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Summary of Action Petty Officer Second Class (SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor For actions on Sept. 29, 2006 Petty Officer Michael A. Monsoor, United States Navy, distinguished himself through conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a Combat Advisor and Automatic Weapons Gunner for Naval Special Warfare Task Group Arabian Peninsula in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on 29 September 2006. He displayed great personal courage and exceptional bravery while conducting operations in enemy held territory at Ar Ramadi Iraq. During Operation Kentucky Jumper, a combined Coalition battalion clearance and...

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq - Soldiers with 1st Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division conducted a targeted raid in Ar Ramadi against a foreign insurgent cell suspected of operating in the provincial capital. The intelligence attained by the Iraqi soldiers led to the capture of 15 suspected insurgents, 11 of which are identified as Syrian nationals and the remaining four as Iraqis. The raid took place at a factory in the Tameem district of Ramadi at about 1 p.m. today. The foreign insurgents surrendered to the Iraqi soldiers and were taken for further questioning; 36 AK-47 assault rifles were also taken in...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2005 – About 100 Iraqi army soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Division, and 400 U.S. soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team wrapped up Operation Rams in Ramadi, Iraq, today. Rams, the sixth in a series of disruption operations in Ramadi, began in western Sufia district Dec. 4. The operation focused on neutralizing terrorists and setting conditions for a successful Dec. 15 election, officials said. Altogether, Iraqi and coalition forces seized and destroyed 13 weapons caches and six improvised explosive devices. Two of the caches were significant in size, including a 1,000-pound bomb explosive...

AR RAMADI, Iraq (Nov. 23, 2005) -- Construction of bases for the Iraqi Army and U.S. military’s long-term security presence is steadily progressing in Husaybah, Karabilah and Ubaydi. Iraqi Army soldiers and Marines continue patrolling to ensure insurgents do not return. These patrols also involve detailed searches, looking for hidden weapons caches and deadly improvised explosive devices. Approximately 120 bombs and mines have been located over the course of Operation Steel Curtain. Three aspects of the operation which makes Steel Curtain different from previous operations in the Western Euphrates River Valley are increased Iraqi Army participation, immediate establishment of long-term...

KUWAIT CITY: While Coalition forces press operations along the Euphrates River Valley, an interesting report emerges from the city of Mosul. During a shootout at suspected al Qaeda safe house, eight terrorists either shot each other or blew themselves up to avoid capture. Unconfirmed reports indicate Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al Qaeda’s commander in Iraq, may have been one of those killed. According to unnamed U.S. counterterrorism official, “[t]here are efforts under way to determine if he was killed.” In the past we’ve looked at potential successors to Zarqawi. Since this time, three known al Qaeda in Iraq “princes” have been...

U.S. and Iraqi troops have launched Operation Bruins in northern Ar Ramadi, 60 miles west of Baghdad in Iraq's restive Anbar province, the U.S. military announced Nov. 20. The operation, which involves approximately 300 U.S. Marines and 150 Iraqi Army soldiers, is intended to clear parts of the predominantly Sunni Muslim town of nationalist and jihadist insurgents in preparation for elections scheduled for Dec. 15.

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Marlon Rendon Combat Doc Supports Marines in Ar Ramadi By Sgt. Ryan S. Scranton 2nd Marine Division CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq, Nov. 9, 2005 — Marlon D. Rendon immigrated to the United States from Ecuador when he was 17 years old to live with his father and start a new life in Queens, N.Y. The 24-year-old petty officer third class is now serving as a corpsman with the 2nd Marine Division in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, providing for the medical needs of Marines here. Joining Marines on their daily patrols through the...

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, RAMADI, Iraq (Nov. 3, 2005) -- Marlon D. Rendon immigrated to the United States from Ecuador when he was 17 years old to live with his father and start a new life in Queens, NY. The 24-year-old petty officer third class is now serving as a corpsman with the 2nd Marine Division in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, providing for the medical needs of Marines here. Joining Marines on their daily patrols through the streets of Ramadi is a far cry from his strolls as a teenager down Corona Avenue in Queens. “I never thought I would...

AR RAMADI, Iraq (Oct. 22, 2005) -- Marines from 6th Civil Affairs Group and 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment’s recently conducted a presence patrol to survey the Ramadi citizen’s willingness to vote, determine the level of support for the proposed constitution and to see if the local schools needed support. The patrol also provided an opportunity for 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines to gauge the level of support for the newly formed government. The city is considered to be an important area for Coalition Forces due to the large Sunni Muslim population who either refused to vote in the last election...

AR RAMADI, Iraq (Oct. 22, 2005) -- Two platoons from 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, along with two Army units and a company from the Iraqi Security Force, took part in Operation Bowie, Oct.2 through the 4 in order to disrupt insurgent positions in southern Ar Ramadi. The operation, which was the first major operation conducted by the battalion since arriving in Iraq a few weeks ago, was the first to be held in the known insurgent stronghold of the Humara District since the Marines of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines patrolled the area in July. “We conducted a cordon and...

AR RAMADI, Iraq (Oct. 21, 2005) -- Many young men and women harbor dreams of serving their country and enlisting in the Marine Corps. Joe Bier from Centralia, Wash., is following that dream. Corporal Bier, a 21-year-old machine gunner, is on his first tour in Iraq and looks back on his decision to enlist with pride. “(Joining the Marine Corps) was something I wanted to do for a long time,” he said. “If I didn’t do it when I did, I would have never joined and regretted it for the rest of my life.” Becoming an infantryman and deploying to...

SOLDIERS DISCOVER WEAPONS CACHE CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq – For the third time in as many weeks, Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Marine Division discovered a significant weapons cache in Ramadi, Al Anbar’s provincial capital. The unit was conducting a cordon and search operation, which began early morning on Oct. 9, in order to uncover suspected weapons caches at several garages and vacant buildings. Six suspected terrorists were detained. The find included Soviet-made rockets and surface to air missiles, more than one hundred 120 mm mortar rounds, dozens of 81 mm and 60 mm mortar rounds,...

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq (August 18, 2005) -- The Ramadi Glass Works Factory, which was once the second largest employer in western Iraq’s Al Anbar Province, is slowly coming back to life. The factory’s management is working with coalition forces to gradually reopen the plant, which was closed last November after insurgents used the factory to stage attacks. Due to its key role in the local economy, both groups have pushed to open the facility, which also includes a ceramics factory. “It employs 2,300 people and the way we look at it those are 2,300 families affected,” said...

"We have had enough of his nonsense. We don't accept that a non-Iraqi should try to enforce his control over Iraqis, regardless of their sect -- whether Sunnis, Shiites, Arabs or Kurds.'' - Sheik Ahmad Khanjar, leader of the Sunni Albu Ali clan, referring to Abu Musab al Zarqawi Red-on-red incidents between al Qaeda and Sunni insurgents are nothing new in Anbar province. We saw numerous instances of this when al Qaeda attempted to impose its will on the Sunnis in Qaim along the Syrian border. However the Washington Post provides a new twist to the internecine warfare between the...

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq (August 6, 2005) -- An army Blackhawk helicopter sets gently down in the sand in the dark of night. Navy corpsmen shout over the screeching whirl of the whipping blades to prepare the battle wounded Marines for boarding. Shadowy figures carrying stretchers scurry across the field toward the plane and disappear into the fuselage. The remaining Marines on the ground brace themselves and shield their eyes as the rotor wash blasts sand in all directions. In less than an hour from the time they received their wounds, each Marine will be in safe hands...

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq (August 6, 2005) -- Navy personnel have traditionally worked closely with the Marines, either as corpsmen healing combat wounds or as chaplains healing the spiritual gashes. But one Navy ‘doc’ with the 2nd Marine Division took it a step further and trained to become one of the few Sailors who have earned a black belt in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. Lieutenant James Morris, a 32-year-old Kearny, Ariz., native who coordinates all medical evacuation in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq, is the top man on the Patient Evacuation Team. The officer-in-charge is...

CAMP HURRICANE POINT, AR RAMADI, Iraq (August 6, 2005) -- Shawn M. Gallagher routinely puts his life on the line to support the ongoing war on terrorism, but he doesn’t let the risks get him down. “It’s an adventure out here for me,” said Lance Cpl. Gallagher, “and I enjoy it.” Each day the 21-year-old from Fairfax, Va., takes to the streets of the Al Anbar capital with Marines of 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment and conducts security and stabilization operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Gallagher has maintained a high level of motivation throughout his deployment, which is...

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq (August 5, 2005) -- During basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Joanna Lael Baker met her nemesis as she stood atop of the rappel tower and peered down at her certain doom. Her fear of heights was being challenged in a finale that meant the difference between her passing the test with the other recruits and falling back in training. She took a deep breath, grabbed the rope and jumped 40 feet down – stopping short just a few feet from the woodchips. Lance Cpl. Baker finally conquered her fear...

CAMP HURRICANE POINT, Iraq (July 23, 2004) -- Marines with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment - along with elements of the Army's 1st Brigade Combat Team - battled back anti- Iraqi fighters in Ar Ramadi July 21. It was the latest in a series of street battles in which Marines responded to ambushes in the city. Marines and soldiers defeated an estimated force of 75-100 enemy, wounding 17 and capturing another 25. An accurate number of enemy killed was impossible to verify. Marines and soldiers sustained 14 wounded, none that were life-threatening and 10 of those returned to duty the...

Ar-Ramadi, Iraq -- The Marines here in ar-Ramadi are continuing a 200-year-old tradition in the United States Marine Corps -- fighting terrorists. The Corps' history of fighting terrorists dates back to 1804, when Marine 1st Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon led his men to defeat the Barbary Pirates. In more recent history, Marines have battled terrorists in Tehran, Kuwait, Madrid, Beirut, Bogota, San Salvador, Frankfurt, West Berlin, Riyadh, Dhahran, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Aden, to name just a few places. Marines also have the honor and responsibility of providing security at U.S. embassies around the world, a favorite target of terrorists.       ...