![]() ![]() As they scrambled from the room, the ordnance failed to explode and was eventually detonated in place, taking the building’s upper floors with it. Calling in Hurricane Isabelįrom the vehicle’s vantage point, the gunner likely saw the three infrared silhouettes of men in beanies and buffalo jackets poking their heads over a window ledge and assumed they were enemy insurgents, and not in fact, Marines.Īs Mardan and the others yelled over the radio for a ceasefire, there was a sudden thump - which he remembers to this day - as a TOW missile burst through the wall and skidded to a halt, sputtering feet away from the radio and right in the center of the Marines. Despite the incredible efforts to save the critically wounded Marine, he died of his injuries. ![]() As it turned, the ramp was lowered so the patient could be quickly moved off the vehicle. Locking up one tread, the driver deliberately fishtailed the vehicle so it spun around and lined the ramp up with waiting medical personnel. The Vietnam-era vehicle, which was designed to move through contested and rough ground, raced 60 miles an hour through the rubble-strewn streets of Fallujah before arriving at the train station where the battalion was headquartered. In a race to get the wounded man to the care he needed, an Army National Guard unit loaded the Marine into a M113 armored personnel carrier they were using as an armored ambulance. Nor would the wounded Marine be able to survive long enough for a Humvee to make it back to the battalion aid station. Patrick Gallogly, who was the battalion air officer at the time and was on the radio calling for a casualty evacuation. 14, there wasn’t enough time to wait for a helicopter to arrive at his location, explained Lt. When a Marine was shot between the eyes on Nov. “We owe them everything.A US Marine of the 1st division walks through the deserted western part of Fallujah, Iraq, Monday, Nov. “I’ve seen the sacrifice that the men and women who fought for Fallujah be romanticized time and again and I can tell you now that there was nothing, absolutely nothing that compares to the devastation our forces experienced in the past 11 years during that battle,” said Buhl. Kennedy added that the determination and fierceness that Marines displayed was both heroic and legendary. Junior sailors and chaplains asked a myriad of questions ranging from operational roles to combat action. The seminar continued with an open panel for questions from five subject matter experts that were present during the battle. In late October, the 1st Marine Division started marshaling forces and reinforcements for what would become Operation Phantom Fury: the second battle of Fallujah. “It’s imperative to care for one another in an environment that is as harsh as Fallujah was.”īuhl followed by saying that the close working relationship between chaplains and RPs is necessary for the intimate privilege of looking after Marine's spiritual well-being. “Having my mentors, my senior chaplains, set me up for success,” said Kennedy. Buhl made an emphasis on establishing relationships within Marine units and mentoring colleagues as a fundamental aspect of being a spiritual care giver. ![]() “So many Marines had been disfigured and torn apart that I was hard pressed to push it all aside and focus on guiding them to a place of spiritual peace.”ĭuring the chaplain and RP's seminar, both Lt. When we got there it was shocking,” said Kennedy. “I knew what was coming from the reports and stories I heard from that area of Iraq. Ron Kennedy, the 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division chaplain recounted his personal experience during the battle and his role as a caregiver and religious guide to wounded Marines. During Phantom Fury, the operation became an iconic battle in Marine Corps history due to the intensity of urbanized combat not seen since the Battle of Huế City in Vietnam in 1968. 18 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., to discuss the roles of religious personnel during times of heavy combat specifically revisiting the 2004 events of the second battle of Fallujah. Navy chaplains and Religious Program Specialists gathered Sept. Buhl, commanding officer for Expeditionary Operations Training Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force. “I have not spoken of the battle of Fallujah hardly at all during the past 11 years it was an absolutely heartbreaking and horrific event that took a toll on myself and my fellow chaplains and RPs,” said Col. ![]()
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