Photo By Cpl. Kyle Chan | Retired U.S. Marine Col. Willy Buhl, who served as the battalion commander of 3rd...... read more read more
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Driving through the city of Fallujah, Iraq, taking sporadic fire, curiosity got the best of then-Lt. Col. Willy Buhl, the battalion commander of 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. Peeking over his Humvee, Buhl recalls getting instantly knocked off his feet, and his helmet getting knocked off his head. In a weary daze, Buhl remembers looking up at his driver and hearing his voice echoing though the chaos, “Sir! Are you okay?
Buhl and his Marines were on the front lines of the second battle of Fallujah, codenamed Operation Phantom Fury and Operation al-Fajr. The U.S.-led offensive began Nov. 7, 2004, and now, two decades later, the battle stands as a testament to the courage of those who fought, a warning of war's brutality, and a reminder of the long road to healing for all involved.
“That was an intense moment,” said Buhl. “I caught a piece of grenade fragment that took about an eighth of an inch divot out of the hard plastic ballistic eye piece, and I'm certain that piece of frag would have gone through my head and probably killed me.”
This is just one of many profound stories Buhl can recount about Fallujah.
Phantom Fury brought together U.S. Marine Corps, Navy, Army, British and Iraqi forces, all structured around two Marine regimental combat teams. The Marines of 3rd Bn., 1st Marines, fell under Regimental Combat Team 1, and were tasked with clearing the west side of the city.
“Unfortunately, we had some of the more difficult people to kill or capture,” explained Buhl. “Because certainly down in the south of the city, a place we called ‘Queens,’ that's where most of the outsiders came to occupy the city and fight us.”
The main objective of Phantom Fury was to clear the city, return it to the Iraqi government, and to kill or capture any insurgents who offered resistance to the coalition forces. Buhl said intelligence at the time indicated insurgents from 16 different countries participated in fighting against the U.S.-led coalition.
“We watched the insurgents in the city fortify it, and they were brazen about it,” said Buhl. “They brought engineering equipment out and cranes and jersey barriers. We watched them build, you know, build their fortress there, day after day, and knowing that at some point we were going to have to assault it.”
Buhl knew the consequences of combat and that the enemy were well prepared, but also knew his Marines would get the job done, attributing his battalion’s eventual success to the experienced lance corporals, corporals and sergeants who already had multiple deployments under their belt. One of Buhl’s Marines directly involved in that success was then-Sgt. Chris Pruitt. Pruitt was a platoon sergeant during the battle and made it his mission to have his Marines prepared for what was coming, constantly pushing his Marines during physical training and holding them to the highest standards.
Buhl, Pruitt and the rest of the battalion would be tested every day in Fallujah. One of the battalion’s most infamous moments came to be known as the fight for the “Hell House.” While clearing the city of enemy combatants, moving house to house, street to street, Pruitt came upon a house that seemed off to him. Going to investigate, he found signs of insurgent activity.
Pruitt gathered two other Marines together and began clearing the house. They eliminated an insurgent immediately inside the house, and then methodically maneuvered through the first floor and toward the stairs. Suddenly, Pruitt and the Marines started to take fire from an enemy combatant on the second floor. Bullets made contact around the Marines and wall fragments ricocheted everywhere. As Pruitt pointed his weapon up the stairs, another enemy combatant opened the door in front of him.
“I get shot initially in my leg,” explained Pruitt. “It was a through-and-through to my calf, and I didn’t even know at that moment.”
Pruitt took another burst to his weapon and hand, shattering his right wrist, and the other Marines were injured and pinned down by enemy fire.
Exiting the house to gather more Marines for support, Pruitt began taking more fire from the top of the house, getting hit in the back and breaking his ribs. Pruitt was able to get up and gather more Marines for reinforcements and sketch a layout of the house in the dirt.
“They go into that house, and they start clearing the house themselves.” said Pruitt. “And that’s where my story stops, and their story starts.”
1st Sgt. Bradley Kasal was among the next group to go into the house and engage insurgents in a bloody fight to retrieve the wounded Marines. In the end, 11 Marines were wounded and one Marine was killed during the fight to clear the Hell House. A photo of Kasal being carried out of the house with his lower body covered in blood and his M9 service pistol still gripped firmly in his right hand would go on to become a symbol of Marines’ resilience and strength.
“The Hell House is an incredible story of figuring out the problem and determining that we had men trapped inside,” Buhl said. “We had to create a different breach to get them out, pulling bars off a wall and climbing in slick - out of your gear - to get in; crawling on your back, suppressing people above you so that others without their weapons could run through danger to get their brothers and get them out alive. You had to improvise.”
After clearing of the city, Buhl took accountability of his Marines, taking care of the wounded and finally catching his breath after six weeks of fighting. Once the battalion squared themselves away they began to rebuild the city, working to get emergency services, sewage, and electricity back up and running. The battalion also created a humanitarian center they called “Brahma Park.”
Coming back from the deployment, Buhl and Pruitt knew they had endured the battle, but the war still affects both of them long after. Buhl said the Marines he lost during the battle hurt him deep. He’s mourned for the Marines who made the ultimate sacrifice in Fallujah, and for those who lost the battle with the lingering effects of the war.
“We have sadly lost more Marines who have taken their own lives than we have lost in combat,” said Buhl. “Nothing's more heartbreaking than losing someone to suicide after they've survived all that they did.”
Staying connected with those who served and remembering those who have fallen has been one of the best ways for Buhl and Pruitt to manage and overcome their own struggles. The battalion holds an annual memorial service every year at Camp Horno at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, to remember the fallen.
“Uncommon valor was a common virtue on Iwo Jima,” said Buhl. “And it was at Fallujah.”
| Date Taken: | 11.13.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.14.2024 17:52 |
| Story ID: | 485168 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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