Combat· Iraq War (Op IRAQI FREEDOM)
Operation Vigilant Resolve
Operation Vigilant Resolve was the first Marine attempt to seize the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, launched in April 2004 in retaliation for the killing and mutilation of American contractors whose bodies were strung from a bridge in the city.
The Marines cordoned the city and pushed in against fierce resistance from entrenched insurgents, fighting through the urban terrain in heavy combat. But the assault, mounted amid intense political pressure and broadcast images of civilian suffering, provoked an outcry that led the fragile Iraqi interim government to demand a halt only days into the operation. The Marines were ordered to break off the attack with the city only partly cleared, leaving Fallujah in insurgent hands. The aborted operation was a frustrating and consequential reverse, ceding the city to the enemy and setting the stage for the far larger and more deliberate second battle that would follow months later.
Record no. 751