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Grunt gouge
NCO’s combat journal offers look inside squad tactics in Fallujah
By Laura Bailey
Times staff writer
Perhaps no one was in a better position to see what was going on in the streets and houses of Fallujah last fall than Sgt. Earl Catagnus Jr. and his team of snipers.
Author’s NoteThis personal account of the war in Iraq was written to convey to my family and friends just what I went through during the war. Therefore, it is not an official history of what my unit accomplished or participated in, but rather a “Rated PG-13” and unclassified version of what I experienced. My concern is that this journal is forwarded in e-mails to others outside of my circle… and I want to ensure that when this falls into a stranger’s hands, that what I’ve written is taken in context with the how and why I composed this piece. These observations and opinions are mine alone. They don’t represent my command, or the United States Marine Corps. JLC
Staff was just getting up from a Management meeting when suddenly a heavy metallic crash was heard outside. This was followed by a loud explosion and rapid automatic fire coming from the direction of Bravo gate. The American consulate was under attack and terrorists were advancing on the chancery at a lighting speed! We had to reach the IPC Safehaven. I was in the IPO and folks would be depending on me to let them in! Within seconds, I made it into the CAA hallway just as duck and cover alarms went off. I could hear more machine gun fire near the chancery. My heart was pounding as I saw our Security officers running for their weapons.
I have not been able to figure out if LtCol Smith should be the Battalion Commander or the Battalion Chaplain. In looking back into the “Dark Ages” when I served, I guess both skills were required for someone in a position of authority.
Opening by Lance Cpl. Casey Jones, Regimental Combat Team 1
RAMADI, IRAQ (April 29, 2008)
It was a typical quiet morning on April 22, with the temperature intensifying as a bright orange sun emerged high from the horizon.
Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, a rifleman with 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, and Cpl. Jonathan T. Yale, a rifleman with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, RCT-1, were standing post, just as they’ve done numerous times before. During a standard length watch in a small checkpoint protected by concrete barriers where they overlooked the small gravel road, lined with palm trees leading to their entry control point.
Sgt Grit,
Hello from the holy land in the desert. Man it sucks here but we are making the best of a bad situation. Food is good and water is plentiful. No booze though unless you really have a hankering for some near beer.
Just wanted to send you some pictures of a couple of dedicated Marine along with a story. We had just taken over for the preceding MALS and the preceding unit had been flying the Marine Corps colors everyday. Well to say the least, one of our gunny’s noticed they were not out there. So being the inquisitive one he asked where they were. Well these old colors were well worn from all the wind and dust in this place.
CChyna, bred by the corps and tattooed Delta-043, is the pride of the expanding Marine Corps dog tracker and security units. She’s an MWD, Marine War Dog. Perhaps named after the legendary Fourth Marines of Shanghai fame, she is the close working pal of Marine Sgt. Dan Wheeler. A Belgian Malau born Sept. 12, 1999, CChyna is trained to go ahead of Marines and sniff out explosives and hidden snipers or terrorists.
03APR04
Thank you all for your continued support of me (even though I don’t usually write back) and my patriotic family at home. I am healthy and looking forward to a couple weeks with Cherise and the boys in a safe foreign country sometime next month.