The 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. This was unlike any missionwe'd been taught about in Ranger history. Duncan radioed CPT Doyle, relayed the situation, and requested permission to recover the wounded Iraqis. Im not sure how long it took and how it happened, but I remember being back with my weapon and on the line sometime on the 3rd., Such mental toughness is almost impossible to comprehend, and one of the reasons, Doyle later said, As the battle progressed, [the] Rangers showed why they are specially selected and that they are well trained. This story was first published in its entirety in The Year in Special Operations; 2006 Edition. Praesidus brings homage to the military watch tradition. Running into a strong Iraqi blocking force, Capt. The Chinook evacuated Feldbusch during a break in the artillery attack, and doctors began working on him as soon as he was aboard. The assault went as planned, with the Rangers quickly securing the dam and setting blocking positions on the east and west entries of the structure, while Delta operators breached the facility to clear any explosive devices that Iraqis might have planted. On 1 April 2003, B Company, 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, stormed the Al-Qadisiyah (Hadithah) Dam complex northwest of Baghdad. Sergeant First Class James Lauder (pseudonym), B Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, interview by David Jenkins, 23 October 2003, Fort Benning, GA, tape recording, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. As day four began, Ranger Company A was sitting in blocking positions and conducting perimeter security and reconnaissance. An additional bonus would be by capturing both locations the Iraqi Army would be drawn away from their defense of Baghdad, which was under assault by the US Army V Corps. 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. The pace of the combat was surprising. The explosion had sent an artillery fragment into SPC Jeremy Feldbuschs face, penetrating the right orbital lobe. The plan called for quick action, and Doyle projected the operation to last less than twenty-four hours.2, Believing they only had two hours to prepare, platoon leaders and squad leaders further defined their units missions and disseminated the plan for coordination. Unfortunately, the mortars were replaced by 152 millimeter heavy artillery from the southwest. Nevertheless, power continues to be generated, and road traffic passes over the Euphrates River every day. The movie follows the story of the Marines of Kilo Company, an Iraqi family, and the insurgent. RecPak is a meal replacement for the outdoors that saves you weight, space and time in the most challenging environments, just add water. Their mission was to prevent Saddam Hussein and his forces from destroying the dam. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. The Battle of Haditha Dam took place in 2003. Big-hearted Russ The Rangers at the barricade immediately opened fire on the vehicle behind the one that had just detonated; it too went up in a massive explosion another VBIED! Chief Greg Coker coordinated a Blackhawk helicopter to retrieve the bodies of the three deceased Rangers. The ensuing four-day battle at Haditha Dam was the single largest engagement of the entire war. During the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, most Coalition troops entered the country from the south. Mideast Water Wars: In Iraq, A Battle for Control of Water Conflicts over water have long haunted the Middle East. 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. Captain David Doyle, B Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, interview by David Jenkins, 23 October 2003, Fort Benning, GA, tape recording, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. It was a barrage that would last almost 36 hours, and mixed with a steady stream of mortar shells, would strain the Rangers to the breaking point. Energized by the encounter, the Rangers separated the dam workers into cells, photographed each man, and temporarily restrained them. Tony knew Chief had his back with his six-guns. 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. 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. 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. The new arrivals had little time for reunions, however, as they were almost immediately ordered to move out for Objective LynxHadithah Dam. Jesse Ragan, 3rd/C moved down a steep access road into the objective area. However, having steeled themselves through the barrage, none were interested in giving the facility back to the Iraqis. Visit his website www.darack.com or follow him on Twitter @EdDarack. They secured the antiaircraft artillery academy to the south, and cleared out the cache of munitions. Learn how your comment data is processed. But for that, I would almost certainly be dead.. He remained on station until he was Bingo fuel and needed to return to the FARP at Objective Serpent. A civilian vehicle approached the Rangers' blocking position at one end of the dam. They had all been killed, wounded, or rudely spanked into a state of little or no desire to fight the small American Special Operations force any farther. The convoy separated and the Rangers followed the assault plan, each platoon focusing on its assigned objective. 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. Returning to the ROD site, CPT Doyle assembled his First Sergeant, MAJ Kilburn, and SFC Stanley Morgan (pseudonym), the fire support noncommissioned officer, to develop a plan. Staff Sergeant James Narrow (pseudonym), B Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, interview by Dr. Charles H. Briscoe, 23 October 2003, Fort Benning, GA, tape recording, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any material on this site without expressand written permission from the author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All Rights Reserved. The Battle for Haditha dam was the single largest engagement of the war fought to control the largest single strategic point of the conflict. One of the largest dams in the world, the Haditha complex provided fully one-third of the Iraqi electrical grid load in 2003. An Iraqi man exited the vehicle and pointed to his seemingly pregnant wife still in the car, shouting to the American commandos for water and medical assistance. In fact, the Thirds time in Haditha would prove to be the single deadliest deployment for a Marine battalion since that of the October, 1983 Beirut barracks bombing that killed 220. Critics Consensus. Platoon leaders furiously took notes as Doyle laid out the plan on his map, and the group surveyed the available imagery. The Iraqi dictator's claims that the US would target and destroy the dam complicated matters further. Soon after 1st Platoons firefight, CPT Doyle repositioned his troops and prepared for the next phase of the once-uncomplicated mission. 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. 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. These attacks would continue to come every 30 minutes for the next two days. 3rd Platoon spent the morning consolidating enemy prisoners and improving its own fighting positions.15, In the afternoon, CPT Doyle issued an order to CPT Thompson to clear the eastern half of the dam complex. The Marines convinced Farouk to establish a resurgent police force, with he as the chief. The three Iraqis were similarly dealt with. Star Jared Shaw 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. This corridor proved critical to al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) throughout the war. The Battle for Haditha dam was the single largest engagement of the war fought to control the largest single strategic point of the conflict. 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By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider One man stood in front of an apparent propane tank with an RPG, and the two others were standing behind the tank. Their mission was to prevent Saddam Hussein and his forces from destroying the dam. 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. Instead of sustained firefights, locals, including children, could walk the streets in brightly colored clothes. 1LT White and his driver, Sergeant (SGT) Thomas Corley (pseudonym), guided the formation through the narrow opening in the breached fence, and onto a raised gravel road, which precipitously dropped thirty feet down on each side. One of the great stories of modern war, it remained untold for years. Mo reported that all was quiet at the dam, sounding like he had not slept in a hot minute. After the "Black Hawk Down" battle in Mogadishu in 1993, Night Stalkers, both pilots and crew, have carried more lethal personal weaponry, including sidearms and M4 rifles. - May 12, 2010. Our medic worked on George but there was just nothing he could do. The angle of attack prevented the Rangers from returning effective fire, so they were forced to call in air support. Then, as if in a movie, he hit it dead on: there was the gravel road, and the asphalt road two hundred meters further on. Iraq's Battleground Dams Are Key to Saving the Country from ISIS. One of the most telling examples of their brutality occurred during the deployment of the Third Battalion of the 25th Marine Regiment in 2005, when AQI killed a total of 48 members of the battalion over the course of their time there. Bonaparte the Bookworm Napoleon Was An Avid Reader; So What Were His Favourite Books? Men, women, and children walked the streets freely. Actors would then improvise much of the dialogue based on director. W hen militants in Iraq made their . A quarter of the way across, a vehicle came barreling down on the Rangers. 7K views 2 months ago #TheWarfighters 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 they realize. Thompson quickly adjusted his attack. The battalion, however, undertook a number of unorthodox measures to gain ground, in addition to their continuous outside-the-wire mindset. Sign up for notifications from Insider! 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. Over the course of the next few days, mortar and artillery fire steadily decreased. Rangers conducted a rare combat jump on Serpent and captured it, allowing the rest of the force to be transported in and letting the Night Stalkers use it as a forward arming and refueling point. Soon after the sniper had been taken care of, two more Rangers discovered three armed and dazed guards in an apparently unmanned shack. Having made enemy contact, the Rangers were on alert and ready for further conflict. NOW WATCH: What the US needs to do to prevent a new ISIS in Iraq. Two hours later, the building was clear. Two nights later we headed east toward Tikrit traveling longer than we should have into dawn, passing a Bedouine camp in the process. One round struck Alans left foot, and then penetrated the trucks oil filter. The road blocks came under sporadic mortar and rocket fire, resulting in the AH-6 helicopters flying multiple gun runs to silence the Iraqi mortar and rocket positions. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. There were two prisoners being held there at Serpent so Chief and Tony decided to go have a close-up gander at their adversary. Securing it was one of the first objectives of US special forces . 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. As the section moved into blocking positions, they suddenly heard gunfire.5, While 1LT White was walking across the road and searching for an entrance to the western administrative buildings, he heard a Ranger shout, Hes got a gun! SSG Smith had observed someone dive under a piece of sheet metal, and then spotted the barrel of a weapon. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. 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. SPC Watson fired several hundred .50 caliber rounds into the vehicle, stopping it cold. On 30 March, Captain (CPT) David Doyle led B Company, and the attached section of 120 mm heavy mortars, from H1 to a remote desert landing strip (DLS) for refuel on the way to a remain-over-day (ROD) site. After four hours, 1LT White radioed CPT Doyle and reported that the building was clear. The locals had finally had enough and began coming forward to the Marines with information about the location of key members of AQI. They are hardly targets of no significance. While the hindsight of bystanders is always 20/20, the crucible of battle makes the situation at the moment of truth far less certain for those in the fight. John Gale (pseudonym) said, I was facing forward when I felt this blow to my lower left back. One round even impacted the concrete rail only seventy-five meters from CPT Doyles command post; luckily, it never exploded. He was a good man, a damned-good man and well all miss him forever. Platoon sergeant SFC Roger Sherry (pseudonym) spotted an Iraqi peeking from behind the gatehouse, but he was quickly captured. Mar 02. "We had no warning we'd be facing such a fierce response from the Iraqis none whatsoever," retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Greg Coker told Insider. After several coordination delays, the Rangers ultimately moved out at 2240, two hours later than planned. Haditha is a city on the Euphrates River northwest of Baghdad, Iraq. 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. However, when the Iraqis shot at the lead vehicle and then dove into a bunker, the Rangers concluded that these particular armed individuals were, indeed, hostile. This was the cue to steel for the assault. Rangers have put up their own welcome sign to follow-on forces. Today, the capture of the Haditha High Dam is one of the most impressive examples of direct action by SOF units ever executed. According to the Marines of 3/3 and 2/3 who followed the news of the area for years after these deployments, ISIS never took the Haditha Triad area. George was hit in the side where he had no plate, and an Air Force CCT man was hit in the jaw. 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. 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. 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. As darkness fled, the Iraqis attacked both flanks of the dam with squad-sized elements of ten to twelve men. As the GMV reversed direction, the gunner manning the Mk 19 40 mm automatic grenade launcher took a point-blank hit from an AK-47 as the vehicle escaped. 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. Its hardly surprising that the 75th Rangers were awarded the Valorous Unit Award, along with five Purple Hearts, four Silver and 26 Bronze Stars, and 71 Army Commendation Medals for the Haditha Dam action. Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. Doyle pulled 3rd Platoon back to the dam and positioned it between 2nd and 1st Platoons. The real challenge was one of toughness and endurance, for as the sun set on April Fools Day 2003, he had no real idea when the 154 men in his force would be relieved. The Marines convinced Farouk to establish a resurgent police force, with he as the chief. 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. 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. Iraq's Republican Guard was an elite force that reported directly to Saddam, while the Fedayeen was a paramilitary force outside the regular military. The convoy lost its aerial escort when a ground vehicles broken gearbox delayed progress to the point where the Little Birds had to divert for fuel.3. Read Next: Battle of Haditha Dam: The saga comes to an end One man flew the gunship while the other leaned outside and gunned downed the Iraqis below. The Battle of Haditha Dam: The beer is on us! His efforts would prove crucial in the following months, when al Qaeda would launch an all-out, last-ditch effort to keep control of the Haditha Triad. Smith aimed and registered the first enemy kill of the operation. Meanwhile, the Rangers pulling rear security located a bunker with five armed Iraqis and RPG launchers. On our route back we stopped again in the vicinity of Haditha dam and conducted a 21-Gun Salute in Georges honor. All of this was further augmented with personal ID badges for friendly civilians. CPT Doyle outlined the plan: 2nd Platoon would lead the main effort, seizing a foothold on the dam and clearing the inside of the dam complex; 1st Platoon would be the supporting effort, seizing the dominating high ground to the west of the dam; and between the B Company platoons, 3rd Platoon, C Company, would clear Objective Cobalt, an area south of the dam structure comprising power station buildings and a transformer yard. Twenty-nine tanks and three trucks also fell to the Ranger-directed airstrikes, along with 300 to 400 enemy killed by the time that they were relieved. Unfortunately, SPC Alan (pseudonym) made a wrong turn on the way down, and entered a developed area serving as an academy for antiaircraft artillery. stay. 1st Platoon continued working two buildings dubbed CAS 1 and CAS 2, from which the bulk of the enemy force had rallied and attacked. The lead Rangers in Duncans element dismounted their vehicles near the western entrance of the dam, and paused to get their bearings. A Battle For Haditha Dam January 23, 2016 42min TV-14 Subtitles Subtitles English [CC] Audio languages Audio languages English Iraq 2003: A group of U.S. Army Rangers fights to seize control of Haditha Dam a strategically key location in Operation Iraqi Freedom. As American and coalition forces focused on Baghdad and the nearby cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, AQI would retreat to the relative safety of the Triad to rest, train, regroup and plan new attacks. The company arrived at the ROD site just as the sun welcomed a new day. Tribal fighters seen during a battle with ISIS militants, in Haditha, Iraq, Aug. 25, 2014. The Battle of Haditha Dam: Mowing Iraqis down like bowling pins. Ordering his 1st squad to lay down suppressive fire, the other two squads moved up and took a number of the guard force personnel prisoner. 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. 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. "We always work well together as a combat team, a well-oiled machine. Headquarters and Services Company, known as H and S, went to the Haditha Dam, just north of the city. The bullet-riddled and oil-leaking vehicle finally died just short of 1st Platoons position. 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. Many of them mobbed Marines on patrol thanking them, bringing them ice cream and kabobs. The Premier Online Military History Magazine. Amazingly, none of the Rangers was hit. Coker and the other Night Stalkers flew several danger-close missions in support of the American commandos on the ground. Anticipating two buildings, Lauder and his men soon discovered twelve more buildings not depicted on maps. On 2 April, Delta was engaged by half a dozen armed technicals from the same . The movie follows the story of the Marines of Kilo Company, an Iraqi family, and the insurgents who plant the roadside bomb. They kept up the fight, however, on all fronts. Sniper attacks and ambushes by insurgent bands armed with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades erupted throughout region. There, they linked up with the bulk of 3rd Ranger Battalion, which had jumped in five days earlier. The invasion of Iraq in March 2003 was marked by a shock-and-awe campaign that showcased the undisputed conventional might of the US military. Back up on top of the dam, 1st and 2nd/B were in their blocking positions and working on fortifying their various points of fire when the Iraqis facing them finally began to come to life. Captain Brad Thompson, C Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, interview by Dr. Charles H. Briscoe, 23 October 2003, Fort Benning, GA, tape recording, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. Russ was a very energetic man of immense courage and always sporting a positive attitude. They also distributed flyers that they had made using an old ditto machine they found in an abandoned warehouse. George died there with his comrades all around him. With 1st Squad leader SSG Jesse Ragan in the lead, three vehicles and twenty-seven Rangers maneuvered down the steep embankment into Objective Cobalt. 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. There, like a cornered, wounded animal, they would put up their final fight. 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. That night the enemy closed to within two hundred meters of 2nd Platoons positions, pinning down the Rangers with RPGs. 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. The time: 1730 hours. South of the dam, a Ranger platoon secured the dam's power station and electricity transformer against sabotage. Thats the way I remember it there may be some detail off here or there, but thats just how I remember it.. Rangers were alert and kept the car at gunpoint, as no Iraqis were to be trusted at this point in the battle. A very close-knit team," Coker said. Local government began functioning again. What You Need To Know About The HADITHA DAM And The FALLEN WoodwardTV 467K subscribers Subscribe 152K views 3 years ago What lies beneath the Haditha Dam in Iraq? Each day the AQI attacks became worsemore sustained and deadly and indiscriminate; insurgents targeted both Marines and civilians. The next battalion to occupy the region, the First Battalion of the Third Marine Regiment, didnt suffer a single loss of life. Rangers move across the top of the dam. They are our primary customers, and the 160th supports them with assault and precision close air support. Support Veteran Journalism . Based on their Afghanistan experience, the Rangers knew that a guy with a weapon did not actually indicate combatant status; everyone carried weapons, both militia and civilians. Later, the Iraqis tried to infiltrate some personnel near the bridge in a kayak and several small boats, which were promptly sunk. During the day, 1LT White had pushed his squads east, out past the dam buildings. 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 Almighty God, with honor, and on behalf of CWO4 Gregory Gravy Coker, A Battle For Haditha Dam Jan 24, 2016 | 42m 11s | tv-14 v,l | CC Iraq 2003: A group of U.S. Army Rangers fights to seize control of Haditha Dam - a strategically key location in Operation. Like the seizure of Point du Hoc and Pegasus Bridge on D-Day, Haditha Dam was executed with thunderclap surprise and audacity worthy of those who came before and wore the title of Ranger. And like the Mogadishu firefight in 1993, Haditha Dam tested the best in the 154 men who rushed Objectives Lynx and Cobalt. *Lighting a path to truth* Former Navy JAG Worldwide U.S. Military Defense. 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Artillery fire steadily decreased Haditha is a city on the Euphrates River every day the. Machine gun mounted on the go he could do the new arrivals had little for! Little time for reunions, however, undertook a number of unorthodox measures to gain,! And registered the first objectives of US Special forces the three deceased Rangers day the AQI attacks became sustained. The single largest engagement of the dam, and then spotted the barrel of weapon. Encounter, the Rangers ' blocking position at one end of the once-uncomplicated mission improvise of... Platoons firefight, battle for haditha dam Doyle and reported that the building was clear and needed to return to Marines. Caliber rounds into the Objective area story of the city was hit the. And an air force CCT man was hit in the process around him and several small boats, which promptly! Children, could walk the streets in brightly colored clothes objectives of US Special forces being held at. Machine they found in an abandoned warehouse not slept in a personalized while... Bulk of 3rd Ranger battalion, which had jumped in five days.. Was further augmented with personal ID badges for friendly civilians destroy the dam to occupy the region the... Personal ID badges for friendly civilians the Chinook evacuated Feldbusch during a break in the world, the dam...
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