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This is a live thread for the first broadcast of “Ambush at the River of Secrets”. It is a memorial to Jonathan Bowling, Karl Linn, Chris Weaver and Jesse Strong of the 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, Charlie Company of Lynchburg, VA who were lost 1/26/2005 in Haqlaniyah (near Haditha).It will be aired tonight at 10:00 PM, EST, on CNN, Anderson Cooper 360.

HAQLANIYAH, Iraq, June 23, 2006 — Some of the fiercest violence by insurgents against coalition forces in the Al Anbar Province occurs in Haqlaniyah, Iraq, a city nestled along the Euphrates River northwest of Baghdad. "The Iraqi soldiers still have a lot to learn, but the Marines are determined to teach them the skills they need to fight the insurgency and take over this area of responsibility." U.S. Marine Corps 1st Sgt. Vincent Santiago Fighting the insurgents’ attacks, from hand-thrown grenades to improvised explosive devices, drive-by shootings and small-arms ambushes, are the U.S. Marines of the Hawaii-based Kilo Company, 3rd...

You have probably heard by now that the doctor who examined the bodies of the civilians in Haditha after the alleged Marine rampage said they were shot in the chest and head and from close range.You have probably also heard it reported that the death certificates of the deceased record that all the victims were shot. Here is an article which features the source for the quote and probably the author of the death certificates, from the terrorist supporters at Uruknet: An image taken from footage shot on November 19, 2005 shows bodies in a morgue after an incident in...

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Darin Wittnebel Marine Sweeps for IEDs in Haqlaniyah Cpl. Adam C. Schnell 2nd Marine Division HAQLANIYAH, Iraq, Dec. 29, 2005 — In the town of Haqlaniyah, the “Raiders” of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, continue to patrol the streets every day, keeping the area safe from the ongoing insurgency. Lance Cpl. Darin J. Wittnebel, a native of Oconomowoc, Wis., goes on many of these patrols. He has a very important duty that helps him keep the “Raider Nation” safe from improvised explosive devices and find abandoned weapons caches. He carries the PSS-12...

HAQLANIYAH, Iraq (Dec. 14, 2005) -- In the town of Haqlaniyah, the “Raiders” of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, continue to patrol the streets every day, keeping the area safe from the ongoing insurgency. On many of these patrols is Oconomowoc, Wis., native, Lance Cpl. Darin J. Wittnebel who has a very important duty that helps him keep the “Raider Nation” safe from improvised explosive devices and find abandoned weapons caches. He carries the PSS-12 metal detector on every patrol he goes on. “The detector can pick up lots of stuff underneath the ground or under piles of...

HAQLANIYAH, Iraq (Dec. 2, 2005) -- Local Marine leadership met with nine city council members here, Dec. 2, to talk about issues concerning the people of the city. Fountain Hills, Ariz., native, Capt. James S. Kimber, commanding officer for Company I, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, and Iraqi Army officers talked with the council members about many topics affecting the community. The weekly meeting was held so the people could voice their concerns and to give the commander an opportunity to talk with the people. The cooperation between the two militaries and the citizens of Haqlaniyah helps keep the people...