17 year Anniversary to Operation Iraqi Freedom

Before the invasion our job was to jump into Baghdad international airport, with 1/75, 2/75 and C Squadron SFOD-D. That mission was changed after the supply chain was being targeted and these soldiers were not able to move north with needed supplies to keep 3rd ID rolling.

Also at the same time, 5th corps was going to cross the Euphrates river. This action was the historical signal of the attack on Baghdad to the iraqi army. With the U.S. Marines flatting Iraq with lead, steel and explosives to the east and crossed the Euphrates river earlier. 5th Corps wanted to attack bridge heads on the Euphrates river at five locations at the same time to prevent the Iraqi army from knowing where the main effort was coming from.

One of these efforts was the Battle of Samawah that I was lucky enough to be in as a young E6.

This Wikipedia post is not even close to being 70% accurate. But it gives you a idea of what the 2nd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Div did in late March into April 2003. It was a hell of a fight and the equivalent of 1500 paratroopers taking down a city the size of Cary , or Wilmington or High Point. Just to give you a retaliative value to the effort.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Samawah_(2003)

Here is my picture file of the battle.

We later left and air assaulted to Fallujah then in mid August went to Baghdad. My platoons base at BIAP was the Flintstones water park. We spent the next 2 months conducting operations out of it and later relocated to a old iraq army base.

Thanks for your service....and you guys must have been hot as hell in all those clothes and gear....holy $#![

Thank you for your service.

JBoyette said:

My platoons base at BIAP was the Flintstones water park. We spent the next 2 months conducting operations out of it and later relocated to a old iraq army base.

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Had no idea units operated out of there. Slayer and South Vic were pretty wild places, amazing how much was there and just on the other side of those walls was complete poverty.

hp468 said:

Had no idea units operated out of there. Slayer and South Vic were pretty wild places, amazing how much was there and just on the other side of those walls was complete poverty.

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As we looked across the pond to the palace, past it was that big ass hill that was a bunker. I say around oh Oct 03 we attempted a platoon run up that hill In, PT's, IBA 1 mag each in our M4's. We did not make it running to the top. Finished up it and jogging down.

Crazy now looking back.

JBoyette said:

As we looked across the pond to the palace, past it was that big ass hill that was a bunker. I say around oh Oct 03 we attempted a platoon run up that hill In, PT's, IBA 1 mag each in our M4's. We did not make it running to the top. Finished up it and jogging down.

Crazy now looking back.

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Those hills were tough, never tried to run them but hiked the one on the north side a couple times. I didn't know there was a bunker inside it, assuming your referring to the one next to Sniper Alley. The only bunker I knew of on Slayer was on the other side of the lake almost across from the Ba'ath party house, next to what became Slayer Fire Dept. I'm sure there were many more. I always assumed the big hill on Slayer and North Vic were formed from the dirt dug out from the lakes.

I've heard some interesting stories about that bunker from the initial invasion. Won't get into specifics in the open forum but if true, hunkering down in an underground bunker, next to a lake was a pretty stupid move on the Iraqis part..

A dedicated OIF pic thread would be pretty interesting.

Saw that place five times from 03-09. 03 surprisingly the easiest tour.

Thanks to you all for serving...it must have been both terrifying and exciting/interesting.

All the Way, Airborne! I didn't get to Baghdad until Oct 03'.

CD

Millie said:

Thanks to you all for serving...it must have been both terrifying and exciting/interesting.

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As not to mislead, my time spent there was in a civilian capacity. No thanks deserved/needed here.