Story by Lance Cpl. Casey Jones
RAMADI, IRAQ (October 5, 2008) – Just
over seven months ago, service members with 1st Battalion, 9th Marine
Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, packed their bags and traveled
halfway across the world to Iraq, marking the unit’s first battalion-sized deployment since its reactivation in late 2005.
The
battalion, also known as “The Walking Dead” because of an extremely
high mortality rate (above 90 percent) it suffered during the Vietnam
War, has completed its tour in Ramadi and is now making its way back to
its home station in Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Marines
and sailors serving with the battalion have spent the last seven months
securing a nearly 800-square-mile battle space (almost the size of
Rhode Island), which was the first and largest Mega-Area of Operations
in the country assigned to a single battalion.
The AO was previously secured by two Marine battalions, an Army brigade headquarters and a tank company.
Ramadi, no more than two years ago, was arguably the heart of the insurgency in Iraq and considered by many to be one of the country’s most violent cities.
Violence
in the city remained relatively high until mid-2007, when a group of
sheiks, tribal leaders and other citizens agreed to join and fight
against the terrorist insurgency that plagued the area.
Dubbed the “Anbar Awakening,” the unification occurred in the city and quickly spread throughout the province.
With
the support of Coalition forces, the movement significantly reduced
violence in the province and the region unofficially began a recovery
and rebuilding process.
Although the number of attacks declined, the complexity of the mission multiplied.
The
Marines of 1st Bn., 9th Marines, maintained security in a still
dangerous city, while also partnering with Iraqi police and working
with the civic government to rebuild the infrastructure.
“There were a lot of skeptics out there before we came,” said Sgt. Jeremy D. Puckett, a section leader from Padukah, Ky.,
with 81mm Mortar Platoon, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines. “A lot of people
said Ramadi wasn’t ready for just one battalion, but we definitely
silenced those critics. We successfully met the commander’s intent and
accomplished our mission.”
Throughout
their deployment, the Marines and sailors oversaw a variety of critical
infrastructure rebuilding projects and community events.
Each of the battalion’s companies devised and completed distinct projects appropriate to their area of operation.
In total, the battalion oversaw the completion of more than 216 projects.
“We definitely left our mark in the city with the various events we held and rebuilding projects,” Puckett said.
Weapons
Company, along with embedded Provincial Recovery Team- Ramadi (ePRT)
and Civil Affairs Detachment 2, hosted a city-wide, five-day soccer
tournament in downtown Ramadi, which proved to be one of the more
significant events.
“It
says a lot about the strength of (1st Battalion, 9th Marines) and the
city; that we were able to hold a soccer tournament,” Puckett said.
“The security was so strong we were able to take off our gear and play
a Marine versus Iraqi police game.”
To
get the locals more involved in the rebuilding process, the Marines
built upon the trust and relationships previous battalions established
with the populace.
From day one, the “Walking Dead” made it a point to accentuate trust, respect, and honesty.
“This
was a great deployment because we were able to form an even stronger
relationship with our Iraqi counterparts,” said Capt. John Giannella, a
32-year-old from Hawthorne, N.J., and the Company A commander. “There was always respect on both sides.”
Respecting the Iraqis’ culture and being open-minded was stressed by the battalion’s command, said Puckett.
“It
was important for us to embrace their culture because we’re in their
country,” Puckett said. “During Ramadan, out of respect for their
culture, we didn’t smoke, eat, or drink during the day in the presence
of the locals. We’re not here to change their culture, but to better
their lives.”
The
“Walking Dead” was also responsible for mentoring and developing
Ramadi’s maturing police force. Their ability to connect with police in
their AO is one of several reasons why the force is now mostly
independent.
“The
IP’s professionalism has increased dramatically because of the strong
relationship between Coalition forces and the IP,” Giannella said, “and
also because of the strong leadership among the IP and Coalition
forces.”
The
battalion usually operated side-by-side with Iraqi security forces,
conducting a large number of infantry operations and missions in an
effort to train their counterparts.
“Training
the Iraqi police was challenging at times because of the cultural and
language barriers, and also because we’re military and they’re police,”
said 1st Lt. Jacob Womble, a 25-year-old from Tulsa, Okla., and the commander of 3rd Platoon, Company C.
“Right now, they’re doing a lot of military work kind of similar to
a militia. We’ve been transitioning them from that role to more of an
actual police force.”
The service members trained thoroughly for the types of scenarios they were expected to encounter in Iraq before they deployed, but found themselves adjusting to new ways of operating on a frequent basis soon after their arrival.
“I
think the phrase ‘adapt and overcome’ is perfect for what we’re doing
over here,” Giannella said. “As a single company, we took over for
three companies’ worth of battle space.”
“Although
we’re infantry and we train for house-to-house combat and kicking down
doors, it’s like what the battalion commander says, ‘we’re Jones and
we’re here to paint,’ which basically means adapt to your situation and
do whatever is needed to get the job done,” he added.
The
IP’s ever-increasing competency allowed the Marines to reduce their
presence in the city, gradually moving from living inside the city
alongside the IP, to living in outposts along the cities’ perimeter.
Because
the city’s security is still fragile, some of the locals worried the
move was a sure sign the Marines were packing up and leaving, sooner
rather than later.
“The
people were a little concerned about our reduced presence,” Giannella
said. “But we told them that we would still be here looking over their
shoulders and not just leaving.”
While the city is much safer, the threat of attack still exists.
Throughout
the deployment the battalion was the target of a number of attacks
including eight suicide bombings, over a dozen small arms attacks and
more than 10 improvised explosive device attacks.
In
addition to providing and maintaining security in the area, the Marines
conducted two battalion clearing operations, many cache sweeps and
several cordon and knock searches. The battalion detained roughly 50
high value targets during their deployment.
“We
did a lot of joint operations with the police,” Womble said. “Some of
the night operations were a little intense, but we always made sure the
intensity was appropriate to the operation because most of the people
are not a threat. We didn’t want to make any enemies by making innocent
people upset.”
A key aspect in counterinsurgency warfare is making yourself vulnerable to protect yourself and your fellow comrades.
The “Walking Dead” made that leap of faith and capitalized on the resulting friendships to leave Ramadi a better place.
“Although
there were several attacks and there are still bad guys out there, I
felt pretty safe the entire deployment,” Puckett said. “The security of
the city lies with the people and I felt safe amongst the people.”