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First Fights in Fallujah: Marines During Operation Vigilant Resolve, in Iraq, April 2004
Vivid first-accounts of the fight for Fallujah collected just days or weeks after events, collated and contextualised by Marine Field Historian, Lt Col David E Kelly.
In March 2004, the unprovoked ambush killing and desecration of the bodies of American civilian security contractors in Fallujah, Iraq, caused the National Command Authorities in Washington, DC. to demand that the newly arrived Marine Expeditionary Force there take action against the perpetrators and other insurgent forces. Planned Stability and Support Operations were cast aside as insurgent fighters dared the Marines to enter Fallujah.
Marine infantrymen, tankers, helicopter crews, and amphibious vehicle drivers all pitched into high-intensity battles and firefights during the first fights of Fallujah in April 2004. Across the board cooperation and innovation marked these fighting Marines in combined arms fights that no one expected. Marines fought in the streets, conducted house-to-house searches, cleared buildings of enemy, and used tank main guns in direct support of urban environment operations. Helicopter crews supported operations on the ground with rockets and machine-gun fire, and Amtrac Marines transported forces to face enemy RPG and machine-gun fire. Marines from infantry squad members to a battalion commander were interviewed by Marine Corps field historians within days or weeks of the events at nearby combat outposts and camps. This book combines these interview notes and the words of the men themselves to create a unique narrative of Marines in this combat. Casualties only stiffened the will of the Marines to crush the enemy. A late April political plan called for the withdrawal of Marine forces from the city, and Marines at every level, though frustrated, understood the need to allow this attempted solution to play itself out.
In March 2004, the unprovoked ambush killing and desecration of the bodies of American civilian security contractors in Fallujah, Iraq, caused the National Command Authorities in Washington, DC. to demand that the newly arrived Marine Expeditionary Force there take action against the perpetrators and other insurgent forces. Planned Stability and Support Operations were cast aside as insurgent fighters dared the Marines to enter Fallujah.
Marine infantrymen, tankers, helicopter crews, and amphibious vehicle drivers all pitched into high-intensity battles and firefights during the first fights of Fallujah in April 2004. Across the board cooperation and innovation marked these fighting Marines in combined arms fights that no one expected. Marines fought in the streets, conducted house-to-house searches, cleared buildings of enemy, and used tank main guns in direct support of urban environment operations. Helicopter crews supported operations on the ground with rockets and machine-gun fire, and Amtrac Marines transported forces to face enemy RPG and machine-gun fire. Marines from infantry squad members to a battalion commander were interviewed by Marine Corps field historians within days or weeks of the events at nearby combat outposts and camps. This book combines these interview notes and the words of the men themselves to create a unique narrative of Marines in this combat. Casualties only stiffened the will of the Marines to crush the enemy. A late April political plan called for the withdrawal of Marine forces from the city, and Marines at every level, though frustrated, understood the need to allow this attempted solution to play itself out.
563 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2024
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 25, 2024
I enjoyed reading the individual Marine stories. They are insightful and informative. Unfortunately, the organization and editing of the book seems to do everything it can to ensure discontinuity of the stories presented. The author says he didn't want to focus on events, instead capturing the stories of the individual Marine. Yet the author then points out the significant events the Marines individually address and how important they are - and that's the point.
The author made the decision to organize the interviews by unit. This was probably the easiest way for the author to quickly organize the material for publication. It is the absolute worst way to organize the information for a coherent read. As an example, one of the most important events documented in the book was the attack on and extraction of a damaged AAV from Fallujah. It was a harrowing event. Unfortunately, accounts are sprinkled throughout the book making it difficult to associate all the accounts.
Another example of what seems to be a rush to publication is the repeat of the same mundane information multiple times when it could have been quickly summarized. As an example, the arrival in Kuwait of a unit and its uneventful deployment to bases in Iraq. This could have been addressed with a general description of the deployment instead of repeating it in each interview. Same goes for the deployment of 1/5 to Okinawa for training prior to traveling to Kuwait. There weren't any significant events that I can recall which would necessitate addressing this event as documented from an individual.
Finally, a pet peeve of mine. The lack of attention providing meaningful map references while reading accounts is surprising. We aren't talking about obscure points on a map. These are operational phase lines and routes repeated in numerous accounts. Without these map references the reader can only generally place where events occur.
Overall, I found value in the publication of these stories. They provide an important narrative and history of the military operations in OIF2. This book would have easily received 4 stars if the information had been better organized and presented.
The author made the decision to organize the interviews by unit. This was probably the easiest way for the author to quickly organize the material for publication. It is the absolute worst way to organize the information for a coherent read. As an example, one of the most important events documented in the book was the attack on and extraction of a damaged AAV from Fallujah. It was a harrowing event. Unfortunately, accounts are sprinkled throughout the book making it difficult to associate all the accounts.
Another example of what seems to be a rush to publication is the repeat of the same mundane information multiple times when it could have been quickly summarized. As an example, the arrival in Kuwait of a unit and its uneventful deployment to bases in Iraq. This could have been addressed with a general description of the deployment instead of repeating it in each interview. Same goes for the deployment of 1/5 to Okinawa for training prior to traveling to Kuwait. There weren't any significant events that I can recall which would necessitate addressing this event as documented from an individual.
Finally, a pet peeve of mine. The lack of attention providing meaningful map references while reading accounts is surprising. We aren't talking about obscure points on a map. These are operational phase lines and routes repeated in numerous accounts. Without these map references the reader can only generally place where events occur.
Overall, I found value in the publication of these stories. They provide an important narrative and history of the military operations in OIF2. This book would have easily received 4 stars if the information had been better organized and presented.
Displaying 1 of 1 review