battle for haditha dambattle for haditha dam

The movie follows the story of the Marines of Kilo Company, an Iraqi family, and the insurgent Read allAn investigation of the massacre of 24 men, women and children in Haditha, Iraq allegedly shot by 4 U.S. Marines in retaliation for the death of a U.S. Marine killed by a roadside bomb. And when unbearable conditions forced some to fall into themselves, those same Rangers fought to get back into the fight and help win a dramatic victory. As American forces continued to pummel AQI in places like Fallujah and Ramadi, the insurgent survivorsthe most battle-hardened and highly skilled of their ranksabsconded to the Triad. Then an A-10 and Night Stalker MH-60 Direct Action Penetrator (DAP) Black Hawksshowed up and it was all over for the Iraqi attack. Chief Greg Coker joined Ranger Company C to conduct mission planning for the next important objective in the fight for the dam. On 1 April 2003, B Company, 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, stormed the Al-Qadisiyah (Hadithah) Dam complex northwest of Baghdad. We had already hit Objective Serpent and were up at Lynx calling for fire at Haditha dam until Greg Ironhead Birch showed up with a whole battalion of Rangers he really knows how to show up to a fight proper. By Almighty God, with honor, and on behalf of CWO4 Gregory Gravy Coker, Joyce Shannon, Neighbors seek to help soldier injured in combat in Iraq,. The three Iraqis were similarly dealt with. Later, the Iraqis tried to infiltrate some personnel near the bridge in a kayak and several small boats, which were promptly sunk. They were outnumbered and outgunned, and still stayed in the fight. An investigation of the massacre of 24 men, women and children in Haditha, Iraq allegedly shot by 4 U.S. Marines in retaliation for the death of a U.S. Marine killed by a roadside bomb. The Many Faces of Napoleon Bonaparte -- What did the French Emperor Actually Look Like? At one point during the four-day battle, the Iraqis attacked Serpent in an attempt to cut of the Rangers' support. Battle of Haditha Dam: The saga comes to an end. By April 6, 2003, reinforcements, including a brace of Abrams main battle tanks, began to arrive. Coker and the other Night Stalkers flew several danger-close missions in support of the American commandos on the ground. Box 378 Red Hook, New York 12571 United States. Mar 02. We were racked out just a few hours when one of our men on guard reported a truck approaching with a DShK heavy machine gun mounted on it. Smith aimed and registered the first enemy kill of the operation. In other cases, insurgents simply targeted youngsters as part of their wider terror campaign. They kept up the fight, however, on all fronts. Their actions earned CSM Birch and SFC Duncan Silver Star commendations.11. Back at the FARP Chief refueled and reloaded immediately, ready to spring from Serpent to re-engage with any froggy Arabs. When it was over, Duncan and battalion command sergeant major Alfred Birch rescued three of the wounded Iraqis who had fallen down a steep hill while under fire. One of the most horrific examples of this occurred when a squad from Echo Company happened across a young Iraqi girl on a bicycle wearing a Mickey Mouse backpack. Nevertheless, power continues to be generated, and road traffic passes over the Euphrates River every day. Platoon sergeant SFC Roger Sherry (pseudonym) spotted an Iraqi peeking from behind the gatehouse, but he was quickly captured. CPT Doyle outlined the plan: 2nd Platoon would lead the main effort, seizing a foothold on the dam and clearing the inside of the dam complex; 1st Platoon would be the supporting effort, seizing the dominating high ground to the west of the dam; and between the B Company platoons, 3rd Platoon, C Company, would clear Objective Cobalt, an area south of the dam structure comprising power station buildings and a transformer yard. Stopping short because the position was still under attack, the Rangers left their vehicle behind a three-foot concrete wall and traveled the final hundred meters on foot. Haditha is a city on the Euphrates River northwest of Baghdad, Iraq. Toughness aside, Doyles Rangers were also being proactive, helping beat back the Iraqi barrage. SPC Watson fired several hundred .50 caliber rounds into the vehicle, stopping it cold. Team Gravy was headed for a break and to wait for their next assignment. The convoy separated and the Rangers followed the assault plan, each platoon focusing on its assigned objective. However, having steeled themselves through the barrage, none were interested in giving the facility back to the Iraqis. Their mission was to prevent Saddam Hussein and his forces from destroying the dam. Despite grave threats to him, his family, and those serving under him, Farouk agreed. Russ was a very energetic man of immense courage and always sporting a positive attitude. With a replacement flight of Little Birds providing reconnaissance, the Rangers breached the final barrier, racing to reach the dam before daylight broke. Soon after daybreak, the Rangers from the 3rd Company on the western side of the dam started taking RPG fire where Staff Sergeant Ronnie Jones, a Ranger sniper killed three Iraqi soldiers equipped with RPGs. The bullet-riddled and oil-leaking vehicle finally died just short of 1st Platoons position. He remained on station until he was Bingo fuel and needed to return to the FARP at Objective Serpent. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Coker, a Night Stalker pilot and author of "Death Waits in the Dark," spent 30 years in uniform and completed 11 combat tours. He was a good man, a damned-good man and well all miss him forever. The invasion of Iraq in March 2003 was marked by a shock-and-awe campaign that showcased the undisputed conventional might of the US military. The new arrivals had little time for reunions, however, as they were almost immediately ordered to move out for Objective LynxHadithah Dam. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "The Haditha Dam Seizure - The Target - Defense Media Network", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Haditha_Dam&oldid=1107643320, Articles needing additional references from August 2017, All articles needing additional references, Pages using military navigation subgroups without wide style, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 31 August 2022, at 02:47. A Battle For Haditha Dam Aired on Jan 24, 2016 Iraq 2003: A group of U.S. Army Rangers fights to seize control of Haditha Dam - a strategically key location in Operation Iraqi Freedom - when. Returning to the ROD site, CPT Doyle assembled his First Sergeant, MAJ Kilburn, and SFC Stanley Morgan (pseudonym), the fire support noncommissioned officer, to develop a plan. As the section moved into blocking positions, they suddenly heard gunfire.5, While 1LT White was walking across the road and searching for an entrance to the western administrative buildings, he heard a Ranger shout, Hes got a gun! SSG Smith had observed someone dive under a piece of sheet metal, and then spotted the barrel of a weapon. 2007, Drama/War, 1h 33m. All of the Iraqi Army soldiers in the film are seen wearing the "three-color" DCU uniform, although in the time period that the movie takes place in (late 2005), the Iraqi military wore the "chocolate-chip" DBDU uniform. One of Georges teammates that was there at the fight with him recounts it as follows: We were some 300 miles inside the border traveling at night and sleeping hidden during the day. It was a routine they would conduct many times over in the week ahead. As darkness fled, the Iraqis attacked both flanks of the dam with squad-sized elements of ten to twelve men. Critics Consensus. This new line, stretching over a distance of 223 kilometres (139mi) with 504 towers, has a capacity of 400 kV and allows 350 MW from the Haditha Dam to be added to the national electrical grid. I just saw this movie and found it very moving. White desperately searched for the gravel road that would lead them to the dam. U.S. Army photo. Maj. Greg "Ironhead" Birch, a Delta Force operator who had returned to the Rangers, received the Silver Star, the third-highest award for valor under fire, for his inspirational leadership and for saving several wounded Iraqi soldiers who were stranded in no-man's-land after a failed attack a moment of humanity amid the fiercest of battles. For their actions against the enemy, they both received the Silver Star. Located northwest of Baghdad, the dam was built during the Cold War to provide hydroelectric power for central Iraq, including Baghdad. A very close-knit team," Coker said. In the early days of the war, American forces never managed to establish an enduring presence in the region, which allowed AQI to lay down roots there. Men, women, and children walked the streets freely. OBJ Lynx, Haditha. "We had no warning we'd be facing such a fierce response from the Iraqis none whatsoever," retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Greg Coker told Insider. The Battle of Haditha Dam took place in 2003. The MH-6 had a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera to paint targets for the two AH-6s. Dividing 2nd Platoon into two elements, 1LT White led one section toward the western administrative tower, and his platoon sergeant, Sergeant First Class (SFC) Jeffrey Duncan, led the other eastward across the causeway. Mission complete, CPT Thompson consolidated his platoon atop the dam and hunkered down for the night.16. B Company arrived at H1, a dusty airfield in west-central Iraq, on 29 March 2003. A Battle For Haditha Dam Jan 24, 2016 | 42m 11s | tv-14 v,l | CC Iraq 2003: A group of U.S. Army Rangers fights to seize control of Haditha Dam - a strategically key location in Operation. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ed Darak is the author of The Warriors of Anbar. After thirty intense minutes of fighting, the Night Stalkers had killed the mortar positions, and the Rangers had broken the thrust of the enemy attack. As one of them said later, I remember just starting to fold up, and fall in on myself. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Regrettably, another artillery round did explode, this time directly on a Ranger mortar position.17, SFC Lauder raced to the impact area with medics and his driver. A quarter of the way across, a vehicle came barreling down on the Rangers. Im not sure how long it took and how it happened, but I remember being back with my weapon and on the line sometime on the 3rd., Such mental toughness is almost impossible to comprehend, and one of the reasons, Doyle later said, As the battle progressed, [the] Rangers showed why they are specially selected and that they are well trained. Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. On our route back we stopped again in the vicinity of Haditha dam and conducted a 21-Gun Salute in Georges honor. Significant actions, or SIGACTS Marine terminology for attacks went from over 300 per month to less than six. Yet in the current fighting in Iraq, the major dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are seen not just as strategic targets but as powerful weapons of war. RecPak is a meal replacement for the outdoors that saves you weight, space and time in the most challenging environments, just add water. A Battle For Haditha Dam January 23, 2016 42min TV-14 Subtitles Subtitles English [CC] Audio languages Audio languages English Iraq 2003: A group of U.S. Army Rangers fights to seize control of Haditha Dam a strategically key location in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Despite their gains, tragedy would continue to befall the battalion, including the loss of their operations officer, who was key to the Three Bs plan in a helicopter accident. The area exploded in violence as members of each respective company moved into their home forward operating bases throughout the Triad: Echo Company went to the city of Haditha; Fox Company went to Barwana. Battle of Haditha Dam: Former Delta operator and Ranger Sergeant Major saves the day by George E. Hand IV Mar 13, 2020 Share This: You can read the previous part here. The Premier Online Military History Magazine. Unfortunately, SPC Alan (pseudonym) made a wrong turn on the way down, and entered a developed area serving as an academy for antiaircraft artillery. Seemingly resigned to their fate, the men simply sat there and looked at the their captors impassively. The Delta team's reconnaissance of the dam indicated that a larger force would be needed to seize and hold it, so a request was made and approved for a second Delta squadron from Fort Bragg to be dispatched with a further Ranger battalion, along with M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks from C Company, 2nd Battalion 70th Armored Regiment. The rest of 3rd/C continued to take heavy Iraqi fire from a pair of buildings, which would continue to be a problem for the next three days. . John Gale (pseudonym) said, I was facing forward when I felt this blow to my lower left back. Combat stress trauma is hardly a new phenomenon. The Iraqi dictator's claims that the US would target and destroy the dam complicated matters further. In fact, the Thirds time in Haditha would prove to be the single deadliest deployment for a Marine battalion since that of the October, 1983 Beirut barracks bombing that killed 220. Iraq 2003: A group of U.S. Army Rangers fights to seize control of Haditha Dam a strategically key location in Operation Iraqi Freedom when they realize they are outnumbered by a strong Iraqi force. The ensuing four-day battle at Haditha Dam was the single largest engagement of the entire war. He is an author, researcher, game designer, photographer, 2023 Defense Media Network. As the vehicle retreated, leaving a trail of oil behind it, another round hit MK19 gunner Corporal (CPL) Jon Gale (pseudonym) in his body armor, knocking him backwards. Constantly on coalition planners' minds were the "scorched earth" tactics employed by Saddam Hussein during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. The film was shot in an unconventional way whereas instead of a detailed script, there was only an outline of each scene and where the story was going. A writer and photojournalist who spent time in Iraq and Afghanistan. My chief fear was,am I gonna have the guts to go forward? With First Lieutenant (1LT) Graham White on point, the convoy headed northeast into the night, following a route designed to avoid enemy troop concentrations. The Battle of Haditha Dam took place in 2003. A combination of mortar and 152 millimeter artillery shells rained down on the concrete surface near the Ranger positions. Company B, along with Mo, was still on the dam holding out as best they could, all the while waiting for long-overdue relief. 3rd/B also arrived, and the pressure finally began to ease. The Read allAn investigation of the massacre of 24 men, women and children in Haditha, Iraq allegedly shot by 4 U.S. Marines in retaliation for the death of a U.S. Marine killed by a roadside bomb. He directed 1st Squad to suppress the guards, while 3rd Squad flanked from the left and entered near the gatehouse. Back up on top of the dam, 1st and 2nd/B were in their blocking positions and working on fortifying their various points of fire when the Iraqis facing them finally began to come to life. U.S. Army photo. Using a hooligan toola combination axe and crowbar used by emergency personnelthe Rangers pried open the heavy metal door. When the hawk landed at the FARP, Objective Serpent, Chief and another Ranger unloaded the bodies of the three men and then wept for the loss. Through the predawn darkness, the Rangers spotted three armed individuals standing in front of a small building, seemingly just looking around. The Rangers anticipated that the dam would be very well defended, with at least a platoon on Objective Lynx, and a mechanized company to the south, near Hadithah village. The ensuing four-day battle at Haditha Dam was the single largest engagement of the entire war. For the next five days, Iraqi forces continued to harass the Rangers at the dam, principally with episodic artillery and mortar fire along with several infantry counterattacks against the U.S. In true Ranger fashion, the section methodically cleared the building by kicking down doors, blowing off locks, and placing items with potential intelligence value into the hallways. This story was first published in its entirety in The Year in Special Operations; 2006 Edition. Enraged by this loss, his young Marine buddies carry out a brutal retaliation. In 2004, the Gulf Region Division of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) carried out restoration works on one of the turbines to restore the dam's hydroelectric power station to full capacity. The battalion, however, undertook a number of unorthodox measures to gain ground, in addition to their continuous outside-the-wire mindset. The Rangers called in airstrikes, which hit the structures with a total of 20 bombs. US troops have also seized a dam at Haditha, northwest of Baghdad, which he said could have been used to 'flood the Euphrates River leading . "It put them plumb in mind of aerial. Captain David Doyle, B Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, interview by David Jenkins, 23 October 2003, Fort Benning, GA, tape recording, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. But then I began to fight my way back. Best of all, reinforcements, initially in the form of a pair of M1A1 Abrams tanks, finally began to arrive. In less than forty minutes, the flight of three helicopters departed H1 for the dam: an MH-47E Chinook, and two MH-60L Defensive Armed Penetrator Black Hawks. Yet, nobody exited the eastern side of the dam.6, Finally locating a door into the administrative building, White brought up two squads to clear the facility and search for demolitions. 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