Posted on 03/27/2003 5:08:17 AM PST by kattracks
NORTH OF NASSIRIYA, Iraq - Marines here have developed a grudging respect - and deep hatred - for their Iraqi enemies."I didn't take this personally till the ambush," said Lance Cpl. Buck Flowers, 22, of Dallas, referring to the slayings of nine of his colleagues this week when Iraqi militiamen faked a surrender.
"I know they were just trying to drop our morale, but what they did just really made me mad." And doubly determined.
The Marines pressed on toward Baghdad yesterday after the blinding sandstorm stopped their convoy for more than 12 hours overnight - and after dodging mortar rounds fired from the edges of the unfinished roadway.
"Good job keeping everybody together and not getting anyone lost," operations officer Maj. Martin Wetterauer, 35, of Baton Rouge, La., told his men after sunrise. "It was unreal out there. I don't know how we did it."
Though the sandstorms have withered, the Iraqi irregulars are still a concern - more so as the leathernecks move north.
Iraqi soldiers in civilian clothing have conducted ambushes and used civilians as human shields during fighting over the last several days.
On the hunt
"The only way we can tell who these guys are is they're usually clean-shaven, don't smell and wear new black boots," said Cpl. Qualesi Hernandez, 26, of Puerto Rico. "And that they won't look at you in the eye."
To turn the tables a bit, the major said that tonight the Marines would send out squads into the desert to patrol for enemy ambush squads.
"That way we can start taking it to him, going after his caches, keep him on his toes," Wetterauer said.
He urged his forces not to be complacent, reminding them to always respect their enemy.
He quickly added: "These rogue forces we certainly don't respect."
Nassiriya, which remains lawless, weighs heavily on some Marines.
Their fellow soldiers had been ambushed and killed and their bodies displayed on television.
Others had been captured and interrogated while the world watched.
For some Marines, the war was no longer a job. It was, as Flowers said, personal.
Many Marines expected the Iraqi Army to put up little resistance, at least at the beginning.
The early surrenders boosted their spirits.
"We even had one take off his helmet and spit in it, saying, 'I hate Saddam. I hate Saddam,'" said Cpl. Cody Jordan, 24, of Fort Myers, Fla.
No pushovers
But now, surrenders are far fewer and the ambushes far more common.
"Baghdad," said Hernandez, "is going to be bloody."
Even though American firepower and technology are far superior, the Iraqis are a tough lot, the Marines agree.
Flowers marveled at their bravado in the face of the greatest military force on the planet.
"Because you know they're going to lose," he said, "but they are still putting up a fight."
His colleagues say they understand what drives their foes.
"If somebody comes in your backyard, you're going to fight him," said Lance Cpl. Hugo Murillo, 20, of Brownsville, Tex.
The Iraqis, he said, "are just doing their job, just like we are."
Dumb, dumb, dumb!
And that USMC Major is smart enough to realize it and capitalize off of it, sending out small units means a fire team to platoon size units, under an E-5 or E-6, and scout sniper teams. No officers, just grunts, not a pretty picture for the iraqis.
Only time a grunt can't really fight to absolutley win is when there is an officer present, left to their own devices, their own self determinations and own judgement, the guys on the other side will soon learn it is best not to aggravate enlisted Marines.
Dumb, dumb, dumb!
And that USMC Major is smart enough to realize it and capitalize off of it, sending out small units means a fire team to platoon size units, under an E-5 or E-6, and scout sniper teams. No officers, just grunts, not a pretty picture for the iraqis.
Only time a grunt can't really fight to absolutley win is when there is an officer present, left to their own devices, their own self determinations and own judgement, the guys on the other side will soon learn it is best not to aggravate enlisted Marines.
Oh, you did.
I was in the Navy and my father was a Marine. I can tell you that there are a lot of drunk sailors who learned that the hard way. Heh heh.
Agreed. There are times that an officer should just walk behind the sand dune for a spell while the enlisted handle things, and not ask questions afterward.
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