to conduct the forward passage of lines and transit through "Ambush Alley"
By mid-morning, all of RCT-1’s combat forces had proceeded through ambush alley and were working there way north. Eighty of RCT-1’s logistics vehicles arrived at our position requesting to move through and join their unit north of the city. They had no combat vehicles with them to escort them through ambush alley. So we arranged for their security from our own resources.
I needed to get up north of the bridges to 1/2's command post. In the previous days’ fighting, 1/2 had lost a number of radios with cryptographic material in them. I needed to provide a full report to higher headquarters on what had been compromised. So I asked my boss if I could go on the escort with RCT-1’s logistics train. He said no problem and that he needed to get up there as well.
We broke RCT-1’s convoy down into two 40-vehicle serials. Two light armored reconnaissance vehicles would be at the front and rear of each serial. Behind the two LAV’s in the lead serial was my vehicle, a hard-back HMMWV with a 40mm machine gun mounted on the top. Behind me was the Colonel’s vehicle, another hard-back hummer with a 50-caliber machine gun.
We started out slowly. RCT-1’s convoy commander was more concerned about safe driving than enemy fire. The RCT-2 CO kept calling the lead vehicle, call sign "Light Horse", on the radio telling them to pick up the speed. The atmosphere was tense as everyone was expecting to get ambushed. Pistols, rifles, and machine guns were poised out the truck windows at the ready. The moment we started up the southern bridge, everybody clicked off his weapon’s safety.
The moment we started down the slope of the western bridge is when it started. I was expecting to get fired upon, I just didn’t expect it so soon.
The Iraqi’s were hitting us from buildings on both sides of the road. I heard two or three heavy machine guns and several rifles start to fire before we crested the top of the bridge. The LAV’s in front of me immediately answered them with their 25 mm chain guns. An instant later, my HMMWV reached the top of the arched bridge and my machine gunner opened up with his MK-19. Looking out my window over the sights of my pistol, I saw two or three Iraqi’s firing rifles at me. I fired three shots. I knew I wasn’t going to hit them. I was firing at targets over one hundred meters away from a moving vehicle, but there was no way they were going to get a free shot at me or the vehicles behind me without experiencing a little danger themselves.
The firing continued on the other side of the vehicle for several more seconds. We anxiously awaited the next ambush as we raced through the enemy controlled, 4-kilometers of Ambush Alley. The CO calmly came on the radio every 20 seconds admonishing the lead vehicle to increase the speed. "Pick it up Light Horse." "Light Horse, pick it up."
After what seemed like forever, we started up the rise of the second bridge. We clicked our weapons back on safe, and breathed a collective sigh of relief. We were reentering friendly lines. We pulled over at 1/2's Combat Operations Center, as the RCT-1 convoy sped nervously forward.
1/2 had established their Combat Operations Center near the Iraqi 23rd Brigade Headquarters. After I completed my business with 1/2's communications officer I took a walk around enemy command post with CO’s of RCT-2 and 1/2. Remarkably, the Iraqi’s had their city defensive plan painted on one of the walls of the headquarters.
The 1/2 CO related how they captured the 23rd Brigade Commander the day earlier. Marines manning a vehicle checkpoint stopped and searched and ambulance attempting to cross into their zone. The ambulance driver stated that he was transporting a burn victim to one of the city’s hospitals. A look in the back of the ambulance revealed that was indeed an individual suffering from severe burns lying on the stretcher. However a more thorough search disclosed that the medical personnel were wearing Iraqi Army uniforms under their rescue squad garb.
One of these officers turned out to be the local brigade commander. The burn victim was taken away for treatment while the enemy soldiers were held for interrogation.
The 1/2 CO told the Iraqi commander that we expected light resistance. He asked him why, if he knew we would hit them with overwhelming force, they decided to stand and fight. The Iraqi colonel stated that they were amazed and emboldened by their success against our lead elements. This confused the Marines for a short while and the 1/2 CO asked for clarification. The Iraqi stated that we had sent several trucks into the city to conduct a reconnaissance before our main attack. The Iraqi’s observed the US forces for a while then decided to attack. The Iraqi commander went on to relate that the US forces had fought so poorly, the Iraqi’s were convinced that they could successfully defend against the forthcoming American attack.
The Iraqi commander was talking about the Army’s lost 507th Maintenance Company. They were convinced they were our lead reconnaissance elements! This is just another example of how chance has played an important role on the battlefield throughout history.
Next...
Return to Friendly Lines
My encounter with an Iraqi tank on the return trip.