Victor, the terp, w/Kilo 3/5 Bringing the Peace to Fallujah

By Pfc. Brian Jones, Regimental Combat Team 6

Marines with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6, patrol the city streets and alleyways of the Andaloos District of Fallujah. With the help of Victor (middle), the Co. K interpreter and Middle Eastern native, the “Darkhorse” battalion Marines maneuver through the city with the capability to speak with locals. Interpreters, such as Victor, play an integral role in the everyday fight. He helps the Marines make progress through communications while leading them through an unfamiliar culture. Photo by: Pfc. Brian D. Jones, Regimental Combat Team 6.

FALLUJAH — Over the radio, a Marine’s voice was heard: “Yeah, this dude is crazy. We had Victor ask around and everyone confirmed it, over.”

An Iraqi man had told Marines rumors about insurgent activity in Fallujah. Victor, an interpreter with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6, saved the time and effort of pursuing false tips from the bogus source, proving his worth to the Marines.

Victor plays an integrated role in the Marines’ day-to-day job in keeping the city safe and prospering. His skill in translating provides the Marines with the means to overcome the language barrier they face every day. He’s native to the Middle East and offers the Marines the ability to decipher the unfamiliar Arab culture.

Whether they’re patrolling the streets, training the Iraqi security forces or simply purchasing goods in the market, without the help of someone like Victor tasks would be much more complicated.

“Victor” was the name given to him by the Marines since no one could pronounce his Arabic name with any accuracy. He works, lives and endures the long days alongside the “Darkhorse” battalion Marines, who have taken him in as a friend and colleague.

“Victor is awesome,” said Sgt. Ysac M. Perez, a squad leader. “He’s always willing to help us out with anything we need to get done.”

Victor said he came to the job by replying to an advertisement in a newspaper from his hometown in a nearby Middle Eastern country. He said he then passed the required exam and was offered the position of a lower-level interpreter.

As they walked down the streets on a recent patrol, adults and small children alike called out Victor by name, and openly greeted him and the Marines as they passed.

“I feel like I’m doing a great job, and feel like I can help the Iraqi people and American people because I can speak English and I can make it easier for both,” said Victor. “I feel like I am one of (the Marines). They are my friends and they treat me good. They’re nice people until they know someone is not good.”

As they patrolled and stopped to speak with people in the city, Victor investigated how the people of Fallujah feel about the situation the war has brought on them in the past, present and future.

People told Victor about the hard times they have gone through in the city. They explained to him that for a long time, they could not sleep. They could not go outside. Things went missing from the market. Terrorists took their money. They had no power or water and the children quit attending school. Terrorists liked to kill and they killed by sword, not by bullet. They didn’t understand what the terrorists wanted exactly.

“The people feared that (having Coalition forces in the city) would be bad for them like it was before, especially Fallujah,” said Victor. “The people now understand that the Marines are here to help them, not control them. Nobody believed it would be as good as it is now.”

Victor recalled a story an Iraqi policeman told him about how he feared taking out the trash each day because he would find severed human heads in his trash can.

“The Marines were a gift to them from the sky,” Victor said. “For (Iraqis) it was hard times when the terrorists came. They were controlling them. They were not allowed to smoke, listen to music, eat certain foods or wear (Western) clothes and they were forced to go to the mosques and pray. They were not allowed to do this or that. They were not

allowed to do many things. It was very scary for them. (Terrorists) killed a lot of people. When they woke up in the morning, they would find people lying dead in the streets and they did not know why the terrorists were doing what they were doing.”

Throughout the day, Victor is also tasked with translating prayers coming from the loudspeakers atop of mosques.

“Don’t worry about the struggles of today. There is a greater afterlife awaiting you where you can have all that you desire,” was just one of the messages resonating from the speakers through the streets as Victor translated.

“They felt that one day (terrorists) would come again, but now the Marines are here and have worked with them and trained them well,” said Victor.

Victor said he believes the Fallujah Iraqi Police (IP) have come along well for being so new.

“They need more training, but there are a lot of them, a good number,” said Victor. “Day by day, they are working and learning to function better on their own, and I think if something were to happen they could control it on their own.”

On a daily basis Victor maintains good working relations between the Marines and IPs, translating for both parties.

“(IPs) are happy, and I think the moment the Marines leave, they will be sad,” said Victor. “They know the Marines are here to support them. They have to learn to do the job alone because the Marines cannot stay here forever, but they feel safe now because the Marines have experience, and if anything happens, they know Marines can control it right away.”

Every day a smile was brought to Victor’s face as people expressed their gratitude to the Marines through him.

“‘Who would believe that Fallujah could be like this?’ the people would say,” said Victor. “You can go down to the market and see how good things are. (Iraqis) are so happy. The Marines have helped them a lot. They’ve made them a peaceful home with security, made them IDs, trained them and gave them jobs.”

Victor pointed out the cement barriers that block the streets as examples of the difficult but necessary adjustments residents have had to make in putting a halt to violence in the city.

“People know that everything is (secure) now and it must be like this,” said Victor. “I think everyone is happy now. No one complains.”

(Story by Pfc. Brian Jones, Regimental Combat Team 6)

Lt. Elliot L. Ackerman-Silver Star

1st Lt. Elliot L. Ackerman, 26, is congratulated by Lt. Col. Scott Alley, commander of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, after Ackerman was awarded the Silver Star at a ceremony at Camp Lejeune, N.C. Behind Ackerman is his mother, a native of Washington, D.C., received the medal for his heroism in Fallujah, Iraq, in November 2004.

by: Gunnery Sgt. Demetrio J. Espinosa

Lt. Elliot L. Ackerman, a 26-year-old native of Washington, D.C., was recognized for his courage under fire while serving as a platoon commander during the November 2004 battle to wrest Fallujah from the grip of fanatical insurgents.

Brig. Gen. Charles M. Gurganus, Assistant Division Commander, 2nd Marine Division, presented the award as Ackerman’s family and fellow Marines looked on.

The citation summarizing then-2nd Lt. Ackerman’s actions covers a six-day period that began on Nov. 10, 2004, when his platoon came under fire from a heavy enemy counterattack.

“We had a mission to get a foothold for the battalion,” said Ackerman, who returned last month from his second deployment, the latest as a member of Battalion Landing Team 1/8, the ground combat element of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. “We saw that the original building we intended to go in to just wouldn’t work to get that mission done. We pushed a little bit deeper than it probably would have been prudent to do.”

Pushing deeper ensured his unit would accomplish its mission, but the advance left him and his Marines more exposed to enemy fighters, who responded by pouring heavy fire on the Marines’ position.

As his Marines began to take injuries, Ackerman sprang to action, twice pulling his Marines to safety and coordinating their evacuation. The amphibious-assault vehicle sent to retrieve his Marines had trouble finding them, lost in the fog of war. Ackerman again risked his life, charging into the open from a covered position to flag down the vehicle and direct it to his Marines’ location. His actions took him through a “gauntlet of deadly enemy fire,” according to the citation.

“From that position that day, we were a little exposed,” he recalled. “Insurgents came out and slowly tried to surround us.”

For Ackerman, the fighting was just beginning. As the battle ensued, he recognized that his Marines on the rooftop of the building were exposed. He ordered them to seek cover in the building and headed to the roof himself. His actions prompted a hail of enemy fire on his position.

“The Marines, like Marines always do, just started performing in an incredible manner. We had a job to do and just had to make sure it got done,” said Ackerman.

According to his citation, Ackerman took heavy enemy fire on the rooftop but still “coolly employed an M240G machine gun to mark targets for supporting tanks, with devastating effects on the enemy.”

In all, Ackerman was able to simultaneously direct tank fire, coordinate four separate medical evacuations and continually attack with his platoon, all the while suffering from his own shrapnel wounds.

Ackerman said he was only doing what he saw others around him doing.

“I think we all go out there and know what our job is and what’s expected of you,” he said. “There is only one alternative; it is to do it or not do it. You have to do what needs to be done in a situation. That’s what all the Marines were doing. I feel this award doesn’t represent something for myself; it represents what I saw everyone doing out there."

Corporal Sean A. Stokes, Fallujah Point Man, Battalion Path Finder, Legend, Killed In Al Anbar Province July 30th

Sergeant Bradley Adams (left) and Cpl. Sean Stokes joke during a patrol break near Karmah, Iraq. The two volunteered to extend enlistment contracts for the deployment with 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, and were nearly inseparable as "brothers in arms" while serving on the battalion Personal Security Detachment. Stokes was killed July 30 in Al Anbar province here; Adams was severely wounded in the same blast. Photo courtesy of 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines

By Sgt. Andy Hurt, 13th MEU

Sean Stokes enlisted in the Marine Corps shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He joined 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines Regiment in 2004 after running into trouble with his previous command. As punishment, he was busted down to the rank of private, and transferred to 3/1 – the next unit scheduled to deploy. A twist of fate perhaps, as Sean would make history in the coming months. Under normal circumstances, he would have been discharged.

“Sean wasn’t upset about it at all. He considered it an opportunity to prove himself and make new friends,” said 1st Lt. Jeffrey Sommers, Stokes’ platoon commander at the time.

Sommers’ description of Sean echoes that of Auburn, Calif., citizens who knew him. A high school guidance counselor described Sean as a young man who wanted to “develop into a real strong, ethical, moral human being."

During Operation Phantom Fury, the reserved Marine would prove himself a Spartan in the streets. Sommers said he witnessed Stokes commit maniacal acts of bravery, to the point where the platoon commander questioned his sanity.

“I would see Marines do things and think to myself ‘Hey, glad everything turned out the way it did, but what the hell was going through your head?’”

One example comes from Nov. 10, when Stokes, who served as the front-walking “point man”, and his team were ambushed by enemy forces with grenades and automatic weapons fire. Stokes sustained shrapnel wounds in his lower legs and refused to be evacuated while he provided suppressive fire, allowing an adjacent unit to destroy the enemy.

Stokes walked point each day of the battle. He was the first Marine down every street, in every house and every room – hundreds of rooms. He was the first Marine to be attacked by the enemy and the first to report the situation to his squad leader. Bullets, grenades, rockets and roadside bombs were around every corner.

When asked to describe Stokes’ motives for taking the lead into so much danger, Sommers explained: “You don’t do it because of courage, and you don’t do it because you want to. Stokes probably did it because he knew there was more to the battle than the few seconds involved in opening a door.”

He continued: “That kind of compassion … I won’t really ever understand. Human factors in those situations take a grip of you long before honor, courage and commitment.”

Bing West, author of "No True Glory:A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah" met Stokes during the battle of Fallujah and fondly recalled Stokes as “A grunt with (Lima Company) 3/1 with a great smile.

“He was then living on the third deck of a shot-out factory that I was sure would collapse around us,” said West. “Sean just laughed when I told him I was going to sleep outdoors. He had seen three weeks of non-stop action.”

According to a citation for a pending award, during the non-stop action Stokes saw the face of the death constantly and was wounded several times. What kept him going?

“At each house, I said a prayer,” Stokes later told a reporter. “Please God, get me out of this one. When I come out of a house, I thank Him, light up a cigarette and move on to the next one.”

When the dust settled and blood was rinsed from the streets, names of men like Sean Stokes who braved Hell on Earth rose from the ruins. Some Marines claim to have witnessed Stokes dispatch as many as ten insurgents, others say it was more than twenty.

After the battle, Stokes remained with 3/1, ran through another work-up cycle and deployed again in Sept. 2005 to Haditha, Iraq. During this time, he solidified his bond with his peers and built upon his reputation as the quiet warrior. He began to recover from his earlier career glitches and picked up rank and billets of responsibility. When the unit completed the deployment, Stokes was set to get out of the Marine Corps – but he didn’t.

“Sean was working at the gym on Pendleton, and I would see him every now and then and we’d talk,” said Sommers. When he told the battalion he was eager to extend his contract and deploy again with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the staff was less than shocked. Another hero of Fallujah, Sgt. Bradley Adams, had volunteered to join the battalion for the Western Pacific deployment. The bond between Stokes and Adams gave each Marine no choice but to stand by his brother.

“Basically, each Marine said ‘I’m not going without him and he’s not going anywhere without me,’” claims Maj. Shannon Neller, Battalion Landing Team 3/1 Operations Officer.

Together, Stokes and Adams were assigned to the battalion commander’s Personal Security Detachment. On the battlefield, this meant constant convoy operations down bomb-ridden highways and snap tactical decisions in the interest of keeping the movement as safe as possible. Stokes and Adams, said Neller, initially conducted operations in separate vehicles but eventually made their way to the lead vehicle. Stokes was on point again.

“The (battalion) sergeant major called him ‘The Pathfinder’ out there,” said Neller.
Stokes’ last day on Earth went like this:

Elements from Battalion Landing Team 3/1 were conducting Operation PEGASUS BRIDGE, a counter-insurgency effort in the Eastern Al Anbar province. Lima, India and Weapons companies were scattered across the area of operations, sweeping for weapons caches, roadside bombs and rooting out anti-coalition insurgents. Stokes and Adams, along with the commander’s Personal Security Detachment, were darting back and forth from company positions when the convoy stopped to sweep for IEDs near an existing crater. The Marines formed a “V” and stepped carefully along the roadside when a blast rocked the area. When the chaos subsided, two Marines were down – Stokes and Adams.

“As soon as they passed over the (radio) net PSD had taken two casualties, I knew it was those two,” Sommers said. “I knew if anything ever happened to PSD it would be those guys.” Sommers added he was almost certain Stokes walked point on the sweep.

He had.