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From The Editor

DefenseWatch received this e-mail Saturday in response to our recent inquiry about awards and decorations earned, awarded, and overlooked by the combat forces engaged in the fierce battles for Fallujah, Iraq last year. The soldier who e-mailed this missive is currently soldiering in the 101 st Airborne after a combat tour with the 1st Infantry Division while it fought in many of the tough fights in the "Sunni Triangle" in 2004. He did not ask for anonymity, but we provided it anyway.

Last year the writer was locked in a struggle for his life. At the time more than 900 Americans had been killed in Iraq and nobody imaged a thousand more were about to die. Back home President George Bush, his Commander-in Chief, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, were assuring the country it was all over in that savaged land but the counting that has yet to stop.

This humble soldier's brief letter and the accounts he offers in support of his occasionally jaded observations – intentionally or not -provide more to the reader than a story of bravery and pride, he offers the reader a glimpse inside the U.S. Army's fighting soul. The Editor

Sirs,

It isn't really my place to judge the awards of those over me, I limited my focus to making sure that the soldiers under me were recognized for their actions, the men of Troop F, 4th Cavalry (3rd BDE - 1st Infantry) (look at "U.S. Death Toll in Iraq Reaches 900" for background on the unit) were pulled out of some good fighting in the city of Salman Pak, and given less than a week to refit and head to Fallujah, we had been living north east of Baghdad in the town of Baqubah, deployed south about an hour and a half to recon Salman Pak, and then sent to join the Marines in Fallujah. ( "Brigade Reconnaissance Troop Plays Major Role in Fallujah Offensive" ) and ( "I Got My Kills ... I Just Love My Job" ). For the most part we were able to make sure that our soldiers got what they deserved, the only real complaint that I have is that after the mission, once we got back to Germany, we learned about what our chain of command would receive for their actions. Take a look at the citations in this article - ( "Troops Honored for Efforts at Fallujah" ) - and see if they are justified to you?

I didn't think that you could get a Silver Star (a valor award) for the actions of your soldiers. My favorite award citaiton includes the phrase "On the fourth day, he volunteered his troops in an 18-hour effort to clear 60 houses, battle enemy fighters literally room-to-room, killing 25 insurgents".

Just a quick comment. All in all I would have to say that the Army contributed a hell of a lot to the Marine effort there. Sgt. Brian Petterson, just one example, was serving as a HUMVEE gunner while we were probing into the southern edge of the city, the vehicle hit an emplaced anti-tank mine and knocked him out of the turret, without hesitation he check on his own injuries, checked the crew, and used an MRE spoon begin a hasty clearing around the vehicle. SPC Martin Reyna and Akil Ellis exposed themselves countless times to enemy fire while they climbed on to roof tops in the eastern side of the city, near the clover leaf to disarm 57mm rockets which had been left and wired on roof tops. These are just a few examples, of some decent work which was acknowledged.

Name withheld

4th Bde., 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

©2005 DefenseWatch. All opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of Military.com.