Marines escape tank struck by roadside bomb

January 05, 2007
Marines escape tank struck by roadside bomb

By John Hoellwarth
Staff writer

A Marine Corps tank assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5 was “severely damaged” when it struck a roadside bomb during a cordon-and-search operation in Fallujah, Iraq, on Friday, according to a Corps release.

Four Marines were inside the tank when it caught fire, but each “escaped without sustaining any serious injuries,” 1st Lt. Lawton King, Multi-National Forces-West spokesman, wrote in an e-mail response to questions.

All sensitive material and technology inside the tank at the time of the incident were either recovered or destroyed by the fire, King said.

“The tank has been salvaged and will be shipped back to the States to determine whether or not it can be serviced,” King said.

The tank was supporting an operation coordinated and executed by soldiers belonging to the 1st Iraqi Army Division.

Ellie