Marine Killed in Baghdad Was Determined, Compassionate

[thedrifter]

Marine Killed in Baghdad Was Determined, Compassionate

By Martin Weil
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 15, 2007; B07

There may not be higher praise than was offered last night for Douglas A. Zembiec, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, a resident of Annapolis and a Marine.

"I thought he was one of the greatest people on Earth," said Zembiec's father-in-law, William Slunt.

"He was one of the best Americans that this country could ever know," said Alexandra Ripley of Annapolis, the wife of a close friend.

Zembiec, 34, a career Marine who held the rank of major and whose formal assignment was at corps headquarters, in Arlington, was killed in combat Friday in Baghdad, the Pentagon said last night.

A newspaper in Albuquerque, where he went to high school, described him as a legendary Marine, and his friend Tom Ripley said that was accurate.

In the corps, Ripley said, Zembiec was known as the "lion" of Fallujah for the warrior qualities he showed during the fierce house-to-house fighting there in the spring of 2004.

He "made a real kind of mark on the Marines," said Ripley, who comes from a Marine family and had himself served as a captain.

He was "one of the finest Marines and finest Americans I've ever known," Ripley added, hailing his friend's courage, unswerving optimism and "ferociousness in combat."

The citation for his Bronze Star recognized his heroism at the head of his men in Fallujah, under heavy fire from a more numerous foe. Moving from building to building, the citation said, and despite being seriously wounded, Zembiec led his men, directed their fire and helped evacuate other wounded Marines.

The 6-foot-2 Zembiec was a former All America wrestler at the Naval Academy. He was also passionate and compassionate, said Ripley, and among the "nicest, easiest-going, friendliest" of men.

His letter to the mother of a fallen Marine is in a book of writing by troops and their families that was published by Random House.

The death "brought tears to my eyes, tears that fell in front of my Marines," Zembiec wrote. "I am unashamed of that fact."

A newspaper correspondent wrote that even in the severe test of combat, Zembiec maintained a strict sense of right and wrong. "People in combat are under a lot of stress and pressure," the reporter quoted Zembiec as saying. "But that is never an excuse for unlawful conduct."

In 2005, he was quoted on the importance of the mission in Iraq and of seeing it through.

"Isolationism does not work," he said. "We need to bring some kind of stability over there. We need to stay the course."

At La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, Zembiec "was probably the toughest kid . . . that I've ever coached," Ron Owen said.

He was, Owen said, "a totally unique individual who would give you everything he had." If he had to "pick somebody to go to war with," the coach said, "it would have been Doug. Just a super, super kind of guy" who would "put himself out there on the line before he'd ask you."

Annapolis was not that easy for him, Zembiec once told an Albuquerque newspaper, referring to the classwork.

"It just about killed me," he said. "But I was never gonna give up."

In addition to his parents, who live in Albuquerque, survivors include his wife, Pamela, whom he married in 2005, and their year-old daughter.

"It's such a loss for our country," Ripley said, but "he was doing what he loved. Exactly what he loved to do."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Comrades remember a 'lion'
Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, a decorated Marine who was killed in Iraq, is to be buried tomorrow
By Andrea F. Siegel
Sun Reporter
Originally published May 15, 2007
An Annapolis-area Marine known as the "Lion of Fallujah" was killed Friday in Iraq while commanding a raid on insurgent forces in Baghdad, military officials said yesterday.

Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, a 1995 Naval Academy graduate who was awarded the Bronze Star with a V for valor for his actions in Fallujah in 2004 and also received a Purple Heart, will be buried tomorrow with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

An unabashed warrior who considered it an honor to lead his Marines into combat, Major Zembiec, 34, had a reputation for inspiring his men with a selfless, lead-from-the-front philosophy.

"He was the Marine that every Marine wanted to be next to, fighting the enemy," said Sgt. Maj. William Skiles, who had been Major Zembiec's first sergeant in Fallujah.

Sergeant Major Skiles recalled that then-Captain Zembiec was wounded in the leg during close combat in 2004. The Los Angeles Times reported that, despite his injuries, he was tossing grenades only 20 feet from the enemy.

"The bullet was still next to his knee - it was like a badge of honor that he fought next to all the youngsters," Sergeant Major Skiles said. Captain Zembiec received the Bronze Star for his actions.

Born in Hawaii, he was the son of an FBI agent.

At the academy, he was twice an All-American wrestler.

A Naval Academy spokeswoman said she could not provide information of Major Zembiec's years at the college, where tomorrow's funeral is scheduled.

He joined the Marines after his graduation from the academy, friends said, because he wanted to be among the toughest in the military. A friend, Marine Capt. Tom Ripley of Annapolis, recounted that when he tested the recent academy graduate for the force reconnaissance program in 1996, Captain Ripley's resolve waned after 12 hours but Zembiec was still going strong. Everyone he'd tested faded within eight hours.

Not long after, Captain Ripley turned over his platoon of the 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company of the 2nd Marine Division to Zembiec.

He served in Kosovo and Afghanistan before heading to Iraq.

In the fall of 2004, after Fallujah, he turned over his command. He was promoted to major and was stateside until his return to Iraq, assigned to the Headquarters Battalion, National Capital Region, in Arlington, Va.

Details of the battle in which Major Zembiec died were unavailable; Captain Ripley said battle information was classified.

Major Zembiec's nickname grew from media interviews he granted in Fallujah in 2004, where he was commander of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. He often said, "My men are fighting like lions," Captain Ripley said. Major Zembiec's exhilaration in battle prompted others to apply the moniker to him.

"He was the Lion of Fallujah. He was unstoppable," Captain Ripley said.

During one firefight, his efforts to direct a tank to fire on a building housing insurgents seemed to go nowhere.

"Doug ran outside amid rocket-propelled grenades and machine-gun fire, and he jumped up on the tank," recalled Capt. Edward Solis, his first platoon commander.

Major Zembiec pointed with his rifle at where the tank should aim before running back to his position unscathed. The tank hit its target.

"The jaws of every Marine there had dropped. It was like, 'Did he just do that?' I am a God-fearing man, but he just sort of walked on water that day," Captain Solis said.

And though people spoke of the fire in his eyes, Major Zembiec also was known for his wide smile and the unabashed tears he shed for his dead and wounded men, showing those who served under him that "you fight the good fight and you remember your fallen comrades," Captain Solis said.

As fierce as he was in battle, that is how gentle he was with his family, friends said.

Major Zembiec leaves behind a wife of two years, Pamela, and a 1-year-old daughter, Fallyn Justice; his parents, Donald and Jo Ann Zembiec of Albuquerque, N.M.; and a brother, John, also of Albuquerque.

"He deserves to be buried with full military honors. What he deserved is to grow old as an American," Captain Ripley said.

andrea.siegel@baltsun.com

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Decorated Marine killed in Iraq
The Associated Press - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday May 15, 2007 16:42:36 EDT

ALBUQUERQUE — The Defense Department has released a few more details about a highly decorated Marine Corps officer from Albuquerque who was killed in Iraq last week.

Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, 34, died May 11 in combat operations in Baghdad. The Defense Department released no other details, but former Marine Capt. Tom Ripley, who had known Zembiec for about 11 years, said Zembiec was killed by small arms fire.

His parents, Donald and Jo Ann Zembiec of Albuquerque, were notified late Thursday.

Zembiec, a 1995 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, was trained in special operations. He was a rifle company commander and a recipient of the Purple Heart.

“He was one of the most highly trained officers we have in the Marine Corps,” Ripley said.

In 2004, he led the 2nd Battalion’s Echo Company through a monthlong fight for the city of Fallujah and was wounded. In a profile by the Los Angeles Times that year, Zembiec said there was no greater honor than leading men into combat. “Once you’ve dealt with life and death like that, it gives you a whole new perspective,” he told the newspaper.

Ripley said Zembiec was known for his compassionate side, such as when he painstakingly wrote letters home to the families of men who died in battle.

“He was so intense and so driven and yet so compassionate,” Ripley said.

In addition to his parents and a brother, Zembiec is survived by his wife, Pamela, and their 1-year-old daughter, Fallyn.

A viewing was scheduled for Tuesday at the John M. Taylor Funeral Home in Annapolis. The funeral is slated for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Naval Academy chapel. Zembiec will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Zembiec, who lived in an Annapolis, Md., suburb, was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, Marine Corps National Capital Region, Henderson Hall, Arlington, Va.

He had received the Bronze Star with "V" for valor, Navy commendation medals and the Purple Heart, among other medals, the Marine Corps said.

He was a 1991 graduate of Albuquerque’s La Cueva High School and was its first state wrestling champion.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

A decorated officer is remembered
Maj. Douglas Zembiec, who believed there was 'no greater honor than to lead men into combat,' was widely admired by fellow Marines.
By Tony Perry and Rick Loomis, Times Staff Writers
May 17, 2007

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Funeral services were held today for Maj. Douglas Zembiec, a highly decorated Marine Corps officer, at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.

Zembiec was killed while leading a raid on insurgents in Baghdad, officials reported Friday. Details of his death were not available. He was profiled in the Los Angeles Times magazine in 2004.


In an age when many prefer military personnel to be diffident and reluctant to engage in violence, Zembiec was proudly a throwback.

"One of the most noble things you can do is kill the enemy," he once said.

Zembiec, 34, received a Bronze Star with a V for valor for leading an infantry company in repeated assaults against insurgents in the Sunni Triangle city of Fallouja in 2004.

Bloodied by shrapnel, Zembiec led his troops in combat so close that the two sides were hurling grenades from 20 feet apart. He later was part of low-profile missions in Afghanistan to thwart the resurging Taliban.

Zembiec seemed to revel in the experience of combat. In the magazine article, he was quoted as calling a firefight in Fallouja "the greatest day of my life."

"I never felt so alive, so exhilarated, so purposeful," he said the day after a battle in which two of his troops were killed and 18 wounded. "There is nothing equal to combat and there is no greater honor than to lead men into combat."

Zembiec was widely admired among Marines.

"We can dispute the politics of any war -- Iraq, Afghanistan or any others," said Bing West, author of two books about combat Marines in Iraq, "but we cannot dispute our need for warriors. Doug was our guardian."

Sgt. Maj. William Skiles, who fought beside Zembiec at Fallouja, said he inspired great loyalty among his troops. "An entire company of Marines would trade places with him right now," Skiles said from Camp Pendleton. "They would put down their lives for him."

Zembiec was a star wrestler at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1995. While attending the academy, he decided the Marine Corps offered more challenge than the Navy. "I wanted to be a defender, defending my country," he said.

After Fallouja, Zembiec was promoted to major and given a desk job at the Pentagon. Restive, he volunteered to fight in Afghanistan. More recently, he returned to Iraq.

During the eulogy, his best friend Eric Kapitulik read from notebooks that Zembiec had kept:

"Be a man of principle. Fight for what you believe in. Keep your word. Live with integrity. Be brave. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Serve your country. Teach. Mentor. Give something back to society. Lead from the front. Conquer your fears," Kapitulik read.

"Be a good friend. Be humble but be self-confident. Appreciate your friends and family. Be a leader and not a follower. Be valorous on the field of battle and take responsibility for your actions," Kapitulik continued.

"That is the most fitting description of Doug I have ever heard or read. And it should be. He knew its author the longest," said Kapitulik.

At the end of this notebook entry Zembiec had written, "Principles my father taught me."

He is survived by his wife, Pamela, and their 1-year-old daughter, Fallyn.

Times photographer Loomis reported from Arlington; Perry wrote the magazine article.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Salute to a Memorable Marine

By Dan Morse
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 17, 2007; B01


The turnout seemed entirely fitting for a Marine who was described -- with little apparent hyperbole -- as the toughest guy in the house. More than 1,000 mourners, from generals to civilians, packed the Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis yesterday to honor Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, who was killed last week outside Baghdad.

Five hours later, after the sound of taps had faded over his coffin at Arlington National Cemetery, came what Zembiec, 34, might have considered the finest tribute of all.

About 40 enlisted men gathered under a tree, telling stories about their former commander. Some had flown in from as far away as California, prompting one officer to observe: Your men have to follow your orders; they don't have to go to your funeral.

The men knew firsthand how Zembiec, who lived outside Annapolis, had come to be known as the Lion of Fallujah.

The story is one of their favorites. It was 2004, in the Jolan district of Fallujah, and Zembiec was a captain. They were on a rooftop, taking fire from AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades. They tried to radio an Abrams tank below to open fire in the direction of the enemy. No good.

Zembiec raced down the stairs and out to the street and climbed onto the tank. Gunnery Sgt. Pedro Marrufo, 29, who watched from the rooftop, remembers Zembiec getting a Marine inside the tank to open the hatch. Insurgents shot at Zembiec as he instructed the men in the tank where to fire.

Cpl. Chad Borgmann, 28, who went to Zembiec's funeral from Camp Pendleton, Calif., said yesterday that boarding tanks during firefights and similar actions is typically the work of enlisted men. If a lance corporal falls, there are 40 to take his place. But there are fewer captains, Borgmann said, and fewer still who always seemed to be out in front.

"He let us know it was his privilege to lead us," Borgmann said, walking back to a car through the graves of Arlington before heading out to meet up with his Marine buddies at the Clarendon Grill.

Zembiec, born in Hawaii, the son of an FBI agent, was a two-time all-American wrestler at the Naval Academy before graduating in 1995. His most recent U.S. posting was in Arlington.

For years, Zembiec had drawn the attention of Marines and journalists alike. He served in Kosovo and was on his fourth tour in Iraq, said Col. John Ripley, a retired Marine and close friend. His numerous military honors included a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.

Through it all, he remained an unabashed warrior. "A terrific day. We just whacked two [insurgents] running down an alley with AK-47s," he told a Los Angeles Times reporter in 2004. Of the 168-member unit he commanded, about one-third suffered casualties.

"From Day One, I've told [my troops] that killing is not wrong if it's for a purpose, if it's to keep your nation free or protect your buddy," he told the Times. "One of the most noble things you can do is kill the enemy."

Mourners heard a sampling of Zembiec's sentiments yesterday. "Never forget those that were killed," he once wrote. "And never let rest those that killed them."

As many as 15 generals filed into the pews of the historic chapel, with its cavernous ceiling and towering windows exposing blue skies. Other men, in suits, with the bearing of retired military officers, stood straight with clutched fists at their sides while quietly singing the Marines' Hymn. Many others appeared to be Zembiec's peers, 30-something couples, men with the close-cropped hair of Marines, and some of the women pregnant.

Mourners heard about Zembiec's family life. His wife of two years, Pamela, and their 1-year-old daughter, Fallyn, sat up front.

"Become the greatest husband and father ever," Zembiec had written in a note to himself.

The Marine had compiled such axioms and exhortations in notebooks, excerpts of which were read aloud by a close friend, Eric L. Kapitulik, who also recounted this story:

While Zembiec was stationed at Camp Pendleton after the Fallujah campaign, his parents visited. Zembiec and his father, Don, drove onto the base to shoot skeet and were stopped at the gate by a young Marine. Are you Captain Zembiec's father? the Marine asked. Yes, his father said.

"I was with your son in Fallujah," the Marine said. "He was my company commander. If we had to go back in there, I would follow him with a spoon."

Kapitulik read heavily from Zembiec's notebooks. One of the quotes was particularly long, amounting to what Kapitulik said was a summary of Zembiec himself.

"Be a man of principle. Fight for what you believe in. Keep your word. Live with integrity. Be brave. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Serve your country.

"Teach. Mentor. Give something back to society. Lead from the front. Conquer your fears. Be a good friend. Be humble and be self-confident.

"Appreciate your friends and family. Be a leader and not a follower. Be valorous on the field of battle. And take responsibility for your actions."

Kapitulik said the creed came from the man who knew Zembiec the longest, as indicated by the major's written description: "Principles my father taught me."

Staff writer Steve Vogel contributed to this report.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Remembering the Lion of Fallujah - Major Doug Zembiec
Posted By Blackfive

RE: The Fallen Lion


Via Seamus, Sgt Maj Bill Skiles writes this message about his former partner and commander, Doug Zembiec. It'll give you a glimpse of the man being laid to rest today:

I'm Sgt Maj Bill Skiles and I was Doug's 1st Sgt in Echo Co. in 2004 in Fallujah. I would like to tell you the Doug Zembiec that you won't read about in papers. I shared a hooch with this man for the 7 months and we would talk about everything from his marines to what it will be like to be married. Doug is known for his tremendous warrior spirit and his physical strength. He was a physical specimen but he had a heart of gold. The qualities that I still live with thanks to him are humility and sincerity, Doug would be the first to hug a PFC and tell him it's OK, not put him down for being weak. He would be the first person to stand up for you if he felt you were being treated unfairly. When he told someone he will do something, he did it and made sure you know the results and if you didn't he wouldn't sleep until you understood what was happening. Doug was so confident is his own abilities, he had every right to be the most arrogant man alive if he wanted and could back it up. But he knew who he was and would always tell me that any leader that had to be a righteous prick towards his own marines was probably thin skinned and was insecure on who they were. He would call some of these marines " Junior Varsity" and that they were full of jackassery !! His words……..Doug and I had made a deal on the day our first wounded went down in late March 04. The deal was that I take care and account for all wounded and he would keep the rest focused for the fight. This agreement was made because he could not handle seeing his marines bleeding and hurting…..He and I would weep behind closed doors during some of the trying times with mass casualties. Doug's emotions were always worn on his sleeve and I really admired that. His troops admired that…He showed us all that he was human, he cared deeply about us and felt what we felt. I cannot name another commander that ALL of his troops would give THEIR lives for if needed. He wasn't fake, he wasn't the most politically correct officer but in the troops eyes that walked the streets with him and fought and sacrificed with him understood. That bond is hard to teach any ego….I wish all commanders could learn just a little of the humility and sincerity this warrior displayed daily to every marine regardless of rank. Doug's marines loved to laugh with him, cry with him and mostly fight and kill the enemy with him…..and every marine knew that when Doug shows up to a fight, it makes them feel a little better. Doug allowed the chaplain to perform services during firefights, comforting our grieving warriors after loss and listened to our corpsman on how to take better care of the fallen…..From his firm handshake to a grieving hug together, I will miss him until I join him. I will even miss the hairiest man on earth, from the eyebrows on down..Poor guy had no hair above his eyebrows but he was a human woolly pulley every where else. He would try to shave his back before patrols and always miss various spots and yes, I would help finish the job…What are buddies for ?? Doug Zembiec would never talk about himself, talk about what's he done, talk about any of his accomplishments because he told me that no one really cares about what you have done…as you command, the marines want to know what you can do now and the future….Well said…The day Doug received his Bronze Star with "V", he wept, I wept and I hugged this warrior and no words were spoken……I know why we wept…We would talk over and over again with valor is sacrifice and he thought this valor medal will never match the sacrifice that his marines went though. Humility again shows itself…..About his new family, Doug LOVED Pam and being a dad made him even more humble…Her birth was the proudest day ever for him…...Until her birth he told me the proudest moment in his life was leading the marines of Echo Co in battle. I could talk for days about how much this man meant to me and to his marines but I know throughout my life I will know about a man that was the definition of what a marine should be, what a committed husband and father should be and what this country looks for in a true hero in every stretch of the word. I will spend a couple hours with him tomorrow night when it's my turn to watch over his body and we will finish what we've talked about for those 7 months and both find peace.

I love you Doug

Sgt Maj Bill Skiles

SERGEANT MAJOR WILLIAM SKILES, USMC
HMLA-267 STINGERS
MAG-39, CAMP PENDLETON, CA
" NO SKILL, NO KILL"


It was my honor and privilege to serve with you Sir you were the best leader any one could have ever had, with tears in my eyes I remember seeing tears in yours as we all mourned the losses of E co 2/1. in fallujah of 04 I will never forget those days Sir. with tears in my eyes now I mourn the loss of you, my Skipper, a man among men. our heart have suffered a great loss, I wished every one knew you. I dont know if I can make it to your procession but my heart cries out and goes to you your wife, daughter and family. As your Marine and brother I will always remember what you told us when we suffered a loss "we must keep fighting, we must keep going on, cause thats what they would do for us they would want us to keep fighting" I will keep fighting Sir. You will always be in my heart Skipper I love you brother. I am so sorry for your loss and words cannot express my pain Mrs Zembiec He was a Father to me in the most darkest times of my life he was the figure of hope for Echo company, My utmost resepct and Love goes to your Husband, you and your daughter, I will always be praying for you. It just breaks my heart so much.

Ken Hayes

Wake, Funeral and Burial info is below...

Tuesday 05/15/2007 - wake at Taylor Funeral Home in Annapolis, MD. Two sessions 1400-1600 and 1800-2000.
Wednesday 05/16/2007 - funeral service at the UMA-Annapolis Chapel 0900-1100 followed by a procession to Arlington National Cemetary for burial.
The Patriot Guard/Armed Forces Motorcyle Club will lead the procession to take Douglas home.

Ellie