Posted on 06/22/2006 8:52:48 PM PDT by World_Events
Former Magnificent Bastards react to sniper rifle recovery June 21, 2006; Submitted on: 06/22/2006 03:34:58 AM ; Story ID#: 200662233458
By Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva, 1st Marine Division
CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (June 21, 2006) -- Call it a little bit of justice.
Marine snipers from 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment shot and killed an insurgent sniper and spotter preparing to shoot at passing Marines, June 16. And the insurgents were going to use a stolen Marine sniper rifle for the attack.
That rifle an M-40A1 belonged to the Magnificent Bastards of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, a battalion within the Regimental Combat Team 5 family. It was taken by insurgents when a team of four Marines were killed in a rooftop outpost June 21, 2004, in Ramadi.
Nearly two years to the day, Sgt. Maj. James E. Booker, the battalions sergeant major during their tour in Ramadi, said the news sends a chill down my spine.
It makes me feel real good to know a brother sniper got final revenge, said Booker, in a phone interview from his post as the Marine detachment sergeant major at Fort Sill, Okla. I really respect those young studs to do what they did.
Booker should know. Aside from leading his Marines through Ramadi, hes a 20-year sniper himself, first acquiring the skill in 1986. He later led 1st Marine Division Schools Scout-Sniper School.
And Booker knew the four Marines killed on the rooftop that day as well. Lance Cpl. Deshon Otey was the sole survivor of an ambush that killed his entire squad in April 2004. Lance Cpl. Juan Lopez was a combat replacement, pulled in to beef up the ranks.
Lance Cpl. Pedro Contreras was a good doggone kid, Booker said. He and I got in a gunfight together.
The final member was Cpl. Tommy Parker Jr., the teams only trained sniper.
I can see it like the day I walked up there, said Booker, a 44-year-old from Waco, Texas. He said they believed the team was killed around 10:40 a.m. After missing radio checks, a quick reaction force was dispatched.
We were there within an hour of (insurgents) filming it, he said. The video of the dead Marines was already playing across Arabic-language news channels.
A lot of confusion has surrounded that day. What is known is radio checks were logged from the time the team left their forward operating base around 1 a.m. until 7:30 a.m. the next day, the last time indicated in the logbook found in Contreras hand. They were found dead, blood pooled on the flat rooftop. A short wall surrounded the entire roof and a single staircase led to the top. They were found stripped of their weapons two sniper rifles, four M-16A4s and a radio and thermal sight.
The rifle that was the extension of Parker was gone. He and his team were killed and there were no clear answers as to who killed them or what happened to their weapons.
Thats sacred, the relationship you have with that thing, Booker explained. Parker shot thousands of rounds through that rifle.
Cpl. Angel S. Villalobos, a 23-year-old from Taft, Texas, with RCT-5s Personnel Security Detachment, was a Magnificent Bastard in Ramadi in 2004. He remembered the day clearly. It was the day before he himself was wounded.
I wondered if it was this rifle that did it, Villalobos said. We were going through Ramadi, knocking down every door trying to find it.
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrew R. Campanano, a 26-year-old from Allentown, Pa., is serving with RCT-5 and saw the four Marines often. They lined up scout snipers and the aid stations hospital corpsmen alongside each other in formations.
The guys who got this back, theyre great, Campanano said. These are the guys fighting this war out here.
Villalobos held the rifle in his hands and fell silent. He held it low, cradling it and examined the chipped paint jobs applied by Marines over the years. The Unertl scope was missing, replaced by a Tasco, but otherwise, the rifle was in good working order.
It means a lot knowing we got our rifle back because now they cant use it against us, Villalobos said. Im glad to know they got it back, but it brings up a lot of questions. It makes you wonder if theyre the ones who might have taken it.
The rifles long journey back into the hands of Marines from 5th Marine Regiment wasnt forgotten by any of the former Magnificent Bastards, including Master Sgt. Rod B. Schlosser, the regiments assistant operations chief. He was the company gunnery sergeant for Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment in Ramadi.
The rifle was on his inventory and he cared for the four Marines.
Its bittersweet, said Schlosser, a 38-year-old from Steubenville, Ohio. Youre first thought is on the loss of the Marines. But youre reminded to be thankful for the skills of the Marines today to bring closure to this.
Schlosser said he often thought about the missing weapon, knowing the effect a sniper has on the battlefield. He also knew the insurgents had one of the finest rifles in their hands and it was a Marine rifle, his Marines rifle.
It gets under your skin, he explained. The most important thing is knowing its not in the hands of the enemy. Theres gratitude for the 3/5 Marines, for the lives theyve saved taking it out of the enemys hands.
Lt. Col. Paul J. Kennedy was the battalions commander in Ramadi. He now serves at the Office of Legislative Affairs and was told right away about the rifles recovery.
I was very pleased, Kennedy said by phone. Its justice being carried out. The guys who perpetrated this crime should be rotting in hell and 3/5 allowed that to occur.
Kennedy has a hunch that the Darkhorse snipers of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment got those who killed, or at least had a part in killing, his Marines.
I dont believe that weapon passed hands, he said. I think it was at least probably part of that cell. The very fact it was one of our snipers that killed theirs trying to use our rifle is poetic justice.
Kennedy said the news wasnt so much closure on the loss of his four Marines. They cant be replaced and the rifle is never a replacement for the Marines. Still, it was fitting that another 5th Marine Regiment battalion recovered a rifle stolen from his Marines. Its a family matter, one battalion supporting another from the same regiment.
What will happen to the rifle is still a question to be answered. Marines from RCT-5 are tracking down which unit should own it, according to how weapons sets were passed among deploying battalions. And the M-40A1s are being phased out for M-40A3s, a newer version used by Marines now.
Booker said hed hate to see the weapon go back into use, knowing insurgents used it to try, and possibly did, kill Marines.
There are evil spirits on it, Booker said. Instead, he thinks it should be preserved.
I would like to see it sit in a place of honor, he added.
Kennedy said his battalion never brought home any war trophies. There was a memorial service to honor their 35 killed in action, but no lasting memorial exists at the battalions headquarters.
Kennedy said this rifle might be the appropriate memorial to all his Marines killed.
Maybe if it was hung in the battalion area, he said, it would be a fitting memory to those four and the rest.
Cool story!
Semper Fi. Great job. Revenge is sweet.
Eerie, but glad they got these jihadis...
plink.
I agree. It's likely that the Marine killed one of the animals responsible for the death of the four Marines in 2004. Justice delayed, but not denied.
Justice delayed, but not denied.
Justice will never be denied in the long run. SEMPER-FIDELIS!
The significance of the recovery of that particular piece, will be missed by most readers.....
It's also great that a sister Battalion, within the Regiment, recovered the piece.
Sad story....
Semper Fi
Weapons of dedicated soldiers have their own "karma."
It has always been true, with swords, spears, and even fighter aircraft.
I am superstitious about it. I have no doubt in my mind that the stolen rifle somehow brought these two tangos to the roof so they would be targets for the original owner's brothers in arms.God allowed it to happen.
I post this because it is not stated in the article, but it is implied.
I can think of no greater use for this recovered rifle, than it be installed at the Battalion headquarters as a memorial to those fine men of the Battalion who have made the highest of sacrifices to preserve the freedom and safety of our nation. It would be an honor for future soldiers to be able to touch it as a sacred object blessed by God.It is a precious talisman.
"'We were there within an hour of (insurgents) filming it,' he said."
Why do I bet he did NOT say, and would not substitute, the word "insurgents" there?
WTF!!!?!??!?!! Are these muslims or rednecks??!?!
Caliber -7.62x51mm NATO (.308 Win)
Length - 44.25" (1124mm)
Weight - 16.5 lbs (7.5 kg)
Barrel - Schneider Match Grade SS #7
Barrel Length - 24 inches (610mm)
Trigger Weight - 3 to 5 pounds
Magazine Capacity - 5 rounds
Sight -Unertl 10x with Mil-Dots and BDC
Stock -McMillan Tactical A4
Max Effective Range - 1000 yards (915 meters)
In 1996 the USMC started on the design for the replacement of the M40A1, the result was the M40A3. It uses a Remington 700 short action, with a steel floorplate assembly and trigger guard built by D.D. Ross. The Unertl rings and bases have been replaced with D.D. Ross base and G&G Machine rings. The rifles also come with a Harris bipod and an accessory rail, also built by G&G Machine. The stock is a new McMillan A4, with adjustable cheek and length of pull.
As the M40A1's rotate in for service and repair, they are replaced by M40A3's. All M40A3s are built by USMC armorers at Quantico Virginia. The M40A3 is an outstanding replacement for the aging M40A1's. The rifles are extremely accurate, very rugged, and are designed from the ground up to be a superb sniper rifle. Combined with the new M118LR ammo, it makes a system that is ranked with the best in the world.
(Info and picture from: http://www.snipercentral.com/m40a3.htm)
(Mis?)using the Stryker ping list for this non-Stryker great story from Iraq.
I know you will appreciate this ping.
HOO-RAA
I read it twice....
absolutely fantastic story.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.