Small Guard Unit Fends Off Dozens of Iraqi Insurgents=(women in combat)

abc news ^ | March 22, 2005 | Martha Raddatz

[Flavius]

BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 22, 2005 — National Guard soldiers from the Richmond, Ky.-based 617th Military Police Company were still reminiscing today about the extraordinary battle they fought on Sunday, when dozens of Iraqi insurgents ambushed a U.S. patrol — touching off one of the fiercest battles in Iraq since the fight for Fallujah last fall.

But what is more extraordinary is who the U.S. soldiers are — a shoe store manager, hotel worker, printing press operator and several students.

The firefight serves as a reminder of how citizen-soldiers are shouldering much of the burden in Iraq. Of the U.S. forces fighting in Iraq, 40 percent belong to the National Guard or Reserves.

Anatomy of the Fight

Ten U.S. soldiers in three armored Humvees were providing support to a truck convoy south of Baghdad when they were attacked by insurgents this weekend.

"When we first started taking fire, I just looked to the right and saw seven or eight guys shooting back at us — muzzle flashes," said Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester.

"You could hear a lot of booms from the [rocket-propelled grenades]. You could hear bullets hitting metal," said Spc. Jason Mike.

The insurgents came out of a grove of trees and started firing from a roadside canal. When the shooting started, the National Guard members drove their vehicles between the convoy and the insurgents.

"Basically, training kicks in, and you just maneuver and do what you have to do to stay alive," said Staff Sgt. Timothy Nein.

The soldiers continued to take fire as they traveled up the main highway. Squad leader Nein wanted to make a right turn onto another road, but just as the Humvees were turning the corner, one was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.

Spc. Casey Cooper, 20, was up in the gunner's turret when the vehicle was hit.

"The heat and the concussion knocked me," said Cooper. "I could feel it hit me in the chest and the face, and that was about it. I blacked out after that."

But he quickly rejoined the fight. By that time, the U.S. soldiers were out of their vehicles.

"At first, I shot one guy," Hester said. "I saw him fall."

"I started firing with my M4 [light machine gun] with my left hand and the 249 [machine gun] with my right hand, trying to lay down fire on both sides," said Mike.

"I went through my full magazine and went to reload," said Spc. Ashley Pullen.

As the fighting progressed, insurgents started firing machine guns from a two-story house, wounding three U.S. soldiers.

Related Stories

* Insurgent Training Camp Found in N. Iraq

"I went inside the vehicle and grabbed the anti-tank rocket and took the house out," said Mike.

In the end, the unit killed 27 insurgents. The wounded U.S. soldiers are all expected to recover.

"After it was all said and done with," said Hester, "it was overwhelming what actually happened."

The soldiers of the 617th Military Police Company will be back out on patrol on Wednesday. They are not expected home — to the shoe store or the printing shop — until November.

ABC News' Martha Raddatz filed this report for "World News Tonight."

[Flavius]

Martha Raddatz joined ABCNEWS in January 1999 as State Department correspondent and began covering the Pentagon in May 2003. She is based in the network's Washington bureau.

Since joining ABCNEWS, Raddatz has covered the Middle East, Africa, Pakistan and India while traveling with the U.S. Secretary of State. Her coverage at the State Department after the attacks of September 11, 2001, was recognized with other ABCNEWS recipients with a Peabody Award. She has also made frequent trips to Iraq to cover the conflict there since the war started in March, 2003.

Raddatz has been awarded two Emmys for coverage of Kosovo and the Elian Gonzalez case in the news program Weekend World News.

From 1993-1998, Raddatz was the Pentagon correspondent for National Public Radio, where she reported on foreign policy, defense and intelligence issues. During her tenure at NPR, she made numerous trips to eastern Europe to cover the war in Bosnia.

Prior to joining NPR in 1993, Raddatz was the chief correspondent at the ABCNEWS Boston affiliate WCVB-TV. In addition to covering several presidential campaigns, she has traveled extensively, writing and reporting from the former Soviet Union, Africa, the Middle East, the Philippines and Europe.

Raddatz has been honored for her journalistic contributions many times, including a 1996 Overseas Press Club award for her live coverage of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Her reporting was also recognized with the National Headliner Award for team coverage of the 1988 presidential campaign, and two Radio and Television News Director Association (RTNDA) first-place awards. In addition she has received two Associated Press first-place awards.

[Flavius]

For immediate release
May 7, 1997


NPR's Morning Edition To Examine The Roles Of Women In The Military
-- Five-Part Series To Air the Week of May 12 --

Washington, D.C.--- During the week of May 12th, Morning Edition will present a five-part series from National Public Radio's Pentagon correspondent Martha Raddatz on the diverse roles of women in the military.

[Flavius]

Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Women In Politics
With Loretta Sanchez and Jane Swift, moderated by Martha Raddatzhere

John F. Kennedy Library and Foundation
October 26, 2003

[finnman69]

Guess the uparmored Humvees work pretty well.

In this photo released by the U.S. Army Wednesday, March 23, 2005, U.S. Army 503rd MP Battalion, 18th MP Brigade gunner SPC Casey Cooper stands next to a his damaged Humvee near Baghdad, Iraq (news - web sites) recently, after it received a direct hit from a rocket-propelled grenade, knocking him unconscious. Cooper was revived and helped his fellow soldiers defeat an attack on a coalition supply convoy March 20, about 18 miles southeast of Baghdad, according to U.S. officials. (AP Photo/U.S. Army, Sgt. 1st Class Marshall P. Ware)

[Flavius]

1998:

Association of the Bar City of New York on "Regulating Sexual Activity in the Military" (How the military can successfully regulate relations between men and women)



On March 18, 1998 a panel of 6 was formed to examine gender integration versus separation, military justice attitudes toward sexual misconduct and the need to change military culture.



Serving on the panel were Michael Cooper, President, Assoc. of the Bar City of NY; Robert Maginnis, Project Director, Military Readiness, Family Research council; Linda Bird Franke, Author; Martha Raddatz, Moderator of panel, Correspondent, Defense, National Public Radio; William Fredericks, Member Assoc. of the Bar City of NY; and Marjorie Silver, Chair, Committee on Sex and Law.



In the audience were members of the military, former military personnel, leaders of veteran's organizations e.g. DAV, AL and Women Veterans of America.



Testimony was taken from the audience on the forums issues. Recommendations were made to:

1. Change the UCMJ Laws on Sexual Assault and Harassment to reflect the judicial system with the same kind of prosecution and punishment given to civilians.

2. Update the UCMJ Laws to reflect today's' integrated military.

3. Allow reporting of assaults and harassment without reciprocation's and threats from CO's and NCI's and military investigation teams (CID etc.)

4. To change the "Good ol' Boys Network" attitude and the idea that "women do not belong in the military".

5. To treat all men and women in the military with equality and respect.

[The KG9 Kid]

Easy for me to say, but I wish he would have smiled for the camera.

[Flavius]

I know it can you imagine, germans knew that in world war II glad we are catching up...

[em2vn]

"..M4 [light machine gun]..." Say what? Isn't the M4 the standard issue rifle?

[Flavius]

Even Saving Private Ryan had one of these suckers in there...

[Billthedrill]

Just damn.

It must have looked pretty good on paper - 40-50 ambushers versus a convoy. Abdul's gonna need him some new licks...

[LauraleeBraswell]

So basically, undermine the military institution. I don't want to be treated equally, I'm not a man and I can't hold my own against one. If a woman can do it as well as a man, good for her, we have a volunteer army. Let's say theres a draft, should both men and women be drafted? No.

[blu]

I know a lot of you guys are really against women in the military...but, dang! These ladies rock!!! Would you really mind one of them watching your six?

[Spktyr]

It's NPR flack Radditz. You expect her to know weapons? Yes, it's the standard issue carbine.

You catch the bit where the guy did a Rambo and started laying down fire with his carbine and the SAW?

[The Great RJ]

While I am opposed to women in combat for many reasons, it isn't due to lack of bravery. These women did exemplary service and fought bravely.

[norton]

"While I am opposed to women in combat for many reasons, it isn't due to lack of bravery...."

BUMP

[finnman69]

"I started firing with my M4 [light machine gun] with my left hand and the 249 [machine gun] with my right hand, trying to lay down fire on both sides," said Mike.

Mike is a bad ass.

[finnman69]

In the end, the unit killed 27 insurgents.

27-0. Muj had a very bad day.

[Blood of Tyrants]

In the end, the unit killed 27 insurgents. The wounded U.S. soldiers are all expected to recover.

27 to zip is a good day. No guerrilla force can sustain those kind of losses and maintain a force.