Tankers honor a fallen comrade

Photo By Master Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva | A Marine from A Company, 2nd Tank Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5 kneels in front of the memorial to Sgt. George M. Ulloa Jr., Aug. 14, at Camp Habbaniyah, Iraq. Ulloa, 26, was killed in action Aug. 3. He was memorialized by his fellow Marines at Camp Habbaniyah's chapel.  

CAMP HABBANIYAH, IRAQ

08.24.2006

Story by Master Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva 

I Marine Expeditionary Force

by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva
Regimental Combat Team 5

CAMP HABBANIYAH, Iraq -- Marines from A Company, 2nd Tank Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5 paused their operations to honor one of their fallen, Aug. 14.

Sgt. George M. Ulloa Jr. was killed in action Aug. 3 while conducting security and stabilization operations near Habbaniyah, Iraq. He was memorialized by his fellow Marines at the camp's chapel. He was 26-years-old and from Jacksonville, N.C.

Col. Larry D. Nicholson, RCT-5's commanding officer, said Ulloa was a member of a special team of tankers that led Marines from the front. Ulloa fought during Operation Al Fajr, the offensive to take Fallujah nearly two years ago and was back in Iraq leading Marines again through dangerous missions.

"It was while supporting these vital missions, in support of 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, such a very gifted and rising star was taken away from us," Nicholson said. "This is where we needed the 'Masters of the Iron Horse,' to support 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines in the most challenging mission; to open the road between Fallujah and Habbaniyah, something not accomplished in the three years of this fight. This mission is now accomplished and Sgt. George Ulloa gave his precious life in its accomplishment."

Nicholson said Ulloa's leadership of his Marines in combat operations earned him the highest accolades from his fellow combat-hardened veterans. He said Ulloa was a hero in every sense of the word.

"Heroes are not athletes, rocks stars or movies stars," he explained. "They are mortal men who perform immortal deeds— Men like Sgt. Ulloa. Sgt. Ulloa is in fact worthy of this title so often casually and undeservedly bestowed upon others. He will certainly, forever, be one of mine."

An inverted rifle was placed in Ulloa's honor. A tanker's helmet balanced on top with identification tags hanging from the rifle. Just in front, an empty pair of boots was placed. Behind the memorial, the national and battalion colors hung.

Ulloa was described by the Marines who knew him best as a man of intense dedication to his trade and tremendous pride in being a Marine. He was "professional" and "confident" in nearly every task he took on, from earning his instructor's status in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program to learning Arabic prior to deploying to Iraq.

"It was a role, that of the unsung hero, that he was ideally suited," said Capt Edward Y. Blakiston, A Company's commander. "Perhaps more so than the rest of us. Sgt. Ulloa did not need the praises of others. He did not need his actions justified. He did what he did because it was his duty and it was the right thing to do. He possessed an inner strength and confidence that guided him through the turmoil that sometimes trip the rest of up, so he was a very special person in that respect."

• Date Taken: 08.24.2006
• Date Posted: 08.24.2006 16:01
• Story ID: 7544
• Location: CAMP HABBANIYAH, IQ