Marines Recount Dramatic Assault At Base Near Syria - Marine Thwarts Car Bomb Attack

Washington Post ^ | April 19, 2005 | Steve Fainaru

[Former Military Chick]

Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Butler shook himself from the rubble of a suicide truck bombing. He staggered to the ledge of his three-story guard tower and stared into a cloud of white smoke.

Butler, 21, of Altoona, Pa., was temporarily deafened by the blast, but he recalled what came next with cinematic clarity. The white smoke parted to reveal a clean red fire engine. It sped past a mural bidding travelers "Goodbye From Free Iraq" and hurtled directly toward Butler, who shot at the fire engine until it exploded about 40 yards away from him.

This true-life nightmare occurred on Monday last week. The attack on this remote Marine outpost abutting the Syrian border caused only minor injuries, but it signaled a dramatic change in the methods of the insurgents, who have staged mostly guerrilla-style hit-and-run attacks against the U.S. military for two years.

In interviews and in after-action reports, Marines who successfully defended the base that morning described a sophisticated assault that involved 50 to 100 insurgents.

The insurgents distracted Marine guards with well-aimed mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, then launched three successive suicide bombing strikes in an attempt to blow up the base and overrun it. The fire engine had a driver, a spotter and a bulletproof windshield, and was packed with dozens of propane tanks filled with explosives. The blast rained jagged red shrapnel for more than a minute, and unhinged doors and cracked the foundation of buildings well inside the Marine base.

The attack "demonstrates an extremely mature and capable insurgency," said Maj. John Reed, executive officer for the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, which commands U.S. troops here. "It showed its ability to mass a very complex attack very quickly."

[Former Military Chick]

A Marine inspects rubble caused by suicide bombings last week that were part of a coordinated insurgent attack on a Marine base in western Iraq.

(photo)

[ChefKeith]

BUMPITTY-DO-DA

Keep kicking terrorscum butt guys!!!!

[Former Military Chick]

It took some time, but I finally found an article that was NOT from the USA Today that provided American's the masterful job our Marines did and how we should salute each and everyone of them.

Frankly, I thought and it says on the excerpt thread that the USA Today is allowed but only title and link. Which is what I did, the Military.com had reproduced the article and I gave express background it was yanked. I really try hard but on this one I do not get it. My fatigue may sound like I am whining but I really want to do the right thing in the future.

Nevertheless, getting off my frustration high, I found this article amazing. Again you can find more if you go to Military.com.

[Route101]

might consider....pulling our guys out and capet fire bombing the area...or is that not p.c.?

[Former Military Chick]

You are asking a Former Military Chick about PC in the military ... well in today's climate I suppose that is where we are at but in my dad's military your idea would have been considered!

Thanks for the comment.

[NewYorker]

God bless and protect our fine troops fighting the good fight in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Mount Athos]

Thanks for finding and posting this really interesting article.

I'm having a hard time conceiving of the explosion from that fire truck, that could crack foundations well inside the base when the explosion occured outside. Amazing. Thank goodness they failed, it could have been horrible.

[Former Military Chick]

First this is not a site I really like to link to but after doing an exhaustive search this is the only site with the video. Frankly I asked beloved to review it with me and he offered his thoughts and said it was more than likely real.

He also said how primitive it looked as they tried to shoot the weapons.

It is not the best quality but gives you an idea of the creeps my beloved faced and many other beloved's are facing on a daily basis.

So, watch it with that in mind. There is nothing questionable for small eyes just a bunch of terrorists trying to mount a strike against Abu Ghraib.

Beloved also said that attacks on the prison are a regular deal. Also said these video's will be of help to our guys.

I also recommend that if you have kids, you might want to delete this site from settings, there are other images on the site that should only be viewed by adults.

Zarqawi's Group, al Qaeda in Iraq, Releases Abu Ghraib Prison Attack Video Part I

Zarqawi's Group, al Qaeda in Iraq, Releases Abu Ghraib Prison Attack Video Part II

[American in Israel]

The videos show a real bunch of idiots that we are fighting. Any local teenagers could could achieve the same. Too bad Russia and China are pouring so much military gear into these dweebs hands, they might hurt someone.

No co-ordinated attack, nobody in firing positions, and the camara man has the shakes.

Some idiot fires a mortar a long ways away, something in the distance starts on fire and he says Allah is great.

Allah is a fool if this is his army.

[devolve]

        

[dennisw]

Git 'er done. Waste 'em! The only good insurgent (terrorist) is an insurgent who assumed room temperature.

[hershey]

Thanks for your hard work...it's appreciated more than you know.

[csvset]

Allah Fubar!

[katykelly]

Thanks for posting this. My son just returned from Al Qaim. He's home on leave. I'll make sure he sees this. Thanks again.

[norwaypinesavage]

Good Post. However, leave it to the WaPo to take a good story and make it as bad as possible. To quote: "The insurgents distracted Marine guards with well-aimed mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, then launched three successive suicide bombing strikes in an attempt to blow up the base and overrun it. The attack "demonstrates an extremely mature and capable insurgency". The attack presents a new challenge for the U.S. military. The Marines believed they had scored a decisive victory, tempered only by the realization that they faced an adversary perhaps more sophisticated than they had known."

In reality, their guys died, and our guys didn't. I believe this is because the US military is among the best trained, best equipped, most sophisticated, bravest, and toughest military in history. The fact is it was Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Butler (and othere like him) who stood alone to face down an oncomming explosives laden truck that stopped the attack. Thank you Marines. God bless the USA.

[Dubya]

Good post.

[untenured]

This true-life nightmare occurred on Monday last week. The attack on this remote Marine outpost abutting the Syrian border caused only minor injuries, but it signaled a dramatic change in the methods of the insurgents, who have staged mostly guerrilla-style hit-and-run attacks against the U.S. military for two years.

In interviews and in after-action reports, Marines who successfully defended the base that morning described a sophisticated assault that involved 50 to 100 insurgents.

Assuming this is true, what does that say about the state of the insurgency? I know nothing about military matters, and I'm wondering if this change in strategy (which seems suicidal to me, in that lightly armed enemy seem to be attacking heavily manned and armed bases) signifies strength or weakness.