Story by Spc. Jeremy D. Crisp
MNC-I PAO
March 23, 2005
ATTACK
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq -- It was supposed to be just another day, another routine mission outside Baghdad for Soldiers from the Kentucky Army National Guard's 617th Military Police Company. What happened in the early morning of March 20 turned a typical patrol into anything but routine.
The Richmond, Ky., based 617th sent out their fourth platoon's second squad to shadow a convoy of transportation vehicles along a supply route southeast of Baghdad.
Their mission: provide support for the vehicles in the event of an attack and, if the need came, engage and destroy the enemy.
Twenty-six supply vehicles, many of which were 18-wheelers, were heading south on the heavily traveled route. They were driving one behind the other like ducks in a row, with a security convoy of three military police vehicles interlaced between -- one up front, one in the middle, one in the rear.
Trailing the convoy and not far out of sight was second squad in three additional heavily-armored Humvees.
Each Humvee contained a trio of Soldiers, each laden with weapons and gear, except for the trail vehicle, which also carried a medic. Gunners stood ready in the turrets with .50-caliber machine guns and Mark-19 grenade launchers.
The vehicle commanders, drivers and medic kept their eyes peeled and weapons at the ready just in case something out of the ordinary happened. That morning, something did.
"We observed the convoy we were trailing starting to make erratic movements," said Staff Sgt. Timothy F. Nein, leader, second squad.
"We saw a lot of dust being kicked up by the convoy vehicles, as if they were being engaged by an (improvised explosive device) or an ambush, so we knew something was wrong.
My gunner said he could here shots being fired, so we picked up the pace." The squad proceeded directly into an ambush site.
"We moved to contact," Nein said. "We got the vehicles on the contact side, in between the convoy and the insurgents. As we got up on that side of the road, we realized through previous reconnaissance of the area that there was a road that paralleled the field going south."
The squad then proceeded down the main road and took a right onto the side road to flank the insurgents. "At that time," Nein said, "We noticed seven vehicles the insurgents had staged and ready.
Doors open, trunks open; ready for a quick escape. Once we turned down that road, the insurgents didn't have a choice but to stay and fight. We had just cut off their escape route."
As soon as the squad rolled into the fray, the insurgents adjusted fire. "As we came on the scene, the insurgents' fire all shifted," said Nein. "They realized who they needed to fire on.
They quickly shifted all fire from the transportation convoy to us. As soon as we cut back to get in between the convoy and the insurgents, the windshield of my driver (Sgt. Dustin T. Morris) took two direct hits. The bullets failed to defeat the armored glass."
Atop the same truck was .50-cal. gunner Spc. Casey M. Cooper. He said when they turned down the side road massive gunfire was coming their way.
Rounds from small arms came towards them and impacted the rear door and its window, which yet again failed to penetrate the Humvee's armor. What happened next shocked and stunned Cooper.
"I just saw something coming at me, and fast. It just so happened to be a (rocket propelled grenade)," he said.
The round impacted right above the rear passenger door, right below where Cooper was positioned in the turret.
"It knocked me out -- completely unconscious," he said.
Only sustaining minor shrapnel wounds around the right eye and hand, Cooper would be fine, but one Soldier in the group thought he was dead. The soldier said he went up and shook Cooper, at which point he popped awake and started firing again.
In the vehicle following right behind Nein, Cooper, and Morris was 23 year-old Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, team leader and vehicle commander from Bowling Green, Ky. Hester and her crew saw the RPG hit the lead vehicle.
"Nein's vehicle took a direct hit with an RPG as soon as we made that turn," said Hester. "I heard it hit, saw the smoke, but we kept pushing on.
"I saw Staff Sgt. Nein jump out of the truck. As soon as I saw him jump out, I was right there," Hester said. From there, Hester, Nein and company pressed their flanking advantage and engaged the enemy full force.
"On the right hand side was a berm. They were still shooting at us from there and from down in a trench line," said Hester .
"So we returned fire. I think I shot off three M203 (grenade launcher) rounds, and I don't know how many M4 (assault rifle) rounds I shot. I know I hit one of the RPK (Russian-made light machine gun) gunners," she said.
Nein and Hester were side by side, and both were being engaged with small arms fire. "Both Sgt. Hester's and my vehicles were being engaged by an insurgent with an RPK somewhere out in the orchard field," Nein said. "I could also see an insurgent with an RPG trying to get around and fire on us.
We weren't engaging him at the time, but I think he thought we were going to. He was peering out from behind a tree, so we eliminated him."
Hester, Nein and their comrades continued to press the advantage, completely disrupting any plans the insurgents had at a successful attack. After the approximately 45-minute firefight, only three Soldiers from the 617th were wounded.
Conversely, 27 insurgents were dead. Six others were wounded; one was captured. None escaped.
The MPs from second squad also 'cached' in, confiscating 22 AK-47 light machine guns, 13 RPKs, 6 RPGs, 16 RPG rockets, 123 full AK-47 ammunition magazines, 52 empty AK-47 magazines, one full AK-47 (75) round ammunition drum, an estimated 200 loose AK-47 ammunition rounds, 2,500 (7.62mm) belted ammunition rounds, and 40 hand grenades.
Capt. Todd M. Lindner, 617th company commander, said he went over the scenario in his head a hundred times to see what he might have done differently or done better. He said there was no better way then what his Soldiers did.
"They did exactly what they were supposed to do when supporting a convoy in that situation," said Lindner. "What their mission was in shadowing that convoy was to provide support in the event of an attack. What they were supposed to do was place themselves in between the attacking force and the convoy.
This would allow the convoy to escape the kill zone while they returned suppressive fire and ultimately defeated the enemy. That was exactly what they did."
| Date Taken: | 03.30.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 03.30.2005 14:50 |
| Story ID: | 1444 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 589 |
| Downloads: | 22 |
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