![]() ![]() When coalition forces fought into the center of the city, the Iraqi government requested that the city's control be transferred to an Iraqi-run local security force, which then began stockpiling weapons and building complex defenses across the city through mid-2004. Earlier, in April 2004, coalition forces fought the First Battle of Fallujah in order to capture or kill insurgent elements considered responsible for the deaths of a Blackwater Security team. This operation was the second major operation in Fallujah. Marines have been involved in since the Battle of Huế City in Vietnam in 1968." military called it "some of the heaviest urban combat U.S. ![]() Marine Corps against the Iraqi insurgency stronghold in the city of Fallujah and was authorized by the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Interim Government. The Second Battle of Fallujah-code-named Operation Al-Fajr and Operation Phantom Fury - was a joint American, Iraqi, and British offensive in November and December 2004, considered the highest point of conflict in Fallujah during the Iraq War. My men are why I love my job.OIF/Iraqi Governance (2004-05)/Operation Phantom Fury Whatever mission I give them, they will do it to their best. They are the craziest guys in the battalion, but also the hardest working. "We have nothing fancy here," Gratkowski said. "We were next to an station, and we could go inside and relax, here we are just in the middle of a desert."Įven with their current conditions, the platoon leader says his men get the job done without argument. "At Najaf we had an actual place to fire from which was pretty secure" Ethridge said. Even compared to their time in Najaf, their setup outside of Fallujah is the grittiest, they said. There they have pretty nice living conditions. The mortar team has spent the majority of their deployment at Taji, Iraq, north of Baghdad. As for food, mornings and lunch we eat, but at nights they bring in hot chow and that really helps. Out here that's what baby wipes and bottled water are for. "We've been sitting and sleeping out here on our M113 track vehicles for seven days straight and it gets pretty dull," Spc. base, Alpha Otter, are no cup of tea either, the mortarman said. While sleep remains limited, the living conditions at the 2-7 Cav. After seven days of doing these shifts, we are starting to get real tired." "At night we take turns listening to the radio and just sleep real light. "We stand by all day listening to the radio for fire missions," Ethridge said. Receiving so many fire missions, and firing so many rounds places a significant workload on these troops, especially when missions come during the dead of night. The most rounds we will fire back at Fort Hood is about 250 in one year, so we have shot off a couple of years worth here." Nick Gratkowski, the mortar platoon leader. "We are pushing over 600 rounds in this week," said Capt. The platoon broke a personal record in one week of missions by firing an enormous number of 120 mm high-explosive rounds. "It's not too much effort on our part, and we can take out 40 guys with one round." Daniel Ethridge, a mortarman in Headquarters Company said. ![]() "Being a mortar man, it's good knowing that we fire these rounds and take out a lot of the ," Spc. Even from six kilometers away the mortarmen played a vital role in the operation and helped pacify the hostile city. Headquarters Company mortarmen received dozens of missions daily. Standing by 24 hours a day during seven days of battle, the 2-7 Cav. Part of 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment's victory came with the help of a ready and reliable mortar platoon. Forces took control of the former insurgent stronghold of Fallujah after less than a week of fighting during Operation Phantom Fury. ![]()
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