One of those ARNG heavy task forces was RIP’d by elements of 6 different battalions to cover the same area with the same mission, a significant disproportion in relative combat power between the outgoing and the incoming units. It was a case of too many bad guys in one area and insufficent force to clean them out. The insinuation the Marine Captain makes that these soldiers refused to engage the AQI in Ramadi rhymes with bullshit.

Tomorrow, I am going to share his piece with several officers, company commanders, platoon leaders, and TF primary staff officers, and NCOS who were there, including one of the heavy task force commanders. I am sure they will have some strong opinions of the Marine junior officer’s accessment of their performance. That ARNG Brigade bled plenty in the performance of their duty. And they bled with and for their active component Marine brothers in that AOR. They never balked at rolling up AQI and insurgents when it was their AOR right up to the point to the TOA. The son of one of my best friends was killed trying move across multiple canals, out of sector, to get his mounted patrol to a downed Marine Cobra crew. Marines died with these Guardsmen too.
Another fact, it was one of the ARNG task forces that first forged an alliance with one of the Sunni tribes in Ramadi. Some of theise tribal sheiks were brought over to visit Washington by the State Dept. I have met the Sheik here in the US as he asked to visit the former TF commander and soldiers in their home state and it was granted. The captain better get the facts before slandering someone’s reputation.