Posted on 03/23/2005 6:29:09 PM PST by Flavius
BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 22, 2005 — National Guard soldiers from the Richmond, Ky.-based 617th Military Police Company were still reminiscing today about the extraordinary battle they fought on Sunday, when dozens of Iraqi insurgents ambushed a U.S. patrol — touching off one of the fiercest battles in Iraq since the fight for Fallujah last fall.
But what is more extraordinary is who the U.S. soldiers are — a shoe store manager, hotel worker, printing press operator and several students.
The firefight serves as a reminder of how citizen-soldiers are shouldering much of the burden in Iraq. Of the U.S. forces fighting in Iraq, 40 percent belong to the National Guard or Reserves.
Anatomy of the Fight
Ten U.S. soldiers in three armored Humvees were providing support to a truck convoy south of Baghdad when they were attacked by insurgents this weekend.
"When we first started taking fire, I just looked to the right and saw seven or eight guys shooting back at us — muzzle flashes," said Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester.
"You could hear a lot of booms from the [rocket-propelled grenades]. You could hear bullets hitting metal," said Spc. Jason Mike.
The insurgents came out of a grove of trees and started firing from a roadside canal. When the shooting started, the National Guard members drove their vehicles between the convoy and the insurgents.
"Basically, training kicks in, and you just maneuver and do what you have to do to stay alive," said Staff Sgt. Timothy Nein.
The soldiers continued to take fire as they traveled up the main highway. Squad leader Nein wanted to make a right turn onto another road, but just as the Humvees were turning the corner, one was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
Spc. Casey Cooper, 20, was up in the gunner's turret when the vehicle was hit.
"The heat and the concussion knocked me," said Cooper. "I could feel it hit me in the chest and the face, and that was about it. I blacked out after that."
But he quickly rejoined the fight. By that time, the U.S. soldiers were out of their vehicles.
"At first, I shot one guy," Hester said. "I saw him fall."
"I started firing with my M4 [light machine gun] with my left hand and the 249 [machine gun] with my right hand, trying to lay down fire on both sides," said Mike.
"I went through my full magazine and went to reload," said Spc. Ashley Pullen.
As the fighting progressed, insurgents started firing machine guns from a two-story house, wounding three U.S. soldiers.
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"I went inside the vehicle and grabbed the anti-tank rocket and took the house out," said Mike.
In the end, the unit killed 27 insurgents. The wounded U.S. soldiers are all expected to recover.
"After it was all said and done with," said Hester, "it was overwhelming what actually happened."
The soldiers of the 617th Military Police Company will be back out on patrol on Wednesday. They are not expected home — to the shoe store or the printing shop — until November.
ABC News' Martha Raddatz filed this report for "World News Tonight."
One MP Squad one on of the nastiest fighting units in the world, more fire power and mobility than a comparable infantry unit.
Of the Troops, for the Troops.
27 in the ambush that backfired.
85 in the raid on the terror camp.
3 in Baghdad ..when a local went postal on a group of terrors.
70 captured in Mosul Sunday.
Yep the Muj had a bad week.
I'm curious. If wearing women's panties on their head is humiliating, what happens when a female soldier injures or kills one of them?
Thanks for posting this. Hope Casey is okay. Looks like he got hit near the eye. God bless our troops and keep them safe from those cowards who hide behind civilians and in their own religious places.
"... insurgents started firing machine guns from a two-story house, wounding three U.S. soldiers."
"I went inside the vehicle and grabbed the anti-tank rocket and took the house out," said Mike."
Mike does Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Emphasis on "Extreme".
ping!!
I get into endless fights with people on FR about women in combat. I'm probably only one of a handful that support it.
If she can pass her physcial; that same one as her male counter part, and wants to fight, then let her.
ROFL
imagine the scumbag Muj who were watching this soldier, pumping lead using two hands. THEN he gets the antitank rocket out and blows up a building.
Friggin' demolition man. Our solders are badass and are fearsome warriors, but to borrow from Col Kurtz "If we had a division of those men our troubles here
would be over very quickly."
Extreme Makeover: Muj Edition.
If we like it or not, the women are in our military and are doing a good job. I am more than happy to see that the evil murdering "insurgents" are getting their due, especially from our women troops. Must really look good on their macho Islamic afterlife resume.
They don't really scream too much about that....but when you try putting a pig in their dirt hole to bury with them they start whining again.
"I get into endless fights with people on FR about women in combat. I'm probably only one of a handful that support it.
If she can pass her physcial; that same one as her male counter part, and wants to fight, then let her."
Amen.
Thank you. Amen
LOL! Yeah, extreme to the max. I loved that quote.
Looks like the RPG ject centered up on the gap between the top of the door and the roof. Pretty lucky, the spall would be substantialy reduced.
I for one don't want to hear anymore cr@* about "Weekend Warriors". Our part-time soldiers kick terrorist butts.
Yes and no. It's is a variant of the M16, but it's not the standard issue rifle, that would be the M16A4, but the M4's are issued to some units. The are a bit handier in the urban battle, and from vehicles.
Calling it a "light machine gun", isn't that far off. It's not what the Army calls it, but then again if you wanted to buy one the BATFE would certainly say it's a machine gun, which it is, and it is prett light. However the actual LMG is the Squad Automatic Weapon. The M240 is the medium machine gun, while the M-2, which has been around since shortly after WW-I, is *the* heavy machine gun. Everything bigger is called a cannon (although technically a cannon must be capable of firing explosive rounds, although not all do so as their primary ammunition.)
Killed by a girl, no virgins for you.
Reminds me of the "Angle of Death", supposedly a USAF crewman aboard an AC-130 in Afghanistan. She would get on the radio on the freqs the Taliban were using, and describe what she was going to do to them, then she and the rest of the crew would do it, and then get on and tell 'em what she'd done, often ending with "You just got killed by a Girl!". The Northern Alliance types that we were supporting would also be on the freq to provide translation services to the Taliban. I don't know it's true, but it brings a big grin to this old "wing wiper" every time I think of it.
Make that "Angel of Death".
Sorry 'bout that.
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