Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

COMBAT STORIES FROM Iraq

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Blair Dell | 1st Reconnaissance Battalion - Navy

7:23   |   Nobody had heard of Fallujah when Blair Dell got there. Everyone in his Marine Recon unit was happy when Gen. Mattis gave them free reign in their mission. They began to run into Syrian fighters but had trouble getting the higher ups to believe it. They also encountered civilians who quietly thanked them for getting rid of the bad guys.

More From Blair Dell

Keywords   :     Blair Dell    Corpsman    Reconnaissance (Recon)    Reconnaissance Commando (Recondo)    Iraq    Baghdad    Fallujah    Jim Mattis    map    Sunni Triangle    Rules of Engagement (ROE)    Zaidon    Afghanistan    Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)    Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)    Syrian    civilians    Iraqi    Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman (SARC)

Videos ( 16 )
Other
  • Blair Dell  |  Other  |  Multiple Units  |  4:33

    Navy Corpsman Blair Dell had been a member of some elite special operations teams but he had to take himself off team status for health reasons. He continued for a while working for the Special Operations Command but finally left the service and started his own consulting business, finding a rewarding role training law enforcement personnel.

  • Blair Dell  |  Other  |  Multiple Units  |  7:48

    Recon Marines somehow always wind up as villains in Hollywood movies. Former Recon team member Blair Dell says that dates back to when the teams were under the direct control of the Commander in Chief. He recalls how his team used to get pumped up with heavy metal music before an operation and how surprised he was when the younger Marines started playing a very different kind of music. (Caution: strong language)

Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan)

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