When I think about this week 10 years ago, I have a mix of opera and heavy metal music running through my head like a movie score. I had the pleasure of observing a pinnacle of greatness achieved by young Marines and for the highest of causes.
Bottom line up front: Elements of Engineer Company C completed weeks of work in days under constant fire in the single most dangerous place on earth to bring democracy to a people that have never known it.
It was the first free election in Iraq. Is there a higher cause? Elements of Engineer Company C supported by Weapons Company of the 31st MEU and a mixed bag of armor, ANGLICO, snipers, Cobras, etc. Our mission was to set up and protect a voting station in Hit, a midsize city in the Al Anbar.
A little about Hit; when Operation Phantom Fury scattered the insurgents out of Fallujah, many made their way to nearby Hit. In January 2005 there was no more dangerous place on earth. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was there in Hit with us. The insurgents (terrorist, guerrillas, or freedom fighters depending on your perspective) were bold those days in Hit. This was a boldness we hadn't seen since spring of 2003 when a Iraqi regular army still existed.
The site recon a few days before the mission was a fire fight interrupted with brief conversations around a map. I remember that it rained all day because I rode in the back of a HMMWV next to a pedestal mounted 240 machine gun. At the time I was unconcerned about hearing loss.
Once the task force arrived the Marines of Engineer Company C worked under continuous attack. The bad guys were pouring it on with big mortars, small mortars, rockets, RPGs, and small arms fire. The engineers, truck drivers, heavy and equipment operators just kept working. To be frank, the only choice was to keep working and accomplish the mission. The slower we worked the longer we'd get shot at. "Just keep working", was the mantra and they did. Mission first.
There was UXO everywhere. Much of it was fresh UXO. I had corpsman, drivers, and a tag along photographer assisting with detonating the UXO in place. Everybody pitched in.
In the second day our supporting infantry commander, Major Wastila, moved a reinforced platoon to the traffic circle in the center of town. Their mission was to draw fire (away from the voting station) and they exceeded expectations. These were the Marines of the second siege of Fallujah. They moved amongst the danger with swagger. They had never worked with anyone like us. They loved our gutsy efficiency.
And I had never seen anyone like them. They were lions. Later Major Wastila would send a letter with the highest sincere praise for the Marines of Engineer Company C. In the mean time, al-Zarqawi's efforts kept us humble.
The rain created mud. A 7 ton truck got stuck. The recovery effort got a D7 stuck. Then two Amtracs got stuck trying pulling those out. The trackers, HE operators, MT drivers were relentless and all the machines were eventually freed. This is a place where standing still is bad for your health.
The insurgents were walking in 82mm mortars. Far left, far right, near left, near right; they were trained (probably Syrian Army) and had to have a forward observer making the adjustments. The snipers on the water tower radioed that they found someone with a cell phone watching the impacts. "7 Romeo", my call sign, had to make the decision to take the shot. Their description would suggest the FO wasn't an adult.
Thank God I didn't see it. The sniper didn't miss. I personally choose to not see the movie about Chris Kyle. I read the book. I don't want to see the movie. Civilians wonder why Vets don't talk about their experiences. Yeah, let's sit around and chat about that decision.
Apparently without an FO, it was time to bring out the 120mm mortars. The earth shook. Somehow a 120mm has more of an earth moving thump than incoming 155s.
The big boys were mixed with sporadic 50mm mortar fire. By the last day I felt like Colonel Kilgore from "Apocalypse Now" strolling amongst the incoming 50s. I recall having a light conversation with Cpl Enright while being sprayed with debris from 50s popping around us. He pointed out my boot was untied and when I looked down shrapnel struck the front of my helmet where my face was a moment ago. By then, small arms fire was pesky, like a drizzle in the 5th inning with the home team losing. It's going to have to get a lot worse to stop anything.
Stand proud Engineer Company C. I could go on and on about the courage under fire, amazing engineers, the Marines like Cpl Moody that nearly worked themselves to death, the persistence of the HE and MT Marines that kept everything moving, the fierce fighters that protected us. Many good men died in support of the democratization of this mid-sized city along the Euphrates. My parting thoughts are from Shakespeare.
By now, most of us have heard about the half time show at the Super Bowl which featured Katy Perry but was really headlined by two people in big shark outfits who were rocking and rolling during the show. Left Shark has gained a following given that he, at times, appears to be doing questionable things with Perry and was always a bit off in his timing.
Left Shark has become an icon, a symbol for the working man. And of course, subject to the Internet Meme game. This list features Military Quotes. Enjoy. I did.