Combat· Iraq War (Op IRAQI FREEDOM)
Tikrit
Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown and a bastion of regime loyalty, was the final major objective of the Marine advance in the 2003 invasion, seized by the fast-moving Task Force Tripoli in the days after Baghdad fell.
Expecting the city to be a stronghold of last-ditch resistance, the Marines drove north to take it, but found the anticipated determined defense largely evaporated as the regime collapsed. The task force secured Tikrit and its key sites, occupying the symbolic heart of Saddam's power base and patrolling the streets to establish control. Holding Tikrit until relieved by Army forces marked the northernmost extent of the Marine drive in the conventional campaign. The seizure of Saddam's hometown carried powerful symbolism as the last redoubt of the fallen regime, and its fall without the expected fight underscored how completely the Baathist government had disintegrated under the weight of the invasion.
Record no. 750