Hey Commandant. In case you forgot...

pic via Bmashina Tumblr Page.

The battle for Nasiriyah

Hey Commandant,

In case you forgot.  We need better armor now.  Not a year or two from now after dicking around with bullshit testing.  Not a couple of years later after you "sort the budget" so that you can pleasure the Wing behind the building.

We need it now.

Sincerely,

Snafu Blog.

For my readers.  Check this out via Wikipedia...

RCT-1 pushes through Ambush Alley[edit]
The advance of Regimental Combat Team 1 (RCT-1) through Nasiriyah was delayed by fighting there. On the evening of 24 March, LAVs of the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (2nd LAR, commanded by Lt. Col. Eddie Ray) pushed north of the Saddam Canal, leading RCT-1 through Ambush Alley. With Apache Company in the lead, 2nd LAR attacked north on Highway 7, coming under fire from a heavily defended compound north of the city. Two anti-aircraft guns protected the approach to the compound. After coming under fire from Reconnaissance Scouts, LAVs, M1A1 tanks, Cobra gunships and artillery, Iraqi resistance subsided.[citation needed]
During this time 3/2 Lima Company, known by the Iraqi Army as "The Destroyers" and by their fellow Marines as simply "Light em up Lima" with javelin, sniper, and gunship support conducted many successful offensive operations inflicting a devastating number of casualties on the hostile Iraqi forces operating in the area.
That evening Marine 2nd LAR Bn 81 mm mortar crews took position and eliminated known sniper positions which previously had US Army elements pinned down throughout the city. At dusk, 2nd LAR established a perimeter 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) north of Nasiriyah. However, a huge sandstorm rolled in, cutting off communication with main elements to the south in Nasiriyah. As 2nd LAR set up a defensive perimeter for the evening, Iraqi reinforcements were mobilized and sent south to Nasiriyah from Kut, unaware of 2nd LARs defensive position. When the Iraqi force ran into 2nd LAR they surrounded them from every direction, taking positions among the surrounding hillside. Using a combination of overwhelming direct firepower by Reconnaissance Scouts, a M1A1 tank, battalion LAV-25s, LAV ATs, and LAV AD vehicles, the battalion engaged the Iraqi forces. Simultaneously, 81 mm mortar crews eliminated Iraqi positions throughout the hillside by indirect fire as well as a strategic ammunition supply point (ASP) used by Iraqi forces during the first half of the attack.[citation needed]

The last Iraqi attack was beaten off just after dawn and a large number of Iraqi prisoners taken afterwards. The battalion estimated that around 300 Iraqi soldiers were killed along with an unknown number of civilians who were loaded by force onto buses while Iraqi troops occupied the rear sections in the hope of breaking the Marines defensive position. There were no U.S. casualties. The battle would later be called "The Battle of the Coil" and was, at that time, thought to be the longest sustained battle by US Marines since the Vietnam War.[citation needed]

Meanwhile, the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines (the "Thundering Third", commanded by Lt. Col. Craparotta) held open Ambush Alley as the rest of RCT-1 passed through Nasiriyah on the night of 24–25 March.[citation needed]

Partly as a result of RCT-1's delay, Colonel Joe Dowdy was later relieved of command of RCT-1.[22]

Hey diddle diddle.  Straight up the fuckin middle.

Read here and wonder.  We celebrate battles of the past, but why won't anyone even talk about this heroic action?