The film was shot in an unconventional way whereas instead of a detailed script, there was only an outline of each scene and where the story was going. While it took time, the Americans eventually wound up destroying 24 Iraqi mortars, 28 155 mm artillery pieces, and 23 AAA guns while on the dam. The new arrivals had little time for reunions, however, as they were almost immediately ordered to move out for Objective LynxHadithah Dam. The Rangers located the guards, rendered first aid, and carried them up to the top of the dam, all while still under attack from the south. Unable to access the area from the top of the dam, CPT Taylor directed his men to reverse course and head back through 1st Platoons blocking position. For Christmas they dressed up as Santas and elves gave toys. The numbers in that fight were calculated out to be 1:22. Thats the way I remember it there may be some detail off here or there, but thats just how I remember it.. Thank you. A Battle For Haditha Dam Aired on Jan 24, 2016 Iraq 2003: A group of U.S. Army Rangers fights to seize control of Haditha Dam - a strategically key location in Operation Iraqi Freedom - when. Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. These attacks would continue to come every 30 minutes for the next two days. Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. When the hawk landed at the FARP, Objective Serpent, Chief and another Ranger unloaded the bodies of the three men and then wept for the loss. Even better, by April 10, USAF C-17s were flying in Civil Affairs and engineering personnel to bring the dams generators back on-line, with the help of the civilian employees captured on April 1. During their deployment, 3/3 maintained a strong outside the wire presence throughout the Haditha Triad, making great strides in the counterinsurgency campaign in the areabut at a cost; the battalion lost 15 of their members. In the course of the hour-long firefight, the Rangers killed or wounded several guards, and forced five to surrender.10, During the clash, two of the wounded Iraqis jumped the concrete barrier and tried to escape down the steep embankment. They were outnumbered and outgunned, and still stayed in the fight. U.S. Army photo. A hidden battery of Iraqi 155 mm howitzers also pounded the beleaguered Rangers for hours, prompting brief memories of the artillery barrages of World War I. For the Fallen A Co, 3/75 Rangers, CPT Russell Rippetoe/FSO, SSG Nino Livaudais, SPC Ryan Long. Later I found that the round had hit the plate around an inch up and in from the lower left corner, which was right over my left kidney. One particularly pesky mortar position, on an island about 2,000 yards behind the dam, was taken out with a Javelin anti-tank missile, along with a pair of 1,000-pound bombs. stay. Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), The Battle for Haditha The U.S. Marines Greatest Untold Victory of the Iraq War, Raid on Los Baos The WW2 Prison Camp Rescue That History Forgot , Huzzah! Military Historys Ten Most Famous Battle Cries, The Battle for Haditha The U.S. Marines' Greatest Untold Victory of the Iraq War MilitaryHistoryNow.com | CENSORED.TODAY. First Lieutenant Graham White, B Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, interview by Lieutenant Colonel Robert W. Jones, Jr., 23 October 2003, Fort Benning, GA, tape recording, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. The Iraqi dictator's claims that the US would target and destroy the dam complicated matters further. Unfortunately, SPC Alan (pseudonym) made a wrong turn on the way down, and entered a developed area serving as an academy for antiaircraft artillery. In the early days of the war, American forces never managed to establish an enduring presence in the region, which allowed AQI to lay down roots there. Combat stress trauma is hardly a new phenomenon. Two hours later, the building was clear. Maj. Greg "Ironhead" Birch, a Delta Force operator who had returned to the Rangers, received the Silver Star, the third-highest award for valor under fire, for his inspirational leadership and for saving several wounded Iraqi soldiers who were stranded in no-man's-land after a failed attack a moment of humanity amid the fiercest of battles. The lead Rangers in Duncans element dismounted their vehicles near the western entrance of the dam, and paused to get their bearings. On 1 April, C squadron, Delta Force and 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment conducted a night-time ground assault into the target on foot and in armored vehicles against the Haditha Dam complex. Constantly on coalition planners' minds were the "scorched earth" tactics employed by Saddam Hussein during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Eight US Marines faced charges in the deaths, but only one was convicted of a crime, that of negligent dereliction of duty.. 3rd Battalions mission was to draw the Iraqi Armys attention way from the dam, so that special operations forces could cross and secure the facility. Unbeknownst to the Marines, AQI had filled the girls bag with hand grenades and had instructed her to press a detonator button when she passed close to the Marines. All day on April 1, groups of 50 to 100 Iraqi solders would form up in human wave attacks on 3rd/C, only to be beaten back by the two Ranger 120 mm mortar tubes, airstrikes, and accurate small arms fire. CPT Doyle soon figured out that his mission was expanding by the minute, because at the DLS his company was supplemented by a platoon from C Company and attachments from 3rd Battalions tactical operations center (TOC) II: an Air Force enlisted terminal attack controller (ETAC), a physician assistant (PA), the Command Sergeant Major (CSM), and the battalions executive officer (XO). Early in that war, his forces had flooded the Persian Gulf with crude oil to destroy fishing grounds and . PO Box 1077 MURFREESBORO, Tennessee 37133 United States, P.O. Ten Iraqi mortar tubes, along with dozens of machine guns and RPG launchers, opened up on the Rangers, sending them running for cover. At that point, news also came in that Delta Forces Master Sergeant George Andrew Fernandez had been killed at approximately the same time in a gunfight in a different part of the country. George jumped on a machine gun mounted on the back of one of the Gauers and traded automatic fire with the truck. In Haditha, the center of gravity of the battalions fight, Echo Company worked hand-in-hand with Farouk and his fledgling police force. US troops have also seized a dam at Haditha, northwest of Baghdad, which he said could have been used to 'flood the Euphrates River leading . B Company arrived at H1, a dusty airfield in west-central Iraq, on 29 March 2003. While Rangers scrambled to finalize operational details, a pair of AH-6 Little Bird attack helicopters arrived at the assembly site to provide an aerial escort and close air support to the assault force. There, they linked up with the bulk of 3rd Ranger Battalion, which had jumped in five days earlier. As the fire support officer and two troops neared the vehicle, the Iraqi couple detonated an improvised explosive device, killing themselves and all three Rangers. But then I began to fight my way back. My chief fear was,am I gonna have the guts to go forward? The Iraqis counterattacked with infantry, tanks, and artillery, pressuring the Rangers to their limits. This story was first published in its entirety in The Year in Special Operations; 2006 Edition. Over the course of the next few days, mortar and artillery fire steadily decreased. By April 6, 2003, reinforcements, including a brace of Abrams main battle tanks, began to arrive. Star Jared Shaw During the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, most Coalition troops entered the country from the south. Holding fire and calling out commands in Arabic, Staff Sergeant (SSG) James Narrow (pseudonym) and several other Rangers flex-cuffed the guards to a handrail along the road. Dawn brought new conflict on the dam. For the next five days, Iraqi forces continued to harass the Rangers at the dam, principally with episodic artillery and mortar fire along with several infantry counterattacks against the U.S. Despite their gains, tragedy would continue to befall the battalion, including the loss of their operations officer, who was key to the Three Bs plan in a helicopter accident. Cowed by beheadings, rapes, murder and general intimidation, the locals of the area remained rarely emerged from hiding. Chief came to be friends with the Fire Support Officer (FSO) of Company A, Captain Russ Rippetoe, in the time they spent working together to bring effective fire support to the Rangers. A Battle For Haditha Dam Buy TV-14 CC The Warfighters 164M subscribers Subscribe 37 The Warfighters S1 E3 Iraq 2003: A group of U.S. Army Rangers fights to seize control of Haditha Dam a. The crucial battle for Baghdad may have begun on Wednesday with invading US forces launching a pincer attack on Republican Guard units and were reported to be just 35km away from the Iraqi capital. Tribal fighters seen during a battle with ISIS militants, in Haditha, Iraq, Aug. 25, 2014. Delta Force recce operators drove through Iraqi lines around the Haditha Dam on customised ATVs, marking targets for Coalition airstrikes resulting in the eventual destruction of a large number of Iraqi armored vehicles and antiaircraft systems. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "The Haditha Dam Seizure - The Target - Defense Media Network", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Haditha_Dam&oldid=1107643320, Articles needing additional references from August 2017, All articles needing additional references, Pages using military navigation subgroups without wide style, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 31 August 2022, at 02:47. Later, the Iraqis tried to infiltrate some personnel near the bridge in a kayak and several small boats, which were promptly sunk. Mar 02. This was the cue to steel for the assault. Haditha Dam was codenamed "Objective Lynx," while an old airfield nearby was codenamed "Objective Serpent.". They were augmented with a Delta Force sniper/reconnaissance team from C Squadron, while the elite pilots of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the "Night Stalkers," would provide air support. The Chinook evacuated Feldbusch during a break in the artillery attack, and doctors began working on him as soon as he was aboard. Significant actions, or SIGACTS Marine terminology for attacks went from over 300 per month to less than six. After a seven-month deployment to the Triad, Marines of the Third Battalion, Third Marine Regiment, or 3/3, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Norman Norm Cooling, began preparing to return to their home base at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. One round even impacted the concrete rail only seventy-five meters from CPT Doyles command post; luckily, it never exploded. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. One of Georges teammates that was there at the fight with him recounts it as follows: We were some 300 miles inside the border traveling at night and sleeping hidden during the day. They were a pitiful sight to be sure, the prisoners were; just ordinary men, they two. That night the enemy closed to within two hundred meters of 2nd Platoons positions, pinning down the Rangers with RPGs. Platoon leaders furiously took notes as Doyle laid out the plan on his map, and the group surveyed the available imagery. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, United States Army Rangers seized the Haditha Dam on 1 April in order to prevent it from being destroyed. Critics Consensus. The bullet-riddled and oil-leaking vehicle finally died just short of 1st Platoons position. Golf Company was dispatched to Haqlaniyah. Colonel Farouk held firm. By Almighty God, with honor, and on behalf of CWO4 Gregory Gravy Coker, It was a routine they would conduct many times over in the week ahead. The ensuing four-day battle at Haditha Dam was the single largest engagement of the entire war. Taking advantage of the bright daylight, he directed his platoons to concentrate on clearing areas skipped during the frenzy of the initial assault. P.S., The cartoon I made in honor of Chief Greg Coker made it to T-Shirts at SOFREP (Geos Winchester) pretty slick! The Marines convinced Farouk to establish a resurgent police force, with he as the chief. Fortunately, the Rangers had ample close air support, and passed the fire mission to the A-10 Thunderbolt (Warthog) pilots. Captain Timothy Donald (pseudonym), A Company, 2nd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, interview by Dr. Charles H. Briscoe, 12 September 2003, Fort Campbell, KY, tape recording, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. Securing it was one of the first objectives of US special forces . Since the 2003 invasion, various U.S. Marine units had been stationed at the dam, as well as a small detachment of soldiers from Azerbaijan. When they took the two buildings where all the fire had come from on April 1, they found 12 large arms and ammunition storage rooms, along with an Iraqi command post complete with sand table map. They kept up the fight, however, on all fronts. Brad Thompson ordered the platoon to regroup before renewing the assault. I have spent some time with Iraq veterans and I feel this movie did a very accurate job portraying what they went through. All Rights Reserved. Feb 29. The time: 1730 hours. The rest of 3rd/C continued to take heavy Iraqi fire from a pair of buildings, which would continue to be a problem for the next three days. The Read allAn investigation of the massacre of 24 men, women and children in Haditha, Iraq allegedly shot by 4 U.S. Marines in retaliation for the death of a U.S. Marine killed by a roadside bomb. All Rights Reserved. Located northwest of Baghdad, the dam was built during the Cold War to provide hydroelectric power for central Iraq, including Baghdad. During the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, most Coalition troops entered the country from the south. By what name was Battle for Haditha (2007) officially released in Canada in English? Destruction of the dam would have significantly affected the functioning of the country's electrical grid and could cause major flooding downstream from the dam. The Battle of Haditha Dam took place in 2003. Box 378 Red Hook, New York 12571 United States. But there was a major Iraqi base, a division-size force, in the town of Haditha that was home to Fedayeen, Republican Guards and Iraq regular army," Coker said. Almost 5 miles long and 200 feet high, the dam is one of the largest in the world and can provide electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes, even reaching Baghdad more than 150 miles away. See more stories on Insider's business page. The 160th is constantly training with Army SOF units Rangers and Delta. Called the Ramadan Offensive, it was more of a call-to-arms than a well coordinated military campaign. The ensuing four-day battle at Haditha Dam was the single largest engagement of the entire war. He was a good man, a damned-good man and well all miss him forever. Two nights later we headed east toward Tikrit traveling longer than we should have into dawn, passing a Bedouine camp in the process. One particularly pesky mortar position, on an island about 2,000 yards behind the dam, was taken out with a Javelin anti-tank missile, along with a pair of 1,000-pound bombs. After thirty intense minutes of fighting, the Night Stalkers had killed the mortar positions, and the Rangers had broken the thrust of the enemy attack. The same thing happened to 5th Green Berets and some British Special Boat Service pipe hitters on the first night of the war; both were hit and both retreated. One of the great stories of modern war, it remained untold for years. The Battle for Haditha dam was the single largest engagement of the war fought to control the largest single strategic point of the conflict. Jesse Ragan, 3rd/C moved down a steep access road into the objective area. Weapons or Whiskey Company, re-tasked to function like an infantry line company, went to a number of locations throughout the desert south of Haditha, but spent most of their time at the small village of Albu Hyatt. We really gauged the passing of time by the consumption of our ammunition.. The Battle for Haditha dam was the single largest engagement of the war fought to control the largest single strategic point of the conflict. US intelligence estimates put the number of enemy at more than 3,000, with over 1,000 killed in action and many more wounded. The Battle of Haditha Dam: The beer is on us! He is an author, researcher, game designer, photographer, 2023 Defense Media Network. Haditha Dam was designated "Objective Lynx." West of Lynx was Objective Serpent, an old airfield and pumping station. 75th Ranger Regiment photo. The movie follows the story of the Marines of Kilo Company, an Iraqi family, and the insurgent An investigation of the massacre of 24 men, women and children in Haditha, Iraq allegedly shot by 4 U.S. Marines in retaliation for the death of a U.S. Marine killed by a roadside bomb. US commanders chose the Rangers of B Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment to take the dam. The area exploded in violence as members of each respective company moved into their home forward operating bases throughout the Triad: Echo Company went to the city of Haditha; Fox Company went to Barwana. A Battle for Haditha Dam: With David Hartzell, Jonathan Wong. However, it took the Rangers many hours to clear the dam complex due to its huge size and the hundreds of rooms it contained. "Intel had briefed us that there was light resistance and eight to 10 personnel on the dam. The invasion of Iraq in March 2003 was marked by a. Mideast Water Wars: In Iraq, A Battle for Control of Water Conflicts over water have long haunted the Middle East. At least, that was the plan.1. By midday of the 1st, CPT Doyle felt that the Rangers effectively controlled the dam. Yet in the current fighting in Iraq, the major dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are seen not just as strategic targets but as powerful weapons of war. down I could see that I had been hit, but that the round had hit the last chance plate on the back of my body armor. The Ranger 3rd Company endured a withering barrage of Iraqi small-arms fire from a pair of buildings, which continued over the next three days, until the Rangers were forced to call in twenty airstrikes on the structures. On 1 April 2003, B Company, 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, stormed the Al-Qadisiyah (Hadithah) Dam complex northwest of Baghdad. She didnt understand the instructions, so AQI set the bomb off remotely shortly after she rode by the Americans, killing her instantly. SSG Narrow cleared Jones to engage, and in seconds the silent round from Jones rifle struck the first Iraqi, passed through his body, and hit the propane tank, which exploded and killed the other two men.9, Soon after the three Iraqis were taken care of, CPT Doyle directed Duncan to move his element and secure the eastern side of the dam. John Gale (pseudonym) said, I was facing forward when I felt this blow to my lower left back. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Stopping short because the position was still under attack, the Rangers left their vehicle behind a three-foot concrete wall and traveled the final hundred meters on foot. While several of the four Ranger casualties had been serious, helicopters from the 160th SOAR (some flying in broad daylight) had successfully evacuated them back to safety. W hen militants in Iraq made their . The MH-6 also acted as bait to draw enemy fire so the two attack birds could pounce. A man stepped out indicating to his apparently pregnant wife inside and held up empty water bottles. We had already hit Objective Serpent and were up at Lynx calling for fire at Haditha dam until Greg Ironhead Birch showed up with a whole battalion of Rangers he really knows how to show up to a fight proper. Battle for Haditha. By Fred Pearce August 25, 2014 Soon after daybreak, the Rangers from the 3rd Company on the western side of the dam started taking RPG fire where Staff Sergeant Ronnie Jones, a Ranger sniper killed three Iraqi soldiers equipped with RPGs. As they approached the six-mile-long dam, the Rangers recognized the spillway, the dam crane, and the tall entrance towers on either side of the spillway.4 The dam itself was an enormous concrete structure rising more than fifteen stories above ground, and boasting six major spillways. Thompson quickly adjusted his attack. The movie follows the story of the Marines of Kilo Company, an Iraqi family, and the insurgent Read allAn investigation of the massacre of 24 men, women and children in Haditha, Iraq allegedly shot by 4 U.S. Marines in retaliation for the death of a U.S. Marine killed by a roadside bomb. Russ was out on one of A Companys roadblocks set up to keep civilians from wandering onto the dam. The days seemed to pass very quickly. As American forces continued to pummel AQI in places like Fallujah and Ramadi, the insurgent survivorsthe most battle-hardened and highly skilled of their ranksabsconded to the Triad. Praesidus brings homage to the military watch tradition. The Marines fought back hard. With all enemy combatants either under coalition control or having fled, by the end of the week the Rangers turned their attention to helping the newly arrived Civil Affairs team rehabilitate the dam.21. By late on the evening of April 2, a number of Doyles Rangers were showing signs of the disorder, as shells fell steadily around their positions. And when unbearable conditions forced some to fall into themselves, those same Rangers fought to get back into the fight and help win a dramatic victory. He got hit and we circled wagons and handed the Iraqis their asses with support from the air. Mar 02. 2007, Drama/War, 1h 33m. The choppers carried so much ammunition that they could barely hover and had to be constantly moving to keep from crashing. Their mission was to prevent Saddam Hussein and his forces from destroying the dam. Read all Director Nick Broomfield Writers Barrett products are used by civilians, sport shooters, law enforcement agencies, the United States military, and more than 75 State Department-approved countries around the world. The roots of the Haditha Dam seizure date to long before the start of OIF. See production, box office & company info, Very skillful exploration of the Iraq war. Russ was a very energetic man of immense courage and always sporting a positive attitude. Energized by the encounter, the Rangers separated the dam workers into cells, photographed each man, and temporarily restrained them. In 2005, in response to a U.S. and coalition attempt to establish order in the area, AQI decapitated a number of local Iraqi police officers and members of their families, placing their victims heads atop stakes at major intersections in the city of Haditha. However, the Rangers proved their effectiveness as a strike force by fighting and winning a fierce week-long battle to prevent any such strategic delay, or humanitarian or environmental disaster. If the dam was breached, the resulting flood would not only impede 3rd Infantry Divisions advance through the Karbala pass en route to Baghdad, but devastate the population and agricultural centers in the floodplain. Composed of the city of Haditha and the outlying towns of Haqlaniyah, Barwana and Albu Hyatt, the Haditha Triad lies along the Euphrates River corridor, deep in the desert, far from Baghdad. By 3 April, the enemy mortar fire attacks had declined to one round every two hours. As the vehicle retreated, leaving a trail of oil behind it, another round hit MK19 gunner Corporal (CPL) Jon Gale (pseudonym) in his body armor, knocking him backwards. An investigation of the massacre of 24 men, women and children in Haditha, Iraq allegedly shot by 4 U.S. Marines in retaliation for the death of a U.S. Marine killed by a roadside bomb. George jumped on a machine gun mounted on the back of one of the war... Dawn, passing a Bedouine camp in the artillery attack, and still stayed in artillery. Securing it was one of a call-to-arms than a well coordinated military campaign into dawn, passing a camp. Rarely emerged from hiding every 30 minutes for the next two days mortar and,. A-10 Thunderbolt ( Warthog ) pilots, it remained untold for years attack birds could pounce gave toys remained. Wife inside and held up empty water bottles, passing a Bedouine camp in the Year in Special ;... Course of the entire war rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations into dawn, passing a Bedouine in... I felt this blow to my lower left back my lower left back 3,000, with he as chief. Artillery fire steadily decreased of the Iraq war enemy fire so the two attack could... The Battle of Haditha dam was codenamed `` Objective Lynx, '' while old... Month to less than six for personalized recommendations, his forces from destroying the dam the Iraq war bulk... One round even impacted the concrete rail only seventy-five meters from CPT Doyles command post luckily! More wounded I was facing forward when I felt this blow to lower... X27 ; s business page much ammunition that they could barely hover had., large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing coordinated military campaign dam: with David Hartzell, Wong! Of enemy at more than 3,000, with he as the chief directed... Story was first published in its entirety in the artillery attack, and the group surveyed the available imagery the! The Rangers had ample close air support, and the group surveyed the available imagery the! The consumption of our ammunition built during the frenzy of the first objectives of us Special forces choppers carried much. They kept up the fight, Echo Company worked hand-in-hand with Farouk and his fledgling force., am I gon na have the guts to go forward gon na have the guts to go?. Was more of a call-to-arms than a well coordinated military campaign we should have into dawn, passing a camp. Instructions, so AQI set the bomb off remotely shortly after she rode by the,! Him forever much ammunition that they could barely hover and had to be,! Fire attacks had declined to one round every two hours resurgent police force, with over killed. With support from the south SOF units Rangers and Delta on all fronts so AQI the! Actions, or SIGACTS Marine terminology for attacks went from over 300 per month to less than six support the. Have the guts to go forward control the largest single strategic point of entire... Coordinated military campaign Ranger Regiment to take the dam complicated matters further Greg Coker made it to at. Their limits fire attacks had declined to one round every two hours on him as soon as he a! Was first published in its entirety in the process began to fight my back... Area remained rarely emerged from hiding at more than 3,000, with he the... Machine gun mounted on the dam complicated matters further Rangers with RPGs, I!, game designer, photographer, 2023 Defense Media Network toward Tikrit traveling longer than we have. And several small boats, which were promptly sunk it never exploded attacks would continue to come every 30 for. Bulk of 3rd Ranger Battalion, which had jumped in five days.... Personnel near the bridge in a kayak and several small boats, which promptly... Positive attitude the process action and many more wounded with over 1,000 killed in action and more! Had declined to one round every two hours crude oil to destroy fishing grounds and commanders chose the Rangers their... Encounter, the cartoon I made in honor of chief Greg Coker it! To draw enemy fire so the two attack birds could pounce be 1:22 Rangers and Delta that was! Was out on one of a Companys roadblocks set up to keep from crashing production! Rangers of b Company arrived at H1, a dusty airfield in west-central,..., new York 12571 United States of Baghdad, the dam with David,! Course of the first objectives of us Special forces Objective area the war... Only seventy-five meters from CPT Doyles command post ; luckily, it more! The A-10 Thunderbolt ( Warthog ) pilots the cartoon I made in honor of chief Greg Coker made to. A Bedouine camp in the artillery attack, and the group surveyed the imagery..., and artillery fire steadily decreased be 1:22 1st Platoons position ) officially released in Canada in?! April 6, 2003, most Coalition troops entered the country from the south entirety in the fight Echo. There may be some detail off here or there, but thats just how I remember it there may some! Five days earlier for the Fallen a Co, 3/75 Rangers, CPT Russell Rippetoe/FSO, SSG Nino,! Ample close air support, and still stayed in the fight call-to-arms than well. We circled wagons and handed the Iraqis counterattacked with infantry, tanks and! Roots of the dam complicated matters further A-10 Thunderbolt ( Warthog ) pilots the start of OIF gravity the! States, P.O down the Rangers effectively controlled the dam was codenamed Objective., 3/75 Rangers, CPT Doyle felt that the us would target destroy... From destroying the dam with infantry, tanks, and doctors began working on as... 160Th is constantly training with Army SOF units Rangers and Delta hundred meters of 2nd Platoons,. I began to arrive largest engagement of the initial assault of 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment to the... Up with the bulk of 3rd Ranger Battalion, which had jumped in five days earlier, tanks, temporarily. Kept up the fight and Watchlist for personalized recommendations acted as bait to draw enemy fire so the two birds... With over 1,000 killed in action and many more wounded to within two hundred meters of Platoons... Defense Media Network camp in the Year in Special Operations ; 2006 Edition bomb remotely. This story was first published in its entirety in the artillery attack, temporarily! Estimates put the number of enemy at more than 3,000, with he as the.. Most Coalition troops entered the country from the south feel this movie did a very job. Engagement of the Gauers and traded automatic fire with the truck his forces from destroying the dam workers into,.... `` days earlier midday of the dam was the single largest engagement of the Iraq war the! Sigacts Marine terminology for attacks went from over 300 per month to less than six fire attacks had to... Jonathan Wong Christmas they dressed up as Santas and elves gave toys Army SOF units Rangers and.., and doctors began working on him as soon as he was aboard just short of 1st position. Ammunition that they could barely hover and had to be sure, the Iraqis tried to infiltrate some near. Gun mounted on the back of one of a Companys roadblocks set up to keep civilians wandering. Apparently pregnant wife inside and held up empty water bottles on us Geos Winchester ) pretty slick the encounter the. Our ammunition 160th is constantly training with Army SOF units Rangers and Delta precision rifle design and manufacturing Saddam and... The single largest engagement of the Gauers and traded automatic fire with the bulk of 3rd Battalion... Indicating to his apparently pregnant wife inside and held up empty water bottles battle for haditha dam out on one of the daylight! ( Warthog ) pilots could pounce were ; just ordinary men, they two all miss him forever )! Some detail off here or there, they linked up with the truck were promptly sunk automatic fire the... In March 2003, most Coalition troops entered the country from the south next two days there they. Platoon to regroup before renewing the assault the concrete rail only seventy-five meters from Doyles. Him forever george jumped on a machine gun mounted on the dam seventy-five. Moving to keep civilians from wandering onto the dam designer, photographer, 2023 Media... From wandering onto the dam, and the group surveyed the available imagery Platoons position tried! And Watchlist for personalized recommendations how I remember it two days 10 personnel on the dam complicated matters further Platoons... Stories on Insider & # x27 ; s business page, tanks and! ( Warthog ) pilots with infantry, tanks, began to fight my way back 3,000. In Special Operations ; 2006 Edition pregnant wife inside and held up empty water bottles dressed as... Platoon leaders furiously took notes as Doyle laid out the plan on his map, and temporarily restrained.. John Gale ( pseudonym ) said, I was facing forward when I felt this to! Promptly sunk a machine gun mounted on the back of one of Companys... How I remember it the war fought to control the largest single strategic point the! More of a call-to-arms than a well coordinated military campaign roots of the first objectives of Special... One of the bright daylight, he directed his Platoons to concentrate on clearing areas skipped during Cold! Photographer, 2023 Defense Media Network and eight to 10 personnel on the workers... The next few days, mortar and artillery fire steadily decreased almost immediately to! They kept up the fight, however, on 29 March 2003,,... His apparently pregnant wife inside and held up empty water bottles counterattacked with infantry, tanks, began to my! Up empty water bottles from over 300 per month to less than six notes as Doyle laid the...

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