Letter from Fallujah

[David]

Note: The following email was sent by Lt. Col. Paul Kennedy of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment to family members of the unit on Sunday, Apr. 4, 2004 following the outbreak of violence in Fallujah.



Subject: Update from LtCol Kennedy



Dear Ladies, the last two days have been the hardest two days this battalion has faced in over 30 years. Within the blink of an eye the situation went from relatively calm to a raging storm.

You?ve known that since arriving there has been violence; attacks have been sporadic and mostly limited to roadside bombs. Your husbands have become experts at recognizing those threats and neutralizing them before we are injured. Up to this point the war has been the purview of corporals and sergeants, and the squad they lead.

Yesterday the enemy upped the ante.

Early in the morning, we exchanged gunfire with a group of insurgents without significant loss. As morning progressed, the enemy fed more men into the fight and we responded with stronger force. Unfortunately, this led to injuries as our Marines and sailors started clearing the city block by block. The enemy did not run; they fought us like soldiers. And we destroyed the enemy like only Marines can.

By the end of the evening the local hospital was so full of their dead and wounded that they ran out of space to put them. Your husbands were awesome ? all night they stayed at the job of securing the streets and nobody challenged them as the hours wore on. They did not surrender an inch nor did flinch from the next potential threat.

Previous to yesterday, the terrorists thought that we were soft enough to challenge. As of tonight the message is loud and clear that the Marines will not be beaten.

Today the enemy started all over again, although with far fewer numbers, only now the rest of the battalion joined the fight. Without elaborating too much, Weapons Company and Golf crushed their attackers with the vengeance of the righteous. They filled up the hospitals again and we suffered only a few injuries. Echo Company dominated the previous day?s battlefield. Fox Company patrolled with confidence and authority; nobody challenged them. Even Headquarters Company manned their stations and counted far fewer people openly watching us with disdain.

If the enemy is foolish enough to try to take your men again they will not survive contact. We are here to win.

The news looks grim from back in the States. We did take losses that, in our hearts, we will always live with. The men we lost were taken within the very opening minutes of the violence. They could not have foreseen the treachery of the enemy and they did not suffer. We can never replace these Marines and Sailors but they will fight on with us in spirit.

We are not feeling sorry for ourselves nor do we fear what tomorrow will bring. The battalion has lived up to its reputation as ?Magnificent Bastards.?

Yesterday made everyone here stronger and wiser; it will be a cold day in Hell before we are taken for granted again.



Lt. Col. Paul Kennedy

[Shortdawg]

Well done Marines keep up the good fight. We will not back down!

[Arrow]

What Shortdawg said...

Arrow>>>>>>>

[colmurph]

David, I got a similar message from another member of 2/4 Marines in Fallujah who got a little more graphic in his detail. His Platoon alone, accounted for over 200 enemy killed and sustained one WIA yesterday when "a Marine Sgt. took an AK-47 round through the shoulder and disobeyed the LT's orders for a Medevac and remained with the unit for 4 hours, using an M-203 to continue to fight."
According to their Platoon Interpreter (Modern day Kit-Carson Scout) the insurgents are not Iraquis but are coming in from Syria/Iran "to die". The Marines are assisting them on their quest for martyrdom and doing a magnicifent job of it.
One "Humorous" side story....."Wounded rag runs into building. Marines persue, apprehend. Rag is shrieking hysterically. A big black Cpl. puts barrel of weapon in rag's chest while screaming 'Shut-the-f**k-up!', Rag grabs weapon. Cpl. levels him with a straight right hand to the face. Another Marine pounds the rag over the head with a 5 Pound bag of flour that breaks, thus creating a Three Stoogesque-scene when white-faced rag is lled out of house."
Another side story...."As MAP is entering Ramadi on Wed. minaret loudspeakers were pronouncing, 'This is the day you die, come forward and we will kill you in the name of Jihad, bla, bla, bla.' Weapons Company Commander grabs interpreter, puts him on OUR loudspeaker and begins, 'Come out and fight you goddamn pusseys and fight us in the streets like fucking men!'" The story teller relates "Some did and we mowed them down".
According to the report, the "rags" are figuring out that there is a new sheriff in town and are becoming more cowed.

[MORTARDUDE]

I certainly hope that when they have to storm this city they have enough manpower to do the job in one fell swoop. The bad guys have had a lot of time to rig booby-traps, fighting positions, and get re-supplied.

Larry

[colmurph]

I'll keep posting the tidbits as I receive them. The rags are certainly keeping the Snipers busy. I'm led to believe that it's like a "Cony Island Shooting Gallery" with black clad insurgents doing rolls across the road and trying to low crawl behind children. I have a feeling that there are going to be some new "Carlos Hathcock" types to come out of this war.