The Battle Of Fallujah As Operation Vigilant Resolved

Prove of the Marine Corps new efforts at warfare would pay off, but with great losses, in the Pacific campaigns, such as Peleliu, Iwo Jim, and Okinawa. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, led to the largest deployment of Marines forces since WWII, which consisted of 24 infantry battalions, and 40 squadrons, which totaled to a number of about 95,000 Marines in the Persian Gulf region, as a part of Operation Desert Shield, which began in August of 1990 to January 1991. It has been known as the “100 Hour War” because “by the morning of Feb. 28, 100 hours after the ground war began, the Iraqi army was no longer a threat.”(www.globalsecurity.org ) Most of the fighting that had been going on between the US military and enemy forces, after 9/11 has been in Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as the Global War on Terrorism “One of the key strategies of Operation Iraqi Freedom during 2003 was the capture of Iraq’s capital, Baghdad. A convoy of thirty thousand Marines advanced five hundred miles from the border of Kuwait in just ten days. On April 9, 2003, Marines secured the center of Baghdad. That same day, Coalition forces declared an end to the dictator’s rule.” (www.marines.com )

The Persian Gulf War began with Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq moving his forces into the neighboring country Kuwait mid-1990. During this time Iraq had the fourth largest army in the world, after being supplied by the United Sates during their eight year war with Iran raised some concerns. (Operation Desert Storm) Also with the chance of Iraq controlling one-fifth of the world’s oil supply didn’t sit well with the United States, nor its Allied forces. (Operation Desert Storm) Early August 1990 the United Nations Security Council directed Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait by 15 January 1991. (Operation Desert Storm) Towards the end of 1990 United Sates began the defense of Saudi Arabia, which known as Operation Desert Shield. Along with multilateral support, the United States sent

In 2003, President George Walker Bush and his administration sent the United States military to war in Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s ruler and dictator, who murdered over 600,000 innocent people, and “...used chemical weapons to remove Kurds from their villages in northern Iraq…” (Rosenberg 2). According to the Department of Defense’s website, the war removed Saddam Hussein from power, ending an era when “Iraqis had fewer rights than when its representatives signed the Human Rights Declaration in 1948” (1). American blood, money, and honor was spent in what was allegedly a personal war and perhaps a fight to gain oil and natural resources, but only history may reveal the truth. Although the Iraq War removed tyrant Saddam Hussein from power, the failures of the war dwarf the successes.

On October 23, 1983, a massive explosion from a 19-ton truck full of explosives attacked military barracks and killed 241 servicemen (including 220 U.S. Marines) in Beirut, Lebanon. The blast was the biggest known non-nuclear explosion since World War II and was the "bloodiest day since Iowa Jima," according to Rick Hampson writing in USA Today.

In the mountainous Shah-i-Khot region south of the city of Gardez in Eastern Afghanistan, Operation Anaconda took place early March 2002. Operation Anaconda, to this day, stands as the largest reported ground action in the Afghan war. This 17-day battle led to eight U.S. casualties and over 50 wounded. Operation Anaconda is viewed as a success due to coalition forces being able to kill and root out several hundred Taliban and al Qaeda fighters, which left U.S. and coalition forces in control of the Shah-i-Khot Valley. Originally intended to be a three-day battle with light resistance, a seven-day battle ensued with intense fighting and was finally

     On November 29, with coalition forces over whelming in Saudi Arabia and Iraq showing no signs of retreat, the

The troops were divided into two great combat regiments, Regimental Combat Team 1 with 3rd Battalion/ 1st Marines, 3rd Battalion/5th marines, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion, 4th and 23rd Seabees and the US Army 2nd Battalion /7th Cavalry. The other regiment, the Regimental Combat Team 7 included the 1st Battalion/ 8th marine, 1st Battalion /8th Marines and the US Army 2nd Battalion/ 2nd Infantry. Assisting in the assault 2000 Iraqi soldiers were incorporated, and with the order to surround the city to avoid bandits escape, the task was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the British 850 regiment, all supported by air raids and heavy artillery strikes over the city.

Iranian students rioting outside the embassy, jumped over the gates of the embassy and took over. Every news station was counting the days the U.S. diplomats were hostages, almost every day the newspaper cover showed the days since Americans were taken hostage. Never in history had the American people experienced a situation like this. If this fact was not embarrassing enough for the president, he had planned and executed a failed rescue mission to retrieve the hostages. Operation Eagle Claw was a dismal failure, and made the United States appear weak and shameful. On April 10, 1980, this public debacle damaged the United States’ reputation around the world. The operation had encountered many obstacles, and eventually had to be aborted. Eight helicopters were sent on the mission and were to meet at Desert One, however, only five helicopters had arrived. Not only had the mission been aborted, but one helicopter crashed in the desert and killed eight service men. This gave the American people a sense of post-Vietnam nostalgia. The American people have lost faith in their president and saw him as weak leader. Many historians believe this entire fiasco to be the main event that cost Carter reelection in

Fallujah is a Sunni dominate city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar. With an estimated 259,000 thousand people located roughly 69 km (43 miles) west of Bagdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah is a stop on the main road across the desert west from Baghdad. Its geographic coordinates are 33o 25 '11"N and 43o 18 '45"E. The place is mostly desert, cold winters, with occasionally heavy snow, and dry, hot summers. Fallujah known as the renegade city and untamable as it has challenged authority throughout history. The fall of the Iraqi government led to lawless looters and an unsecure area as the baathist regime faded away. The new mayor of the city - was chosen on 30, April 2003, selected by local tribal leaders to help stop

On November 8, 1990 President Bush announced a military buildup to provide an offensive option, "Operation Desert Storm," to force Iraq out of Kuwait. The preparation of the operation took two and a half months and it involved a massive air- and sea lift.

The Persian King, King Shapur renamed the city Piruz-Shapur (“Victorious Shapur”)4. For six centuries the city was prized during Persian and Roman wars. The Persians never lost control and turned the city into a lavish place to live. In 1920, Fallujah would again be a site for another battle after the assignation of a British Officer and explorer, Lt. Col. Gerald Leachman. The British would wage a massive air attack and dropped bombs indiscriminately killing anyone within reach. In the end, over 1000 British soldiers and 10,000 Iraqis were killed. With a long history of war and radical religious attitude, Fallujah turned into a capital of insurgency in Iraq. For more the 200 years or 10 generations, Fallujah was influenced by Wahabbi or Salafi ideas. These ideas came out of the eastern part of Saudi Arabia in the late 18th century. Meaning people of the city are linked together through tribes, marriage, and family to Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, and Jordan due to the city being a seaport5. With a long history of war and radical religious attitude, Fallujah turned into a capital of insurgency in Iraq.

The 450 men of Colonel Hal Moore's battalion soon learned they landed in the midst of over 2000 North Vietnamese soldiers. Within an hour, Lt. Colonel Moore's men were faced with numerous grueling tasks. Surrounded by the North Vietnamese, the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry maintained control of the perimeter so that the Huey helicopters could fly in the remainder of the battalion. The enduring battle continued for three days leaving over 305 American soldiers and dead.

On March 20, 2003, the combined military forces of the United States and Britain crossed the southern border of Iraq and Kuwait with the intent of capitulating the government of Saddam Hussein. Over the course of 21 days, the joint task force moved quickly and decisively to seize major objective cities along the road to Baghdad using aviation, armor, artillery, and infantry. Following the overwhelming success of the primary combat operations of the invasion, stability and support systems proved insufficient as sectarian violence and other criminal activity among the local population of Iraq increased.

In order to fully interpret the nation of Iraq’s holistic condition during and after the Saddam Era, Social, Political, and Economic factors must be weighed accordingly and in contrast to each other. In order to do this, the span of years leading up to 1989, and

At the end of Operation Vigilant Resolve, the Marines withdrew from the city and handed over security responsibilities to the Fallujah Brigade. The Fallujah Brigade was an Iraqi solution to the Fallujah problem, composed of former Iraqi soldiers and locally recruited men. Major General Jassim Mohammed Saleh who was immediately replaced by General Muhammad Latif, a former Iraqi Army Intelligence officer, originally led the brigade. The security responsibilities included provisions for the surrender of heavy weapons by the insurgents and stipulated that the Fallujah Brigade would initiate investigations murderers and mutilators of the Blackwater employees. The insurgents and terrorists expand through the city,