Operation Desert Strike

Prelude to a Fight

TF 1-506th IN (AASLT) was on freedom's frontier at Camp Greaves, Korea when 2nd Infantry Division alerted 2nd Brigade for the deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom on the 18 May 2004. Immediately, with the rest of the "Strike Force" of 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, the battalion began the logistical and training process of preparing to deploy.

During June and July 2004, under the constant drizzle of the Korean Monsoon season, the battalion conducted a field training exercise as a rehearsal for Iraq. A close-knit Task Force was forged that included A/2-72 AR (Apache), C/44 EN (Sapper), a Paladin platoon from 2/17 FA (Steel), and a counter-intelligence team from 102nd MI.

On August 6, 2004 the battalion deployed from the Republic of Korea to Kuwait for reception into theater, staging, integration, and onward movement to Iraq. The battalion landed at Kuwait International Airport and moved to the initial staging base, Camp Buehring, Kuwait. There, the battalion made final preparations for combat, downloading vehicles and gear off ships, receiving new armored "gun trucks" to protect against Improvised Explosive Devices (IED's), conducting live-fire exercises, and acclimatizing to the desert.

Crossing the Berm

On 25 August 2004, the Band of Brothers entered a combat zone for the first time since Vietnam, this time headed for the arid and dusty environs of Al Anbar Province, Iraq. The battalion's assigned Area of Operations (AO CURRAHEE) was the 30 km long mobility corridor between the cities of Ar Ramadi, the provincial capital, and Fallujah, an insurgent stronghold since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003. The area's dominant features were the Euphrates River and the Iraqi Highway 10 (MSR Michigan) that ran parallel to each other through the entire AO. The major city in the area was Khalidiyah and the total population in the AO was about 90,000.

The battalion executed an approach march over two days, starting at Camp Buehring and finishing at Habbaniyah, Iraq. The battalion first entered Iraq at Coalition Crossing near the Iraqi border town of An Nasiriyah and followed MSR Tampa, Iraqi Highway 1, through the heart of Iraq, passing by the cities of Basrah, Babil, and then just south of Baghdad, turning west and following MSR Mobile (Iraqi Expressway 1) into the Sunni Triangle and Al Anbar Province.

AO CURRAHEE

The Currahee's relieved TF 1-34 Armor of 1st Bde, 1ID at Camp Habbaniyah, and upon Transition of Authority (TOA) on 7 September 2004, immediately took the fight to the insurgents, collectively known as Anti-Iraqi Forces (AIF) because of their shared desire to sabotage the democratic process in Iraq and willingness to harm the innocent Iraqi people in the process. The mission of the battalion was to conduct counter-insurgency operations to disrupt the AIF in AO CURRAHEE. To accomplish this, the battalion executed battalion cordon and searches, conducted targeted raids, and executed cache sweeps in the local communities of Khalidiyah, Mudiq, Husaybah, Abu Fleis, Julaybah, and Jazeera. The battalion also took on the task of securing Main Supply Route (MSR) Michigan (Operation Mad Max), securing a large Ammunition Supply Point (Operation Thunderdome), conducting daily intelligence and security patrols, and securing Camp Habbaniyah.

Operation Phantom Fury

On 2 November 2004, the 1st Marine Division executed Operation Phantom Fury (Arabic name Al Fahr), the famed assault on Fallujah on the Currahee's eastern flank. Leading up to the assault, TF 1-506th conducted several shaping raids to deny safe haven to AIF leadership desiring to escape Fallujah. Once the assault on Fallujah commenced, the second order effects of the battle were felt immediately in AO Currahee as the number of IED's, indirect fire (IDF) attacks from Mortars and rockets, and small arms fire increased. The Currahees fought through this intense period, keeping the pressure on the enemy. As the dust settled in December, the insurgency had been dealt a serious blow and the number of attacks decreased over the next few months.

During this critical period, the battalion added a new member to the battalion Task Force, the mechanized firepower of 10 M2A2 Bradley Fighting vehicles of B/5-5 ADA. The "Bushwhackers" joined with their heavy brothers of Apache Tank to form a formidable team for Mad Max duties on MSR Michigan security. Also, the battalion deployed D/1-506th to Ramadi to work with 1-9 IN on MSR Mobile route security. Other improvements were made as the battalion created a strongpoint observation post on the decisive terrain of the Khalidiyah bridge. Despite the AIF's attempts to attack and destroy this OP, it remained a permanent fixture for the rest of the deployment, effectively shutting down IED emplacements along a key stretch of highway the previous task force had dubbed "IED Alley". At the conclusion of Operation Phantom Fury, the battalion conducted a Humanitarian Relief mission in Civil Camp, the community adjacent to camp Habbaniyah, to provide food and medical supplies for thousands of refugees from Fallujah.

Democratic Elections

By December 2004, the focus of the world shifted to the critical upcoming Iraqi elections. In Al Anbar, the battalion participated in Operation Citadel, the 1st Marine Division's campaign to secure the election sites. TF 1-506th again stepped up the pressure on the AIF in AO CURRAHEE through raids and cordon and searches, setting the conditions to hold the elections. On election day, 31 January 2005, the battalion secured two voting centers and denied the AIF the ability to attack them. In Al Anbar, a Sunni stronghold, the voter turn-out was light, but the lack of violence in our area, coupled with the overwhelming voter turn-out in other parts of the country resulted in a successful election for the interim Iraqi Government and the coalition. While overall turn-out in the provence was low, AO CURRAHEE turn-out was relatively strong. The Civil Camp polling location saw more voters than any other site in AL Anbar. Moreover, we produced more than half of the votes from the female population in the provence.

New Brothers

By March 2005, it was clear that the future for Iraq stability would have to be a new and capable Iraqi Army. The Currahees found themselves partnered with a new band of brothers, the recently formed, 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Intervention Forces (Army) Division. The Task Force set about training these new soldiers and integrating them into the fight.

Also in March, the 1st Marine Division transferred responsibility for Western Iraq to the 2nd Marine Division. The battalion participated in the 1st Marine Division's Operation River Blitz to ensure the transition went smoothly. Again the battalion conducted several raids and cordons, utilizing every tool to gain surprise to include an insertion via a Marine Small Craft Company into Jazeera which resulted in the capture of an IED and Indirect Fire (IDF) cell. As the new Iraqi Army began to grow in numbers and training, the ineffective Iraqi National Guard (ING) that had been hastily formed in 2003 was ordered to inactivate. In May 2005, TF 1-506th was called upon to secure the inactivation of the three Iraqi National Guard battalions in AO CURRAHEE. The battalion secured the stand-down of the ING and their subsequent recruitment and mobilization of over 500 men into the new Iraqi Army.

Guardian Sword

In June and July of 2005, 2nd Marine Division refocused its effort to aggressively integrate the new Iraqi Army units into combat operations. In this new campaign, named Operation Guardian Sword, the Division's main effort remained to neutralize the AIF in Ramadi. TF 1-506th continued to attack to disrupt insurgent safe havens and capture caches in AO Currahee. Notable during this period was the execution of two Air Assault targeted raids by Hard Rock across the Euphrates into Jazeera, the last of which resulted in the capture of an AIF cell leader. The Currahees pressed the fight in AO Currahee until the very last day, executing their last combat mission in conjunction with TF 1-110th Infantry from 2/28 ID on 24 July 2005. The battalion transferred authority for the AO to TF 1-110th on 25 July 2005 and boarded planes bound for Kuwait en route to Ft Carson, CO.

The Currahee Legacy of OIF 04-05

The Currahees of TF 1-506th (AASLT) made an immediate impact and caused a lasting disrupting effect on the insurgency in the Khalidiyah-Habbaniyah area of western Iraq in 2004 and 2005. Through constant pressure -- from 24 hour presence on the MSR with Apache's tanks, Bushwhacker's Bradleys, Destroyer's heavy weapons gun-trucks, and line company rifle platoons; to the dozens of agile night-time raids conducted by Gator, Hardrock, and Baker; to the thorough cache sweeps of Sapper; to the feared sniper operations of Tracker; to the combined counter-fire of Steel and Hammer -- the battalion kept the various AIF cells of militant extremists, Saddam loyalists, and tribal criminals on their heels, allowing for the brigade and the division to focus both on destroying the insurgent stronghold in Fallujah and also neutralizing the insurgents in the Al Anbar capital of Ramadi. The Soldiers of TF 1-506th were unmatched in skill and professionalism on the battlefield and killed dozens of the insurgents who dared engage the Currahees toe-to-toe. Ultimately, the battalion detained over 2,000 insurgents over the course of the year and captured hundreds of weapons, rounds of rocket, artillery, and mortar munitions denying these deadly munitions to the AIF. The Currahees successfully secured the January 2005 elections in the Khalidiyah area, contributing to an overall strategic success for the interim government. Finally, the Currahees successfully partnered with a new Iraqi battalion, training them and integrating them into our operations, arming them with the skills to neutralize the insurgency and eventually bring stability to their country for a brighter Iraqi future.