Marines recount POW rescue operation
Submitted by: I Marine Expeditionary Force
Story Identification Number: 200341565546
Story by Sgt. Joseph R. Chenelly
MARINE COMBAT HEADQUARTERS, Central Iraq (April 15, 2003) -- On a tip from an Iraqi official, Marine with D Company, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, dashed through sniper fire on the streets of Samarra, Iraq.
The pushed on in the early morning of April 12 even as they felt the situation was eerily resembling the beginning of an infamous battle in Somalia which they had studied during training.
The streets and rooftops in the town square quickly began to fill as the Marines searched house-to-house for America's seven prisoners of war.
"I could see maybe 30 people just on one roof. They were everywhere," said Lance Cpl. Curney Russell Jr., am 18-year-old scout with 3rd Platoon. "I wondered if the tip was a setup."
"We didn't want another 'Blackhawk Down' scene having to fight our way out of a town," said Cpl. Christopher Castro, referring to a deadly clash in Somalia where American soldiers were attacked in a densely populated area.
Marines received the intelligence while in a blocking position outside Samarra. A local police officer advised the Marines to "look in Building 13 if you want to find the Americans."
The Marines were directed to go in "weapons tight," according to Castro, who is 3rd Platoon's chief scout. The team's leaders made everyone aware that friendly forces possibly were inside and deadly force should be used with extreme caution.
"We went in knowing they'd be armed," he said. "If they had their weapons holstered or even just not aimed at us, we wouldn't shoot. We didn't want any firing. We didn't want to hit the POWs."
Some Marines were on foot and others were in light armored vehicles. Foot-mobile teams spread out through the alleys and streets looking for Building 13.
After the locals began amassing, the Marines were preparing to pull out when Russell heard a voice coming from a window.
"'We're Americans. My name is Chief Warrant Officer Williams,'" Russell recalled hearing. It was Building 13. He immediately notified his commander of the discovery.
The team of Marines raced through the streets to his position. After pounding the door three times, the Marine's officer gave the nod. Two powerful kicks later, the wooden door splintered and Marines rushed into the dimly lit room Army CWO David Williams and the six other prisoners of war were being held.
"Speed, speed, speed," Russell said. "It's all about getting 'em and getting out as fast as possible."
With rifles pointing every direction and Marines screaming for everyone to get down, the Marines took control of the situation instantly. Three unarmed guards were laying facedown among the POWs.
Russell loudly announced, "If you're an American, stand up now!" The seven stood and were quickly ushered outside to a secure rally point.
As the American soldiers were being separated from their captors, they implored the Marines to be temperate with the Iraqi guards.
"'Don't hurt them,'" Russell recalls CWO Williams shouting. "'They're our friends. They helped us out.'"
The Iraqis got rid of their weapons as they awaited the rescue siege. The freed soldiers later said these guards had pooled their own money together to buy medicine and food for the POWs. They had only been in this location a few days.
The Iraqis were cooperative and "did everything they were told to do," Castro said. They were taken as enemy prisoners of war and turned over to intelligence officers.
The Marines could hear sniper fire again while exiting the house, so the rescuees were moved in a tactical formation. Marines marched shoulder-to-shoulder forming a 180-degree wall in front of the soldiers. Castro and Russell helped the wounded along while armored vehicles rolled closely behind them. Other vehicles blocked intersections and watched further ahead.
"There was no way the guys we just rescued were going to get shot now," Castro said. "That was the last thing we were going to let happen. They'd have to take us down first."
Within moments the Marines had the soldiers out of town. The whole operation took less than 30 minutes, according to Castro. An hour and half later they were airborne in CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters.
"They were shaken up. They kept hugging us and thanking us," Russell said. "They went from being real uptight and shaky at first to very excited and even relaxed."
The helicopters flew the ex-POWs, Castro and Russell to an airfield about 65 miles south of Baghdad. The two Marines were instructed by their commanding officer to accompany the soldiers out of Iraq to ensure their comfort.
"We were the first Americans they'd seen since they were captured," Castro said. "They kind of clung to us from the start, so our CO figured they needed some familiar faces traveling with them."
As two CH-46 helicopters sand blasted an awaiting throng of Marines at the airfield, which is part of Logistical Support Area Chesty, one of the ex-POWs flashed the hand gesture "V" for victory through a porthole. The anxious crowd, which didn't know what condition the soldiers were in, responded with thankful cheers.
With the help of Castro and Russell, the soldiers debarked the helicopters one at a time. Most wore ragtag outfits fashioned from various uniform component and Iraqi garb. By military standards, they were in dire need of a shave and haircut.
After maneuvering through still photographers and a CNN crew, they climbed into military ambulances headed for a C-130 cargo plane.
Scores of Marines jumped from their vehicles as the ambulances passed by. They clapped and shouted encouragement.
Once the ambulances stopped, most of the soldiers literally bound out the ambulances' back doors and up the airplane's ramp. Those not capable of moving as fast limped up the ramp with help from their personal guards.
The inside of the plane turned into a spontaneous party. Hands were thrown in the air. Those capable jumped up and down. A few of the soldiers wrapped Marines in bear hugs. The Marines hugged right back. One shouted out, "I love you, man!"
The plane lifted off heading south.
"When the C-130 was landing, one of the soldiers asked me if we were still in Iraq," Russell said. "He seemed relieved when I told him we were in Kuwait. I could tell he was just happy to be out Iraq."
The two Marines accompanied the freed POWs all the way to Camp Doha, Kuwait. Castro said the Army personnel treated them like "someone special" there. They had a warm meal, slept in an actual bed and enjoyed a hot shower all for the first time in about a month.
Both Marines were permitted to call home. Russell, a native of Manchester, N.H., found out he was expecting a baby girl. Castro discovered his image was plastered on television, websites and newspapers everywhere. Reporters had contacted both Marines' families already.
The next morning they asked to be returned to Iraq as soon as possible.
"We have to get to our unit," said Castro, who claims to have shot at least two Iraqi soldiers in the war. "There is still fighting. We can't miss that."
They returned to Iraq the next day stopping at I Marine Exeditionary Force's command element. The IMEF commanding general, Lieutenant Gen. James T. Conway, gave Castro and Russell unit coins and told them they have "made the Corps proud."
Castro was quick to point out, "All the scouts who went in on the rescue did great. They showed great speed and aggressiveness. They knew what to do and they did it. We were just the two lucky enough to go with them."
His battalion spent 45 days at sea transiting from San Diego to Kuwait. Much of the time was spent holding classes and training sessions on tactics including moving through built up areas like the town square in Samarra.
Much of 3rd Platoon is new to the military. Russell spent just six days in the Fleet Marine Corps before deploying.
"If you train right, you can rely on it no matter what happens," Castro said. "We trained so much for situations like this, I didn't have to give any direction. Everyone knew just what needed to be done, and they did it."
The seven soldiers rescued were Army CWO Williams, CWO Ronald Young, Sgt. James Riley, Specialists Edgar Hernandez, Joseph Hudson and Shoshana Johnson, and Pfc. Patrick Miller
The five enlisted soldiers were assigned to the Army's 507th Maintenance Battalion out of Fort Hood, Texas. Their convoy was ambushed March 23. The two warrant officers were captured after their AH-64A Apache helicopter was shot down March 24.
While no reunion between the ex-POWs and their rescuers has been planned, both Castro and Russell agreed they hope to see them again.
"We gave them our phone numbers," said Castro, who calls San Antonio home. "Most of them are stationed in Texas and I'm from Texas. I'd be more than happy to drive up and see them. They told us they want us to meet their kids."
Marines were also involved in the successful rescue of another ex-POW. Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, who was also assigned to the 507th Maintenance Bn., was brought to safety after an undisclosed team of American troops conducted an extract operation April 1 in An Nasryah.
Marines received at least one tip from an Iraqi man that led to Lynch's rescue. She has since returned to the United States.
The seven Americans rescued April 13 have been treated and released from a medical facility in Kuwait. There are no other known coalition prisoners of war as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Marines rescue seven POW(s)
Submitted by: Marine Forces
Central Command
Story Identification Number:
20034148649
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Shannon Arledge
THREE-RIVERS AIRFIELD,
Iraq(April 14, 2003) -- Twelve Marines rescued seven prisoners of war
April 13. The seven soldiers rescued were Chief Warrant Officers David
Williams and Ronald Young, Army Sgt. James Riley, Specialists Shoshana
Johnson, Joseph Hudson and Edgar Hernandez, and Pfc. Patrick Miller, were
among those rescued.
The squad of Marines from the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
were securing a bridge south of Tikrit, Iraq, when they were given orders
to conduct house-to-house raids in the nearby town of Samarra. The Marines
were acting on credible tips from local residents that American prisoners
were being held in one of the homes.
The seven captives were taken prisoner during late March in two separate
battles. The two warrant officers were apprehended after alluding capture
for more than one hour after their AH-64A Apache helicopter was shot down
March 24.
The other five soldiers rescued were from the Army's 507th Maintenance
Battalion. Their convoy came under heavy enemy fire March 23.
During the race to rescue the POW(s) the Marines met resistance from
sniper fire in Samarra, said Lance Cpl. Curney Russell, 3rd LAR. Upon
reaching one home, the Marines pounded on the door. When there was no
answer, they forced their way in to find the Americans sitting on the
floor with their captors waiting unarmed.
"It's a great feeling," said Russell a native of Manchester, N.H.
I'm so glad they are alive. "One of the chief warrant officers hugged
me and said he thought he would never see his family again."
The rescued Soldiers were rushed to vehicles, and transported to a seized
airfield on the outskirts of Baghdad. At the airfield a Marine reserve
KC-130 Hercules crew with Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron 452 from New
York, was waiting to fly them to Kuwait.
"I can't describe how it feels to have been rescued by the
Marines," said Johnson, one the rescued POW(s), and the mother of a
2-year-old daughter in El Paso, Texas. "When we were first taken we
were close to the fighting and could hear the bombings. As the fighting
got closer they kept moving us. I was scared."
"We were scared to death," said apache pilot Young, from
Atlanta, Ga. "We all thought we were going to die."
All of the prisoners reported being unharmed during captivity; however,
the two pilots said initially they were tied up, slapped in the face, and
hit with sticks during the first few days. But as days lingered they were
handed over to other captors. The POW(s)were moved a total of seven times.
"We were like hot potatoes," said Young. "No one wanted to
keep us, so they kept handing us over to someone else, and moving us from
place to place."
All of the POW(s) agreed that the last few days of captivity gave them
hope. Their captors fed them better food and allowed them to take showers.
"I thank God that I have another chance to see my family again,"
added Young. "I can't describe my feelings, it's too emotional.
There's no worse feeling than being held captive. Your mind thinks about
many things."
Hours after their capture, Iraqi television displayed video images of the
captured soldiers. Their families and fellow servicemembers were confident
of their return, but all they had was hope.
Almost 30 days after being captured they are now returning to the families
they thought they would never see again.
"Words cannot express my feelings," said Williams, one of the
Apache pilots, and native of Fort Hood, Texas. "Tears ran down my
face. You don't know how proud I am of those Marines."
MSPF hits Ba'ath HQ, recovers intelligence
Submitted by: 15th MEU
Story Identification Number: 200341393328
Story by Cpl. Anthony R. Blanco
AN NASIRIYAH, Iraq(March 13, 2003) -- Maritime
Special Purpose Force Marines and Sailors with the 15th Marine
Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) conducted a precision,
direct action raid April 1 at a suspected Ba'ath Party official's house
and several other buildings as a coordinated attack with group of Army and
Navy special forces while they rescued an Army female prisoner of war,
Pfc. Jennifer Lynch, at a hospital 5 kilometers away.
The MSPFs attack on the Ba'ath Party headquarters was a designed to avert
attention from the rescue, which was a successful mission. The MSPF also
succeeded in their mission by recovering intelligence items and also
didn't receive any casualties, according to Staff Sgt. Andre K. Bosier,
29, a radio operator and Houston native with, 3rd Platoon, Force
Reconnaissance Detachment.
Using the cover of darkness, force reconnaissance Marines moved along side
a wall to gain entry into the first objective area. After a M1A1 Main
Battle Tank breached a hole in the wall, Marines and Sailors quickly
swarmed into the house.
"After the tank breached the wall for us, we were able to enter the
compound and secure the house," said Sgt. Shane H. Denna, 31, an
Ukiah, Calif., native, recon assistant radio operator, 3rd Platoon, Force
Reconnaissance Detachment.
After the successful direct action raid, an AV-8B Harrier attack jet
deployed a 500 pound bomb on the second objective approximately 600 meters
away.
Following the blast, Marines from Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team
2/1, 15th MEU (SOC) fired mortar rounds down range to continue the
bombardment of the target area.
While mortars were exploding near the Ba'ath Party headquarters, a group
of Light Armored Vehicles and M1A1 Main Battle Tanks moved into position
to continue the attack.
Marines fired tank rounds, 25mm chain guns, and .50 caliber machine guns
for approximately ten minutes during the assault on the target area.
Tracer rounds lit the sky, like something out of a Star Wars movie, as
Marines opened fire into the target area. At the same time as Marines were
firing from LAV's and M1A1 Main Battle Tanks, the MSPF moved parallel to
the objective sight.
Because of the onslaught by M1A1 Main Battle Tanks and LAVs, Bosier
started to think that any items of intelligence value might be destroyed.
"It was cool, but if they keep it up any longer I thought their would
be nothing left for us," Bosier said. "We still had to go into
the buildings and search for people and intelligence."
Moving stealthy across the bridge on their way to the Ba'ath Party
headquarters, recon Marines quickly moved throughout the objective area.
As they were moving from building to building, force reconnaissance
Marines cleared each of them and at first didn't find any intelligence or
people remaining in the area. However, they did find and destroy an
anti-aircraft gun and ammunition, Bosier said.
Once the last building was deemed clear, Marines and Sailors started to
pack up until Marines from an M1A1 Main Battle Tank, using their thermal
vision, discovered that their was one person in the next building over.
"When we heard that, I wondered why would someone still be here after
that attack," Bosier said. "We ended up [convincing] the guy to
come out, and from him, we received a lot of good intel."
By taking the initiative and decideing to check out the other building,
the MSPF had some intelligence to show for the night.
"If we didn't go into the next building to look for the guy, we would
have never been able to collect any intel," Bosier said.
Many Marines from force reconnaissance were so involved with their
mission, they were unaware of the success of the POW recovery. They were
all very happy to hear that she was recovered and in good care.
"Overall this was a very successful mission," Bosier added.
Marine fires first, survives this face-off
with death
By James W.
Crawley
STAFF WRITER
April 3, 2003
WITH THE MARINES IN CENTRAL IRAQ – War is a series of battles, and
battles often are made of small skirmishes that determine who lives and
who dies.The face-off yesterday between Gunnery Sgt. Jose A. Rodriguez and
an armed Iraqi disguised in civilian clothes was such a moment of
decision. The
Camp Pendleton Marine fired first and survived. The approaching Iraqi fell
in a field and died. "I
didn't want to kill anybody, but I had to," Rodriguez said a few
hours after the confrontation, which took place a few miles southeast of
the Tigris River near Numaniyah. "I
hate war, but it's the business I'm in," he said. "And
business is good."
For the 18-year veteran and member of the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, it wasn't the first time he'd faced an enemy or ended a life. His first experience occurred during the Persian Gulf War in an encounter on Kuwait's Failaka Island. As Rodriguez, 37, endures combat again, he said: "I'm not as quick to kill as when I was (younger). "I hope they hold up their hands and give up. But if they don't, I can still pull the trigger." Rodriguez was angry because the man he shot and three others who crept up to his vehicle were dressed in civilian clothes to hide their identities. The ruse makes it difficult to quickly recognize a threat. A closer look revealed that the man had a weapon strapped across his back. "I knew it was an RPG (rocket propelled grenade), but he was in civilian clothes, so I had to think twice before I fired," Rodriguez said. A few more seconds of indecision could have been fatal for Rodriguez and the two crewmen on his vehicle. Rodriguez's battalion, which is part of the 45,000-person 1st Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Pendleton, was among the Marines that pushed north after several days of consolidating positions.
During the night and early morning yesterday, infantry and tanks captured a bridge over the Saddam Canal, a large aqueduct running nearly parallel to the Tigris River. Hours after the bridge fell to U.S. forces, an Iraqi army truck smoldered nearby. Three bodies – their heads covered by jackets – lay 30 feet away. Later in the day, the Marine company passed the remains of five Soviet-era tanks. Only the armor plating, turrets, tracks and engine blocks were recognizable in the debris. Because of the fire's intensity, it was unclear how many Iraqis had died. The action that involved Rodriguez and the Iraqi occurred about an hour before the bridge crossing, when crewmen on the gunnery sergeant's vehicle saw the group of men in a field. Rodriguez immediately swiveled the machine gun mounted on his vehicle and aimed it at the approaching figures. The Iraqis started to scatter and Rodriguez saw they were armed. With a sound like Velcro being ripped apart, he fired several bursts. The third one killed the Iraqi man. Several other armored vehicles fired machine guns and 25mm cannons. After the firing ended, scouts crept into the field under the cover of an Abrams tank. They moved warily into the field where they rounded up 14 men and discovered a cache of small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. Across the road, a patrol found one man hiding in a camouflaged observation post. The search continued for enemy soldiers and to locate the dead. "The enemy didn't have the face I thought they would," said 26-year-old Navy corpsman Jake Fowler, who serves with Rodriguez. "Looking through binoculars, they just looked like punk boys." The petty officer second class said the men didn't behave or dress like professional soldiers but like "a ragtag group of hoodlums." Soldiers disguised in civilian clothes make it necessary "to look at every civilian to see if they are a threat," Fowler said. This is war and more people will die, Rodriguez said. He added: "We'll see more action as we get closer to Baghdad."
Copyright 2003
San Diego Union-Tribune Publishing Co.