| Chronologies from Iraq:
1st Reconnaissance Battalion departed
March AFB for Kuwait International Airport on February 26, 2004.
On 28 February, the Battalion arrived at Udairi Range, Kuwait on
the 28th of February and began two weeks of training to prepare
for movement to the Area of Operations (AO). 1st Recon Bn arrived
at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Fallujah on 16 March, and established
the Recon Operations Center, prepared battalion spaces, and conducted
area familiarization operations with the Company B, 1-32nd Infantry,
US Army. The Battalion returned to FOB Fallujah 31 March with valuable
insight into the enemy’s mortar/rocket operations and unit
familiarization with the AO for future operations. After returning to FOB Fallujah, 1st Recon Bn continued counter-mortar/ rocket (CMR) operations in the areas where the majority of launches originated, with a mix of mounted and dismounted company and platoon patrols and team-level R&S. On the 4 April, Company B, Team 2-1, conducting R&S fired on 2 Iraqi males engaged in hostile activity, resulting in 1 EKIA and 1 detainee. On the 5 April Company A received RPG and small arms fire; engaging with heavy machineguns and TOW missiles, they conducted a hasty attack over approximately 4 kilometers of open terrain, resulting in 4 enemy KIA, 1 destroyed enemy gun truck and 10 detainees. On 7 April, Company A, 1st Plt. was attacked east of Al Karmah with ineffective RPG, mortar, and small arms fire; the platoon returned fire resulting in 3 enemy KIA, and 1 vehicle and weapons cache destroyed. Also on the 7th, Company B engaged 9 enemy personnel on a tractor setting up a mortar position. Later that day, Company B, supported by H&S Company, was conducting a movement to the south of Fallujah to establish a FOB from which to conduct operations south of the Euphrates River. While traveling south on ASR Boston, they were ambushed by an enemy force of approximately 60 fighters. The attack consisted of multiple machinegun positions, RPGs, and mortar fire. The 2nd Platoon Commander, Capt Brent Morel, was killed while leading a counter-attack into the heart of the ambush; 5 Marines were wounded in the engagement. Capt Morel and his Marines heroically broke the enemy ambush, relieved the team in the kill zone and had 12 confirmed enemy KIA and 20 enemy suspected KIA /WIA. The Quick Reaction Force reinforced the company during the engagement and a section of H-1 attack helicopters destroyed 2 buildings with enemy inside and an enemy gun truck. On the 8th, Company B detached to support 2nd Bn, 1st Marines north of Fallujah, protecting their flank and defeating ACF in zone. Company A continued the CMR mission in zone. That night, Company A, 1st Plt. received direct fire from a compound west of the ASR Chicago/Michigan intersection and engaged 12 males with weapons, and called AC-130 and F-16 air support destroying the compound and a weapons cache, and multiple enemy KIA. The following day, 9 April, Company A observed rocket launches from a compound north on ASR Chicago and called in artillery fire on the building good effects. Later that night, they were engaged by heavy automatic fire from another compound west of the previous target. Company A returned fire and called in AC-130 support to engage both targets, resulting in the destruction of 3-4 buildings, multiple vehicles, and an estimated 10 enemy KIA. That day, the cease-fire in the city of Fallujah began. On the 13 April, Company A and the Battalion Headquarters, reinforced with a section of LAVs from Delta Company, 2nd LAR Bn, conducted a direct action night raid on two target houses west of Al Karmah, capturing 2 HVT (high value target) enemy personnel, 3 other detainees, weapons, drugs, and approximately $22,000 USD worth of New Iraqi Dinars. On the 14th, Company A was conducting R&S south of FOB Fallujah near the canal crossings in preparation for 3rd Bn, 4th Marine’s movement into Qaryat an Nuaymiyah. Company A, 3rd Plt. observed a rocket launch and engaged the 7 enemy personnel and a vehicle at the site. Later they engaged 4 more enemy in a tree line nearby. In the morning Company A, 1st Plt. engaged 5 men with AK-47s in a building being used as a mortar site-2 enemy fighters were killed. They were later engaged by 5 civilian vehicles and returned fire resulting in multiple enemy WIA, though the vehicles escaped. By midday, the zone was turned over to 3/4 and Company A returned to base. The Battalion began planning and preparation for a movement to the Rock ASP in the south part of the zone in order to establish a FOB to conduct security operations along ASR Boston, north to the River. The mission was to clear the ASR and the surrounding area to make it safe for convoy travel. The Battalion moved to the ASP on the 18th and immediately began patrols on the east and west sides of ASR Boston. During the three days of patrolling, Company B found and destroyed 75 Rockets, 25 mortar rounds, 100 tank rounds, 7 RPGs, 4 anti-aircraft guns, and 3 155mm IEDs. Company A also destroyed an IED and 1 anti-aircraft gun. Company D, 2nd LAR screened the battalion’s flanks continuously and found 3 anti-personnel mines outside the ASP. The Battalion returned to FOB Fallujah on the 20th to continue CMR operations in zone. The Battalion’s assigned zone was now south of FOB Fallujah and north of the Euphrates River, extending east to Abu Ghurayb Prison. The mission was to defeat ACF forces in zone, while preventing any movement of enemy personnel or supplies into Fallujah from the southeast. Company A patrolled the eastern sector on the 21st and engaged 4 enemy personnel near a Point of Origin (POO) of a rocket launch. They located a confirmed enemy launching site and found and destroyed 11 IEDs in the area. On the 23rd, Company A, 3rd Plt. engaged 2 enemy vehicles, with dismounted enemy digging in the ground. A TOW missile shot missed the target vehicle, and the enemy fled. Company B, 3rd Plt. was conducting R&S along the canal bridges south of FOB Fallujah, when they observed 30 personnel with weapons, joining up at a house south of the canal. 3rd Plt. closed with the target house and brought in AC-130 support to confirm the enemy activity. After hostile intent was confirmed, they engaged the enemy and cleared the gunship to engage the target. 3rd Platoon, joined by 2nd Platoon, conducted a sweep to clear the village at sunrise. Air MedEvac and first-aid were provided for civilians wounded during the engagement. Weapons, ammunition, rockets, and a mine were located near the target house. On 26 April, while making reparation payments for civilian collateral damages, Company B detained an Iraqi male possessing U.S. military equipment and electrical initiation devices at the site. From the 26-29 April, the reconnaissance companies patrolled in zone. Multiple IEDs, weapons caches, RPGs, launchers, and a AAA gun were found and destroyed. An enemy vehicle containing electrical devices, a container with an unknown substance and 2 males, detained near an engagement site taken into custody at this time. The Battalion Jump COC and the H&S Company security element came under attack from ineffective RPG fire on the 28th while enroute to link up with the MEF CG north of Al Amiriyah. The enemy was engaged with heavy machineguns and the hostile fire ceased. On 30 April, while patrolling in the eastern zone, a LAV from the attached Company D, 2nd Light Armor Reconnaissance Battalion was struck by a vehicle-born IED, killing 2 Marines, and injuring 6 others. Company D detached and returned to 2nd LAR Battalion the following day. 1st Reconnaissance Battalion continues to conduct operations in support of the 1st Marine Division against the enemy in Iraq.
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