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Under Fire in Iraq

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    On the frontlines with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines

  • Duration 7:55
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I'm Oliver North this is war stories.

Coming to you from a marine combat base in Iraq.

We're here with the second battalion fourth Marines the unit that has inflicted more damage and the enemies of democracy.

And taken more casualties than any other in operation Iraqi.

Tonight we'll take too long in the dangerous missions the 1000 Marines of two or -- -- every day -- there when -- -- by the end of you'll see firsthand how our troops responded he's deadly attacks from -- that definitely without warning.

Hours long gun -- -- -- -- buildings at a 120 degrees it's the anatomy of battle.

In the war on terror.

We really had no idea -- the enemy's capable on this city.

It was an -- -- an idea.

We got no idea worries that.

You can never tell.

What's gonna happen on.

Welcome to ramadi Iraq the sprawling city of almost half a million people lies in Iraq's -- -- between the tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Located just seventy miles west of Baghdad and inside the heart of the Sunni Triangle.

Ramadi for decades is a stronghold of Saddam Hussein's -- party.

And home -- Iraq's military elite.

The former dictator himself vacationed here in an enormous complex of opulent palaces He built at the edge of the city the whole thing is right on the banks -- -- The point where this -- Euphrates and media company and our.

Indian and -- -- James -- is sergeant major second battalion fourth Marines.

Since March 2004 the -- been headquartered in this palace rumored to have been a playground for Hussein's dreaded sons Uday and Hussein.

Sergeant major.

This was a Presidential Palace that you have to make any physical changes to improve security for -- -- worker from the inside out.

There's been a lot of stuff for generators sandbags and windows and so forth rhetoric are what problem concert in the war on banks occasionally -- swimmer.

Try to get up and that's where half our time is us fox company -- -- -- -- -- just outside our war.

And -- -- -- when we have the other half time.

Right golf company.

Call that combat outpost basically got a little over a thousand -- that are spread out over.

Ten clobbered him.

Here in Iraq the -- -- continue the battalions long highly decorated combat -- Activated in 1932 the battalion fought bravely in the Pacific island campaign -- World War II.

In 1964.

Unit deployed to Vietnam.

And it was there a quarter 5600.

That the battalion acquired its official nickname the magnificent bastards.

The -- -- tradition is important and the Marines of two floor carry their official nickname with pride.

Describe the mission.

Second battalion fourth Marines here in this capital which company has an area that they're assigned to every day -- they go from handing out stuff for school.

You are pretty volatile stuff we came here -- the expectation that is really just going to be stability operations that support operations.

Connecticut native lieutenant colonel Paul Kennedy is to horse battalion commander.

Just weeks after they deployed to ramadi colonel Kennedy -- Marines quickly realized the city was anything but passive we Begin to -- -- Indirect fire storms tax.

There about three weeks we -- we are performing.

Which you'd expect to countenance.

-- -- who is the enemy could before that this could be.

Former.

Generals -- security apparatus fighters are generally men from the city.

You don't have jobs who have too much time -- there -- news -- CS as a as an affront.

And it's 68 and the city of ramadi erupted in gunfire.

For three days Marines -- -- fierce and determined and twelve Marines made the ultimate sacrifice.

The enemy ranks was decimated and there was forced to change tactics they cannot afford to go at a us.

Head to head like He did 6710.

April and mostly now it's -- -- -- tactics and drop off.

-- -- -- -- Cheap and easy to build the improvised explosive device or IED has become one of the deadliest weapons terrorist use -- Iraq.

It is very clever weapon in -- almost -- is also precision guided weapon in that.

They can disguise it as anything -- and alleys -- side of a large cities these guys.

Of the more than 700 Americans killed in action and Operation Iraqi Freedom almost a 150 of died from -- First lieutenant Dan Crawford knows well the danger of the remote controlled bombs -- the job of his first mobile assault looking to respond to these ambushed.

Some enemy has proven to be resourceful and how they put them in -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- stable.

Just wanna -- -- get -- from here this tournament you're if you don't know -- come home.

Now any object in the street is treated with suspicion.

But the -- to -- one step program.

Back to normal looking parked cars with the explosives these bombs -- called VBIUDs.

Work vehicular borne improvised explosive devices.

When detected the Marines have multiple means of destroying it.

But in a crowded busy city almost any car.

Can potentially be lethal.

July marine commandant general Michael Hickey visited the front lines to see what -- Marines are up against.

Still using -- technique you know.

-- -- -- using the behavior of 190s now that a suicide bomber -- won his -- better road.

We've been expecting anything that.

I would say they have the biggest lesson we have taken out here unfortunately.

Music how do you defend against -- improvised explosive.

Device and the hardening of the vehicles.

The previous war a lot of humvees and so -- pretty rough shape.

-- stands for high mobility multi purpose vehicle.

Light and easy to maneuver it wasn't design produce and direct combat.

And his highly vulnerable to roadside bombs your army and Marines responded like a are lowering their -- -- reinforcing the -- -- vehicles with steel plating and ballistic resistant glass.

In ramadi most of this work falls to sergeant -- Ashland and the Marines in the 24 motor pool.

-- our national you're one of seven mechanics -- -- after how many vehicles 130 cancer and tell me what happened this.

Vehicles hit by ideal 155.

Artillery round.

The army that we did have on the vehicle protected everything that it was supposed to be seen -- his staff ricocheted off -- -- Think we know that we got -- stopped all the laughs whose idea was this additional -- this moment was one -- companies commanders idea that one of some of the gunners got injured from high eighties and they decided to extend high in India side armor and head of India -- -- little -- protections.

And that's homemade and yes there we welded -- -- Adalius Green ingenuity yes there.

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