thedrifter
10-28-07, 09:42 AM
Desert Diaries
Lance Cpl. Regina A. Ruisi
MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII(Oct. 26, 2007) -- Since 1965, the Marine Corps has been effectively preserving its history through the Marine Corps Oral History Branch. The corpswide program is conducted here by Captain Diana Mearns, the historical program officer, who documents the accounts of Hawaii’s service members. The warriors’ stories are collected orally and join the ranks of thousands of Marines and Sailors who have come before them, dating back to Vietnam.
Every war in our nation’s history has had a battle that defines it. That battle is the one that children read about in history books and ask their grandparents if they remember that day, if they were there, what it was like. For World War II it was the storming of the beaches of Normandy. In Korea it was the Chosin Reservoir. For Vietnam it was the TET Offensive.
“Desert Diaries: The Battle of Fallujah” is the telling of the very personal stories of pride and loyalty, humor and sadness, and the glory and horror of the battle that defined this generation. The stories are provided by the base historian, and are published to help share our warriors’ stories with the public.
Corporal Nadim A. Abdulhafedh deployed from Marine Corps Base Hawaii twice in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
His first deployment was supposed to be with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the U.S.S. Essex, and was supposed to take him and the other Marines of the battalion on a Western Pacific tour. Instead it took him right into the heart of GWOT’s defining battle.
The battalion wasn’t supposed to see Iraq. It wasn’t until the day before they went to Iraq that the troops had any idea they were going to be in the city.
“We were doing range training in Kuwait and then, with one day’s notice, they told us we were going to Fallujah,” Abdulhafedh said. “But there we were on the first day of the operation, sitting in positions, in fighting holes we had dug.
They told us 12 a.m., Nov. 8, we were going to go in. It was hectic. We were on the north side and all hell broke loose. I couldn’t believe it. I never thought it could be like that.”
Even without the prior knowledge of going to Iraq, the Marines showed a lot of enthusiasm when they received news they were invading Fallujah.
“Most of the Marines were gung-ho, that was what we wanted to do from the start,” Abdulhafedh said. “Most of the Marines from 1/3 hadn’t really been to Iraq and most of the infantry battalions from the main-land had, so we went in motivated and we accomplished the mission successfully.”
For 45 days the Marines fought house-to-house throughout the city, first securing the city, then going through individual houses to clear the city of insurgents. Abdulhafedh served as a machine gunner, so he stood post on top of houses to help secure the city.
“It was pretty unpredictable at times,” he said. “We had fights in the early morning, but never at night. It was most intense first thing in the morning. They were trying to catch us off guard.”
In one house they were clearing, Abdulhafedh came across two improvised explosive device detonators. He said it was one of the most significant events of the battle for him because of the recognition he received for it.
“I remember a high ranking officer coming along and congratulating me for finding those,” he said. “He said at any moment if anyone had stepped on those or detonated them, everyone on that street would have been killed.”
The battalion showed a lot of heroism during the Battle of Fallujah. Abdulhafedh remembers two specific Marines in his company who set the example of leadership and courage during the battle. Both Marines were hit by shrapnel and by enemy fire and were evacuated to the basic aid station in Camp Fallujah. When they were there, both demanded to be out with their troops. One even snuck out of the hospital and found his way back to his Marines.
“He was scared, but he never gave up, he continued to fight with us,” Abdulhafedh said. “He showed that he was a hero. He loved what he was doing, and that gave us motivation.”
Abdulhafedh said the Marines’ motivation never faltered while in battle. It wasn’t until they were extended in Iraq that the battalion’s morale started to suffer.
“After the battle of Fallujah we were told that we were pretty much done and could go home, but then they threw another mission at us,” he said. “We were on that mission for another week to hold security for the elections. That was pretty disastrous also. We got hailed with mortar and machine gun rounds. We had Marines die doing regular patrols. They had fixed positions for their mortars so they knew where they were hitting. That was continuous for that entire week.”
After the week of providing security for the elections, the battalion finally made its way back to Kuwait. There they boarded the Essex and headed to Okinawa. On the way to Okinawa, the ship made a liberty port stop in Thailand, and the Marines had their first taste of freedom for four days. After a month in Okinawa, the Marines finally returned to Hawaii.
“That battle really opened up my eyes,” Abdulhafedh said. “It taught me how to be more humble and not take things for granted. I learned a lot.”
Ellie
Lance Cpl. Regina A. Ruisi
MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII(Oct. 26, 2007) -- Since 1965, the Marine Corps has been effectively preserving its history through the Marine Corps Oral History Branch. The corpswide program is conducted here by Captain Diana Mearns, the historical program officer, who documents the accounts of Hawaii’s service members. The warriors’ stories are collected orally and join the ranks of thousands of Marines and Sailors who have come before them, dating back to Vietnam.
Every war in our nation’s history has had a battle that defines it. That battle is the one that children read about in history books and ask their grandparents if they remember that day, if they were there, what it was like. For World War II it was the storming of the beaches of Normandy. In Korea it was the Chosin Reservoir. For Vietnam it was the TET Offensive.
“Desert Diaries: The Battle of Fallujah” is the telling of the very personal stories of pride and loyalty, humor and sadness, and the glory and horror of the battle that defined this generation. The stories are provided by the base historian, and are published to help share our warriors’ stories with the public.
Corporal Nadim A. Abdulhafedh deployed from Marine Corps Base Hawaii twice in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
His first deployment was supposed to be with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the U.S.S. Essex, and was supposed to take him and the other Marines of the battalion on a Western Pacific tour. Instead it took him right into the heart of GWOT’s defining battle.
The battalion wasn’t supposed to see Iraq. It wasn’t until the day before they went to Iraq that the troops had any idea they were going to be in the city.
“We were doing range training in Kuwait and then, with one day’s notice, they told us we were going to Fallujah,” Abdulhafedh said. “But there we were on the first day of the operation, sitting in positions, in fighting holes we had dug.
They told us 12 a.m., Nov. 8, we were going to go in. It was hectic. We were on the north side and all hell broke loose. I couldn’t believe it. I never thought it could be like that.”
Even without the prior knowledge of going to Iraq, the Marines showed a lot of enthusiasm when they received news they were invading Fallujah.
“Most of the Marines were gung-ho, that was what we wanted to do from the start,” Abdulhafedh said. “Most of the Marines from 1/3 hadn’t really been to Iraq and most of the infantry battalions from the main-land had, so we went in motivated and we accomplished the mission successfully.”
For 45 days the Marines fought house-to-house throughout the city, first securing the city, then going through individual houses to clear the city of insurgents. Abdulhafedh served as a machine gunner, so he stood post on top of houses to help secure the city.
“It was pretty unpredictable at times,” he said. “We had fights in the early morning, but never at night. It was most intense first thing in the morning. They were trying to catch us off guard.”
In one house they were clearing, Abdulhafedh came across two improvised explosive device detonators. He said it was one of the most significant events of the battle for him because of the recognition he received for it.
“I remember a high ranking officer coming along and congratulating me for finding those,” he said. “He said at any moment if anyone had stepped on those or detonated them, everyone on that street would have been killed.”
The battalion showed a lot of heroism during the Battle of Fallujah. Abdulhafedh remembers two specific Marines in his company who set the example of leadership and courage during the battle. Both Marines were hit by shrapnel and by enemy fire and were evacuated to the basic aid station in Camp Fallujah. When they were there, both demanded to be out with their troops. One even snuck out of the hospital and found his way back to his Marines.
“He was scared, but he never gave up, he continued to fight with us,” Abdulhafedh said. “He showed that he was a hero. He loved what he was doing, and that gave us motivation.”
Abdulhafedh said the Marines’ motivation never faltered while in battle. It wasn’t until they were extended in Iraq that the battalion’s morale started to suffer.
“After the battle of Fallujah we were told that we were pretty much done and could go home, but then they threw another mission at us,” he said. “We were on that mission for another week to hold security for the elections. That was pretty disastrous also. We got hailed with mortar and machine gun rounds. We had Marines die doing regular patrols. They had fixed positions for their mortars so they knew where they were hitting. That was continuous for that entire week.”
After the week of providing security for the elections, the battalion finally made its way back to Kuwait. There they boarded the Essex and headed to Okinawa. On the way to Okinawa, the ship made a liberty port stop in Thailand, and the Marines had their first taste of freedom for four days. After a month in Okinawa, the Marines finally returned to Hawaii.
“That battle really opened up my eyes,” Abdulhafedh said. “It taught me how to be more humble and not take things for granted. I learned a lot.”
Ellie