[Shadow_Group] Air of Expectation Is Heavy as G.I.'s Itch to Prove Their Mettle in Falluja - Iraq

[shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca]

Regardless of how this article may sound, it's the
kind of attitude we would like here in the U.S. if we
were the ones being attacked and these were the one's
defending us and as an aside - a little insight into
how the other side is preparing:
===============
Air of Expectation Is Heavy as G.I.'s Itch to Prove
Their Mettle in Falluja
By ROBERT F. WORTH

Published: November 5, 2004


EAR FALLUJA, Iraq, Nov. 4 - The marines crept forward,
glancing warily at each other as they approached a
bomb-scarred building covered with Arabic lettering.
Suddenly, one of them shouted "Sniper!" and another
dropped to the ground as if wounded.

But instead of firing back, the men raised their guns
and trilled their tongues to imitate the sound of
machine-gun fire. Within a few seconds, one of them
called out "Sniper neutralized!" and they lowered
their weapons.

It was one of the many urban warfare drills taking
place in and around this bleak desert encampment in
recent days, where the Marines expect to lead an
all-out attack on Falluja soon. Peace negotiations
continue between the Iraqi government and delegates
from the city, but American commanders seem convinced
that it is only a matter of time before the Iraqi
prime minister, Ayad Allawi, gives the order for them
to retake the city, which has been held by insurgents
since the Marines withdrew in April. 

For many marines here, that order cannot come too
soon. After a long summer of cat-and-mouse games with
shadowy insurgents, they are hungry for a decisive
battle. 

"Locked, cocked and ready to rock," said Lance Cpl.
Dimitri Gavriel, 29, who left an investment banking
job in Manhattan 18 months ago to enlist, using a
popular Marine expression. "That's about how we feel."

In the meantime, preparations continue at this
makeshift military base. Tanks rumble through a barren
landscape littered with shrapnel and husks of old
vehicles, while helicopters throb overhead.
Detonations shake the ground at all hours - artillery
units firing on guerrilla positions, or other military
units blowing up old explosives. Occasional enemy
mortars explode nearby. American jets soar overhead on
their way to and from bombing runs, and at night fires
glow on the horizon.

Many of the young marines expected to lead the attack
have not yet been part of a major battle. Most of
those who took part in the operation in Falluja in
April have been sent home. And though some of the
commanders here fought the first phase of the war last
year, many of the rank and file arrived here for the
first time in June.

All of them, though, seem eager to prove their mettle
and at last confront the insurgency head on.

"It's kind of like the cancer of Iraq," said Lt.
Steven Berch, a lanky platoon commander, speaking of
Falluja. "It's become a kind of hotel for the
insurgents. Hopefully getting rid of them will help to
stabilize the whole country."

Others point to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian
militant who is said to be using Falluja as a base.

"We're doing the right thing here," said First Lt.
Christopher Wilkens, pausing for breath during a
drill. "These guys are terrorists, there are
connections to Al Qaeda, and fighting them is what we
came here to do." 

The marines are housed in a network of bomb-scarred
barracks once used by Saddam Hussein to train an
Iranian exile opposition group. Arabic slogans meant
to inspire the trainees remain on the walls, and a
mural of Mr. Hussein's face still stares down from the
wall of a converted mess hall. 

Commanders would not reveal any details of how or when
an attack might happen. But the invading force will
certainly be larger than the one that struck at the
insurgents here in April, and marines will be backed
up by Iraqi troops as well as Army units. 

Iraqi soldiers are already training here alongside the
marines, and officers said their discipline has
improved in recent months. After the Marines withdrew
from Falluja in April, the Iraqi security forces there
quickly collapsed.

"We are improving day by day," said Major Abdul Jabar,
executive officer of one of the Iraqi companies that
will take part in the attack, as his men practiced
disembarking from armored personnel carriers in the
hot afternoon sun.

Before the fighting ends, American civil affairs units
will move into the city to begin working on health and
reconstruction projects, for which at least $20
million has been set aside, American officers said.
Marine lawyers will be ready to handle compensation
claims for battle damage and to help verify any
violations of the laws of warfare. The goal,
commanders emphasize, is to hand over control of the
city to Iraqi security forces. 

Commanders say they expect the insurgents to use
plenty of terrorist-style tactics like suicide bombs
in cars or trucks. Last Saturday, nine marines were
killed and nine wounded when a suicide bomber in a car
rammed their convoy near here, in the deadliest day
for American troops in more than half a year. 

The marines also expect heavy house-to-house fighting
once they enter the city, and they are fully aware of
the risks. During drills they do test runs of their
arrival in Falluja, running out the back of the
armored personnel carriers that will bring them into
the city while carrying all their weapons and a
45-pound pack. 

None of the dangers seem to rattle their confidence.
Between drills, they do pull-ups and play touch
football. In the evening, laughter echoes around the
barracks, along with heavy metal music blasting from
CD players.

"I don't think about it," said Pfc. Anthony Mells, a
20 year-old marine from Queens, when asked about the
risks of battle. "It's all about motivation. Getting
wounded is not in my job description."



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