Marine Fire Fight.. WOW..

[rhino 0]

>Life in the fast lane!
> >
> > An amazing story of what might have turned into a massacre.
> > Note the use by the enemy of an ambulance as a ruse.
> >
> >
> >
> > Stranded Marines Fight to Last Bullets
> > by James Hider, in Fallujah
> >
> > The 15 Marines were trapped in a house, surrounded by hundreds of Iraqis
> > armed with rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles, their armored
> > vehicle in flames on the street outside. Each man was down to his last
>two
> > magazines.
> >
> > "It was in my head, we just got to go. Whoever makes it back, makes it
> > back, those who fall, fall," said Staff Sergeant Ismail Sagredo, sitting
>in
> > the relative safety of Bravo Company's forward base yesterday, as
>mortars
> > and machinegun fire sounded a few streets away.
> >
> > "That was the decision I'd have had to make, and I'm glad I didn't have
>to
> > do it."
> >
> > It was one of the most dramatic actions of the war.
> >
> > Sergeant Sagredo, 35, had been in one of two Amphibious Assault Vehicles
> > running out from the Marines' frontline close to the centre of Fallujah,
> > trying to trap insurgents who had ambushed a supply vehicle. But as
>they
> > headed down the narrow, parallel streets of Fallujah, where Sunni
>tribesmen
> > have battled the Marines for more than a week, their vehicle came under
>fire
> > from rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), the guerrillas' weapon of choice.
> > Unable to turn the large vehicle around, the squad charged their
>attackers,
> > but lost contact when they hit a bend in the road. They were driving
>into
> > unknown territory. Then they turned another corner and saw hundreds of
> > guerrillas.
> >
> > "I've never seen so many RPGs. A lot of them were propped up against
>the
> > walls with extra rounds," said the sergeant. The Iraqis, not expecting
>a
> > lone American vehicle so far behind their lines, ran frantically for
>their
> > weapons as the Marines opened up with M16 rifles and machineguns.
> >
> > Rockets started smashing into their vehicle. One pierced the armor at
>the
> > front, taking a large chunk out of the leg of Lieutenant Christopher
>Ayres,
> > the officer in command. The rocket did not explode, but hit the engine,
> > setting it ablaze. Still under intense fire, the driver swerved south
>along
> > a route known to the Marines as "Sh--head Alley", desperate to find a
> > turning to the east, towards their own lines. The gunner was dead from
> > enemy fire, and several men had been knocked down by the continuing
>rounds
> > of missiles.
> >
> > The blaze was spreading toward the stockpiles of grenades when the
>engine
> > gave out completely. With the engine dead, the rear gate would not
>open.
> > The men had to climb out of the hatch one by one, still taking
>small-arms
> > fire. Luckily for them, their dash down the gauntlet of Sh--head Alley
>had
> > left their attackers - up to 600 of them - behind. But only for a while.
> > "When we stepped out I was relieved. At least I wasn't going to burn,"
>said
> > Lance Corporal Abraham McCarver, a machinegunner.
> >
> > The men had to help Lieutenant Ayres, who was crawling blindly toward
>the
> > fire. Sergeant Sagredo and Corporal McCarver pulled him, but his webbing
> > caught on a rack.
> >
> > They were still taking fire, conscious that the vehicle could explode at
>any
> > moment. Then the webbing ripped, and they carried the wounded officer to
>a
> > nearby house, kicking down the door.
> >
> > The Marines took up firing positions on the roof as more than 150 Iraqi
> > gunmen converged on the small house.
> >
> > "All the Iraqis surged south to join the festivities," Sergeant Sagredo
> > said. He now found himself in charge of an impossible situation
>reminiscent
> > of scenes in Black Hawk Down, the film of a doomed US raid in Somalia
>that
> > the sergeant had seen back home in America.
> >
> > "It did remind me of that soldier being dragged through the streets back
> > then," he said, aware that a similarly gruesome scene had involved four
>US
> > contractors just streets away, the trigger for the Marines' invasion of
> > Fallujah.
> >
> > Ironically, Bravo Company's call-sign is Blackhawk. The Marines could
>hear
> > the Iraqi fighters shouting outside, could see their feet shadowed under
>the
> > front gate. "I opened a window because I heard voices and I thought it
>was
> > Americans," said Corporal Koreyan Calloway. "There was a guy in a
>headscarf
> > with an AK47 standing there looking at me, so I shot him."
> >
> > The attackers were darting down narrow alleyways beside the house, and
> > lobbing grenades from neighboring rooftops.
> >
> > "They were running across our line of fire like we weren't even shooting
>at
> > them," the corporal said. "It was just like a range, we were just
>shooting
> > them down," said Corporal Jacob Palofax.
> >
> > In the midst of the firefight, with the armored vehicle's munitions
>blowing
> > up, an Iraqi ambulance pulled up. The Marines thought they were being
> > rescued.
> > Instead, 15 men with RPGs jumped out and started firing.
> >
> > The Americans were almost out of bullets. An Iraqi round hit a kitchen
>pipe
> > and gas started whistling out as RPGs slammed into the building. A
> > guerrilla burst through the gate with an RPG and was shot dead. Another
> > tried to follow and was wounded. "Then the men started shouting that
>they
> > could hear tanks. The first one went past, then the second," Sergeant
> > Sagredo said.
> >
> > Horrified that the rescuers would miss him, Sergeant Sagredo radioed to
>tell
> > them to back up. They did. A rifle muzzle appeared through the gate, and
> > Captain Jason Smith of the 5th Marine Regiment came through shouting:
> > "Marines, Marines, friendlies!"
> >
> > It took an hour for the tanks to hook up with the burnt-out vehicle, but
> > they were determined not to leave a dead Marine behind inside it.
>Sergeant
> > Sagredo does not want a medal for saving his men. "A decoration would
>only
> > remind me of what happened. This is something I want to forget.
> > Unfortunately, if it doesn't affect me now, I know it will haunt me
>later."

[marinewife 0]

Quote

Rockets started smashing into their vehicle. One pierced the armor at the front, taking a large chunk out of the leg of Lieutenant Christopher Ayres, the officer in command

I was just surfing the and came across this place...I just wanted to let you know this is my husband. Thank you for posting this.

[Skyrad 0]

I hope he makes a swift recovery.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[bodypilot90 0]

Quote

An amazing story of what might have turned into a massacre. Note the use by the enemy of an ambulance as a ruse

.

but they were fighting the evil americans so that's ok.

Quote

It took an hour for the tanks to hook up with the burnt-out vehicle, but they were determined not to leave a dead Marine behind inside it.

Looks like some still understand honor and courage, under fire.

[Guest]

That's why the RIFWs use RPGs - it's because they're such lousy shots with a firearm. They shouldn't be taken any less seriously, of course, it's just that precision shooting isn't something they're good at.

AK-47s can spray at lot of lead, look all cool and revolutionary, and sound impressive when they're fired into the air for no reason at all, but they don't do well when used in a gunfight against discplined USMC riflemen.

The RPG satisfies the RFIW yen for something that does what he can't do for himself - stand up and fight like a man.

mh

.

"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."

[Skyrad 0]

Quote

AK-47s can spray at lot of lead, look all cool and revolutionary, and sound impressive when they're fired into the air for no reason at all, but they don't do well when used in a gunfight against discplined USMC riflemen.

I think that 772 Dead Americans killed since March 2003 in Iraq not to mention the 4331 wounded (2662 Wounded so badly they had to be removed from theater) demonstrates that you're talking rubbish. Its not a bloody action film

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[billvon 3,031]

>The RPG satisfies the RFIW yen for something that does what he
>can't do for himself - stand up and fight like a man.

It would be fun to watch you tell a US serviceman carrying an RPG that you wish he would stand up and fight like a man.

>AK-47s can spray at lot of lead, look all cool and revolutionary, and
> sound impressive when they're fired into the air for no reason at all,
> but they don't do well when used in a gunfight against discplined
> USMC riflemen.

Apparently they do:

BAQOUBA, Iraq (AP) An American soldier stands at the side of an Iraqi highway, puts his AK-47 on fully automatic and pulls the trigger.

. . .

''We just do not have enough rifles to equip all of our soldiers. So in certain circumstances we allow soldiers to have an AK-47. They have to demonstrate some proficiency with the weapon ... demonstrate an ability to use it,'' said Lt. Col. Mark Young, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 4th Infantry Division.

. . .

Now U.S. troops who have picked up AKs on raids or confiscated them at checkpoints are putting the rifles to use and they like what they see.

Some complain that standard U.S. military M16 and M4 rifles jam too easily in Iraq's dusty environment. Many say the AK has better ''knockdown'' power and can kill with fewer shots.

''The kind of war we are in now ... you want to be able to stop the enemy quick,'' said Sgt. 1st Class Tracy S. McCarson of Newport News, Va., an army scout, who carries an AK in his Humvee.

Some troops say the AK is easier to maintain and a better close-quarters weapon. Also, it has ''some psychological affect on the enemy when you fire back on them with their own weapons,'' ''Normally an armor battalion is fighting from its tanks. Well, we are not fighting from our tanks right now,'' Young said. ''We are certainly capable of performing the missions that we have been assigned, there's no issue with that, but we do find ourselves somewhat challenged.''

[chuckbrown 0]

The AK-47 and it's variants are widely recognized as the finest infantry weapon ever designed. Very accurate in single shot mode. High rate of automatice fire. Extremely resistant to environmental factors. Not to mention a larger caliber bullet. A brilliant weapon. The M16/M4 have become good weapons, but the original deployment of the M16 in the 1960s bordered on the criminal.

[Trent 0]

Quote

>AK-47s can spray at lot of lead, look all cool and revolutionary, and
> sound impressive when they're fired into the air for no reason at all,
> but they don't do well when used in a gunfight against discplined
> USMC riflemen.

Apparently they do:

I guess I just read it differently. An AK, or anything for that matter, in the hands of an untrained martyr-wannabe is really no match for someone who knows how to use the weapon. I just hope that having some real soldiers use the AK doesn't let the wacko-squads on to the fact that it can be used for something other than "spray and pray".

Oh, hello again!

[Casurf1978 0]

Quote

The AK-47 and it's variants are widely recognized as the finest infantry weapon ever designed. Very accurate in single shot mode. High rate of automatice fire. Extremely resistant to environmental factors. Not to mention a larger caliber bullet. A brilliant weapon. The M16/M4 have become good weapons, but the original deployment of the M16 in the 1960s bordered on the criminal.

I read some Vietnam history books when in the 1960s they gave the soldiers M16s that would jam all the time and were basically POS. I cant understand how someone or the military could do that.

[rickjump1 0]

When I went to Vietnam the first time in Dec '67 we traded in our M16's for ones with chrome chambers, and a black bolt (heavier I think). The powder in the bullet had been changed to leave less residue after firing, and the muzzle flash suppressor was less prone to hanging up in vines. It did require daily maintenance; especially keeping the chamber clean. The only thing about the ak47 that I didn't like was the wooden forearm heating up after a lot of firing. Other than that, it was great to shoot and didn't require much maintenance. The first M16's sent to Vietnam probably caused the death of some of our troops.

Do your part for global warming: ban beans and hold all popcorn farts.

[Layton 0]

i agree. im a navy vet but i dont think anyone teaches their people to shoot like the marines.

[Kennedy 0]

Two things every USMC officer hears in training many, many times:

two word definition of leadership: "Follow Me"

Every Marine a rifleman. (no matter what you do, as a Marine you are a rifleman first)

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[rickjump1 0]

John Glenn, Col, USMC still went to the rifle range when he became an astronaut.

Do your part for global warming: ban beans and hold all popcorn farts.

[Kennedy 0]

Yeah, and...?

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[rickjump1 0]

He qualified expert I presume.

Do your part for global warming: ban beans and hold all popcorn farts.

[nacmacfeegle 0]

"The AK-47 and it's variants are widely recognized as the finest infantry weapon ever designed. Very accurate in single shot mode."
They are certainly popular, I recall seeing on a Discovery type programme that one AK 47 exists for every 60 people on the planet!

--------------------

He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

[markd_nscr986 0]

Sorry,off the topic but I have to send some stuff to a USMC unit via FPO that is an "SRIG".The writing is somewhat illegible.....what is an SRIG?Any ideas?

Marc SCR 6046 SCS 3004

[Erroll 80]

Quote

"The AK-47 and it's variants are widely recognized as the finest infantry weapon ever designed. Very accurate in single shot mode."
They are certainly popular, I recall seeing on a Discovery type programme that one AK 47 exists for every 60 people on the planet!

As an experienced competitive shottist as well as a military vet who has been shot at by Ak-47s, I can assure you that while the AK-47 is indeed one of the most prolific assualt rifles ever manufactured, it is certainly not accurate. It was not designed to be accurate. It was designed to operate reliably under extremely adverse conditions, cheap to manufacture and with easy maintenance. At that it succeded brilliantly. Accurate? Nope.

The extracts below are from this link .


"Actually hitting anything with one much past 100 yards is problematical. "

"Cons

Very loud noise
Is heavy,
Not accurate"