8 Unbelievable Stories from the Second Battle of Fallujah

This time of year marks the anniversary of one of the most storied battles in recent Marine Corps history: the Second Battle of Fallujah. The city became the scene of brutal urban combat when American, Iraqi, and British forces launched an all out assault on Nov. 8, 2004, to seize it from Iraqi insurgent hands.

Some of the Marine Corps’ greatest heroes and most recent legends emerged from the battle.

After being severely injured by enemy gunfire, 1st Sgt. Bradley Kastle rolled over to shield a wounded Marine from a grenade blast, absorbing the brunt of the explosion himself. After heroically leading his squad in an attack against a large enemy force inside of a building,Cpl. Dale Burger was severely injured, but returned to his unit just three days later and again led his men back into combat before being killed in action on Nov. 14.

The Marines of 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment — to which both Kastle and Burger belonged — were the operation’s main effort. They were the tip of the spear.

Over the course of battalion’s eight-month deployment, 33 gave their lives and more than 400 were injured, confirmed Col. Willard Buhl, 3/1’s commanding officer at the time. Of that number, 23 were killed and 275 were wounded during 12 days of intense and unrelenting combat as the Marines fought to take Fallujah from enemy hands. Additionally, more than 250 awards for valor were awarded to the unit’s Marines and sailors for their actions during the operation.

Read the Remainder at Task and Purpose