{"id":155450,"date":"2022-11-13T12:57:38","date_gmt":"2022-11-13T17:57:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=155450"},"modified":"2022-11-13T12:57:38","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T23:21:50","slug":"1sg-bradley-kasal-a-real-live-superhero-amidst-a-company-of-superheroes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/1sg-bradley-kasal-a-real-live-superhero-amidst-a-company-of-superheroes\/","title":{"rendered":"1SG Bradley Kasal: A Real-Live Superhero Amidst a Company of Superheroes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"1SG
The Second Battle of Fallujah was the fiercest urban combat US forces had faced since Hue during the 1968 Tet Offensive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the winter of 2004 a joint US, Iraqi, and British operation kicked off in Iraq. Local forces called it Operation Al-Fajr. Allied troops titled it Operation Phantom Fury. The world came to know this simply epic scrap as the Second Battle of Fallujah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
Fallujah was known for its copious minarets. Radical Islamists frequently used mosques to store weapons and launch attacks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fallujah was a typical Middle Eastern craphole located in the Al Anbar Province some 43 miles West of Baghdad on the Euphrates River. The area has been occupied since the days of Nebuchadnezzar. By 2011 more than a quarter-million Iraqis called Fallujah home. Within Iraq, Fallujah was called the \u201cCity of Mosques\u201d for its 500 houses of Islamic worship. In 2004 Fallujah was an understudy for hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
It’s all fun and games until you really piss off the Americans. When Iraqis desecrated the bodies of American contractors it was time to take care of business.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The party started in April of that year during the aptly-named First Battle of Fallujah. In this fight, coalition forces moved into the city to kill or capture insurgents responsible for the violent deaths of an American Blackwater security team. Once Allied forces seized the city they turned over control to an Iraqi government security force. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
Turds like these came from all over to take a shot at the Americans. It turned out that being on the receiving end of Uncle Sam’s big stick wasn’t all the travel brochures made it out to be.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was tough to figure out who the Bad Guys really were in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004. Between April and November, enemy forces fortified the place. Insurgents and fanatical foreign Islamist fighters flowed toward Fallujah like zombies after fresh brains. The scene was set for Something Truly Horrible. The Second Battle of Fallujah was to be the first major engagement of the war fought solely against insurgents rather than the previous Iraqi Ba\u2019athist government forces. The end result was to become the bloodiest fight of the Iraq War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strategic Details<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"1SG
This inveterate sadist killed in the name of his dark bloodthirsty god. It turns out jihad doesn’t have much of a retirement plan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The alpha villain in Fallujah was one Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Al-Zarqawi was one serious piece of work. Originally born in Jordan, al-Zarqawi ran a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan before moving his corporate headquarters to Iraq. His repertoire included suicide bombings, hostage takings, and the errant ritual beheading. His stated goal was to transform an insurgency against coalition forces into a full-blown Shia-Sunni civil war. His followers called him the \u201dSheikh of Slaughterers.\u201d Al-Zarqawi was the agent of chaos and a simply despicable human being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
British and American checkpoints surrounding the city of Fallujah kept the insurgent tally constant.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Coalition forces established roadblocks around Fallujah that prevented insurgents from escaping while excluding fresh scum from infiltrating into the city. For the hard-core Islamists in the city, this was to be a come-as-you-are fight. The joint coalition force was comprised primarily of US Marines alongside some 1,500 US Army combat troops supported by extensive air and ground assets as well as Iraqi combat forces. The 1st<\/sup> Battalion of the British Black Watch assisted with the encirclement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
Being on the wrong end of these puppies would sure suck.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Entrenched within the city were between 1,500 and 3,000 hardline extremists. These freaking lunatics included Filipinos, Chechens, Saudis, Libyans, Syrians, and native Iraqis all united in their hatred of America. On November 7, 2004, Navy SEAL and Marine Force Recon snipers kicked off the party along with some 2,500 rounds of 155mm high explosive artillery. This was to be an old school fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tactical Details<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"1SG
Nothing makes a more compelling entrance than a 120mm M830 HEAT round from an M1A2 Abrams tank.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There was no shortage of valor to be found among coalition forces as they stormed into Fallujah. US forces ably employed M1 tanks and Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Air assets included AC130 gunships, B52\u2019s, F15\u2019s, F16\u2019s, and A10\u2019s. UAV\u2019s and a U2 Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft kept an eye on things as the fight unfolded. However, this was a city. The only way to take a fortified built-up area is to get out of your vehicles and just go hunting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
Insurgents had planned the defense of Hell House with exceptional skill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One particularly bloody engagement has become known as Hell House. The dwelling was two stories built around a central atrium with a skylight and multi-tiered stairwell. Bedrooms, bathrooms, and a kitchen surrounded this central space. In better times it would have been a nice place to raise a family. On this day the insurgents had transformed it into a deathtrap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
Assaulting Marines were canalized into a kill zone.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While the insurgents were little more than fanatical cavemen, they weren\u2019t stupid. They had established firing points on the second-floor landing overlooking the interior of the building. Surrounding structures were too low to establish a viable overwatch for snipers or machine gunners. Their well-reasoned defenses had already pinned down eight Marines inside, six of whom were badly wounded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
Marines pressed in to rescue their trapped comrades.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1SG Brad Kasal and PFC Alex Nicoll moved into the house in an effort at extricating wounded US troops. Checking a doorway underneath the stairs Kasal discovered an insurgent hiding. The Islamist fighter fired a burst from a stubby cut-down AK and missed. Kasal shoved the muzzle of his M16A4 into the man\u2019s chest and cut him down at contact range. Then the entire world exploded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
The transformation from combatant to casualty can come shockingly fast in modern urban warfare.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1SG Kasal was shot several times in the legs. His comrade was caught out in the open and wounded even more severely. 1SG Kasal dragged PFC Nicoll into a bathroom to get out of the line of fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
Several Marines were wounded assaulting the structure.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One proper stud named Corporal RJ Mitchell was already in a 1st<\/sup>-floor bedroom tending to the wounded. He braved the kill zone in the atrium to reach the bathroom where Kasal and Nicoll were holed up. In the process, he was hit in the leg. The insurgents on the top floor dropped in grenades that liberally peppered the three Marines with shrapnel. 1SG Kasal caught the brunt of one when he threw his body over PFC Nicoll to shield him from the blast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
PFC Nicoll, shown here in an image captured by combat correspondent Lucian Read, very nearly died in the exchange.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

CPL Mitchell and his wounded comrades found themselves in a seriously bad situation. PFC Nicoll was bleeding out, and 1SG Kasal was struggling to remain conscious in the face of multiple wounds. Mitchell put a tourniquet on Nicoll\u2019s shattered leg and improvised the same thing for 1SG Kasal out of his low-ride thigh holster. Holding his improvised tourniquet in one hand and his Beretta M9 service pistol in the other, 1SG Kasal directed CPL Mitchell to find a way out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
1LT Grapes aggressively coordinated the operation to rescue his injured Marines.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1LT Grapes, the local ground force commander, battered his way through a barred window with a sledgehammer to get into one of the bedrooms. The resulting opening was so small he had to remove his helmet and body armor to gain access. Replacing his gear once inside, Grapes and his men coordinated a proper rescue from within the structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
These Marines were not going to quit until they had retrieved their wounded and neutralized the insurgent threat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Two of Grapes\u2019 Marines ran the gauntlet through the atrium to reach the bathroom where Kasal, Nicoll, and Mitchell were trapped. They improvised a stretcher out of a poncho to retrieve Nicoll and took Kasal under the arms to get him out of the building. Mitchell hobbled out under his own power. Marines on the far side of the dwelling finally beat through the walls to rescue the remaining Marines trapped in other rooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
1SG Kasal emerging from Hell House with an M9 in one hand and his Kabar in the other became one of the most iconic images from the war in Iraq. Note the trigger finger discipline despite the chaos. What a freaking animal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An embedded reporter named Lucian Read shot a series of iconic photographs during the fight for Hell House that captured the powerful drama that had occurred there. His shot of 1SG Kasal being carried out of the building with his M9 became one of the most famous images of the war. Once his Marines were clear 1LT Grapes leveled the building with satchel charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
Before leaving the field 1LT Grapes’ Marines returned to police up the sensitive gear that might have been dropped during the fight.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Once the dust settled, Grapes and his men returned to retrieve any sensitive equipment that might have been lost during the fighting. When they approached the collapsed building an insurgent trapped inside deployed a grenade unexpectedly. The Marines leaped clear as the device exploded. 1LT Grapes then ran up to the wounded Islamist fighter and shot him fifteen times in the head. It had been a hard day for all involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gun<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"1SG
The M9 soldiered on from 1985 until 2017. Most of my time in uniform was spent with the M9. I liked the weapon myself.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Beretta M9 is the official designation of the Model 92FS handgun adopted in 1985 as a replacement for the original M1911A1 .45. A short-recoil semiautomatic single-action\/double-action design, the M9 is typical of the so-called \u201cwondernine\u201d pistols of the day. The M9 feeds from a 15-round double-column, single-feed box magazine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
The M9’s aluminum frame and SA\/DA trigger are a bit antiquated today. However, the gun was state of the art in its prime.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The M9 was known to suffer slide failures at extreme round counts, and the design was modified to prevent this after deployment. The M9 was the least respected weapon in the US small arms arsenal according to a post-combat survey conducted by the military. Most of the M9\u2019s reliability problems could ultimately be traced to sketchy aftermarket magazines. The M9 is currently being replaced throughout the military by the SIG SAUER M17 and M18 handguns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rest of the Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"1SG
This bronze recreating 1SG Kasal’s extraordinary departure from Hell House is now displayed at Camp Pendleton.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1LT Grapes eventually left the Marine Corps to serve as headmaster for a Catholic High School for boys in Virginia. CPL Mitchell left the Marine Corps the following year to study Mechanical Engineering at Arizona State. He eventually took a job as a gas turbine engineer at a utility company. PFC Nicoll lost his left leg but survived. The image of a shattered 1SG Kasal emerging from the doorway to Hell House, his legs drenched in blood and his M9 safely gripped in his right hand, was eventually transformed into a bronze memorial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
Rapid medical evacuation from a combat zone has saved countless lives. The US casevac system is the best in the world.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By the time 1SG Kasal reached a medical facility, it was estimated that he had lost some 60% of his blood volume. 1SG Kasal caught seven 7.62x39mm rounds to his legs along with 44 pieces of shrapnel. He underwent 21 different surgeries and lost four inches\u2019 worth of bone in his right leg. Nowadays he is said to walk with a limp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
SGM Kasal’s career as a US Marine was the stuff of legend.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1SG Kasal was promoted to Sergeant Major and served with distinction in a variety of combat roles for another eleven years. He retired after 34 years of service as Sergeant Major of the First Marine Expeditionary Force. According to his Linked-In page, he teaches Marine Corps Junior ROTC at the Basic Academy of International Studies in Los Angeles today. I suspect those kids get their money\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1SG
Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi escaped Fallujah but ultimately met his gory end two years later in a coalition airstrike.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On June 7, 2006, two F16C fighter jets approached a safe house north of Baqubah, Iraq. The lead plane dropped a pair of guided 500-pound bombs and utterly flattened the structure. Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi was blown straight to hell along with five of his reprobate associates. It was a fitting end for such an evil mob.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

***Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a>***<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the winter of 2004 a joint US, Iraqi, and British operation kicked off in Iraq. Local forces called it Operation Al-Fajr. Allied troops titled it Operation Phantom Fury. The world came to know this simply epic scrap as the Second Battle of Fallujah.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":155519,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[257,772],"tags":[132,102,108,2554,752,636,335,620],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-155450","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-historical-guns","8":"category-will-dabbs","9":"tag-buzz","10":"tag-feature-articles","11":"tag-guns","12":"tag-heroes","13":"tag-historical-guns","14":"tag-history","15":"tag-military","16":"tag-tactical"},"yoast_head":"\n1SG Bradley Kasal: A Real-Live Superhero Amidst a Company of Superheroes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"1SG Bradley Kasal: A Real-Live Superhero Amidst a Company of Superheroes - Will Dabbs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/1sg-bradley-kasal-a-real-live-superhero-amidst-a-company-of-superheroes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"1SG Bradley Kasal: A Real-Live Superhero Amidst a Company of Superheroes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the winter of 2004 a joint US, Iraqi, and British operation kicked off in Iraq. 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