Battle for the Mosque

August 25, 2021 00:48:44
Battle for the Mosque
The Spear
Battle for the Mosque

Aug 25 2021 | 00:48:44

/

Show Notes

On April 10, 2003, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment (A/1/5) was tasked with searching a mosque in Baghdad for Saddam Hussein. The previous night and into that morning, A/1/5 had fought a running gunfight to capture a presidential palace where Marines were wounded and the company gunnery sergeant was killed. Despite the losses the company had suffered, A/1/5 was sent back out into the streets of Baghdad. Upon arrival at the mosque, 2nd Lieutenant Nick Horton 's platoon came under attack. With a simple and direct command, Horton’s Marines seized a foothold in the mosque, routing the occupants, and seizing a significant haul of prisoners. These actions culminated a long day of combat that saw Horton awarded the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry. Listen as he tells the story.

Other Episodes

Episode

April 25, 2025 01:27:12
Episode Cover

Easter Offensive, 1972

During the Vietnam War, the 1972 Easter Offensive was a major operation launched by North Vietnam to destabilize South Vietnam and strengthen its own...

Listen

Episode

August 02, 2024 00:49:01
Episode Cover

One Day in Panjwai District

Lt. Col. Brian Kitching joins this episode of The Spear to share a story from a 2012 deployment in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar Province. Two...

Listen

Episode

July 20, 2022 00:40:52
Episode Cover

A Machine Gunner on the March Up

In 2003, after completing the march up to Baghdad in dramatic fashion, and after an all-night gunfight to seize one of Saddam’s palaces, the...

Listen