Combat· Iraq War (Op IRAQI FREEDOM)
Saddam Canal Bridge (Ambush Alley)
The fight at the Saddam Canal bridge was the deadliest part of the Battle of Nasiriyah, the northern of the two crucial crossings the Marines had to seize to open the route through the city.
Marines pushing to take and hold the bridge were caught in a vicious crossfire along the exposed urban stretch they called Ambush Alley, assailed by Iraqi fighters from the surrounding buildings. The action was made tragically worse when friendly aircraft, amid the confusion of the battle, mistakenly struck Marine vehicles, adding to the heavy losses. Despite the carnage the Marines fought through and held the crossing, securing the northern bridge essential to the advance. The struggle at the Saddam Canal bridge accounted for the bulk of the Marine dead at Nasiriyah and became one of the most harrowing small-unit actions of the entire war, emblematic of the brutal, confused nature of the fighting in the city.
Record no. 739