Filling In Some Gaps

Sorry I've been away for so long.

I was interviewed by Richard Lowry for his upcoming book, Marines in the Garden of Eden, which details RCT-2's actions in Nasiriyah. It was during his interviews that I realized that I really didn't know much about what the TAC had done while away from the main body of Headquarters Company. I mean I knew basically what they had been doing but I sure didn't know much in the way where exactly had they been and what they had seen. One of the things that I really wanted to know about was where was the TAC and what did they see as we pushed up Route 7/8. The TAC had jumped off and headed up to where the 507th was being rescued by Alpha Company, 8th Tanks. As they proceeded up the road, they drove into the seam between 1/2 and 2/8.

So in order to fill in some of those info gaps, I reached out to the Marines who were there.

I spoke with my former S-2, Major M. and my S-2 Chief, Gunny M. and here's what they had to say.

From Gunny M.
"The TAC never made it up to 1/2 as they attacked to seize the bridges. We only got as far as 2/8. We saw the Army Dragon Wagons burning on the road as we approached the (railroad) bridge. As we crested the bridge we spotted the T-55's burning and we could see 2/8's vehicles peeled off the road as the TAC approached the intersection with a statue (a monument to the defeat of the British if I recall correctly). As we hit the intersection the Iraqis RPG'ed and mortared us. The fire was nothing to get excited about. It was inaccurate and sporadic and it wasn't even like the Iraqis were trying to hit us or maybe they had just happen to see green vehicles and started shooting. Anyway, we backed out of the intersection and came back down the road to 2/8's CP (Command Post). There we assisted in conducting some field interrogation of some prisoners that 2/8 had taken. Later we returned to the (Regimental) Main CP to make our report because comms were so bad."

From Major M.
"After we arrived, we pulled north of you, and set up on the west side of the road (Route 7/8), and began to get ourselves together - we did not push forward until after the meeting at the Main. To my recollection, after the big pow-wow on the hood of the HMMWV at the Main with the CG (Task Force Tarawa Commanding General - BGen. Natonski), the CO (Regimental CO - Colonel Bailey) wanted to push forward to quickly discuss the attack with LtCol Grabowski (1/2's CO) face-to-face, give his guidance, see what he needed, and gain more situational awareness of the unfolding events. He turned to me and the 3 (Regimental S-3 Major Kennedy), and told us to jump in his vehicle. Along with a HQ HMG HMMWV, we pushed north in the city. The CO's vehicle was in the lead - I was sitting next to him in the back behind the driver, with the 3 in the front. Behind us was the HMG vehicle. We began to crest the RR bridge,and carefully drove around the 507th LVS burning - it was completely engulfed in flames. You could distinctly hear the crack of small arms and automatic weapons ahead of us. And here we are, the CO, the OpsO,and the Deuce, driving forward in a soft skin HMMWV (which I must admit we didn't even take into consideration, and I didn't even think about until after the war and all the publicity about the un-armored HMMWVs last year...). Afterwards, Gunner W. (Regimental Gunner riding in the HMG rig) said that an RPG shot passed right over/behind his vehicle as we went over the RR bridge, from the left side (I didn't see that as I was intensely counting the T-55s to our right). We kind of slowed down/paused on the down ramp side of the bridge - the T-55 closest to the road on the right was fully engulfed in flames. I recall the bridge was covered with MG links, brass, discarded TOW tubes. Ahead of us, at the crossroads was more of the 507th convoy, to the left side of the crossroads - it was a mess - at least two or three vehicles smashed up, open containers, gear everywhere... Again, everywhere you looked there was the spent brass, links, etc. We pulled forward, and directly ahead of us, about 100m north of the crossroads, was Palehorse - C/1/2. Their tracks were herringboned on the road, with all the Marines standing up in the troop compartments, engines running, ready to get it on. A orange and white taxi was speeding towards the crossroads, from east to west. The small arms fire was intensifying, and in the distance we could actually hear the pneumatic plunk of mortars from our right front. Undoubtedly the crossroads were preregistered - who knows? More than likely they were just using Kentucky windage. The 3, being the supporting arms guru he is, called it first, along with a few expletives. They had to been using direct lay for us to hear them. The taxi went through the intersection, and kept going - within seconds the first rounds landed to our left side, about 40m away. "Holy shit" were the words I recall using - I saw the impact - it hit just on the other side of a small wall, and the loose, corrugated tin went flying high into the air. Simultaneously, Palehorse's tracks began to gun their engines - I remember the plumes of black exhaust, and they began to uncoil from their position and race forward to the Euphrates. The small arms really started to get going. I looked at my watch and it was a few minutes after 1200Z - obviously Charlie had gotten the word to push forward -the attack was underway. Our intent was to speak with LtCol Grabowski, but this never occurred - by my estimation, he was probably already across the bridge or had just crossed when we linked up with C/1/2. Right after the mortar hits, we got moving ASAP, drove forward a few hundred meters, then turned around, and returned to the CP. Once we got back, the TAC saddled up, and moved all together to the outside of the city, where we stayed until we linked up with you the next day."

So according to the Major and Gunny, they were never able to link up with 1/2 before they launched to take the bridges. Sometime during this period they were able to get a list of the members of the 507th from either the convoys commander or our tankers. Later the Gunny would use this info to brief some SOF folks in preparation of a raid to rescue our POW's. That brief would occur sometime after the Major and Gunny's meeting with us where they reported the burning vehicles and tanks. That's another story for another posting.

For more information on our fight for Nasiriyah, read Gary Livingston's An Nasiriyah: The Fight for the Bridges and GySgt. Jason Doran's I Am My Brother's Keeper, Journal of a Gunny in Iraq.
Also keep a lookout for Richard Lowry's upcoming book, Marines in the Garden of Eden. Here is a small passage from a press release regarding Richard's book, for which he has interviewed over one hundred participants of the Battle of Nasiriyah:
"The story starts with the ambush of the Army’s 507th Maintenance Company, the cold-blooded murder of Sergeant Donald Walters and the capture of Jessica Lynch. Eleven American soldiers died at dawn on the 23rd of March, but that was just the beginning of this compelling story. Marines of the 2nd Marine Regiment fought a week-long battle for the ancient city of Nasiriyah. Their story is one of heroism and sacrifice, of comedy and tragedy, and of life and death."
I can truthfully say that Richard has done an outstanding job of researching and recreating the battle. This book will be a fantastic memorial to all those who fought in Nasiriyah. I hope you will take the time to read it when it is published.
Thanks and Semper Fidelis,
Mooch