Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
9:42 | The battle of Najaf was hard fought by US Marines and Iraqi insurgents. Christian Bauzo's team was tasked with clearing a large cemetery which was honeycombed beneath with eerie catacombs. Part 1 of 5. (Caution: strong language)
Keywords : Christian Bauzo Iraq urban warfare Hue City Najaf Alexander Alex Arredondo Pete Brogden Johnny Crespo Nathan Kulakowski cemetery catacombs sniper
He was not that attracted to college so Christian Bauzo enlisted in the Marine Corps. Why the Marines? Because they weren't just the best of the best, they had a look about them.
Christian Bauzo had already enlisted in the Marines but he was finishing his senior year in high school. He saw the 9/11 attacks live on the TV and he made up his mind that, when he got there, he was going infantry.
He knew it was coming. Christian Bauzo had told his father not to pull strings to help him get into a service academy, instead opting to become a grunt. The Marine rifleman knew that the Iraq deployment was near and, when he boarded the ship bound for Kuwait, he had a lot to think about, including fear. (Caution: strong language)
After the heat and sandstorms of Kuwait, the Marines were on the move into Iraq. Christian Bauzo and his buddies were moving fast, deep into the heart of the ancient, troubled land. Before it was over, they would all have many brushes with death. (Caution: strong language)
Chow was sometimes scarce for the Marines in Iraq. Christian Bauzo describes how slowly he could eat one Skittle. He tried to smile at the locals when he met them because he thought it made them less anxious. He even began to learn the language.
When Christian Bauzo returned from Iraq, he was amazed by the greeting and the crowd. He would have settled for not getting spit on as some returning Marines experienced in a previous war.
After his first Iraq deployment, Christian Bauzo tried to get into the trailer platoon, which was a support unit for the Force Recon Marines, but he would have another deployment before he got there. He was only nineteen but he had been to war and he was now in a leadership position as a team leader. (Caution: strong language)
Between his Iraq deployments, Christian Bauzo did a lot of training and began learning leadership skills. He was now a team leader which was a new experience for him. He describes the awful loss of two buddies to friendly fire during the first tour. (Caution: strong language)
After the cemetery on the outskirts of town was cleared, it was time to move into Najaf. The plan looked flawed to Christian Bauzo and he was not shy about stating it. To his relief, a different approach was ordered and the Marines moved in. Part 2 of 5. (Caution: strong language)
In the aftermath of an RPG blast, Christian Bauzo was unharmed but guys all around him were wounded. He tried to calm them down until the Corpsman arrived. Then it was time to continue pushing into Najaf. Part 3 of 5.
Christian Bauzo had just left the room when a Mahdi rocket slammed in. The Marines were clearing buildings in Najaf and, in the next one, he was on watch at a high window. When it was time, he turned it over to another Marine. Not very long after that, the man fell face forward to the floor. Part 4 of 5. (Caution: strong language)
Near the end of the Battle of Najaf, Christian Bauzo heard something on the radio that was devastating. "Someone got hit He's down! It's Dondo!" It was his best friend who had been taken out by an Iraqi sniper. Part 5 of 5. (Caution: strong language)
After the bitterly fought Battle of Najaf, Christian Bauzo's next operation was at the town of Kufa. He was disappointed that his squad was placed in a blocking position rather than at the point. Part 1 of 2. (Caution: strong language)
He was on point. It was the middle of the night in the middle of the street in Kufa, a small Iraqi town. Christian Bauzo heard the RPG's coming. After three of them missed him, he decided he might be better off back with the other guys. Part 2 of 2. (Caution: strong language)
How do you feel when you come home from war having faced death and beaten it? Christian Bauzo felt like Superman for a while. He would not have to face combat in his next deployment, a tour aboard ship.
After two combat tours in Iraq, Christian Bauzo was able to transfer to the trailer platoon. This was a support unit for Force Recon, the special forces of the Marine Corps. This was great because he trained and worked with them.
With a baby coming and considering the quality of some of the leadership he'd experienced, Christian Bauzo decided to get out. He left the Marine Corps behind but held close the memories of his comrades, those who lived and those who died. (Caution: strong language)
