Operation Matador: An Email

[Annie]

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=15924_On_Operation_Matador&only

:usa:

On Operation Matador

LGF reader Joe G. forwarded this letter from Marine Colonel Bob Chase, about his experiences in Operation Matador; note the section about his interview with NBC News:


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Was talking to Gino and he asked for some details on the MATADOR fight. Figured, by now since many of you might have caught some of the interviews, you’d like to hear, ‘the rest of the story...“

Matador is now officially over, supposedly, they were going to fight our way back and ”destroy“ us - guess they missed the turn at the dairy queen. We are back and the final tally was Good Guys - 125+ enemy dead, many more wounded, and 39 detainees of some significant value. The bad guys, who talk a real good game - 9 Killed (6 in the one Amtrak) and 30 wounded (most will return to duty). Not a bad weeks’ work.

As we have said, our intent was to make ourselves big by leveraging our firepower and mobility. This area was a real sh*thole for AMZ criminals. We knew it, 1st Division knew it, but working it on a regular basis was tough. We kept some recon there and got the timing pretty well, brought up a bridging unit from the Army in Baghdad, then went across in the middle of the night (that was probably the only part that didn’t go on sked (the bank gradient was poorly assessed) but we had near and far-side security already in and a blocking position near the Syrian Border.

The enemy figured out after about 4 hours that we were there in force. They came down with about 100 fighters (no, scratch that - they were TARGETS) and made the poor decision to take on a battalion in open ground. They withdrew - we went after them into a place called Ubaydi. Many mounted boats and tried to escape N, we pushed Air, and the Cobras sunk a bunch of trash barges that night. Meanwhile, we continued to push west across the river. Our far-side units started to see pockets of insurgents move to key areas to emplace mines/IEDs. They came out, snipers took them out; their friends came for the bodies; they, joined them on the deck - permanently.

The force started getting the tanks and LAVs across later than we had hoped; but when they did! Our first casualties came at a high-rise where the enemy had prepared positions; a platoon moved in under fire, 2 Marines, a SSGT and a LCPL were first in the hatch and received a burst of MG fire. As the unit assumed they were dead (no additional fire/no one came out), they lit up the house and dropped it with a coupla 500-pounders. As we moved to recover our Marines (NONE LEFT BEHIND), we discovered that the LCPL, though wounded was still alive (he is serious, but stable). Unfortunately the SSGT had taken a round to the grape and had been killed by the initial burst

We moved on; portions of the task force moving along known rat-lines and others working Intel developed in the cities of Ramana and Karabila. Fighting was sporadic, intense, and one-sided in outcome. We followed individuals into buildings, we leveled the buildings; all night, every night. Marine Air had eyes up and shooters on-station - talk about a guardian angel! Each night we re-assessed, looked at the Intel and developed the next target sets. We stayed down there until a few days ago; then shifted to a series of caves in the north.

The caves were on an escarpment and rumors abound about whether these were Bin-Laden like caves - answer no, mostly small caches and some protection from about everything but a hellfire with a laser designator. We exploited some and closed most of them permanently. The enemy propaganda talked a lot about how they were going to kill us as we retreated, etc. They showed pictures of devastation in Al Qaim (caused by an intramural fight between the tribes and foreign fighters, no less) and blamed the Americans. Al Jazeera called to speak to me and interviewed me twice on air - yes, I called the enemy cowards, again, that hid behind women and children in the cities and caused their death by their cowardice. Played well, enemy swore they had captured/killed the ”enemy commander.“ Went on again last night to ridicule them for their lies and continued fear of death, told them the destruction of AQ was evidence that, ”the noble tribes of Iraq also reject those that deface their holy places and dishonor their dead.“ We’ll see if a wanted poster appears tomorrow - bad news is, they still didn’t get pissed off enough to come out and play.

We went back across the river without incident, decided to ”poke a stick“ in Ubaydi (where the big fight was), just ONE MORE TIME before we left - NOTHING, they wanted no part of these Marines again! We’re all back at base camps and Forward Operating Bases, maintaining, cleaning, talking sh*t, and prepping for the next smackdown!

NBC interviewed me again last night - good stuff, but they harped on the casualties. I told them it was war; they wanted to know if a whole squad was killed in the track. As I told them a squad’s worth of Marines were killed/hurt (6 KIA,14 WIA) but it was NOT the catastrophic loss of a squad (it was a HQ track). NBC wanted to know how to refer to them, as a squad, company, etc. I told them, pretty bluntly, ”refer to them for what they will always be - US MARINES!" They continued to push (I was starting to become a bit agitated) - they wanted to know how we considered this a success with the deaths (I nearly lost it), and how would we remember them, would there be a ceremony? You know what happens when I get into this mode - thought you might appreciate the answer:

We can never replace a fellow Marine or best friend but I can attest that he died doing what we all hope to be doing as Marines, they were advancing, leading, and setting the example - they were being MARINES! It may not matter in the grand scheme of things to anyone but us, but we are singularly proud that we have and know Marines that fought and died like these. We remember and memorialize them and keep them alive every single time we put on this uniform — we are just honored to wear the same eagle, globe, and anchor as these warrior/heroes. We don’t make policy, we don’t decide on the fight, but we do fight and win. And when we win, it is because every one of these Marines fight with us in sprit - and we will not, we cannot let them down. To we Marines, Semper Fidelis is more than a motto - it was to them, and to us who were privileged to fight with them, a way of life.

Not sure that will get on the tube. Unfortunate, because I think we should all be such Marines when our time comes.

S/F, Bob