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| Iraq-Jordan |
| An Aussie’s first person account of operations in Fallujah |
| 2004-05-11 |
| by Warrant Officer Joe Day. EFL. ON the evening of April 12, we received fresh orders to move south, link up with regimental combat team 7 and redeploy to near Fallujah. We were to assist other 1st Division troops to secure some of the trouble areas and main roads around the town in an operation called ``Ripper Sweep’’. We moved to Al Asad, about 150km to the north of Fallujah. We used it as a staging area in preparation for the operation. We moved to clear all roads to the west of Fallujah. Artillery fired over our heads, fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft were attacking (insurgent) positions. It was almost like the war all over again. We were prepared for a big fight as we moved through. Our force was so large and must have appeared so daunting for the enemy that they fled in front of us, abandoning their positions. We met little resistance on the opening day. There was one close call when a roadside bomb exploded near a humvee. Luckily, nobody was seriously injured. Over the next few days we searched every house and questioned every male of military age. Some were detained for further questioning. We found and cleared many roadside bombs along all the roads we covered. We moved further south to cordon the town of Ash Amerya. The town had a population of about 25,000 people. I thought that it was an insurgent stronghold feeding fighters to Fallujah. We searched the town without incident and re-established law and order. It was assessed that, once again, the enemy had fled the town before we arrived. This was of some concern because it meant that they were able to gain early warning of our movements. I went with the CO to a bridge at the western entrance of Fallujah. It was like a scene out of World War II. Marines in heavily fortified sandbag bunkers guarded the bridge. The sounds of battle were all around. It reminded me of when we were preparing to move into Baghdad nearly a year before. I realised that this bridge was the one that (US) civilian contractors’ bodies had been hung off after being dragged through the streets by a mob of barbaric young men. My blood boiled as I realised this was what started the whole thing in the first place. Now, people were dying in there. All because of some evil desire to kill Americans and for some hollow cause (if any at all). Marine losses were the highest they had been since our return. That thought angered me as I pondered where all this was going. . . . Appears to be one article in a continuing series. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #2 The Aussies know that when the day comes that they have to stand against Indonesia that there are only two countries in the world that will stand with them, America and Britain. |
| Posted by: RWV 2004-05-11 12:37:34 PM |
| #1 Thank God for our Aussie friends! |
| Posted by: AllahHateMe 2004-05-11 8:40:23 AM |