It was in that unforgiving state of mind that McClary joined a 6:00 p.m. (Iraqi time) meeting of the 3-7 staff to plan the night’s missions. “The situation around us is not great,” Col. Jack Kammerer, commander of the 3-7, told his officers, as they studied a map unfurled on the hood of a Humvee and illuminated by red light. So-called irregular fedayeen forces–that include Iraqi militia members employing guerrilla-style tactics–were proving more of a menace to U.S. troops than Saddam Hussein’s conventional forces.
McClary learned of his objective that night: to eliminate the source of Iraqi mortar fire that had been plaguing the unit’s northern advance on a nearby highway. The previous night, a Humvee passenger on that route had been hit by shrapnel from an incoming mortar. (He was evacuated and expected to recover fully). Kammerer, often given to wisecracking asides, struck a somber tone that evening. Should the soldiers encounter hostile forces without civilians nearby, “don’t think twice,” he instructed. “Kill them.”
Minutes later at his Bradley fighting vehicle, McClary briefed his crew on the night’s mission. As far as enemy forces were concerned, “we will dictate the rules” should they offer to surrender, said McClary. There would be no more falling for the ruse–as the Marines had in southern Iraq–of enemy forces faking surrender so they could goad coalition troops into ambushes. If surrendering soldiers don’t follow our instructions, “they will face the rapture of co-ax,” said McClary, referring to the Bradley’s co-axial machine gun, which spits out up to 950 7.62-mm rounds per minute. He also bore a warning for his crew: “This is not a simple mission.”
He was right. McClary’s convoy of Bradleys–the 3-7’s Charlie Company–set off at around 8:30 p.m. As it advanced, a sandstorm kicked up and became so blinding that it slowed the group’s movement for most of the night to a snail’s pace. It took nearly 10 hours to arrive at the unit’s destination just 10 miles away, near the western edge of Najaf. Once there, as dawn lifted and the sandstorm subsided, Charlie Company found what appeared to be a command-and-control center for the Saddam Fedayeen, a militia reputedly under the control of one of Saddam Hussein’s sons. A few telltale clues that it belonged to this group, according to Lt. Greg Holmes, intelligence officer for the 3-7 included the dozens of fighters clad completely in black who were scampering around the compound and the black flags with which many buildings were festooned.
“These are enemy soldiers,” McClary told his troops over the radio. “If they don’t surrender, we are authorized to destroy them.” Before McClary’s forces could engage them, however, a Charlie Company officer called over the radio: “We’re taking mortar fire!” Mortars began raining down with thunderous ferocity, their concussions shaking McClary’s Bradley. “Pull Charlie Company back,” McClary ordered the company commander, “and get some artillery on this compound.” Mortars continued to pound the earth dangerously close to McClary’s Bradley. “We need to get some cover!” McClary yelled to his driver, Pfc. Giovanni Garcia, who immediately powered the Bradley forth on a frenetic zigzag amid an obstacle course of serried sand dunes. “Get down in that damn hole!” The Charlie Company’s Bradleys unleashed 25-mm rounds on the compound–destroying one truck equipped with mortar launchers and leveling a communications tower–before pulling back to a safer distance. McClary wasn’t about to relinquish his mission, though. “Keep eyes on [the target],” McClary told Charlie’s commander. “I don’t want to lose this compound.”
Once McClary and Charlie Company regrouped, the counterattack commenced. A little after 7:00 a.m. (local time) on Tuesday morning, mortars fired by U.S. field artillery units in the rear began to pound the Iraqi complex, snapping the air and raising clouds of dust and debris. Then came close air support: Air Force fighters arrived within a half-hour and dropped 500-pound guided smart bombs on the compound, releasing ear-splitting cracks and black plumes of smoke hundreds of feet high. The smell of sulfur wafted through the air. Subsequent Air Force sorties would unload another half-dozen dumb bombs.
In McClary’s Bradley, Sgt. Brian Torres, the gunner, peered through his sights and saw Iraqis dressed in black scrambling to board a truck. “Looks like we might have some dismounts,” said Torres, referring to the militiamen. “Take them out,” ordered McClary. Torres fired about 10 25-mm high explosive rounds, suffusing the Bradley with an acrid smell. He came up short, though, giving the Iraqis time to scatter. Torres adjusted his aim, then unleashed another set of rounds. The militiamen disappeared from view. “Got them, Sir,” said Torres, who later estimated that he killed seven combatants. “There you go,” replied McClary. “That’s their a–.” “Put a little notch in your belt, Sgt. Torres,“called Lt. Holmes, the intelligence officer, seated in the rear of the Bradley. “These guys are Saddam Fedayeen, which means they’re the scum of the earth.”
Once the barrage of fire calmed, Charlie Company returned to the compound to clear it. Yet again, the soldiers came under mortar fire, possibly from a militia truck they had seen escape earlier in the morning. Still, they were able to suppress the fire and search the compound. What they found was an intricate system of trenches, bunkers, and an underground cave system, as well as numerous buildings and towers above ground. They also hauled out a small pick-up truck packed with arms and ammunition. Among the contents: rocket-propelled grenade launchers, mortar launchers, machine guns, gas masks (still wrapped in plastic), boxes of 7.62-mm rounds, an MTV dance party CD and an appointment book decorated with little Santa Claus stickers juxtaposed with a smiling photo of Saddam Hussein. All of the ammunition was detonated on site.
McClary was still troubled. The compound hadn’t been totally obliterated, and he was concerned that militiamen could return to wreak havoc from their bunkers and caves. Also, some members of Charlie company reported having observed some fedayeen retreating into a village-an extension of Najaf-that abutted the complex, and others seeking haven in a nearby cemetery where civilians were quickly trucked in (to be used as human shields, believed intelligence officer Lt. Holmes). That the militiamen would resort to what he considered dirty tricks infuriated McClary. He wanted more close air support called in to reduce the entire facility and cave complex to dust. That would have to wait, though, since the Air Force had other missions to attend to right then.
