I never knew a time in November when I had a TIC when I didn’t get an airplane within about a minute”.Īlthough sporadic fighting continued for weeks after, it took about 10 days for the main resistance to be squelched in Fallujah. “I tell you what, for like three weeks, it felt like nothing but a continuous faucet, a continuous fire hose of airplanes. In the follow-on battle, as the Marines, soldiers, and coalition troops fought door to door throughout the city, supporting fires were perpetual, a cacophony of precisely delivered destruction.Īir strikes came continuously and in harmony with other fires most were “danger-close” and rapidly sequenced. The bombs created breaching lanes for Marines of the 3d Battalion, 1st Marines to exploit later that day. The main assault into Fallujah in November 2004 ( Operation PHANTOM FURY/AL FAJR) commenced when eight GBU–31s, 2,000-pound joint direct attack munitions (JDAMs), dropped by Marine Fighter/Attack (All-Weather) Squadron 242 F/A–18Ds, smashed into a railroad-topped berm bordering Fallujah’s north side.
This maximized the fantastic capability of aviation precision weapons and targeting technology, and in the case of Fallujah, made fixed-wing CAS an appropriate option for supporting fires, underscoring the utility and need for tactical aviation (TacAir) in the Marine Corps. The CAS plan was built on Marine Corps C2 basics-procedural control and unity of command, which were enhanced with a common map or grid reference graphic (GRG). Urban close air support ( CAS) successfully employed in Fallujah in 2004 highlights the capability of Marine Corps-style command and control (C2) of aviation.
Richard Natonski, commander of the 1st Marine Division during the battle, was the guest of honor.Ĭredit:1 Marine Expeditionary Force :11/7/14 The ceremony honored all service members who participated in the historic battle, and reunited veterans from private to general officer in a day of commemoration. : The Marines and Sailors of 1st Marine Division commemorated the 10-year anniversary of the Second Battle of Fallujah, Operation AL FAJR, by hosting a ceremony at Camp Pendleton.
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