Captain Timothy Donald (pseudonym), A Company, 2nd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, interview by Dr. Charles H. Briscoe, 12 September 2003, Fort Campbell, KY, tape recording, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. CPT Doyle outlined the plan: 2nd Platoon would lead the main effort, seizing a foothold on the dam and clearing the inside of the dam complex; 1st Platoon would be the supporting effort, seizing the dominating high ground to the west of the dam; and between the B Company platoons, 3rd Platoon, C Company, would clear Objective Cobalt, an area south of the dam structure comprising power station buildings and a transformer yard. Three Rangers were killed on 3 April by a VBIED at the blocking positions as they were searching a car;[2] the car was driven by a young pregnant Iraqi woman who seemed distressed and asking for water. However, having steeled themselves through the barrage, none were interested in giving the facility back to the Iraqis. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Platoon sergeant SFC Roger Sherry (pseudonym) spotted an Iraqi peeking from behind the gatehouse, but he was quickly captured. Their mission was to prevent Saddam Hussein and his forces from destroying the dam. Headquarters and Services Company, known as H and S, went to the Haditha Dam, just north of the city. The bullet-riddled and oil-leaking vehicle finally died just short of 1st Platoons position. At H1, medical personnel transferred Feldbusch to a Forward Surgical Team for emergency care.19 SPC Feldbusch eventually received a Purple Heart for his injuries, and a Bronze Star for valor.20, The artillery attack seemed to be a turning point in the battle for Hadithah Dam. The small Night Stalker contingent of Little Bird helicopters two AH-6 attack models and one MH-6 scout variant would prove crucial in the battle. With 1st Squad leader SSG Jesse Ragan in the lead, three vehicles and twenty-seven Rangers maneuvered down the steep embankment into Objective Cobalt. As American forces continued to pummel AQI in places like Fallujah and Ramadi, the insurgent survivorsthe most battle-hardened and highly skilled of their ranksabsconded to the Triad. Once everybody was refueled and positioned, the convoy of seventeen vehicles and 140 Rangers penetrated the moonless night. Mideast Water Wars: In Iraq, A Battle for Control of Water Conflicts over water have long haunted the Middle East. Company B, along with Mo, was still on the dam holding out as best they could, all the while waiting for long-overdue relief. Taking advantage of the bright daylight, he directed his platoons to concentrate on clearing areas skipped during the frenzy of the initial assault. Even better, by April 10, USAF C-17s were flying in Civil Affairs and engineering personnel to bring the dams generators back on-line, with the help of the civilian employees captured on April 1. A Battle For Haditha Dam January 23, 2016 42min TV-14 Subtitles Subtitles English [CC] Audio languages Audio languages English Iraq 2003: A group of U.S. Army Rangers fights to seize control of Haditha Dam a strategically key location in Operation Iraqi Freedom. *Lighting a path to truth* Former Navy JAG Worldwide U.S. Military Defense. Almost immediately, RPG and small arms fire crisscrossed over the hood of the vehicle. A blitzkrieg push from the south defeated Saddam Hussein's army in just 26 days. As they stepped near, the couple detonated a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) which instantly killed Russ and the two Rangers. Mo reported that all was quiet at the dam, sounding like he had not slept in a hot minute. The turning point came after a series of atrocities committed by AQI insurgents fighters used local children as unwitting suicide bombers. Team Gravy was headed for a break and to wait for their next assignment. By the end of their deploymentafter 23 of their ranks had died and 177 having sustained serious woundsAQI forces in the area were finally defeated. Securing it was one of the first objectives of US special forces . When Lauder and his team arrived, Feldbusch was not breathing and his face was turning blue. Led by Staff Sgt. According to the Coalition Provisional Authority, the inauguration of this turbine on 3 June 2004 signified the first time since 1990 that the power station operated at full capacity. Dawn brought new conflict on the dam. A side effect of extended exposure to enemy fire, especially artillery and mortars, it has the ability to disable even the most hardened veterans. As the battle rages on, a medic must face his fears and put his skills to the test in order to save his teammate. Destruction of the dam would have significantly affected the functioning of the country's electrical grid and could cause major flooding downstream from the dam. Read Next: The Battle of Haditha Dam: The beer is on us! During their deployment, 3/3 maintained a strong outside the wire presence throughout the Haditha Triad, making great strides in the counterinsurgency campaign in the areabut at a cost; the battalion lost 15 of their members. As the fire support officer and two troops neared the vehicle, the Iraqi couple detonated an improvised explosive device, killing themselves and all three Rangers. But a small special-operations contingent was sent to an objective close to the Iraqi capital. 3rd Battalions mission was to draw the Iraqi Armys attention way from the dam, so that special operations forces could cross and secure the facility. The movie follows the story of the Marines of Kilo Company, an Iraqi family, and the insurgents who plant the roadside bomb. Opening his well-worn Ranger handbook on the hood of his vehicle, Doyle quickly constructed an operations order. With robust designs and vintage classic style, discover the heritage of military timepieces today! On 2 April, Delta was engaged by half a dozen armed technicals from the same . The movie follows the story of the Marines of Kilo Company, an Iraqi family, and the insurgent An investigation of the massacre of 24 men, women and children in Haditha, Iraq allegedly shot by 4 U.S. Marines in retaliation for the death of a U.S. Marine killed by a roadside bomb. SSG Narrow cleared Jones to engage, and in seconds the silent round from Jones rifle struck the first Iraqi, passed through his body, and hit the propane tank, which exploded and killed the other two men.9, Soon after the three Iraqis were taken care of, CPT Doyle directed Duncan to move his element and secure the eastern side of the dam. Three Ranger platoons seized the dam's administrative buildings with after initially heavy opposition, while a pair of AH-6 little birds orbited overhead providing close air support to the Rangers. Iraq's Republican Guard was an elite force that reported directly to Saddam, while the Fedayeen was a paramilitary force outside the regular military. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Along with providing flood control and a third of Iraq's electrical generation capacity, the dam provided the only other crossing of the Euphrates River west of Baghdad. But there was a major Iraqi base, a division-size force, in the town of Haditha that was home to Fedayeen, Republican Guards and Iraq regular army," Coker said. The Rangers called in airstrikes, which hit the structures with a total of 20 bombs. Cowed by beheadings, rapes, murder and general intimidation, the locals of the area remained rarely emerged from hiding. The Battle of Haditha Dam: The beer is on us! Weather, including sandstorms, began reducing visibility and interfering with the Night Stalkers' flying, but on the third day, an MH-47 Chinook helicopter braved enemy fire and resupplied the Rangers, who were approaching 72 hours under fire on what was planned as a 24-hour operation. The cost of the line was US$56.7 million and was paid by Iraq's oil revenues. While 2nd Platoon began its assault, 3rd Platoon focused on seizing Objective Cobalt, which consisted of an entry control point to the power station, the power station itself, and the transformer yard south of the earthen dam. The angle of attack prevented the Rangers from returning effective fire, so they were forced to call in air support. Searching the additional structures, the Rangers found that one contained training materials for the antiaircraft artillery school: sand tables of western Iraq, posters detailing Iraqi weapon systems, and photographs of artillery pieces.14. The movie follows the story of the Marines of Kilo Company, an Iraqi family, and the insurgent. Stores opened. The Battle for Haditha dam was the single largest engagement of the war fought to control the largest single strategic point of the conflict. 3rd/C swept back down toward Objective Cobalt below the dam. Stopping short because the position was still under attack, the Rangers left their vehicle behind a three-foot concrete wall and traveled the final hundred meters on foot. When the hawk landed at the FARP, Objective Serpent, Chief and another Ranger unloaded the bodies of the three men and then wept for the loss. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "The Haditha Dam Seizure - The Target - Defense Media Network", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Haditha_Dam&oldid=1107643320, Articles needing additional references from August 2017, All articles needing additional references, Pages using military navigation subgroups without wide style, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 31 August 2022, at 02:47. In fact, the Thirds time in Haditha would prove to be the single deadliest deployment for a Marine battalion since that of the October, 1983 Beirut barracks bombing that killed 220. John Gale (pseudonym) said, I was facing forward when I felt this blow to my lower left back. The Marines convinced Farouk to establish a resurgent police force, with he as the chief. John D. Gresham lives in Fairfax, Va. PO Box 1077 MURFREESBORO, Tennessee 37133 United States, P.O. - May 12, 2010. The MH-6 also acted as bait to draw enemy fire so the two attack birds could pounce. The 2nd Squad Rangers repositioned their vehicles on the north side of the road and responded to the enemy fire with MK19 grenade launchers and heavy weapons of their own. Tony knew Chief had his back with his six-guns. B Squadron came and relieved us. The film was shot in an unconventional way whereas instead of a detailed script, there was only an outline of each scene and where the story was going. Located in northwestern Iraq, Haditha Dam was a strategic target for both sides. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, United States Army Rangers seized the Haditha Dam on 1 April in order to prevent it from being destroyed. Im not sure how long it took and how it happened, but I remember being back with my weapon and on the line sometime on the 3rd., Such mental toughness is almost impossible to comprehend, and one of the reasons, Doyle later said, As the battle progressed, [the] Rangers showed why they are specially selected and that they are well trained. Thompson took twenty men from 3rd Platoon and began the arduous task of clearing fifteen stories and over one hundred offices. The convoy separated and the Rangers followed the assault plan, each platoon focusing on its assigned objective. Regrettably, another artillery round did explode, this time directly on a Ranger mortar position.17, SFC Lauder raced to the impact area with medics and his driver. U.S. Army photo. 2007, Drama/War, 1h 33m. In the early days of the war, American forces never managed to establish an enduring presence in the region, which allowed AQI to lay down roots there. Back at the FARP Chief refueled and reloaded immediately, ready to spring from Serpent to re-engage with any froggy Arabs. When they took the two buildings where all the fire had come from on April 1, they found 12 large arms and ammunition storage rooms, along with an Iraqi command post complete with sand table map. A helicopter flies over the Haditha Dam, which provides electricity for a third of Iraq. One of the most horrific examples of this occurred when a squad from Echo Company happened across a young Iraqi girl on a bicycle wearing a Mickey Mouse backpack. As the battle rages on, a young medic must face his fears when his skills are put to the test in order to save the life of a teammate. The road blocks came under sporadic mortar and rocket fire, resulting in the AH-6 helicopters flying multiple gun runs to silence the Iraqi mortar and rocket positions. CSM Alfred Birch and SFC Duncan decided that they could not leave the wounded men to die. On April 5, no artillery was fired at the Rangers, and they began expand their perimeter from their original blocking positions. THROUGHOUT THE WAR in Iraq, the news media focused primarily on actions in the Baghdad region, and to a lesser extent on the outlying battles in the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. There, like a cornered, wounded animal, they would put up their final fight. At least, that was the plan.1. The new arrivals had little time for reunions, however, as they were almost immediately ordered to move out for Objective LynxHadithah Dam. The Haditha Dam also controlled the flow of the Euphrates into the lower Euphrates/Tigris River Valley. One of the great stories of modern war, it remained untold for years. Battle of Haditha Dam: The saga comes to an end. But for that, I would almost certainly be dead.. By 3 April, the enemy mortar fire attacks had declined to one round every two hours. In the same year, a new power line was established between Haditha and Baghdad with the help of the USACE to restore a line that had previously been destroyed. Destruction of the dam would have significantly affected the functioning of the country's electrical grid and could cause major flooding downstream from the dam. See production, box office & company info, Very skillful exploration of the Iraq war. Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. Rangers were alert and kept the car at gunpoint, as no Iraqis were to be trusted at this point in the battle. Captain Brad Thompson, C Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, interview by Dr. Charles H. Briscoe, 23 October 2003, Fort Benning, GA, tape recording, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. Through the predawn darkness, the Rangers spotted three armed individuals standing in front of a small building, seemingly just looking around. Seeing that I had not been hurt, I got back onto my weapon and helped get us out of there. Summary of all of the indirect fire engagements during the seven days at Haditha Dam. They kept up the fight, however, on all fronts. They were a pitiful sight to be sure, the prisoners were; just ordinary men, they two. As CPT Brad Thompson was moving forward to the lead vehicle, team leader SSG Pete Corrigan (pseudonym) tossed a grenade and yelled, Frag out! The fragmentation grenade exploded, illuminating the objective and enough Iraqis to cause the platoon to pull back long enough to regroup. Unable to access the area from the top of the dam, CPT Taylor directed his men to reverse course and head back through 1st Platoons blocking position. On that first day alone, the three Little Birds expended an astounding 231 rockets, 66,000 rounds of 7.62 mm mini-gun ammunition, and 8,000 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition. Flying in broad daylight, the flight arrived at the dam less than an hour after Feldbusch went down. And when unbearable conditions forced some to fall into themselves, those same Rangers fought to get back into the fight and help win a dramatic victory. He said that even if George had been in OR it would have been next to impossible to save him. Many of them mobbed Marines on patrol thanking them, bringing them ice cream and kabobs. But the Iraqi forces at Haditha Dam were defeated by then. s01e03 - A Battle for Haditha Dam Transcript detail There is no going back to the person that I was before Haditha Dam. On 30 March, Captain (CPT) David Doyle led B Company, and the attached section of 120 mm heavy mortars, from H1 to a remote desert landing strip (DLS) for refuel on the way to a remain-over-day (ROD) site. Two hours later, the building was clear. During the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, most Coalition troops entered the country from the south. 2nd Platoon took the time to fortify its positions on the east side of the dam. Battle for Haditha. Located northwest of Baghdad, the dam was built during the Cold War to provide hydroelectric power for central Iraq, including Baghdad. The Rangers quickly repelled the initial assault, but, as the morning passed, indirect fire increased. The biggest test of those Ranger qualities began late on April 2, when the first of over 350 Iraqi 155 mm artillery shells began to land around the dam complex. Fired at the FARP Chief refueled and reloaded immediately, RPG and small arms fire crisscrossed over the Dam! 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