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© Osprey Publishing • IRAQ FULL CIRCLE from Shock and Awe to the Last Combat Patrol

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© Osprey Publishing • IRAQ FULL CIRCLE from Shock and Awe to the Last Combat Patrol © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com IRAQ FULL CIRCLE From Shock and Awe to the Last Combat Patrol COL. DARRON L. WRIGHT © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com NOT FOR FAME OR REWARD, NOT FOR PLACE OR FOR RANK, NOT LURED BY AMBITION OR GOADED BY NECESSITY, BUT IN SIMPLE OBEDIENCE TO DUTY AS THEY UNDERSTOOD IT, THESE MEN SUFFERED ALL, SACRIFICED ALL, DARED ALL, AND DIED. —Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery I dedicate this book first and foremost to my loving wife Wendy and my amazing children Dillon, Chloe, and Kyle, for enduring all the months and years that I was forward deployed doing what I love to do. To my mom, stepfather, brother, sister, and their families, thanks for all your love and support over the years. To all the men and women who wear the uniform both past and present defending democracy abroad and serving as the beacon of freedom for America, you represent less than 1 percent of our nation’s population who have stepped forward to serve a cause greater than yourselves. You all are heroes and deserve the highest regard and praise that our nation can bestow upon you. You are America’s finest. To the brave and courageous soldiers of 1st Battalion –8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team–4th Infantry Division, 4th Brigade Combat Team–4th Infantry Division, 1st Battalion Airborne–509th Infantry, and the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team–2nd Infantry Division, thanks for your service and most of all your sacrifice. You made your mark on this war at different stages and times over the past years, but, most noteworthy, you brought freedom and hope to a country that only knew tyranny and oppression. Finally, to our fallen warriors, you died a hero’s death; our nation is forever indebted. You will never be forgotten. May you rest in peace in the big FOB in the sky. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his fellow man.” —John 15:13 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com CONTENTS Prologue 9 Chapter 1 Background Briefing 12 The Army Prior to September 11, 2001 Chapter 2 The Road to War 24 September 2001–March 2003 Chapter 3 Shock & Awe 44 The Invasion Begins, March–May 2003 Chapter 4 Transition to Phase IV 71 Postinvasion Operations, June–August 2003 Chapter 5 An Insurgency Takes Root 117 August 2003–March 2004 Chapter 6 On the Brink of Civil War 151 March 2004–October 2006 Chapter 7 The Surge 193 November 2006–June 2009 Chapter 8 “Wahid” Iraq 225 June 2009–March 2010 Chapter 9 Ballots over Bullets 261 Iraqi 2010 National Elections, March–July 2010 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com Chapter 10 The Last Combat Patrol 285 Tactical Road March out of Iraq into Kuwait, July–August 2010 Epilogue 304 Appendices 310 A. Heroes B. Rules of Engagement (ROE), March 2003 C. Military Decision Making Process (MDMP) D. 1-8 Infantry (M) Task Organization, April 2003–March 2004 E. 4th Brigade/4th Infantry Division, Task Organization from OIF 05–07 from November 2005 to October 2006 F. 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team/2nd Infantry Division (4-2 SBCT), Task Organization for OIF 09–10 from September 2009 to August 2010 G. Iraqi Security Agreement H. U.S. Army Drawdown and Transformation Notes 358 Acknowledgements 365 About the Author 370 Index 371 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com PROLOGUE For courage mounteth with occasion “ William” Shakespeare, King John. Act ii. Sc. 1 As the smoke cleared during the early morning hours of February 27, 1991, all that could be seen were thousands of burning hulks. Death and destruction littered the landscape and the main roadway running north from Kuwait into Iraq. This was to become known as the infamous “Highway of Death,” as it was appropriately coined during the Gulf War. U.S. and coalition forces from more than twenty-five nations either in active or supporting roles had just helped U.S. forces destroy and unhinge Iraqi Army forces that had invaded and occupied Kuwait. However, some remnants of Saddam’s war machine, most notably elements of his famed and most feared enforcers known as 9 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com IRAQ FULL CIRCLE the Republican Guard, managed to escape and lived to fight another day. U.S. and coalition forces were unable to completely close and seal off the trap door in a maneuver known as the “Right Hook,” made famous in briefings by CENTCOM Commander General Norman H. Schwarzkopf. The operation was a showcase of U.S. military might and prowess, which succeeded in accomplishing stated operational objectives; ultimately, however, Saddam and his government structure remained intact, thus allowing him to declare victory to his people and followers around the world. Over the next ten years, Saddam focused on reconstituting and rearming his war machine, oppressing and terrorizing his citizens through intimidation and denial of basic resources. Saddam, despot that he was, maintained an opulent lifestyle for his family and for the Ba’ath Party Leadership while standing on the necks of the general population. Those who spoke out or rebelled against the regime quickly met their fate. Bottom line: Saddam reigned as the bully of the region. Despite countless numbers of United Nations sanctions and mandates, he blatantly defied the world. There was clearly unfinished business in the region. In the fifth century B.C., the great Athenian mercenary general Xenophon led ten thousand Greek mercenaries up the Tigris River valley from Babylon to its headwaters and then on to Sinop on the Black Sea. In March 2003, the United States and its allies returned for round two, the sequel to the Gulf War. The tragic events of September 11 opened the door and allowed us to march back into the cradle of civilization, The Land Between the Two Rivers, and once and for all rid the region of the tyrant Saddam Hussein. Operation Iraqi Freedom had begun. This story of Operation Iraqi Freedom is written from the inner circle. Events in my life outside of Iraq also profoundly affected me and my perception of the events I was involved in and that were happening around me during my three tours. Every soldier has a personal story, family, and issues that make up the human aspect of war. I will share some details about my personal life in order to paint a more accurate picture of my wartime activities. You will experience many of the key phases and battles of the operation through the front sight of an M-4 Carbine. I will walk you through the many facets of this campaign, including strategic policies 10 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com PROLOGUE and how these policies impacted operations on the ground. I will introduce you to numerous personalities and key leaders who shaped the outcome, both good and bad. Most importantly, I will share with you the heroic stories and feats of the brave men and women who, under the most austere, life-threatening conditions, stood up to those who sought to do us harm, soldiers who shed their blood and made the ultimate sacrifice so that the citizens and children of Iraq could taste the sweet nectar of freedom. This is a soldier’s story, wrapped in a strategic, operational, and tactical review of operations conducted in Iraq during the past decade. Walk point into the ancient city of Samarra in 2003, then through the hell of the following years, and, finally, on the last combat patrol in 2010. 11 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND BRIEFING The Army Prior to September 11, 2001 You may fly over a land forever; you may bomb it, atomize it, pulverize it, “ and wipe it clean of life—but if you desire to defend it, protect it, and keep it for civilization, you must do this on the ground, the way the Roman legions did, by putting your young men into the mud. T. R. Fehrenbach,” This Kind of War The U.S. Army of 2001 was an army in transition. Most of that Army was still designed and equipped to defeat the Soviet Union at the Fulda Gap. Big Kevlar helmets, armored vehicles, and operational rations were the standards of the day. All of that changed when the U.S. Army opened combat operations in two different theaters in the same geographical region. This was the Army’s chance to prove that it could fight a two-front war. Geographical differences impacted the scope of change, but the entire Army morphed around a common enemy. Equipping changes 12 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com BACKGROUND BRIEFING that ordinarily would have taken ten to twelve years were effected in months. No longer did the crews of soft-skinned vehicles have to rely on sandbags to protect themselves. Up-armored High Mobility Multi Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs, commonly referred to as “Humvees”) and MRAP vehicles became part of the Army lexicon, and the armored carrier began dominating battle space in Iraq. As the enemy became more and more savvy and grew to understand the value of the roadside mine, the improvised explosive device (IED), vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), and then the explosively formed projectile (EFP) came into being. Concurrent with these actions were the counters to the IED family of weapons and the technology to combat them. Each soldier was given an entire issue of go-to-war equipment called RFI (Rapid Fielding Initiative). This included all the items that would better protect the soldier and increase soldier comfort. Ballistic eyewear, heavy body armor, improved ballistic helmet, and fire retardant gloves are but a few of the items in the RFI issue.
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