Marines Encircle Fallouja (Operation Valiant Resolve commencing)

LA Times ^ | 4-4-04 | Tony Perry and Edmund Sanders

[BurbankKarl]

FALLOUJA, Iraq — Thousands of Marines surrounded this anti-American stronghold early today in preparation for a complex raid to retake control of the city and apprehend those responsible for last week's slayings of four U.S. security contractors.

The highly anticipated action, dubbed Operation Valiant Resolve, was expected to be one of the biggest military offensives since the fall of Saddam Hussein's government a year ago.

All roads leading to this city of 300,000 were cut off and barricaded with tanks and concertina wire. Working through the cold and windy desert night, under a large moon, Marines set up camps for detainees and residents who might flee any fighting. Before dawn, several Marine positions were hit by mortar rounds and rocket-propelled grenade fire. Bursts of automatic gunfire could be heard throughout the city.

[MNJohnnie]

Friendly tip : Do opposition research before you open your mouth. It'll save you a lot of embarassment later

Freindly tip, Actually know what you are talking about before you start preaching how everything is screwed up.

[Travis McGee]

I'd like to think our state dept guys have the balls to okay whacking Sadr, but you just know they don't. It's a war, but the weenies at state won't let our troops fight it like a war.

[BurbankKarl]

Looks like something out of SF

[MNJohnnie]

What's an 11B10 Seal?

[Triple Word Score]

But...but...I just sent the email to the President demanding this...ten minutes ago.

GOSH that man is fast!

;-)

[Woahhs]

Uhm, no.

[oolatec]

"What if I offered you grammer lessons? Would you then help me?"

Uh, you mean... grammar...

[Screaming_Gerbil]

MNJohnnie
Since Feb 18, 2004

And you're picking a fight with Travis?

[Getsmart64]

I pray that this is true...but everything I have read about the Fallejuh area is that we only have 4k marines there....I guess if it takes a few days to moblize 15K marines...then so be it....I hope they are in the immediate area.....

[McGavin999]

Sadar's going to be taken out by his fellow Shiias, that is if we don't get him first.

[Getsmart64]

No sh**.....we'll kick butt in Fallejuh and no media will report it....sheesh...

[Woahhs]

hell, travis is one of our best resources and this dumba$$ newbie is insulting him....I don't think so.

[BurbankKarl]

As part of a coordinated uprising, one militia member in Sadr City carried a poster of Mr. Sadr near a burning Humvee.

[LdSentinal]

Oh. Thanks.

That's why I charge cheap.

[TrueBeliever9]

Sent this article out to my entire prayer list! Hope they are up early and fall on their knees! That is OUR JOB!

[piasa]

He spells like he's Chinese, he thinks like a high school athlete, and talks like he caught a bad case of inverse Baghdad Bob disease.

[Travis McGee]

We've all carried rifles, private 11-bravo. But some of us have done considerably more than that.

[church16]

Dude, thats the story of my life.... While my bros were doing the deed to Milosivec, UBL, Saddam, AEF, OIF, etc. I'm twiddling my shwanz in AETC. I've volunteered for everything and been to no show. But I guess I should count my blessings, some of the guys who went to the show never came back, or came back with important parts hurt/missing. So I'll wait my turn and pray to turn some terrorists into the proverbial "loose formation of hair, teeth, and a**holes". Better late than never.

[MEG33]

LOL!Good job!

[capitan_refugio]

Too bad we got rid of our napalm arsenal a few years ago.