Now, regarding your post: The Marines went into Falluja more unguided than misguided. Their packs didn't come up for three days and they had no MRE's with them at all for most of that, so they scrounged. I didn't say they were starving, there was a lot of rice, beans, and flour in the homes they occupied along with cooking gear, etc. These are some young, ballsy Marines and a chicken dinner made sense to them, maybe not to us.
It is a matter of record that they took casualties nearly every day of that month, remember, the "ceasefire" started on the 14th after 10 days of heavy fighting. There was continuous contact until 4/26 when Echo Company of the 2/1 Marines had a KIA and 12 more wounded in an all day battle, some ceasefire. That was the day they dropped a minaret and cratered a mosque. The Marines had all the firepower they needed by then, it was just plain hard fighting all the way.
By the way, in the month of fighting Echo company had 47 wounded out of 140 in the Company. And, Marines always fight the way they're prepared.
What's "brilliant" (your term to me) is your own obscure responses when you're pinned down, and your labeling as "irrelevent" a discussion you don't want to continue. Again, I ask you to make your point rationally, back it up, and don't trivialize someone else's point by turning a cheap phrase.
Fair enough. I’ve been condescending. I apologize.
I’ve sensed that you’re promoting only one side of the battle. I’m not challenging the Marines positive performance, their hardship or even their tactical results on a body count level. That’s why I call some of your descriptions “irrelevant”. They don’t relate to the issue that I’ve been promoting like a broken record.
They were not allowed to continue the assault in a combined arms fashion. Yes, that is the primary way they prepare to fight, and it was crippled.
In all I’ve read, after a few days the destructiveness of the battle was considered too costly by the Iraqi governing counsel, and I strongly suspect by the administration as well.
Can we agree that the Marines were ordered, or at least overwhelmingly pressured, to restrict combat into a kind of semi-ceasefire mode? I.e., don’t shoot until fired upon. No artillery armor or air other than in defense? I know that was not strictly adhered to, but it was certainly restrictive.
That is the root of what I’m upset with. You seem to have an inside track on the battle through your son. Do you disagree with that?