SEMPER FI! EMAIL giving MATADOR Combat Report from G3, 2dMarDiv in Iraq

email | May 14, 2005 | Bob Chase, G3, 2ndMarDiv

[SandRat]

The story was recieved at work this morning.

As Paul Harvey used to say, "Now, for the rest of the story!" The above is a narrative from the G-3 of the 2dMarDiv in Iraq. They are the unit that went into the western part of the country recently and rooted out the insurgents. It shows how good our guys are, both in training, capability and attitude, and just how much tunnel vision the news media truly is.

I enjoyed it because we don't EVER hear this kind of point blank reporting from ABC, NBC, CBS, or CNN!! This was written ten days ago.

[Calpernia]

Combat Report from Col Bob Chase, G3, 2dMarDiv in Iraq Robert Chase

[SandRat]

MARINE CORPS PING!!!

[raivyn]

Thank you so much for posting this!

[Sacajaweau]

Thanks

[68 grunt]

... I told them it was war; they wanted to know if a whole squad was killed in the track. As I told them a squad's worth of Marines were killed/hurt (6 KIA, 14 WIA) but it was NOT the catastrophic loss of a squad (it was a HQ track). NBC wanted to know how to refer to them, as a squad, company, etc., I told them, pretty bluntly, refer to them for what they will always be: US MARINES!

The good colonel is wrong. The squad killed in the track were hard charging grunts, and the good colonel was fullashit that it was an HQ track.

[marine86297]

Jarhead Bump!!

[kellynla]

MARINE BUMP

[beltfed308]

Thanks for the post!

G-d bless our brave soldiers and keep them safe.

[smoothsailing]

A good solid read.Thanks for posting Sandrat.

Thanks for the ping,Calpernia.Our guys deserve all the positive press in the world. The MSM could care less,so Thank God we can find out the truth without having to depend on leftist media BS.

[tankrlm]

Well done Marines...Semper Fi.

[Route101]

...We followed individuals into buildings; we leveled the buildings; all night, every night....that's how to deal with terrorists!...I doubt that will end up on the the nightly socialist news at CBS, NBC or ABC. The only attitude that will fix this world cancer is: kill now and kill often. God bless and thanks for this report.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks for sharing this...perhaps this is the last of the battles of any size.

[Spktyr]

I'm not sure the colonel was wrong.. These days, the HQ tracks actually go into action instead of hanging back; someone finally figured out that 1) it improves morale if everyone fights, 2) a track that hangs back or sits in a rear area pretty much identifies itself as a command track and thus a priority target for the enemy, and 3) our C&C gear is now small enough that it can be used in a combat track on the move. These days, you're as likely as not to find colonels, captains, and majors serving as gunners or track commanders in combat tracks when it hits the fan, switching off with someone else when unit command requires it.

No disrespect intended; just pointing out that these days the fact that the track that got blown up was an HQ track doesn't mean that the occupants weren't also hard charging troops. I don't know if this is the case in the Army, but when we went to an all-volunteer force, the Marines went to the "everybody fights" rule as quickly as technology would allow.


Thanks for your service, BTW.

[68 grunt]

I know the sole remaining squadmate. It was his squad and he freaked when we (my vet pals) shared that story with him. I'm afraid he's gonna get into the LtCol's face. I hope not.

[Spktyr]

[shrug] You are better informed than I. Perhaps the LtC made a mistake. I suspect that the colonel will be more than happy to correct the error.

Still, HQ/command tracks *are* heading into combat actions these days, so it's entirely probable - as I understand it was equally unlikely during your time of service.

[cherokee1]

Don't have time to look it up but maybe someone else can. An Officer survived the track blast. Ollie North interviewed him shortly after it happened. The guy was burned but still mobile and in good enough shape to talk to Ollie on FOX. Ollie was very close by and his account will be good as anybody's.

[68 grunt]

... Perhaps the LtC made a mistake.

Which is why I called him 'the good colonel'.

There's not really any change between my day and today. HQ folks would have to go on any op with the company. If tracks were used they had one, but most of the time we were choppered or trucked in, then on our feet, HQ and grunts. I also completely agree that a track is a track is a track and can be carrying anything. In this case it was a squad track. Here is one quote from him pertaining to Operation Matador, "Thats when I knew that Our Corps is still strong and our boys are the same devil's that everyone talks about.. I have never been so proud.. They had a damn 14.5 or .7 (65 cal) or whatever is was shooting through the freakin concrete floor and walls at us.. My boys still went back in.."

I'm hesitate to share anymore on this public forum, but I know the unit and squad, and I know who the actual survivors were, which wasn't the Lance Corporal of whom the colonel refers.

[Gucho]

Bump - Thanks for ping.

[righttackle44]

God bless you, son. Stay safe. We pray for you and
all the guys daily.

(I have not served. My byline honors my son and all U.S. Marines.)