Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
23:20 | It takes a lot of heart to become a Marine but it takes even more to become a Reconnaissance Marine. To endure the rigorous physical and mental challenges means you are one of the elite. This group of Recon Marines shares their personal stories of joining the Corps and how they came to Recon during a pivotal time in history. Part 1 of 3. (Caution: strong language)
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.
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)
There was a long line of Dell men who served in military or law enforcement or public safety. Blair Dell did all three. Inspired by an uncle who was a Navy SEAL, he joined the Navy and became a Corpsman. After serving with the grunts for a few years, he almost got out but instead decided to try out for Recon.
As Blair Dell began his training for the Recon Marines, he met instructors that he would later serve with in the field. The training was brutal and difficult but he was determined not to quit. As he moved through the pipeline, he had a demanding physical training test scheduled for Sept. 11, 2001. It was postponed.
When his wife called and said turn on the TV during the Trade Towers attack, Blair Dell knew something was beginning. He was a Navy Corpsman who was becoming a member of the Marine 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. The first thing they did was give him an old paperback book to read.
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.
It was a milk run. The Recon Marines were moving their HQ in preparation for upcoming operations in Fallujah. That's when they became a target of opportunity for a large group of Syrian fighters. Corpsman Blair Dell suddenly had a lot of work to do when an RPG hit the first vehicle.
What is the Golden Hour? It's a popular concept that states that an injured person's chances of survival are much greater if they get to a medical facility within an hour. Corpsman Blair Dell explains why there's a couple of things wrong with that, especially when you make it into a doctrine.
After a deadly ambush in Fallujah, the Marine Recondo team had to stand down and regroup. Team member and Corpsman Blair Dell describes how the team inadvertently stumbled onto a major enemy supply route. He felt bad about how that deployment in Fallujah ended until he heard an interview with Gen. Mattis years later.
It was a joint operation with several other units. They were after a high level Mujahidin operative who had a reputation for always getting away. Blair Dell was on a Marine Recondo team that practiced the raid over and over. Then he saw a picture of the man and had to laugh. (Caution: strong language)
That second Iraq deployment was probably the least favorite for Blair Dell. He was a Corpsman on a Marine Recondo team but he'd been kicked upstairs to work in HQ, not really what he wanted. When he got back to the states, he completed his advanced training, worked for a while as a dive instructor and then went to the Marine Special Operations Command.
As Operation Iraqi Freedom unfolded, the mission of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion was to draw out Saddam's forces and engage them while larger bodies of troops moved on Baghdad. With one Recon platoon, a journalist was embedded who turned their story into a series of articles, a book and an award winning Hollywood production named Generation Kill. Part 2 of 3. (Caution: strong language)
They thought it was over. In 2003 the men of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion stormed into Iraq during the initial assault. They returned home triumphant, mission accomplished. But then the word came that there would be an emergency redeployment. Saddam may be gone but the job was not finished and they were going to Fallujah. Part 3 of 3. (Caution: strong language)
Blair Dell felt like he was really doing some good. He was a Navy Corpsman but he was attached to a Marine Special Operations Team in the Helmand Valley where he helped build a dozen medical clinics. The team was training and organizing the locals to resist the Taliban insurgents. He recalls a conversation with a village elder which opened his eyes and gave him some doubts about the war.
Matt Lampert was the team leader. As the Marine special ops team closed in on a Taliban compound, an IED severely wounded him. Corpsman Blair Dell, who had to thread his way though a mine field to get to him, knew that he was going to lose his legs but they got him evacuated and hoped for the best.
Navy Corpsman Blair Dell remembers the fallen from Afghanistan, several members of his team who fell victim to an insider attack. A lone Taliban, disguised as an Afghani policeman, managed to kill several Marines and then got away.
