Information about the 24th in Iraq.

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Updates

Monday, April 14, 2003

4/13 PBS NewsHour WAR NEWS ROUNDUP

" ... A CNN crew was on the scene when the rescued prisoners were flown to an American base south of Baghdad. Ray Suarez talked with CNN's Bob Franken, who was there with the 24th Marine expeditionary unit."

Monday, April 14, 2003

CNN Marines advance well into Tikrit

From what I gather, there may be a section of the 24th with 1MEF.

Monday, April 14, 2003

More on the POW rescue from the Marines site.

"The squad of Marines from the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion were securing a bridge south of Tikrit, Iraq, when they were given orders to conduct house-to-house raids in the nearby town of Samarra. The Marines were acting on credible tips from local residents that American prisoners were being held in one of the homes."

Bob Franken, the reporter embedded with the 24th, reported on the rescue.

Monday, April 14, 2003

4/10 from the 24th's site: Echo Co. finds weapons, ammo at checkpoint; detain prisoners

Sunday, April 13, 2003

From the 24th's website:

"Currently, Marines and Sailors from the 24th MEU (SOC) are continuing their operations in Central Iraq.

Some highlights from the last week include the recovery of a fallen Marine's body in the town As Shatrah.

Marines from Fox Co. went into the town and recovered the remains of a Marine from MWSS-371, MCAS Yuma, Az., who was attacked during a convoy.

The 24th MEU (SOC) also eliminated the Ba'ath Party presence in the town of Qalat Sukar.

During the Mission the MEU went into Qalat Sukar and removed all the pictures of Saddam Hussein and other symbols of his regime and burned them, and also seized an ammunition cache and destroyed some anti-aircraft artillery pieces.

A few days later, Marines from Echo Co. secured an airfield near the town of Al Amarah and recovered some weapons and ammunition at a checkpoint near the town.

Marines from the Maritime Special Purpose force also conducted a precision raid to apprehend a local Ba'ath Party leader and seized more weapons.

Please check back to this site soon for more information. Updates on the MEU's location and activities will be provided on this site consistent with operational security."

Sunday, April 13, 2003

NPR Missing U.S. Troops Found Alive

NPR's Steve Inskeep, embedded with the 24th, reports. (audio)

Sunday, April 13, 2003

CNN Franken: Dramatic return for ex-captives

Sunday, April 13, 2003

AP/Yahoo News Seven Missing U.S. Soldiers Found Alive

"Bob Franken of CNN, who was with the Marine 24th Expeditionary Unit that found the missing soldiers, said they were brought to an airfield in ambulances and all ran or walked to a C-130 transport plane that was to take them to a hospital in Kuwait."

Sunday, April 13, 2003

AP - Seven Missing U.S. Troops Found Healthy

"Bob Franken of CNN, who was with the Marine 24th Expeditionary Unit that found the POWs, said they were brought to an airfield in ambulances and all ran or walked to a C-130 transport plane.

Two of the POWs walked with a limp and one of those was a woman, Franken said.

One of the seven raised his hand in victory, and the woman was carrying her own equipment, he said."

Sunday, April 13, 2003

Embedded reporter Bob Franken is on CNN right now reporting on the 7 freed POWs. He is with the 24th approx. 65 miles S/SE of Baghdad at an undisclosed base location.

Saturday, April 12, 2003

Marines Ready for Anything in a Holdout City

Saturday, April 12, 2003

Guardian, UK:

A Brief Overview of the Battlefield

"TO THE WEST AND SOUTH

- The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit set up checkpoints around Kut, 95 miles southeast of Baghdad, where intelligence reports said thousands of foreign fighters might be holed up. Marines stopped vehicles to see if Iraqi soldiers or paramilitary fighters were trying to escape the city."

Saturday, April 12, 2003

NPR Taking Control of the City of Kut

Saturday, April 12, 2003

Yahoo News / AP Marines Balance Risks at Iraq Checkpoints

Saturday, April 12, 2003

From India's Financial express: US Marines, Iraqi Cops To Jointly Patrol Baghdad

"In the East, the 24th Marine Expeditionary unit has set up blocking positions north and south of the city of Kut, and marines were stopping vehicles to search for soldiers or paramilitary fighters trying to escape the city." --AP

Saturday, April 12, 2003

NYT's Charlie LeDuff does appear to be embedded with the 24th. Thanks again to Leigh-Ann!

Saturday, April 12, 2003

Leigh-Ann sends this link from the NYT: Marines in Nowhere Land: Sentry Duty in the Desert

"CAMP FENWAY, Iraq, April 11 — The road along the perimeter of Camp Fenway leads to nowhere. It runs through the middle of nowhere and it seems to come from nowhere.

Along this road, far away from the camp, are two aliens to the nothingness: Marine sentries sitting in a foxhole on a cold night, staring at nothing, observing, studying, absorbing the sights, sounds, textures, odors and tastes of nothing. To these [men] of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the desert in its entirety is a blue void."

Friday, April 11, 2003

Thank you, thank you Leigh-Ann for this link:

Live From Iraq

"Listen for Reports from Iraq with 1150AM WDEL Correspondent Chris Hondros, Embedded with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit."

Leigh-Ann also tipped me off to the Marine Moms Online Yahoo group. Link on the left of the page, under support links.

Friday, April 11, 2003

Fox Battery is featured in a couple of stories on the Marine website's front page.

The second story discusses some of their recent activities in detail.

Friday, April 11, 2003

Many new photos added to the 24th's website, many of Fox Battery and Echo Company. I did not spot Golf Company or Frank in any photos, but it is good to see the Unit in action.

The photos show them manning a checkpoint back on 4/6, doing vehicle maintenance, and securing the Al-Amarah airfield.

Thursday, April 10, 2003

Various Yahoo news pictures of the 24th. No Frank that I could see.

Thursday, April 10, 2003

4/6 BBC Online:

Amarah, Iraq :: David Loyn :: 0530GMT American marines are consolidating positions in eastern Iraq taken without resistance on Tuesday. A force of 500 or so US marines newly arrived in Iraq made easy progress from positions in the centre of the country towards the town of Amarah in the east.

They are now close to being able to link up with British troops coming from Basra in the south, opening an eastern supply corridor to Baghdad.

Iraqi forces in this region appear to have melted away. At an abandoned airbase where we have spent the night, gas masks and other equipment to protect against a chemical attack litter the ground.

A substantial number of damaged Iraqi armoured vehicles show the effects of relentless air campaigns over the last three weeks.

Thursday, April 10, 2003

4/8 CNN's Bob Franken reports Smooth sailing in eastern Iraq

AMARAH, Iraq (CNN) -- Although the world's focus is on Baghdad, coalition forces remain busy throughout southern and central Iraq -- battling pockets of Iraqi fighters, searching for Iraqi weapons and Saddam Hussein's Baath Party leaders and addressing the needs of Iraqi civilians.

Thursday, April 10, 2003

From the Kinston Free Press' round up of Lejeune forces around Baghdad:

24th MEU

"Last week, the Camp Lejeune-based 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit went ashore in Kuwait, moved into Iraq and recently seized Ba'ath party headquarters in Qal'at Sukkar, north of An Nasiriyah.

Their 2,200-member force includes reinforced versions of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 263 from New River Air Station. The helicopter squadron includes AV-8B Harrier "jump jets" from Cherry Point Air Station's Marine Attack Squadron 231.

The MEU has announced that its mission includes providing a "blocking force" to prevent any possible reconstituted Iraqi military that might gather in the south from attacking the rear forces of I Marine Expeditionary Force operating in and around eastern Baghdad."

Wednesday, April 9, 2003

Oakland Tribune / NYT Marines take a border town, firing just two shots

"I just think they saw us coming and ran," said Col. Richard Mills, commander of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is part of the task force. "I think that's a lot of the young men you saw on the highway this morning. They were going home."

Wednesday, April 9, 2003

OC Register Iraqi defenders abandon town

AMARA, Iraq - Iraqi resistance in this town 30 miles from the Iranian border appeared Tuesday to have collapsed, and U.S. forces encircled it firing only two shots.

Task Force Tarawa, a collection of U.S. Marine units, came here Tuesday to engage the Iraqi army's 10th Armored Division, which had been bypassed by allied ground forces. But when the Americans crossed the Tigris River on Tuesday afternoon, they discovered that the Iraqi fighters had fled, leaving their vehicles scattered across the countryside.

"I just think they saw us coming and ran," said Col. Rich ard Mills, commander of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

The Marines took positions around the city but did not enter Amara proper.

Wednesday, April 9, 2003

Boston Globe / AP Locals in southern Iraq plead for U.S. troops to help restore order

NEAR AMARAH, Iraq (AP) Sabah Zedan was frantic as he greeted U.S. Marines who captured the airport outside this southeastern Iraqi town, begging them to come inside and quell the chaos caused by the collapse of the local power structure.

''We need our friends to help with this,'' the Iraqi mechanical engineer told Col. Richard Mills, commander of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, at a U.S. checkpoint at the edge of town. ''We open our hearts to you.''

As Marines move across Iraq's Shiite heartland in the south, they are being met with waves and smiles and desperate requests for help.

Tuesday, April 8, 2003

Raleigh News & Observer / AP Marines enter Iraqi town, seize Baath HQ

More from Qalat Sukkar: "Marines from Camp Lejeune say they encountered little resistance while securing the Baath party headquarters in a south-central Iraqi town."

Tuesday, April 8, 2003

Marine site updated with several new stories about the 24th

Tuesday, April 8, 2003

From Aunt Cindy, the How did YOU sleep last night? series:
(Frank isn't in these pics, but you know he's operating under similar conditions.)

Click on thumbnail for larger version. Reuters photos

Tuesday, April 8, 2003

Oakland Tribune / AP Iraqi hero's homecoming opens town to Marines
Troops welcomed as liberators as residents recognize translator as a guerrilla leader of 1991 resistance.

"QALAT SUKKAR, Iraq -- Unsure how the residents would react to their presence, commanders of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit planned only to tear down effigies of Saddam Hussein and rummage through secret police headquarters when they entered this town of 45,000 about 150 miles southeast of Baghdad on Monday morning.

But by noon it was apparent that the townspeople considered them liberators. Much of the reason, apparently, was the Marines' choice of translators ..."

Tuesday, April 8, 2003

Jacksonville Daily News, NC 24th MEU has joined war in Iraq

"After spending a month on “strategic reserve” and nearly seven months at sea, Marines from Camp Lejeune’s 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit were ready to join the war with Iraq. Monday, they did.

After only eight days on the ground in Iraq, Marines from the 24th MEU took over a headquarters facility for Saddam Hussein’s ruling Baath Party and confiscated numerous weapons. Col. Richard Mills, the MEU commander, said his forces spent the day clearing an unspecified city in south-central Iraq."