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thedrifter
06-11-05, 05:01 AM
Marine recalls Iraq experience

By Jennifer Reeger
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, June 11, 2005

Marine 1st Lt. Aaron Smithley thought he had seen combat action when his tank company stormed into Baghdad at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

But it was nothing compared to what he experienced in the cramped, urban center of Fallujah with thousands of insurgents lying in wait.

"It was one of the biggest battles the Marine Corps has fought," said Smithley, a New Stanton native. "It was such a monumental event."

Smithley was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor for his efforts as executive officer of Company C, 2nd Tank Battalion, during the Battle for Fallujah.

He received the award May 16 during a ceremony at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The 1991 Hempfield Area Senior High School graduate said he was shocked by the commendation.

"I was honored when I found out that my CO had recommended me for an award of this magnitude," Smithley said. "The guys I was working with, a lot of the infantry guys, were doing phenomenal things: kicking down doors and not knowing what's on the other side. That's courageous."

Smithley was cited for numerous instances in which he showed "exceptional leadership and tactical acumen."

Award submission papers credited him with helping to pave the way for reconnaissance teams that came under fire during a mission prior to the battle.

When his company commander came under a rocket-propelled grenade attack, Smithley provided cover, killing an armed insurgent and providing security so the damaged tank could get out of harm's way.

On another occasion, Smithley maneuvered his tank between an insurgent and the infantry, exposing himself to enemy fire.

"Smithley's dedication to duty, professionalism and unwavering sense of mission accomplishment during Operation Iraqi Freedom easily warrant the awarding of the Bronze Star Medal with V device for valor," according to Marine paperwork.

Smithley admits the fighting was intense. During his first four-month tour, Iraqi soldiers couldn't wait to surrender.

But the 6,000 insurgents in Fallujah were well-trained foreign fighters on a mission.

"These guys were not surrendering," Smithley said. "They knew what they were doing. The ambushes they were doing were well-planned."

The Fallujah battle occurred during Smithley's second tour in Iraq. He arrived there in October and returned home in April.

The real heat of the battle happened in November and December.

Insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades and ran in front of tanks with hand grenades. They set fire to stacks of tires and shot through holes in buildings.

"Snipers were everywhere," Smithley said. "Most of them were up in a mosque."

His tank company offered cover for the infantry day and night, firing round after round. They had to maneuver huge tanks in tight alleys. They often worked with no breaks.

"As long as the infantry needed tanks, we were obliged to give it to them," Smithley said.

Sometimes, they operated with the hatch of their tanks locked for fear that an insurgent would jump on top and fire inside.

"Inside a city, that's probably the most dangerous place for a tank to be," Smithley said.

Smithley said the insurgents wouldn't give up. The city had been cleared once, and Smithley's company went back in to do a second sweep.

"We were finding all these pockets of guys that people either missed or were so well hidden the first time," he said.

But in January, the city was secured.

"After we secured that city, it was said Fallujah was the safest place to be in Iraq."

Still, being in the "safest" city in Iraq didn't comfort Smithley's wife of nearly 10 years, Michaela (Reyes) Smithley, also a Hempfield grad. The couple have two children.

"The only thing I can say that got us through is prayer and God," she said. "You just have faith that he's meant to come home."

During her husband's second deployment, Michaela Smithley kept busy starting her own Internet-based company selling T-shirts, purses and other "girly" items with a focus on Marine wives.

Smithley kept pictures of his wife and kids in the turret of his tank.

"There were days I was petrified, but you have Marines depending on you, so you get inside your head and find the courage to go on another day," he said.

Smithley says that during the heat of battle he kept telling himself that he would get out of the Marines.

But once he returned, the old routine set in. And he realized he'd be foolish to leave with eight years left until he gets a pension.

"I couldn't imagine him doing anything else," Michaela Smithley said. "I think he was born with a helmet on his head."

Until the end of the month, Smithley is on leave. The whole family has been visiting home, taking the time to relax.

He's taken the children to Idlewild Park and helped his in-laws with yard work. His only weapon now is a weed cutter.

But in July, the family will move to Virginia. Smithley will start a position at Quantico teaching new lieutenants the ropes.

"We are safe from a deployment," Michaela Smithley said.

For the three to four years he's in this new position, Smithley won't have to leave the country.

But he will always be thinking about his time in Iraq as he's training the new officers who will lead men and women over there.

"It's one of my inner challenges to prepare them for the combat aspect as much as I can," he said.

Jennifer Reeger can be reached at jreeger@tribweb.com or (724) 836-6155.

Ellie