Combat· Iraq War (Op IRAQI FREEDOM)
Diyala River
The crossing of the Diyala River was the last major obstacle the Marines faced on their approach to Baghdad, a defended waterway on the southeastern outskirts of the capital that had to be forced before the city itself could be entered.
Iraqi forces had damaged the bridges and held the far bank, and the Marines fought to seize a crossing under fire, repairing or bridging the river and pushing across against resistance in the final approach to Baghdad. The action at the Diyala was a hard-fought river crossing, the kind of set-piece obstacle that could have stalled the advance had it not been overcome quickly. Forcing the Diyala opened the eastern gateway into the capital and set the stage for the Marines' entry into the city. It was one of the climactic engagements of the march up, the last barrier between the Marine columns and the heart of Saddam Hussein's regime.
Record no. 744