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Letter from
Fallujah
Defense Watch Editor’s Note: The following
email was sent by Lt. Col. Paul Kennedy of the 2nd Battalion,
4th Marine Regiment to family members of the unit on Sunday,
Apr. 4 following the outbreak of violence in Fallujah.
Dear Ladies:
The last two days have been the hardest two
days this battalion has faced in over 30 years. Within the
blink of an eye the situation went from relatively calm to a
raging storm.
You’ve known that since arriving there has
been violence; attacks have been sporadic and mostly limited
to roadside bombs. Your husbands have become experts at
recognizing those threats and neutralizing them before we are
injured. Up to this point the war has been the purview of
corporals and sergeants, and the squad they lead.
Yesterday the enemy upped the ante.
Early in the morning, we exchanged gunfire
with a group of insurgents without significant loss. As
morning progressed, the enemy fed more men into the fight and
we responded with stronger force. Unfortunately, this led to
injuries as our Marines and sailors started clearing the city
block by block. The enemy did not run; they fought us like
soldiers. And we destroyed the enemy like only Marines can.
By the end of the evening the local
hospital was so full of their dead and wounded that they ran
out of space to put them. Your husbands were awesome – all
night they stayed at the job of securing the streets and
nobody challenged them as the hours wore on. They did not
surrender an inch nor did flinch from the next potential
threat.
Previous to yesterday, the terrorists
thought that we were soft enough to challenge. As of tonight
the message is loud and clear that the Marines will not be
beaten.
Today the enemy started all over again,
although with far fewer numbers, only now the rest of the
battalion joined the fight. Without elaborating too much,
Weapons Company and Golf crushed their attackers with the
vengeance of the righteous. They filled up the hospitals again
and we suffered only a few injuries. Echo Company dominated
the previous day’s battlefield. Fox Company patrolled with
confidence and authority; nobody challenged them. Even
Headquarters Company manned their stations and counted far
fewer people openly watching us with disdain.
If the enemy is foolish enough to try to
take your men again they will not survive contact. We are here
to win.
The news looks grim from back in the
States. We did take losses that, in our hearts, we will always
live with. The men we lost were taken within the very opening
minutes of the violence. They could not have foreseen the
treachery of the enemy and they did not suffer. We can never
replace these Marines and Sailors but they will fight on with
us in spirit. We are not feeling sorry for ourselves nor do
we fear what tomorrow will bring. The battalion has lived up
to its reputation as “Magnificent Bastards.”
Yesterday made everyone here stronger and
wiser; it will be a cold day in Hell before we are taken for
granted again.
Lt. Col. Paul Kennedy and Jim Booker |
