Combat· Iraq War (Op IRAQI FREEDOM)
Wadi al-Salam Cemetery
The fighting in the Wadi al-Salam cemetery was among the most extraordinary and difficult combat of the Battle of Najaf, waged in one of the largest cemeteries in the world, a vast expanse of tombs, crypts, and mausoleums on the edge of the holy city.
The Mahdi Army militia used the cemetery's endless maze of burial structures as a fortified labyrinth, fighting from among the tombs and the underground crypts, and the Marines of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit had to clear this macabre battlefield grave by grave. The close, disorienting combat among the tombs, in extreme heat and under restrictive rules meant to protect the sacred ground, made for a grueling and surreal fight. Clearing the cemetery was essential to breaking the militia's hold on Najaf and closing on the shrine at the city's heart. The battle in the Wadi al-Salam became one of the signature actions of the Najaf fight.
Record no. 760