Task Unit Bruiser was located in Ramadi, the CO and his staff were
some thirty miles to the east in Fallujah, a city that had been cleaned up
by the massive U.S. Marine offensive in 2004. Now, two years later,
Fallujah remained fairly stable. It was a far different environment than
the constant violence of Ramadi. Our operational plans required the
CO’s approval and on up the chain of command to the next level. The
CO and his staff also provided many of the resources and support we
needed to execute our missions in Ramadi.
“What’s the issue?” Jocko asked me, seeing that I was fired up. “The
e-mail?” He too was frustrated with the frequent questions and scrutiny.
“Yes, the e-mail,” I replied. “Every little thing we do, they don’t
get!” The oft blamed “they,” in this case, was anyone outside of my
immediate group of Charlie Platoon and Task Unit Bruiser.
Jocko laughed. “I know you’re frustrated....” he said. “I’m frustrated
too—”
I cut him off. “It’s actually insane. We are busting our butts, risking
our lives and kicking some serious ass on the toughest battlefield in Iraq.
And I have to answer idiotic questions like whether we have a QRF lined
up?”
The QRF, or quick reaction force, consisted of U.S. Soldiers or
Marines who would respond with armored vehicles, a couple of dozen
troops, and heavy firepower when our SEALs got into a serious bind and
were pinned down by enemy forces. Many of us in Task Unit Bruiser had
been to Iraq previously, and a few had seen some decent combat. On
those previous deployments, activating the QRF was virtually unheard
of. But here in Ramadi, it was a common occurrence. On any operation
at any time, we knew we could be attacked by an overwhelming number
of enemy fighters and our position overrun. In just the first few months
jeff_l
(Jeff_L)
#1