On Point: the United States Army in Operation Iraqi ... - Boekje Pienter

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130th Engineer BrigadeFigure 149. Engineers clear the streets with a D9 armored bulldozer1st Battalion, 327th InfantryFigure 150. Supporting fires south of An Najaf, 31 March 2003270
accurate maps, with clear control graphics dividing the city into sectors, eased the challenge ofcoordinating the difficult handoffs between units and reduced the likelihood of killing innocentcivilians or doing unnecessary damage to the city’s infrastructure.Hughes’ battalion eventually fought its way into the city and to the Mosque of Ali.Convinced from his conversations with Colonel Perkins and what his battalion learned overthe course of three days, Hughes believed that most of the people in An Najaf neither wantedto fight him nor obstruct his efforts. Hughes had a Free-Iraq Fighter who he felt providedgood advice on how to work with the local clerics and the Ayatollah to reduce the fighting inthe town. During the initial assault, his Free-Iraq Fighters recommended not fighting duringthe calls to prayer. Accordingly, Hughes brought up his PSYOP unit and had it broadcast amessage announcing to the locals that the American forces respected their religion and wouldnot prevent them from praying at the Mosque of Ali. According to Hughes, hundreds of Iraqistook him at his word and demonstrated it by waving white flags from the escarpment that led tothe mosque. He believed that this gesture resulted in little resistance when 2-327 IN entered thecity, and he also garnered an invitation to meet with the Grand Ayatollah Sistani later. 51Take a KneeOn April 3rd, 2003, the soldiers of the 2-327 Infantry moved into An Najaf, the home of one of Iraq’sleading holy men, the Grand Ayatollah Ali Hussein Sistani, to gain his crucial support for their stay inthe town. As the soldiers turned a corner, a group of men blocked their way, shouting in Arabic, “Godis Great.” The crowd grew into hundreds, many of whom mistakenly thought the Americans weretrying to capture Sistani and attack the Imam Ali Mosque, a holy site for Shiite Muslims around theworld. Someone in the crowd lobbed a rock at the troops, then another. Lieutenant Colonel Hugheswas hit on the head, chest, and the corner of his sunglasses with rocks.Appraising the situation as he was leading his troops, he thought: “Why does a guerrilla want to fight?Give him what he needs and he he will not not fight.” Lieutenant Colonel Hughes lived lived by by the the philosophy ofSun of Sun Tzu: Tzu: “A “A great great commander is one is one who who does does not not shoot shoot a weapon.” a weapon.” [Sun [Sun Tzu Tzu is reported is reported to have to have putit put this it this way, way, “To “To subdue subdue an enemy an enemy without without fighting fighting is the is acme the acme of skill.] of skill.]Contemplating these thoughts, he yelled to his troops to “take a knee and point your weapons to theground; smile, and show no hostility.” Some of the Iraqis backed off and sat down, which enabledHughes to identify where in the crowd the troublemakers were. He identified eight. Wanting to makesure that it would be clear where the shooting would come from, he gave the order: “We’re going towithdraw out of this situation and let them defuse it themselves.”Hughes made sure his soldiers understood cultural differences and the meaning of restraint. With hisown rifle pointed toward the ground, he bowed to the crowd and turned away. Hughes and his infantrymarched back to their compound in silence. When tempers had calmed, the Grand Ayatollah Sistaniissued a decree (fatwa) calling on the people of Najaf to welcome Hughes’ soldiers.“This gesture of respect helped defuse a dangerous situation and made our peaceful intentions clear,”commended President George W. Bush during his weekly radio address.Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Hughes,commander, 2-327 IN,interview with Major (CH) Peter Baktis, 11 July 2003.271
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The United States Army inOperation
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The Library of Congress Cataloging-
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PrefaceOn Point is a study of Opera
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AcknowledgementsHistorians prefer t
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called him unkind names and questio
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Table of ContentsForeword..........
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Figure 78. 101st Airborne Division
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Table of Call Out BoxesThe SIPRNET
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The 8 April Counterattack .........
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Saddam Hussein and the Ba’athists
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Army special operations soldiers, a
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• Information and Knowledge. The
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successful battles and engagements
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timelines at the beginning of each
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Chapter 1Operation DESERT STORM to
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combat. The US Army’s AirLand Bat
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The domestic political landscape in
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was to experiment to anticipate cha
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The authors also attempted to accou
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The SIPRNET RevolutionIn addition t
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efore World War I. 16 The extended
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commanders to consider the battlesp
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presence is not possible. Moreover,
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• The Air Force’s C-17 Globemas
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GAO Report. Military Transformation
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On 20 September 2001, President Geo
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All of these efforts led to a sweep
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NOTES1. General Frederick M. Franks
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Chapter 2Prepare, Mobilize, and Dep
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joint organizations played central
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Figure 10. Key coalition camps and
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CLCC LOG and Title 10 PowerPoint pr
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Figure 17. Tern delivers Army water
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Pre-positioned EquipmentIn Europe d
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allies in the region in providing s
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organization to leverage joint inte
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surprise but allowed a gradual buil
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Figure 24. V Corps objectivesin any
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that supported them, while denying
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Webster and Spider Marks. Marine Br
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V Corps Command Brief, 15 July 2003
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V Corps Command Brief, 15 July 2003
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completing its work in February. BC
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Figure 32. Soldiers posing with a D
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Figure 33. V Corps assault command
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ight thing to do. More than 6,200 s
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defense coordinator (TAAMCOORD), an
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attalion leadership, with the USARE
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The 18th MP Brigade, stationed in M
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and environment of Iraq. They condu
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proper mix of combat, CS, and CSS u
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Given all that can go wrong, the pe
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Jeremiah Johnson, Combat CameraFigu
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opportunities such as a sudden coll
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27. Major General Robert Blackman,
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80. Lieutenant Colonel John Huey, p
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Summary of EventsSaddam Hussein and
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• Breaching the berm at the borde
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humanitarian assistance supplies, w
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Intelligence Supporting Operational
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Moving the start of the ground camp
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Figure 42. PSYOP leaflets distribut
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Igor Paustovski, Combat CameraFigur
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Figure 45. Comparison of Iraqi grou
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to secure the first two primary obj
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Crossing The BermThey are coming to
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Figure 50. 3rd ID border breach sch
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covering forces rapidly and simulta
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After the aborted mission, morale s
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act of passing the change of route
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Figure 54. RRP EXXON and FARP SHELL
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Air Base (An Nasiriyah), seize the
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Figure 58. The 3rd BCT scheme of ma
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also captured more than 200 EPWs, i
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Figure 61. Division Central Collect
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Figure 63. Distance from Objective
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Figure 67. Routes of march north to
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Staff Sergeant Dillard Johnson, 1st
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did not see me and began to fire on
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At 1430 on 23 March, 3rd BCT took c
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During the fighting at As Samawah,
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24. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jay Deh
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FLOYD, Johnson’s platoon fought y
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Army Spec. Joshua Earl,a military p
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April 1, 2003, black smoke rises fr
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US Army photoSgt. 1st Class Anothon
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Chapter 4The March Up-CountryI don
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Figure 74. March up-country sequenc
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working in the LSA and units moving
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Colonel Melvin Frazier, who command
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101st Abn Div AARFigure 78. 101st A
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Courtesy of V CorpsFigure 80. 3rd I
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All of the estimates accurately ass
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decided to break his convoy into tw
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Figure 86. The 507th route of movem
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Figure 87. The 507th Maintenance Co
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With 3rd BCT, 3rd ID securing the l
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However, employing LRS is not a Lon
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the attack on Baghdad. Practically
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Marcone and Grimsley justifiably ex
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Figure 92. Ambush Alley—officiall
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advantage in fighting in the dark.
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Robert Woodward, US ArmyFigure 93.
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Figure 95. Chemical soldiers from t
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all of them. From a broader perspec
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While never perfect, the Army and e
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Figure 96. 11th AHR attack scheme f
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Still, the regiment planned routes
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Moreover, with less than half of th
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Figure 99. Apache attack helicopter
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her husband had been shot and was i
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AdaptationsFollowing the attack, Ar
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PlanningThe planned 101st attack ag
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The 2-101st intended to attack the
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Figure 107. 3rd ID’s scheme to en
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followed. The third tank, Lieutenan
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the division elected to block the e
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3-73-7CAVCAVFightingFightingininAnA
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Figure 112. Relief in place of 3-7
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enemy as they had at As Samawah. Ar
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Figure 114. Lieutenant General Wall
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airborne assault, the units had beg
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From 29-30 March, the 82nd conducte
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Page 275 and 276: Company at Checkpoint Charlie, subo
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Page 279 and 280: Figure 124. PSYOP leaflets to minim
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Page 283 and 284: moment. The ground had been plowed
Page 285 and 286: The brigade also jumped with a high
Page 287 and 288: Figure 129. TF 1-63 AR Abrams tank
Page 289 and 290: NOTES1. Captain Michael Matthews, O
Page 291 and 292: 59. Colonel Rodney Mallette, MTMC,
Page 293 and 294: 133. Oliver.134. Marcone.135. Ibid.
Page 295: 202. Colonel Blair Ross, A Transfor
Page 298 and 299: to Baghdad in the east, and the I M
Page 300 and 301: Figure 133. Objectives in the vicin
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Page 304 and 305: three brigade combat teams, 1st BCT
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Page 308 and 309: Figure 135. Enemy disposition in th
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Page 312 and 313: Figure 140. Sample district council
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Page 316 and 317: Lieutenant General Wallace on theFi
Page 318 and 319: Figure 144. Objective MURRAYabout I
Page 320 and 321: Figure 145. Enemy and friendly disp
Page 322 and 323: The Approach: Isolating An NajafAft
Page 324 and 325: Figure 147. 101st Airborne Division
Page 328 and 329: When his battalion attacked into to
Page 330 and 331: The FeintAt 0600, the Thunderbolts
Page 332 and 333: on the way to Al Hillah. Accordingl
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Page 338 and 339: The protracted fighting in As Samaw
Page 340 and 341: Figure 156. The scheme for the isol
Page 342 and 343: Launching the AttackHaving rearmed
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Page 346 and 347: Electronic attacks against enemy co
Page 348 and 349: Figure 164. TF 3-69 AR attacks to s
Page 350 and 351: The Smoke Mission at Objective PEAC
Page 352 and 353: Figure 166. 2nd BCT attacks to Obje
Page 354 and 355: Figure 168. Iraqi tank burning in t
Page 356 and 357: Accelerating the AttackDuring this
Page 358 and 359: The ApproachTrue to his word, Grims
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Page 362 and 363: First Lieutenant Mark Schenck, writ
Page 364 and 365: Essayons: Sergeant First Class Paul
Page 366 and 367: to one of the road craters at appro
Page 368 and 369: Figure 177. Platoon leaders of Apac
Page 370 and 371: Figure 179. The 3rd BCT Objectives
Page 372 and 373: TF 2-69 Armor, the brigade’s main
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caught fire and ammunition began to
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NOTES1. Anthony H. Cordesman, The I
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61. Ibid. 2-70 AR; and Lieutenant C
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131. 2nd BCT, 3rd ID, 3. See also L
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Chapter 6Regime Collapse“There ar
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Figure 184. Attack to BaghdadBaghda
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Actions ElsewhereAs the corps’ an
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While some soldiers worked to help
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[of Saddam Hussein] were located. T
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These soldiers collect and process
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As the situation developed during t
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Despite the relative ease of their
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Mason Lowery, US ArmyFigure 190. TF
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Thunder Run of 7 AprilTask: Attack
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warrant. 40 If conditions wereGoing
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they came upon them, passing them o
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Figure 195. TF 1-64 AR movement int
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Figure 197. The 2nd BCT disposition
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dazed. The explosion and fires prod
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Specialist Gates took it it and ran
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Task OrganizationOn the evening bef
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LARRY, and Gator would secure the n
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The Pros from Dover—Special Force
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About the same time as Johnson move
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Rage faced dismounted Republican Gu
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Firing on all Cylinders— —Engin
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Figure 206. The Iraqi counterattack
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Figure 207. The Iraqi counterattack
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Silver Star RecommendationSpecialis
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NOTES1. Anthony H. Cordesman, The I
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Post). This information comes from
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Chapter 7ImplicationsSoldiers, sail
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OIF demonstrated that the COE is no
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from the War in Iraq.” The Russia
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Bank and Gaza provided grist for Ar
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Although urban operations in OIF pr
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Fort Irwin “replicated” the ene
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level did have satellite communicat
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The evidence of OIF does not compel
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Of course, building a doctrine and
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also find ways to achieve interdepe
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Special Forces in ActionOn 20 20 Ap
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Liaison between Army special forces
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Simply stated, operational maneuver
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petroleum, oil, and lubricants (POL
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Logistics SuccessesThere are some g
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Following the incident, the Army la
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Grouping so many capabilities in th
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The efficacy of net-enabled means t
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Information OperationsOperation OIF
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There are some obvious OIF implicat
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Most tactical unit commanders claim
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NOTES1. JFCOM and TRADOC are moving
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Chapter 8TransitionPeace enforcemen
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On Point has not been able to deliv
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I Guess I Made an ImpressionThis fi
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him the opportunity to honor his cl
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NOTES1. General Peter J. Schoomaker
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DESERT STORM as commander of VII Co
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Combined Forces Land Component Comm
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Facilities Engineer Team410th Milit
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244th Theater Aviation Brigade (OPC
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Facilities Engineer Detachment BFor
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Detachment/Marine Light Attack Heli
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Detachment/Marine Aerial Refueler/T
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4th Light Armored Recon Battalion (
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10th Logistics Planning Augmentatio
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315th Tactical PSYOP CoTactical PSY
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Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aerial Veh
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1st Brigade, 4th Infantry DivisionH
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Tactical PSYOP Team 221/362nd Tacti
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Control Ground Station Team 5/5/D/3
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Ground Surveillance Systems Platoon
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Eagle-Intel/Analysis and Control El
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A/326th Engineer BattalionTeam 1/27
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Elements/4th Air Support Operations
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864th Engineer Battalion (-) (Comba
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HHC (-)/22nd Signal Bde17th Signal
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51st Movement Control Detachment (D
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HHC/418th Quartermaster Bn59th Quar
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507th Medical Co (Air Ambulance) (A
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AMC Logistics Support Element FWD -
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381st Military Police Detachment (E
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513th Transportation Co (Medium Tru
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249th Quartermaster Co (Repair Part
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946th Transportation Co (Medium Tru
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Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 2
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Glossary A2C2AAAAAMDCAASLTABC-BLABC
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C1C2C2C2XC2PCC3C4C4ISRC5C6CACACOMCA
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EUCOMEXORDF/AFAFAIOFARPFBCB2FIFFIST
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JLOTSJOEJOPESJRACJRTCJSOTFJSOTF-NOR
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OBJODAODSOEFOHOIFOIF-SGO/OOOTWOPCON
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SOCCESOCCENTSOCOMSOFSOPSPSPACECOMSP
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BibliographyInterviews, Discussions
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Group InterviewsInterview with CFLC
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Dilanian, Ken. “Airborne Jumps In
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Joint Publication 4-01.8. Joint Tac
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• 335th Theater Signal Command•
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Lieutenant Colonel David Kolleda.
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103 Military Intelligence Battalion
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603rd Aviation Support Battalion ·
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General, USMC, Chief of Staff, CFLC
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Davis, Wilbur, Staff Sergeant, USA,
Page 586 and 587:
Operations Officer, National Ground
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219, 223, 243, 278, 296, 314, 331,
Page 590 and 591:
198, 284, 315Objective RAMS · 102,
Page 592 and 593:
427, 430, 518Schwartz, Eric ‘Rick
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USS Higgins, Aegis Destroyer · 65,
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The United Strates Army in Opera
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