COMBAT STORIES FROM Iraq

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Showing : Iraq Videos

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  Eddie Wright - Marines +15 Total Videos

  1st Reconnaissance Battalion

  After being seriously wounded in an ambush, Eddie Wright was getting tended to by the Corpsmen and waiting for a helicopter. When it arrived, his stretcher was put aboard, then another. On it was his platoon commander, who was white as a ghost. Part 3 of 4. (Caution: strong language)

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  Peter Sprenger - Army +15 Total Videos

  101st Airborne

  Slammed by powerful explosives, 2LT Sprenger describes the sheer terror of being blinded and badly injured. He relives the heroic efforts of those who helped him scramble to safety.

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  Mike Schlitz - Army +5 Total Videos

  4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division

  Mike Schlitz tells about the circumstances that led to his injury and all of the life changes that occurred as a result.

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  Chris Pinkerton - Army +16 Total Videos

  25th ID (ABN)

  2LT Pinkerton dramatically recalls what happened after an explosive projectile slammed into an army truck injuring two buddies and killing an officer all the soldiers respected.

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  Scott Wealing +7 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  When he was at the CIA annex in Afghanistan, Scott Wealing found out his old unit was stationed right down the road. He took them some special treats and let them use the CIA shooting range for a little fun. He has other friends who were involved in the Blackwater bridge incident in Iraq which, in his mind, was totally preventable.

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  Eddie Wright - Marines +15 Total Videos

  1st Reconnaissance Battalion

  Eddie Wright had just taken a hit from an RPG. His mind went through several states of semi-consciousness and, when the lights came back on, he began to feel pain. He looked at one arm and then the other and then at his leg. He didn't see anything good. He knew he needed to put tourniquets on but he had one major problem with that. Part 2 of 4. (Caution: strong language)

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  Josh Lipe - Marines +12 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  As part of the Marine Corps Security Forces, Josh Lipe's unit was assigned tasks such as guarding embassies and safeguarding nuclear fuel transfers. When the bombing range in Puerto Rico was reopened following the 9/11 attacks, they had to mix it up with some local protestors.

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  Scott Wealing +7 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  Scott Wealing was in an Air Force Pararescue unit when 9/11 changed everything. He had to switch to EOD when he was injured but then he was recruited by Blackwater and went to Iraq where he was part of the American ambassador's security team. His next stop was the CIA, where he was part of a global response team.

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  Eddie Wright - Marines +15 Total Videos

  3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion

  Before he rotated back to the States, Eddie Wright and some of his buddies met Gen Jim Mattis, who made a lasting impression. The young Marine saved his phone number and set out to pass the screening to become a Recon Marine. It had been his goal for a long time but it was going to be tough. (Caution: strong language)

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  Joel Reinesch - Marines +13 Total Videos

  3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment

  I should be saluting you. That's what the DI said to Joel Reinesch after looking over his records, implying that the recruit was officer material. He didn't go to OCS but he was made the Scribe and the Prac Recruit. Now he had responsibilities, which worked out fine. (Caution: strong language)

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  Eddie Wright - Marines +15 Total Videos

  3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion

  His father was an Air Force medical officer and would take him out on morning runs. That's where Eddie Wright saw his first Marines. They were running in formation and he thought they were just the best. He would be a Marine. (Caution: strong language)

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  Joel Reinesch - Marines +13 Total Videos

  3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment

  About a month into his second deployment to Iraq, the Blackwater contractors were killed in Fallujah. The mission immediately changed for Joel Reinesch. His unit headed there and readied to sweep into the town but, once they had started, the word came all the way from Washington. Pause in place. (Caution: strong language)

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  Eddie Wright - Marines +15 Total Videos

  1st Reconnaissance Battalion

  Eddie Wright reveals why Recon Marines are such good fighters. It comes down to having a huge heart. He also reveals what Bjork was doing in the combat zone. (Caution: strong language)

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  Joel Reinesch - Marines +13 Total Videos

  3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment

  What song takes his mind back to Iraq? Joel Reinesch has a definite answer to that and he has a few thoughts on the legacy of the war and the veterans who fought in it.

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  Jason Wilebski - Marines +18 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  No matter what you think about a conflict, you should support the troops who fight it. That's the message Jason Wilebski wants people to remember. He pays respect to the leaders and grunts he served with and reveals what music they were listening to while breaking up stuff in Iraq.

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  Josh Lipe - Marines +12 Total Videos

  3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment

  Josh Lipe had a feeling they were headed into an ambush and he was right. He should have been OK. He was in the second truck and they usually tried to take out the first or the last, but in this IED attack, his truck was hit. The blast knocked him out and when he came to, he began to check on the rest of his guys. Their reactions when they saw him let him know how badly wounded he was. (Caution: strong language)

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  Joel Reinesch - Marines +13 Total Videos

  3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment

  It sure wasn't like San Diego. When Joel Reinesch arrived at Twentynine Palms, it was 105 degrees and miserable. The outfit was solid, though, with excellent leadership. (Caution: strong language)

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  Josh Lipe - Marines +12 Total Videos

  3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment

  The Marines were living in converted shipping containers and stuck with bad chew and bad Iraqi cigarettes. The desert cammies were filthy so Josh Lipe had his squad change into greens so they could wash them. This led to some incoming from a stiff First Sergeant. (Caution:strong language)

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  Joel Reinesch - Marines +13 Total Videos

  3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment

  Joel Reinesch was called to the duty hut where he thought he was going to be cleaning something. Where's your notepad? That was what he heard, instead of being handed a mop. He had been promoted to squad leader. (Caution: strong language)

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  Josh Lipe - Marines +12 Total Videos

  3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment

  He was on patrol and running missions for a month in Fallujah and Josh Lipe was finally getting the benefit of all the training he had gone through. His squad was comprised of Marines that were straight out of central casting, some real characters.

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  Eddie Wright - Marines +15 Total Videos

  1st Reconnaissance Battalion

  While in recovery at Walter Reed, Eddie Wright got a visit from his Recon team leader, who got him dressed and took him to the 1st Recon Battalion reunion. There, he met the author of the book that inspired him to become a Recon Marine. (Caution: strong language)

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  Joel Reinesch - Marines +13 Total Videos

  3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment

  The wait in Kuwait was long, hot and dusty. Marine mortarman Joel Reinesch was excited to get the invasion underway but, at first, it was just a boring drive. Until it wasn't. The unit would soon suffer their first KIA in combat.

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  Eddie Wright - Marines +15 Total Videos

  1st Reconnaissance Battalion

  Fallujah had been cordoned off and the supply lines for the Marines were stretched thin. Eddie Wright was in the lead vehicle of a convoy and he passed the word, it looked like they were going to get ambushed. Keep going, he was told. They should have listened to him. The fire started on the right side and then the whole world opened up. They were in a kill zone. Part 1 of 4. (Caution: strong language)

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  Joel Reinesch - Marines +13 Total Videos

  3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment

  Before his unit got to Baghdad, Joel Reinesch went through a terrific firefight at the Dujayl Canal. The Marines prevailed, of course, but an Amtrac suffered a direct hit from an artillery round.

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  Eddie Wright - Marines +15 Total Videos

  1st Reconnaissance Battalion

  Despite losing both hands in Iraq, Eddie Wright kept up an active life. After leaving the Marine Corps, he worked in the private sector and advocated for veteran's issues. He networked with fellow wounded warriors and, together, they kept spirits up. (Caution: strong language)

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  Josh Lipe - Marines +12 Total Videos

  3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment

  IED's were a growing problem in Iraq and Josh Lipe was alarmed at the piles of stones that he thought had something to do with the bombs. That turned out not to be the case, which was a big relief. He remembers a huge Iraqi truck stop on the trip north and he can still smell the bad diesel.

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  Eddie Wright - Marines +15 Total Videos

  1st Reconnaissance Battalion

  They got hit every day in Fallujah. When they were lucky and back at the base, they still got rocket and mortar fire. Eddie Wright was part of a small team of Marines who was there as the Awakening began. Iraqis had learned that ISIS was a much worse enemy than the Americans. How did we get to this point? Someone derailed a good plan. (Caution: strong language)

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  Josh Lipe - Marines +12 Total Videos

  3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment

  When Josh Lipe came to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, the unit was understaffed. They were going to go to Iraq shorthanded but there was no lack of spirit. While he waited in Kuwait to cross the border, he found out what night vision can do to star gazing. It was spectacular.

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  Joel Reinesch - Marines +13 Total Videos

  3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment

  After being pulled out of Fallujah, Joel Reinesch saw his fiercest action in the town of Karmah. As a forward observer, he lost count of the fire missions he directed that day. Eventually, he exhausted the battery's supply of rounds. (Caution: strong language)

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  Eddie Wright - Marines +15 Total Videos

  1st Reconnaissance Battalion

  Eddie Wright gives a shout out to his platoon commander, who was killed during the ambush which nearly killed him. Wary of getting triaged as nearly dead, when the helicopter opened up, he sat up and spoke and startled the Corpsman coming aboard. Once inside, he tried to lighten the mood, despite his grievous wounds. Part 4 of 4. (Caution: strong language)