Three Block War: The Cutting Edge

By Matt Zeigler

Three Block War: The Cutting Edge, excerpted from the full-length Three Block War: U.S. Marines in Iraq, recounts the exploits of 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines during Operation Iraqi Freedom I and II, 2003-2004. As a maneuver battalion of Regimental Combat Team 7, the 3/7 began OIF I securing Rumaila Oil Field in southern Iraq. At Rumaila, 3/7, reinforced with 1st Tank Battalion, engaged elements of Iraq’s 32nd Brigade, and captured the headquarters of 51st Mechanized Division. After fighting its way through Basrah and encountering scattered resistance in Central Iraq, 3/7 fought Republican Guard units at Salman Pak; a Baghdad suburb. Inside Baghdad, 3/7, nicknamed “The Cutting Edge,” saw more gun battles with Republican guards and asymmetric forces; including a battle at Rasheed Air Base. During OIF II in 2004, Three-Seven was assigned to the cutting edge of Western Iraq’s Anbar Province: the Syriamn border. At Husaybah, a half-mile from the border, Kilo 3/7’s Cpl. Jason Dunham won the Medal of Honor, post mortem, after a convoy ambush on April 14. Three days after Cpl. Dunham’s heroics, the entire battalion returned to Husaybah and battled three-hundred mujihedeen.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matt Zeigler
• Release date: Jun 29, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310774171

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

Three Block War

The Cutting Edge

By Matt Zeigler

Copyright 2014

Smashwords Edition

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Southern Iraq

Chapter 2 Central Iraq

Chapter 3 Baghdad

Chapter 4 The Cutting Edge

Chapter 5 Battle of Husaybah

About the Author

Chapter 1 Southern Iraq

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.

Along with the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force would attack north to Baghdad. First MEF’s ground combat element, 1st Marine Division, was comprised of three Regimental Combat Teams: RCT-1, RCT-5 and RCT-7; that were reinforced with Abrams Main Battle Tanks from 1st and 2nd Tank Battalions. The 7th Regiment, which was based at Twentynine Palms, California, was comprised of 1st Battalion, 7th Marines (1/7), 3/4, and 3/7, which was nicknamed ‘The Cutting Edge.’ A 7th Marines’ scout/sniper team led by