Three Block War: U.S. Marines in Iraq

By Matt Zeigler

"Matt Zeigler's Three Block War correctly [outlines] the dilemma our junior leaders face."--then Brig. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, Asst. Division Commander, 101st Airborne, from Infantry Magazine.

Three Block War is 21st Century warfare defined. A clash of highly-trained and motivated warriors equipped with modern weaponry, opposed by a brutal cornucopia of asymmetrical zealotry and international terrorism, thriving in a land saturated with Soviet munitions.

"Part I: Iraqi Freedom chronicles the action in 2003"--from the fierce urban battles in southern Iraq at Nasiriyah and the Faw Peninsula--to the mechanized assault that captured Baghdad and toppled Saddam Hussein. Battle tactics and the strategies of highly-aggressive commanders such as 1st Marine Division's Maj. Gen. James Mattis and 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines' Lt. Col. B.P. McCoy are also chronicled.

"Part II: Iraqi Jihad recounts 2004"--the intensity, danger, courage, sacrifice and esprit de corps that U.S. Marines experienced fighting jihad in western Iraq's Anbar Province. From the Syrian border to Ramadi, Najaf and particularly Fallujah, the Marines fought legendary battles on desert sands, city streets and even inside the world's largest graveyard from April-December.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matt Zeigler
• Release date: Jun 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311524485

Matt Zeigler

Former Marine Matt Zeigler worked eight years as a writer and photojournalist in the newspaper industry before embarking on an author's path. During the 1990s he traveled extensively throughout the Southeast covering the greatest athletes of American sports. Zeigler, a 1993 graduate of Troy University, has also published College Football Schemes and Techniques; Wild Alabama; Wild Alabama: Winter Haven; Wild Alabama: The American Robin; Sports Shooter: A Photographer's Story; and 1990s NFL Flashback.

Book preview

Chapter 1 U.S. Marine Corps

Since it all began, spanning more than 235 years, the United States Marine Corps has proven to be an elite fighting force on land, sea and air. The Marine Corps epitomizes relentless aggression, courage under fire, and professional leadership. In the 18th and 19th centuries the Marines were a small lethal force of a few thousand good men that operated worldwide. During the 20th century the U.S.M.C. evolved into a seaborne land army that maintained its own air support, yet continued to be a breed apart in both big wars and small battles.

Prior to World War II the Marine Corps was a well-established global expeditionary force. From 1800 to 1934, Marines landed a total of one hundred and eighty times in 37 foreign countries. Almost every year since the Spanish-American War of 1898, Marines have been actively engaged in operations overseas. These frequent expeditions abroad have given the Marines invaluable experience in conducting small wars. Several of these limited engagements took place in Latin America during the Banana Wars from 1898-1934.

In World War I the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments fought with such aggression at Belleau Wood, France that German troops proclaimed them to be Devil Dogs, and another legend of Marine Corps Infantry was validated. The Marine Corps grew in size to six divisions and about a half million troops during World War II. Some of America’s most brutal combat occurred during battles of the Marines’ island-hopping campaigns. Amphibious assaults at Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Saipan, Tarawa, Okinawa and other beachheads destroyed Japanese imperialism in the western Pacific.

A few years later in Korea, 1950-53, Marines again fought with uncommon courage and determination. Despite being outnumbered 10-1 in several major engagements against wave attacks by Chinese conscripts, the Corps prevailed. China’s generals boasted of the imminent destruction of 1st Marine Division (MarDiv). Instead, 1st MarDiv destroyed several Chinese divisions as it fought its way to the coast.

Hellfire years in Vietnam from 1965-71 came in the next big shooting war. America may have lost overall, but the Marines won all of their battles. They defeated Vietcong and NVA regulars in jungle warfare, and all-comers in the epic urban battle for Hue City. Marines kept their honor clean, but a stalemate in Korea and political failure in Vietnam was detrimental for all of the U.S. Military establishment. A catastrophic loss of two hundred forty one lives in October 1983 during peacekeeping duties in Beirut was also damaging to the Marines’ legacy.

Although it played a key role in liberating Kuwait City in Gulf War I, and established a forward operating base for coalition forces in Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom, skeptics debated if the Marine Corps was capable of fighting a large-scale 21st century war. Military analysts also questioned the usefulness of an amphibious force on a high-tech battlefield of integrated armor, mechanized infantry and artillery units, with fixed/rotary wing air support. Technology would rule in future conflicts, but Marines, traditionally, went to war with less than state-of-the-art equipment.

Amphibious assault, a mainstay of Marine Corps war-fighting doctrine, was little-used in Gulf War I, Operation Desert Storm. The 4th and 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigades and 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit were primarily utilized as a strategic deception, whereas several thousand well-trained warriors sat impatiently on ships. And the success of air power in the Balkans during the 1990s, and Special Operations forces in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, made Marine Corps ship-to-shore tactics seem obsolete. Indeed, several thousand Spec Ops troops on the ground directing laser and satellite-guided bombs onto targets, plus leading an indigenous force, appeared to be how America would fight its 21st century wars. Rangers, Delta Force, Green Berets, Air Force Forward Air Controllers and SEALs would probably do most of the fighting. With the exception of a few Force Recon operators and air crews, Marines would play a secondary role, it appeared.

But for decades Marines trained thoroughly and became skilled at urban warfare, close air support and peacekeeping/humanitarian operations. These capabilities would be vital to success in Iraq. And traditional Marine attributes of toughness, courage and aggression continued to be highly emphasized as well. After being relegated to secondary roles in America’s most recent conflicts, Marines got what they had been preparing, and in most cases, wishing for, in March 2003 when they lined up as a major assault element for war in Iraq. Gulf War II, Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), was an American-led coalition effort to defeat the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his Baath Party.

Military action, after numerous diplomatic efforts failed, was needed to halt the alleged production/stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and to sever Iraq’s suspected links with terrorism, particularly Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network. Both claims, WMD and al-Qaeda, were greatly disputed by a wide range of analysts. But the American military doesn’t question why; it’s duty-bound to accomplish the mission.

Army Gen. Tommy Franks, commander-in-chief of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), was the overall commander of OIF. CENTCOM’s strategy for victory was titled Shock and Awe, which would include a massive aerial bombardment utilizing smart bombs (satellite/laser/radar/TV-guided), combined with a ground assault that would use speed and overwhelming firepower to decimate the opposition. Baghdad, Iraq’s capital and Saddam’s base of military and political power, would be the ultimate target. When it fell, so would the rest of Iraq. Attacking out of Kuwait would be two major ground elements: the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3rd ID) and 1st MarDiv.

Approximately two months after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, then-Marine Corps Commandant Gen. J. L. Jones defined the Corps’ Capstone Concept for early 21st century operations as Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare. EMW emphasizes unique Marine Corps capabilities to project force in a global security environment, such as 15th MEU’s epic 450-mile helicopter assault from the sea to southeastern Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. In Iraq, the second stage of America’s Global War on Terror, a full spectrum of EMW was utilized. Camp Pendleton, California-based First MarDiv was the only Marine Division that deployed as a whole to Iraq. But under the command of Lt. General James T. Conway, more than 60,000 Marines from throughout the Corps would serve in the invasion of Iraq.

Conway commanded I Marine Expeditionary Force, 1st MEF, which included 26,000 British soldiers and 4,000 British Royal Marines. Marine Expeditionary formations are composite air/ground task forces that range in size from a 2,000-man ‘unit’ to a 7,000-man ‘brigade,’ or a much larger ‘force’ such as 1st MEF. Four different components combine to form the three expeditionary formations: command, ground combat, air support, and service support elements.

First MEF’s command staff, with attached security, began to arrive in theater late November 2002, staging in a northern Kuwait base camp about thirty miles from the Iraqi border. There, at what was known as Commando Camp and other desert compounds, troops from 1st, 2nd and 3rd Marine Divisions, plus reservists from 4th MarDiv, would form Operation Iraqi Freedom’s eastern assault prong and support units. Every week after Thanksgiving, men and material flowed into Kuwaiti base camps. Some Marines arrived in Kuwait by plane and were outfitted with pre-positioned equipment. Others came the traditional sea soldier way: aboard Navy ships with everything they needed to fight with in tow.

Commanded by Maj. Gen. James N. Mattis, 1st MarDiv, a bastion of distinguished World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Gulf War I combat history, fielded 1st MEF’s main assault units. It contained three infantry regiments, 1st, 5th and 7th Marines, that were reinforced with artillery, tanks and light armor. With all of their various support units attached, each infantry regiment formed the backbone of a regimental combat team (RCT). First Marine Regiment had only one of its original battalions, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines or 3/1 (Three-One), plus a battalion from 3rd MarDiv’s 4th Regiment, 1/4. Several infantry battalions from 4th MarDiv would also deploy to Iraq, one of which, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines, was attached to RCT-1 as its third battalion.

The 7th Regiment, which was based at Twentynine Palms, California, was comprised of 1/7 and 3/7, plus 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines. First MarDiv regiments contained battalions from 3rd MarDiv due to the Unit Deployment Program. Stateside battalions from 1st and 2nd MarDivs were rotated to Okinawa, Japan for a six-month tour of duty with 3rd MarDiv, and vice versa. Battalions were also detached from their regiments for duty with expeditionary units.

All U.S. Marine Corps regiments have distinguished combat histories, but 5th Marines is the only regiment that fought in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Gulf War I. In fact, its long, bloody legacy of combat actions made it the most decorated regiment in Marine Corps history. And the 5th Marines came to battle in Iraq with all three original battalions—1/5, 2/5 and 3/5. High training standards make all Marine Corps infantry battalions, both active duty and reserve, interchangeable within different regiments. But unit pride was better served when battalions fought under their parent regiments.

Modern Marines are well-versed and respect their history, but a spirited rivalry exists, such as 2nd MarDiv troops in North Carolina referring to 1st MarDiv cadre as Hollywood Marines. Camp Pendleton’s prime location on the West Coast, north of San Diego and south of Los Angeles, only adds to its perceived glamour. Pendleton contains about 17 miles of Pacific Ocean shoreline, and rolling, rugged hills cover most of its acreage. A moderate climate and popular nearby liberty outposts stretching east to Las Vegas, north to Los Angeles, and south to Tijuana make Pendleton a choice duty locale.

Most Camp Pendleton Marines hail from west of the Mississippi River, therefore, they attended boot camp in San Diego, which is better known for its leisure activities. Marine Corps recruit training is thoroughly demanding mentally and physically, even in America’s best ‘weather’ city. But Parris Island, South Carolina, training depot of ‘east of the Mississippi’ recruits, is a fortress with only one entrance/exit: a k a the Gates of Hell. Parris Island’s isolation and its history of brutal training is a key aspect to the fraternal rivalry of West Coast/East Coast Marines.

The 2nd Marine Division’s Camp Lejeune adjoins a coastline for amphibious warfare training like Camp Pendleton, but most geographical similarities end there. Grunts (infantrymen) call it Swamp Lejeune for good reason. Whereas Pendleton is surrounded by the best that Southern California has to offer, Lejeune is surrounded by pine trees, a harsh forest and marshland. Oceanside, a base town near Camp Pendleton, is just what its name implies: a small city with its own slice of Pacific beachfront.

But Jacksonville, North Carolina is best described as full of jarheads. Being a municipality that caters primarily to warriors, it contains plenty of clubs/bars for high-and-tight clientele. Although smaller and not as developed as Oceanside, Jacksonville pulsates with the energy of 2nd Marine Division. Camp Lejeune is a combat arms domain of more than 40,000 Marines, situated on 150,000 acres, that’s home to outfits that were involved in a number of limited engagements post-Vietnam, pre-Desert Storm. Battalions from Lejeune saw action in Beirut, Grenada and Panama, and the division itself fought in Gulf War I. The 2nd Marine Division didn’t deploy in force as one unit for Gulf War II, but it did provide about 15,000 Marines to 1st MEF.

The largest attack unit from Lejeune was 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, with 7,000 Marines attached to 1st MEF. Designated as Task Force Tarawa, 2nd MEB was spearheaded by the 2nd Marine Regiment: 1/2, 3/2 and 2/8 from 8th Marines. Another Camp Lejeune based unit, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, was much smaller than 1st MEF, containing about 11,000 troops. Elements of Second MEF were combined with a separate command to form Task Force Yankee. It included the command element of Camp Pendleton’s 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines from Camp Lejeune. In addition to 2/23, other reserve infantry units that were deployed to Iraq included 2nd Battalion 25th Marines; 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines; and 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines.

British forces deployed to the region for what the UK codenamed Operation Telic included 1st UK Armored Division; 3 Commando Brigade, Royal Marines; and support units, including a maritime component with and aircraft wings. Her Majesty’s Marines, soldiers and airmen would account for more than 30,000 Operation Iraqi Freedom troops, with the bulk, 26,000, coming from 1st Armored Division. OIF marked the first time ever that U.S. Marines, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Special Operations Capable (MEU SOC), entered a war under the control of a British commander.

Marine Expeditionary Units, or MEUs, comprise of an amphibious force of about 2,000 Marines that includes a Battalion Landing Team (2/1 for the 15th), plus armor, artillery and air support. A MEU’s ground equipment usually included; four M1A1 tanks; 16 Light Armored Vehicles (LAVs); 15 Amphibious Assault Vehicles (amtracks); six 155mm Howitzers; eight TOW missile systems; and another eight Javelin anti-armor portable missile launchers. A typical MEU air package would have three UH-1N Huey helicopters; 12 medium lift CH-46s; four heavy lift CH-53s; four AH-1W Super Cobra gunships; and six AV-8B Harrier Jump Jets. The MEU’s entire air/ground team and logistical support embarked on three or four amphibious assault ships, and were a self-sustained fighting force.

In addition to 15th MEU SOC, the 24th (BLT 2/2) and 26th (BLT 1/8) out of Camp Lejeune would also see combat in Iraq. First MEF’s armor and artillery assets came from both the 1st and 2nd Divisions, as well as reservists. Heavy armor included 1st, 2nd and 8th Tank Battalions, equipped with approximately sixty M1A1 Main Battle Tanks each. Four LAV-25-equipped Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Battalions, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th LAR, would prove their worth in the desert. Marines use their amtracks (tracks) as troop carriers/fighting vehicles, and deployed tracks from 2nd, 3rd and 4th Assault Amphibian Battalions to Iraq. Artillery support was provided by 1st Battalion, 10th Marines; 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines; and 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines; each equipped with two-dozen 155mm Howitzers.

A primary source of air support came from 3rd Marine Air Wing, which deployed more than three hundred rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, including sixty F/A-18 jet fighters. More air assets were available from MEUs; the U.S. Navy’s fleet of five Carrier Battle Groups; two British carriers (fixed-wing and helicopter); and from U.S. and Royal Air Force squadrons. More than a thousand coalition aircraft combined dominated Iraqi airspace.

With 3rd ID out front, the U.S. Army would also deploy its 101st Airborne Division, and 173rd Airborne Brigade would parachute into northern Iraq. Elements of other U.S. Army divisions in theater included the 82nd Airborne, 10th Mountain and 1st Armored, amongst other units. The 4th ID was deployed later as a follow-on force. An estimated ten-thousand Special Operations troops were part of an overall coalition of 250,000 soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines.

Saddam’s forces were estimated at between 350,000-400,000 troops in seventeen regular-army divisions, six elite Republican Guard divisions, and one Special Republican Guard division. Iraq’s Army also included 100,000 security and intelligence agents, and seven independent thousand-man Special Forces Brigades. Another 200,000 Iraqis were estimated to be Saddam loyalists and posed a threat, particularly from Baath Party members. The army was a mix of mechanized and infantry forces employing approximately 2,000 Russian main battle tanks in various war-fighting condition; including obsolete T-54s, T-55s and T-62s, as well as T-72s. Soviet designs also dominated Iraq’s arsenal of light armor, an estimated 2,000 personnel carriers; 1,000 armored reconnaissance vehicles; and 800 infantry fighting vehicles.

Iraq’s air arsenal contained approximately three-hundred fixed-wing vessels and 100 helicopters. But in deference to the coalition’s overwhelming air supremacy, Iraq’s dismal fleet wisely remained grounded during Gulf War II. Its tiny naval force was also not a threat, with the exception of mining harbors. If higher estimates of force projections were accurate, coalition troops overall would be outnumbered more than 2-to-1. But Iraq’s armor, supplies and boots on the ground would be decimated by as much as 80 percent with airpower and artillery, in some instances, before coalition ground troops engaged Iraqi forces. There was also a tremendous difference in training, morale and leadership. Iraq lacked an experienced core of senior NCOs, and its officers were less-than-inspiring to their troops. In Gulf War I, Iraqi soldiers usually quit fighting when confronted with superior firepower, resulting in mass surrenders by the thousands.

Most of the troops were not inclined to fight for Saddam or his officers. But a U.S. Marine, on the other hand, need not look far for inspiration. His training taught him to be self-motivated. He could also find it in the battle buddy he shared a fighting hole with. Or, he could find it in a young corporal who just wanted to get his boys home alive, or in the wisdom of a staff or gunnery sergeant. And for his commissioned officers, in most cases a Marine will charge a machine gun for his captain, take a city for his colonel, or run through a brick wall for a general. Marine officers will ride their men hard and put ‘em to bed wet, but they won’t eat or drink until the men are taken care of, a traditional gesture that signifies troops come first.

In Gulf War I Iraqi soldiers were well-versed in surrender procedures. But a U.S. Marine, from his earliest moments of boot camp, is trained to fight to the end, ‘death before dishonor,’ even if he’s surrounded, out of ammunition and reduced to swinging an entrenching tool. The intense pride, bravado and aggression that the uninformed derisively refer to as brainwashing, would once again display itself prominently when U.S. Marines crossed over from Kuwait and into Iraq to engage enemy forces.

Chapter 2 Breach Point West

After enduring months of monotonous Kuwaiti desert life, United Nations resolutions in New York, political wrangling in Washington, and worldwide opposition to their mission, U.S. Marines were finally going to war March 20, 2003. From scorpion-infested base camps in Northern Kuwait like Matilda, Ripper and Coyote, Marines mounted amtracks, tanks, LAVs and other war machines and proceeded to staging areas across the border from Iraq.

Tanks, mortars and TOW missile launchers were aimed northward as regiments went on high alert and took the place of Kuwaiti border guards, who moved to flanking positions. Rocket-propelled artillery thundered to distant targets, toxic smoke from burning oil wells and destroyed military hardware rose on the northern horizon.

A 7th Marines’ scout/sniper team led by Staff Sgt. Darrell French monitored Iraqi troop movements atop a three-story Kuwaiti Border Patrol building. French and other snipers had orders from Lt. Col. Michael Belcher, commanding officer of 3/7, to kill any Iraqis that returned fire after warning shots were fired. Like other battalions, 3/7 cleaned weapons, checked vehicles and made other preparations for battle. Small-unit leaders gathered their men around to discuss final plans for the impending invasion. First MEF’s attack formation for Operation Iraqi Freedom included equipment ranging from state-of-the-art battle tanks to Vietnam-era helicopters.

But getting optimum performance out of old, or even obsolete, weapons and machinery is a tradition in the Corps. And when contrasted with most of Iraq’s war tools, the Marine Corps’ equipment wasn’t as old, was better maintained and in better serviceable condition. The flat, unobstructed topography of desert warfare requires armor, and the Marines had certainly upgraded their armored capabilities in the past 20 years. These improvements included the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank. In Gulf War I, M1s decimated any piece of armor Iraq fielded. In addition to M60s, Marine tank units borrowed sixty M1s from the Army to fight in Desert Storm, along with eighteen of their own.

But for Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Marines had three battalions of Abrams. With its advanced suspension, reactive armor, imaging and fire control, fitted with a 120mm main gun and three machine guns, M1s are unmatched on the battlefield. Not even Iraq’s threat of WMD use posed a problem for the Abrams, which has an NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) overpressure protection system. Iraq’s best tanks, Russian T-72s, could be engaged and defeated before crewmen even realized an M1 was in their battlespace. One-shot kills at ranges of 3,000 meters or more were not unfounded. And the Abrams’ .50 caliber and two 7.62mm machine guns were a nightmare for dismounted troops and lightly-armored vehicles. When Operation Iraqi Freedom started, M1s would lead Marines into battle, and they wouldn’t stop pushing until they reached Baghdad and beyond.

In the mid-1980s a new light armor platform was fielded, eight-wheeled LAV-25s, and a new Marine unit, the Light Armored Assault Battalion (later designated Light Armored Reconnaissance), was born. Like amtracks, LAVs were vulnerable to RPG (rocket propelled grenade) and anti-tank missile fire, but their 60 mph max speed, combined with a 25mm chain gun, plus a coaxial-mounted M-240 machine gun, make them both fast and lethal. A supplemental M-240 can be pintle-mounted on the commander’s station. Other models feature TOW and Stinger missile systems to knock out tanks or for air defense. Although they saw their first combat service with Marines at Panama in 1989, LAVs would gain their respect in Iraq, earning the title ‘The Destroyers’ from enemy troops. A three-man LAV crew includes a commander, driver and gunner, with four-to-six infantrymen who act as dismounted scouts.

Communications for Marines in Iraq were better than in Gulf War I, but line-of-sight radios continued to suffer problems. Before OIF began, infantry squads were issued Intrasquad Radios. Each squad was allocated four ISRs: one each for the three fire-team leaders and the squad leader. The ISR’s light weight (less than a pound), earpiece and boom microphone made it ideal for grunts to communicate. But its line-of-sight range of 250-square meters sometimes failed in urban terrain. Squad Leaders used the ANC-PRC-148 to communicate at the platoon level. At the command level, from battalion commanders to 1st MEF’s Lt. Gen. Conway, Iridium satellite phones were utilized, and proved to be the most reliable communications system in Iraq.

Marines had confidence in their weapons and their Kevlar helmets and Interceptor flak jackets were the best available. Blue Force Trackers and GPS receivers, driven by a ring of orbiting satellites high above earth, kept the Marines on course in featureless desert terrain. And their Night Vision Goggles (NVGs) and thermal imaging devices gave them an edge at night and under low-visibility conditions. Even their MREs, meals ready-to-eat, were more palatable than in Gulf War I and available in more than 20 varieties. But some of the vehicles and aircraft that carried them into battle were suspect for a high degree of breakdowns during prolonged desert maneuvers, particularly their amtracks.

The tracks used in Operation Iraqi Freedom were an upgrade from amtracks that were deployed to Vietnam, but they were still 30-year-old vehicles. They’d been tested in desert warfare before during Gulf War I, but a push to Baghdad would stretch the limitations of their land ranges. Armed with a MK-19, 40mm automatic grenade launcher and a .50 caliber machine gun, an amtrack could carry up to 21 Marines and its three-man crew into the fray. But one disadvantage tracks had was that their aluminum hulls were easily penetrated by the 85mm shaped-charge warhead of an RPG. Iraq’s light armor arsenal consisted of about three-thousand Soviet and Chinese personnel carriers, which could be easily defeated with tank fire, heavy machine guns or TOW/manportable missiles.

Iraqi troops responded to the extensive movement of 1st MEF and 3rd ID, plus aircraft, artillery and Tomahawk missile strikes, with a Seersucker cruise missile strike at 10:28 a.m. that fateful March 20. Camp Commando was their intended target, but fortunately the Seersucker’s warhead exploded with conventional munitions when it landed. Shouts of gas, gas, gas followed, a signal for Marines to strap-on gas masks and chemical protection suits in case of an NBC weapons attack. Kuwaiti officials reported that a total of three missiles were fired at 1st MEF on D-Day, but failed to hit a target.

Iraq’s generals in the south also shifted men and materials around in anticipation of a ground assault, and their troops practiced firing weapons. There were also a number of small engagements along the border that resulted in brief skirmishes with mortars and machine guns. Marines travel light but carry adequate firepower to do battle. For indirect fire support a company commander in Iraq had ‘hip pocket’ artillery with the 60mm mortar, or he could count on deadlier 81mm mortars from a battalion’s Weapons Company. Heavier fire support could be delivered by ‘The King of Battle,’ that being a 155mm Howitzer. Iraq stockpiled an estimated 3,000 artillery pieces, including massive 180-, 262- and 300mm guns. But despite an abundance in size and quantity, Iraq’s cannon cockers were no match for the U.S. gun club, as proven by their performance in Gulf War I.

A major avenue of approach for 1st MEF was near the Iraqi border town of Safwan at Breach Point West. An Iraqi observation post atop a 500-foot hill overlooked the area, until it was bombarded with artillery, plus numerous airstrikes, including 11 JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) bombs dropped by Marine Air Group-29. Tomahawks and U.S. Air Force jets also pounded the hill, which was topped off with napalm as a final measure of deterrence. Kuwait’s border with Iraq was fortified by two eight-foot high sand berms; with an electrified fence and concertina wire placed in between the berms.

The sand and electrified wire were easily breached by combat engineers. But the threat of minefields required extra precaution. Hence, only a few vehicle lanes were cleared for passage to war with Iraq. Saddam’s large quantities of arms and men were a formidable threat, even though they were considered to be one of the worst forces in Southwest Asia. Iraq’s Army and Republican Guard Divisions, if inclined to battle, could still wage a strong fight on the ground. But with no air assets available, coalition aircraft were unopposed, with the exception of anti-air guns, or RPGs and small arms, which could take down a chopper. Iraq also had manportable missiles, including the American-made Stinger and Russian SA-7.

Marines rely heavily on close air support and bring their own fighter/strike jets to battle: F/A-18s and AV-8B Harriers. With its multi-role (fighter/attack, air control) capabilities the F/A-18 is the premiere fighter jet of both the Marines and Navy. The Harrier is a strike aircraft of British design that utilizes vertical takeoff/landing, and it works well in expeditionary operations. Marine AH-1W Super Cobra gunships were not as advanced as the Army’s Apaches, but their armament of Hellfire/TOW missiles and 20mm cannons destroyed two-hundred Iraqi vehicles in Gulf War I. In addition to being lethal tank killers, Cobras were also useful in urban warfare.

With LAVs providing point and flank security, M1s