Marine Stopped A Major Insurgent Attack using Fire Truck!

This is one tough Marine hombre! He had just prevented massive deaths and injuries of his fellow Marines by almost singlehandedly stopping not one but two insurgent suicide attacks at the Marines' base, including stopping an explosive-laden fire truck with an extra help from another Marine! Astonishing!

www.usatoday.com...

Pa. native thwarts car-bomb attack
By Elliot Blair Smith, USA TODAY

HUSAYBAH, Iraq — From his tower lookout post on the Iraqi-Syrian border, Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Butler last week helped stop two suicide car bombers who were on a mission to kill hundreds of Marines here and strike a symbolic victory for the insurgency.

The daylight attack on this remote U.S. military base fits a pattern of recent insurgent attacks on U.S. military strongholds. On Saturday, a mortar attack at Camp Ramadi killed three servicemembers, and there was a coordinated assault two weeks ago on the U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison on the outskirts of Baghdad.

U.S. forces have repelled each attack, inflicting large losses on the insurgents while incurring few casualties. The base commander at Camp Gannon, a former Iraqi customs and immigration post at the edge of one of its most dangerous cities, credits Butler with preventing massive deaths here.

"Butler — that day, that Marine — that's the critical error the insurgents made," Capt. Frank Diorio says. "They thought they could keep the Marines' heads down. But he gets back up."

Butler, 21 and an Altoona, Pa., native, fired through the windshield of the first suicide bomber as he rammed a white dump truck through a barrier of abandoned vehicles the Marines had improvised. Barreling toward the camp's wall, the truck veered off at the last moment under volleys of Butler's gunfire.

"I shot 20 or 30 rounds before he detonated," he says.

Knocked down by that blast, with bricks and sandbags collapsing on top of him, Butler struggled to his feet only to hear a large diesel engine roar amid the clatter of gunfire. It was a red fire engine, carrying a second suicide bomber and passenger. Butler says both were wearing black turbans and robes, often worn by religious martyrs.

Amid the chaos of that first bomb blast, supported by gunfire from an estimated 30 dismounted insurgents, the fire engine passed largely undetected on a small road that leads from town directly past the camp wall, according a Marine report.

"I couldn't see him at first because of the smoke. It was extremely thick from the first explosion," Butler says. When the fire engine cleared the smoke, it was much closer than the dump truck had been.

As the driver accelerated past the "Welcome to Iraq" sign inside the camp's perimeter, Butler says he fired 100 rounds into the vehicle. The Marines later discovered the vehicle was equipped with 3-inch, blast-proof glass and the passengers were wearing Kevlar vests under their robes.

Pfc. Charles Young, 21, also of Altoona, Pa., hit the fire engine with a grenade launcher, slowing its progress and giving Butler time to recover. Without breaching the camp wall, the driver detonated the fire engine, sending debris flying up to 400 yards and knocking Marines from their bunks several hundred yards away. Butler, less than 50 yards away, again was knocked down by the blast, which partially destroyed the tower in which he was perched. After he crawled for cover, a third suicide bomber detonated outside the camp. That blast caused no damage or injuries. Sporadic fighting continued for several hours.

Meanwhile, Cpl. Anthony Fink of Columbus, Ohio, 21, fired a grenade launcher that the Marine unit says killed 11 insurgents. The Marines' "React Squad" swiftly deployed against the remaining insurgents.

"We were able to get the momentum back," Diorio says. He also says that Husaybah townspeople later reported 21 insurgents dead and 15 wounded. No Marines were seriously hurt.

Hurrahs to the Marines!

Great story.BRAVO.
I am so proud of how the troops and their families are being supported.
Perhaps this give an incentive to the troops to be modern Audie Murphy's.

sheese one marine took out 12 insurgents, thats one brave dude.

[edit on 18-4-2005 by namehere]

Originally posted by the_oleneo
Hurrahs to the Marines!

Gosh that seems patently pro-American and biased.

Not that anyone cares.

i hope his fellow marines nominated him for a medal of honor. Alot of stories go by like this that no one ever hears about exept of war stories with Olie N.

wow this guy is a real hero, great job. He step up and went above and beyond he situation.

Originally posted by RANT

Originally posted by the_oleneo
Hurrahs to the Marines!

Gosh that seems patently pro-American and biased.

Not that anyone cares.

Consider the source come from the USA Today, mind you.

Hooyahhh!!

Those are some tough Marines! I use to carry the M-16 with a M203 grenade launcher and its not easy hitting a moving target with a "blooper" round. Im glad the Terrorist garbage involved got sent to Allah with their 72 camels or whatever it is they get when they die.


Woot.

Maximu§

Originally posted by LA_Maximus
Hooyahhh!!

Those are some tough Marines! I use to carry the M-16 with a M203 grenade launcher and its not easy hitting a moving target with a "blooper" round. Im glad the Terrorist garbage involved got sent to Allah with their 72 camels or whatever it is they get when they die.


Woot.

Maximu§

You just had to throw in an insult...

Can you not support our troops without being a you-know-what? Wait, I know the answer: NO.

Originally posted by sweatmonicaIdo
You just had to throw in an insult...

Can you not support our troops without being a you-know-what? Wait, I know the answer: NO.

Oh hell, I retract the statement and aploigise if I offended anyone or their kin.

Max

[edit on 113030p://111 by LA_Maximus]

despite my feelings on the war, I won't deny him the props he deserves

very ballsy (sp?) , I don't think I would've been able to get back up after two
shockwaves knocked me down.

YYYEEEEEEEEHHAA!!!!

Our troops have a difficult job.

Those marines are a tuff bunch!

The deserve a medal!!!!!

-Reason