War Stories with Preston and Sayre3 Dec 2020

Part II - 2003 Invasion of Iraq (1stLt Brian Chontosh, Al Diwaniyah Ambush)

25MAR2003: Pushing north to Baghdad, 1stLt Brian Chontosh and the Marines in his CAAT platoon were leading the charge along Highway 1. Expecting enemy resistance, Chontosh's platoon as well as Marine tanks, stepped out ahead of RCT-5 to clear the path.

Nearing Ad Diwaniyah, the Marines focused on a berm alongside the road. Before long, the enemy attacked. An estimated battalion sized enemy force opened fire at close range with RPGs, machine guns, and small arms. All up and down the line, RCT-5 was engaged in close combat.

Positioned right behind friendly tanks, 1stLt Chontosh and his HMMWV were stuck in the kill zone and couldn't maneuver out. Instead, Chontosh ordered his driver to push directly into the enemy fire coming from a nearby trench. As the truck hit the berm, the .50 caliber gunner, Cpl. Thomas Franklin, began hammering enemy positions up and down the line. Chontosh and two Marines leapt from truck and began clearing the enemy trench.

Firing and maneuvering down the trench, Chontosh exhausted all of his rifle ammunition before switching to his sidearm. When that was rounds complete he ran through two more AK-47s picked up from dead enemy combatants so he could continue to clear the Iraqi fighting positions. After firing a captured RPG, Chontosh noticed an enemy soldier playing dead while trying to pull the pin on a grenade. Noticing some unspent rounds on the ground, Chontosh picked one up, loaded into his rifle and killed the would-be attacker.

With the trench cleared and over 20 enemy killed, Chontosh moved back to his truck to continue their advance to Baghdad.

For his actions that day, 1stLt Brian Chontosh would be awarded the Navy Cross.

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