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"India," 3/2's Stand Against the Insurgency
Story and photos by LCpl Lucian Friel
Since arriving at a bunker-reinforced, secluded base near Husaybah, Iraq, on the edge of the Iraqi-Syrian border, Marines of Company I, 3d Battalion, Second Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2 have experienced mortar fire from insurgents on a regular basis.
But April 11 turned out to be a different experience for an entire company of Marines. By the end of the day, these Marines from Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, N.C., and their leaders gained confidence in their abilities to stand against extraordinary odds.
Early that morning a group of four mortar rounds flew over the base. Corporal Roy Mitros was the sergeant of the guard at the time.
"It was definitely out of the norm because all of them were within 5 to 10 meters of each other," he explained.
The Huntsville, Ala., native hurried to the combat operations center (COC) to report the location of the rounds to the watch officer. At that point the base came under heavy mortar and rocket-propelled grenade fire as the COC took three RPGs, which blew off the doors. Mitros hurried to get the quick reaction force, finding them all ready with their gear on.
Meanwhile, a dump truck and a fire truck rolled toward the front entrance of the camp, and the Marines on post were engaged with small-arms fire.
A young lance corporal armed with an M249 squad automatic weapon, who was also engaged by enemy fire at his post, heard the loud rumble of a diesel engine inching closer toward him.
Suicide Trucks, Brave Marines
Cpl Anthony Fink, a Columbus, Ohio, native, and LCpls Joe Lampe and Roger Leyton were manning an M240G medium machine gun when their bunker was hit with an RPG, knocking them to the ground. The dust and sand from the busted sandbags clouded their view of the oncoming truck, and small-arms fire forced them to keep their heads down.
From his post, LCpl Joshua Butler saw a white dump truck rolling past Fink's position toward his post and the front entrance.
The Altoona, Pa., native engaged the truck with 20 to 30 5.56 mm rounds as it veered off the road and detonated about 40 meters from his post, creating a crater and sending a wall of smoke into the air.
Butler was thrown into one of the walls of his post as shrapnel and debris landed around him. One piece broke through the goggles that rested on the front of his Kevlar helmet. Getting up to check himself and moving down the wall of his post to gain better cover, he heard another distinct diesel engine rumble.
"When I saw the truck I thought, 'I can't believe this is happening again,' " he said.
Seconds later, a red fire truck cleared the smoke and was bearing down toward Butler and his post at about 40 mph.
"It was like nothing I'd ever seen before," he explained.
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Fellow Marine, LCpl Charles Young, from Oldsmar, Fla., fired grenades from a corresponding position, hitting directly in front of and behind the fire truck, slowing its progress.
Butler was able to make out two men inside the truck, their faces covered by black veils. He opened fire with his SAW, spraying 100 to 150 rounds into the truck and causing it to follow the same path its predecessor made, exploding 30 meters from his position.
"I knew what they were doing, and I just tried to stop them," he said.
The explosion created an enormous fireball. Doors around the base were blown off their hinges, windows shattered and remains of the fire truck rained down on the entire camp.
A third suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated farther out.
Mitros arrived with the quick reaction force as the small-arms fire continued.
Fire Continues
As Butler stopped the suspected vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attacks, the assault on Fink's post continued from multiple directions. Taking fire and returning it, Fink and Leyton began firing 40 mm grenades from an M203 grenade launcher as First Sergeant Donald Brazeal, the company first sergeant, arrived at their position to locate the source of the heaviest enemy fire.
(continued)
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