PURPLE HEARTS, VETERANS OF THE WAR IN IRAQ THE WAR IN IRAQ Rumors of weapons of mass destruction, terrorists, lack of cooperation and transparency with United Nations’ inspectors...whatever the catalysts, on March 20, 2003, President George W. Bush commanded U.S. troops in the Middle East to commence the invasion of Iraq under Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. and allied forces (among them Great Britain and Australia) commenced air strikes and the securing of key objectives (like oil fields) while contending with Iraqi units and Ba’ath Party militia members4 and other rebel combatants. In April 2003, U.S. troops made their way into Baghdad, and on April 9, 2003, Baghdad fell to U.S.-led forces.5 U.S. and Kurdish fighters also took control of Kirkuk, Mosul and Tikrit. U.S. Marines started their withdrawal from nearby Fallujah on April 30 (and retook it November 15, 2005). In May 2003, Saddam Hussein’s government, party and administration were declared officially dismantled. Allied troops in Iraq encountered guerrilla warfare from various insurgency fighters, but by April 14, 2003, U.S. Major General McChrystal declared that “major combat operations have ended in Iraq,”6 a statement reiterated by President Bush on May 1. Since then, U.S. and allied troops have been kept busy responding to fierce insurgency and rebel opposition to the U.S.’ occupation of Iraq while the new Iraqi government is being established. Chronological Timeline of Iraqi Purple Heart Soldiers’ Injuries April 3, 2003 Sgt. Jeremy Feldbusch near the Hadithah Dam On the Euphrates River, 125 miles NW of Karbala. The dam was one of the strategic key objectives that needed to be secured—damage to the dam if the area was not secured would have flooded the city of Hadithah and surrounding towns. After the fall of Saddam Hussein, Hadithah became a center of insurgent activity.7 April 5, 2003 Spc. Jose Martinez in Karbala U.S. troops encountered very heavy firing from Iraqi paramilitary fighters (Fedayeen) in this city SW of Baghdad. The Iraqis fired down on U.S. troops from rooftop vantage points throughout the city’s streets. The U.S. called in air support, and fighting went on through the afternoon and in the evening as well. Karbala later made headlines when thousands of Shi’ite Muslims made a pilgrimage to this holy city on April 22, 2003, a pilgrimage that had been illegal under Saddam Hussein’s rule for over 30 years. On March 2, 2004, almost 200 Shi’ite Muslims were killed by bombs during a religious celebration here. May 5, 2003 Spc. Luis Calderon in Tikrit Although Spc. Calderon was injured in an accident, Tikrit was Saddam Hussein’s native city and fiercely loyal to him throughout much of the war. In April 2003, Tikrit was bombed repeatedly in preparation for ground forces to go in and attempt to take the city, which was guarded by Special Republican Guards of Hussein’s, as well as the paramilitary Fedayeen and Ba’ath party loyalists.8 Saddam Hussein was captured from his hiding place in Tikrit on December 13, 2003. May 18, 2003 Spc. Sam Ross in Baghdad As Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad has been on the top of the allied forces’ list for this war. Starting with air raids on 21 March, 2003, it has seen much fighting. On April 9, 2003, Baghdad fell to U.S.-led forces.9 Since then, it has been a focus of suicide bombers and insurgent activity. Though President Bush announced major combat had ended in Iraq on May 1, 2003, most of the United State’s casualties have occurred in the occupation of Iraq, which has been the allied forces’ task since the declared end of combat. June 1, 2003 Sgt. Wasim Khan in downtown Baghdad June 2003 sees the start of Operation Desert Scorpion, in which allied forces used country-wide raids to eke out enemy forces and weapon caches throughout Iraq. Ambushes and attacks are encountered all over Iraq, including Baghdad.a July 13, 2003 Spc. Robert Acosta in Baghdad The Iraqi governing council has its first meeting on this date, a first step toward establishing a new government to take over after the occupation is over. July 16, 2003 Pfc. Alan Jermaine Lewis in Baghdad In July 2003, a commander of U.S. forces in Iraq states that allied troops are meeting with “low-intensity guerilla-style war”b tactics from rebels and insurgents throughout Iraq. July 16, 2003 Spc. Adam Zaremba in Baghdad On the home front, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke to the U.S. Congress on the 17th of this month to reaffirm that allied forces had gone into Iraq based on weapons of mass destruction intelligence. July 16, 2003 Cpl. Alex Presman outside of Baghdad Later this month, on July 22, Saddam’s two sons Uday and Qusay are killed by US troops in the northern city of Mosul. They have each terrorized Iraqis themselves. August 25, 2003 Pfc. Tristan Wyatt in Fallujah At the beginning of this month, a police station in Fallujah is bombarded by RPGs (rocket propelled grenades). Almost a week prior to this date, suicide bombers destroyed the United Nation’s headquarters in Baghdad, killing at least 20 and injuring more than 100.c August 29, 2003 Sgt. John Adams in Ramadi This city is in the Sunni Triangle, a Sunni area, and the name of the sect of which Saddam Hussein was a member. Though a minority group in Iraq, under Saddam the Sunnis enjoyed more privileges under his regime. This area, along with Tikrit in the north and Baghdad and Fallujah in the south remain a hotbed of insurgents and fighters still loyal to Saddam Hussein. September 12, 2003 Spc. Carl Sampson in Fallujah On this date, a firefight erupted between U.S. troops and Fallujah police when the police responded to gunfire coming from a BMW that was targeting the police station. In the confusion of unmarked police pursuers exchanging fire with the suspects, U.S. forces fired on both the suspects and police. September 20, 2003 Cpl. Tyson Johnson in Abu Ghraib The mortaring on the now-famous Abu Ghraib prison that injured Cpl. Johnson killed 2 U.S. soldiers and wounded 12 others. An assassination attempt resulted in the later death of a member of the Governing Council, Dr. Aquila al-Hashimi on this same date.d December 8, 2003 Spc. Jose Martinez in a suicide bomber attack While the fighting waged on in Iraq for Allied forces, an Iraqi officer came forward as the source of Britain’s intelligence about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, which was President Bush’s main argument for the second Gulf War.e December 16, 2003 Sgt. Joseph Mosner in Khalidya Just a few days prior to this, on December 14, Saddam Hussein was captured in Tikrit. In the days following, there are reactions from many of the world’s leaders on Hussein’s capture. On this same date, the UN urges its member nations to consider the UN’s role in Iraq. 4 www.historychannel.com/thcsearch/thec_resourcedetail.do?encyc_id =219006, retrieved November 29, 2005. 5 news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/country_profiles/737483.stm, retrieved November 8, 2005. 6 Ibid. 7 “Haditha”, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haditha, retrieved November 30, 2005. 8 Monita Rajpal, “Stronghold of Tikrit may be Saddam’s last stand,” CNN.com April 11, 2003 retrieved November 30, 2005. www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/04/11/sprj.irq.tikrit 9 news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4192189.stm, retrieved November 8, 2005. a “Occupation of Iraq timeline,” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_-_2004_occupation_of_Iraq_timeline#June, retrieved December 1, 2005. b news.bbc.co.uk c Ibid. d “September 2003” timeline, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_2003, retrieved December 13, 2005. e “Iraqi: I’m Source For WMD Claim,” www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/08/iraq/main587251.shtml, retrieved December 14, 2005.		TEACHER PACKET CONTENTS About the Purple Heart The War in Iraq Map of Iraq Student Activities Bibliography