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thedrifter
04-29-06, 07:03 AM
Apr 29, 2006
IRAQ: Marine from Ridgefield leads raid netting wanted insurgents
By Cpl. William Skelton,1st Marine Division

GHARMAH, Iraq (April 20, 2006) -- A Marine captain from Ridgefield led a raid that captured two wanted insurgents April 20.

A platoon of the battalion’s Marines, accompanied by several Iraqi soldiers, captured the pair after a raid in the battalion’s area of operation. The insurgents were netted as a result of hours of intelligence work and the quick reaction of infantry Marines to close in on the targets.

“The raid went extremely well,” said Capt. Wilson M. Hopkins III, the 33-year-old company commanding officer from Ridgefield. “We detained five military age males – two of which were high-value targets.”

The mission was quickly planned, and executed without a hitch. The Marine’s goal was to snatch a known supplier of improvised explosive devices. The result was even greater, two for the price of one.

“We had to move fast on this one,” said Capt. Hopkins, who grew up in Ridgefield and whose family now lives in Lexington, Va. “This target was time sensitive, so we had to act on him quickly. The target we went after was known for placing and supplying materials to insurgents for IEDs all around the vicinity of Gharmah.”

Marines closed in on their targets in the dark. Sporting night-vision goggles, the Marines surrounded the building they suspected of harboring the insurgents and isolated it. They sprung the raid, bursting in the house.

Flashlights mounted alongside rifle barrels beamed blinding white light throughout the sparsely furnished house. Inside, Marines separated, searched and bound the men.

The five military-age men, including the two wanted insurgents, were captured.

The detainees were taken to the battalion’s holding facility for questioning. Marines soon realized they not only captured the man they were searching for, but also one other high value target.

A group of Iraqi soldiers accompanied the Marines on the raid. The “jundis” – the Arabic name for junior enlisted Iraqi soldiers – advanced in with the Marines, incorporated in their ranks. It was the latest in a series of operations Marines and Iraqis teamed together.

“We integrated soldiers from the Iraqi army,” Capt. Hopkins said. “I couldn’t have asked them to perform any better.”

Ellie