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Houston Chronicle
June 20, 2005
Pg. 1
American Sacrifices Buying Time For Iraqis
A Guard officer's death in an ambush illustrates view that patience is needed to train Iraq army
By Michael Hedges
TAL AFAR, IRAQ - Lt. Col. Terrence Crowe, the senior U.S. military adviser to Iraqi forces here, was leading a platoon of Iraqi soldiers — the kind that Americans are struggling to mold into an effective counterinsurgency force — when he was gunned down in an ambush.
The only American with Crowe when the cascade of machine-gun fire erupted on June 7 was Sgt. First Class Gary Villalobos, of Santa Maria, Calif. He performed heroically in extricating the mortally wounded Crowe while wiping out Iraqi attackers, said U.S. military commanders who have nominated Villalobos for the Silver Star.
The behavior of the Iraqi troops did not seem as laudatory.
Most of the 17 Iraqis in the patrol broke during the initial outbreak of gunfire and faded from the street fight, said Villalobos and his squadron commander, Capt. Jesse Sellars, who was nearby. A few Iraqis stayed and tried to help but were unable to reach Crowe.
Villalobos said he is unsure if Crowe, 44, who was hit instantly several times as the shooting began, could have survived if the Iraqis had effectively returned fire and swiftly evacuated the wounded officer.
But he said, "I think it would have (helped him) if we could have gotten him in a few minutes instead of 15."
To U.S. officers at a military base here, the ambush that took Crowe's life illustrates the sacrifices that American soldiers are making to give Iraq an army that can defend it from an insurgency.
It also underscored the widely held view among U.S. military commanders and some politicians in Washington that patience will be needed before the Iraqi army can stand on its own feet without American assistance.
'A couple more years'
In the United States, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said on television Sunday that "it's going to be at least a couple more years."
"They are getting better, and the training is getting better," McCain, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on NBC's Meet the Press.
McCain said the key is not the number of troops in the Iraqi army but the number of battle-ready units. "Are there as many as we want? No," he said. "But I believe that there has been some improvement, and that improvement gives us at least some hope."
The reaction of Iraqi soldiers to Crowe's death showed that they honor the sacrifices that Americans are making, said Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez.
"We had a memorial service, and four Iraqi senior leaders came to salute him," said Rodriguez, his voice filled with emotion. "It was an unbelievable tribute that doesn't happen every day. They know they lost a brother there."
Capt. Sellars and Sgt. First Class Villalobos, both members of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, said they were not surprised by the reaction of Iraqi troops to the overwhelming volume of fire that suddenly erupted around them in an S-shaped alley, killing Crowe.
The difficulty in functioning under fire is immense, they said, and most of the Iraqis on the patrol lacked full training. They noted that the four Iraqis who stayed in the firefight had experience in their nation's army.
But top American military commanders here said that breaking under fire is becoming increasingly rare for Iraqi troops. They noted that Iraqi security forces are suffering three or four casualties for every one sustained by the Americans.
"The Iraqi security forces are taking a hit, and they haven't flinched or blinked," said Brig. Gen. Karl Horst of the 3rd Infantry Division in Baghdad. Told about the firefight in which Crowe was killed, he said: "That would be an anomaly. From the reports of our soldiers, these guys stay and fight."
Blood-spattered uniform
The same could be said for Villalobos. As he told his harrowing account of the June 7 ambush, dried blood could be seen on his uniform.
He neglected to mention that earlier in the day he had narrowly escaped injury when an improvised explosive device went off. The blast wounded an Iraqi soldier, and the blood splashed on Villalobos' clothing.
Crowe, a professor at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y., and the father of two teenagers, deployed to Iraq with a New York National Guard unit. According to those serving with him, he was a respected combat leader.
"Every time you saw (him), he was leading from the front. That is what he was doing when he was killed," Villalobos said.
On June 7, the patrol headed into Tal Afar, a town about 90 miles from the Syrian border, around 8 a.m., looking for insurgents. The soldiers entered an alley, turned a corner and were ambushed. Crowe, who was about 10 yards from the hidden Iraqis, was hit immediately.
Sellars, who was engaged in a skirmish a few blocks away, said the volume of fire "was overwhelming to hear."
Villalobos admitted that he was terrified. He wanted to reach Crowe immediately, he said, but had to return fire to defend himself. He had seen the flashes of the Iraqis' weapons. But, as the sound of gunfire echoed through the alley, he initially thought he might be under attack from the rooftops as well.
Gunfire and confusion
In the whirlwind of the gunfire, Villalobos said, he couldn't make himself understood to the Iraqi soldiers who had stayed at the scene.
Lacking proper training, they simply mimicked his actions, stopping their fire when he stopped, he said. It proved impossible to coordinate efforts to reach Crowe.
After several minutes, he threw a grenade at the spot, about 60 feet away, where he had seen the initial flashes of gunfire.
"All I know is, after the grenade, the firing stopped," Villalobos said.
Other soldiers determined that at least one Iraqi insurgent had been killed by the grenade and a few others wounded.
Asked how he felt during the fight, Villalobos said, "I was scared out of my mind. The only thing I could think about was getting Lt. Col. Crowe out."
He then quoted a line from the creed that every American soldier has learned and that U.S. advisers are trying to instill in the Iraqi troops:
"I will never leave a fallen comrade behind."
June 20, 2005
Pg. 1
American Sacrifices Buying Time For Iraqis
A Guard officer's death in an ambush illustrates view that patience is needed to train Iraq army
By Michael Hedges
TAL AFAR, IRAQ - Lt. Col. Terrence Crowe, the senior U.S. military adviser to Iraqi forces here, was leading a platoon of Iraqi soldiers — the kind that Americans are struggling to mold into an effective counterinsurgency force — when he was gunned down in an ambush.
The only American with Crowe when the cascade of machine-gun fire erupted on June 7 was Sgt. First Class Gary Villalobos, of Santa Maria, Calif. He performed heroically in extricating the mortally wounded Crowe while wiping out Iraqi attackers, said U.S. military commanders who have nominated Villalobos for the Silver Star.
The behavior of the Iraqi troops did not seem as laudatory.
Most of the 17 Iraqis in the patrol broke during the initial outbreak of gunfire and faded from the street fight, said Villalobos and his squadron commander, Capt. Jesse Sellars, who was nearby. A few Iraqis stayed and tried to help but were unable to reach Crowe.
Villalobos said he is unsure if Crowe, 44, who was hit instantly several times as the shooting began, could have survived if the Iraqis had effectively returned fire and swiftly evacuated the wounded officer.
But he said, "I think it would have (helped him) if we could have gotten him in a few minutes instead of 15."
To U.S. officers at a military base here, the ambush that took Crowe's life illustrates the sacrifices that American soldiers are making to give Iraq an army that can defend it from an insurgency.
It also underscored the widely held view among U.S. military commanders and some politicians in Washington that patience will be needed before the Iraqi army can stand on its own feet without American assistance.
'A couple more years'
In the United States, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said on television Sunday that "it's going to be at least a couple more years."
"They are getting better, and the training is getting better," McCain, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on NBC's Meet the Press.
McCain said the key is not the number of troops in the Iraqi army but the number of battle-ready units. "Are there as many as we want? No," he said. "But I believe that there has been some improvement, and that improvement gives us at least some hope."
The reaction of Iraqi soldiers to Crowe's death showed that they honor the sacrifices that Americans are making, said Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez.
"We had a memorial service, and four Iraqi senior leaders came to salute him," said Rodriguez, his voice filled with emotion. "It was an unbelievable tribute that doesn't happen every day. They know they lost a brother there."
Capt. Sellars and Sgt. First Class Villalobos, both members of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, said they were not surprised by the reaction of Iraqi troops to the overwhelming volume of fire that suddenly erupted around them in an S-shaped alley, killing Crowe.
The difficulty in functioning under fire is immense, they said, and most of the Iraqis on the patrol lacked full training. They noted that the four Iraqis who stayed in the firefight had experience in their nation's army.
But top American military commanders here said that breaking under fire is becoming increasingly rare for Iraqi troops. They noted that Iraqi security forces are suffering three or four casualties for every one sustained by the Americans.
"The Iraqi security forces are taking a hit, and they haven't flinched or blinked," said Brig. Gen. Karl Horst of the 3rd Infantry Division in Baghdad. Told about the firefight in which Crowe was killed, he said: "That would be an anomaly. From the reports of our soldiers, these guys stay and fight."
Blood-spattered uniform
The same could be said for Villalobos. As he told his harrowing account of the June 7 ambush, dried blood could be seen on his uniform.
He neglected to mention that earlier in the day he had narrowly escaped injury when an improvised explosive device went off. The blast wounded an Iraqi soldier, and the blood splashed on Villalobos' clothing.
Crowe, a professor at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y., and the father of two teenagers, deployed to Iraq with a New York National Guard unit. According to those serving with him, he was a respected combat leader.
"Every time you saw (him), he was leading from the front. That is what he was doing when he was killed," Villalobos said.
On June 7, the patrol headed into Tal Afar, a town about 90 miles from the Syrian border, around 8 a.m., looking for insurgents. The soldiers entered an alley, turned a corner and were ambushed. Crowe, who was about 10 yards from the hidden Iraqis, was hit immediately.
Sellars, who was engaged in a skirmish a few blocks away, said the volume of fire "was overwhelming to hear."
Villalobos admitted that he was terrified. He wanted to reach Crowe immediately, he said, but had to return fire to defend himself. He had seen the flashes of the Iraqis' weapons. But, as the sound of gunfire echoed through the alley, he initially thought he might be under attack from the rooftops as well.
Gunfire and confusion
In the whirlwind of the gunfire, Villalobos said, he couldn't make himself understood to the Iraqi soldiers who had stayed at the scene.
Lacking proper training, they simply mimicked his actions, stopping their fire when he stopped, he said. It proved impossible to coordinate efforts to reach Crowe.
After several minutes, he threw a grenade at the spot, about 60 feet away, where he had seen the initial flashes of gunfire.
"All I know is, after the grenade, the firing stopped," Villalobos said.
Other soldiers determined that at least one Iraqi insurgent had been killed by the grenade and a few others wounded.
Asked how he felt during the fight, Villalobos said, "I was scared out of my mind. The only thing I could think about was getting Lt. Col. Crowe out."
He then quoted a line from the creed that every American soldier has learned and that U.S. advisers are trying to instill in the Iraqi troops:
"I will never leave a fallen comrade behind."