Neither had real combat experience. But these were not the right guys. two soldiers near. Three months of air-conditioned reflection will not transform terrorists into citizens. all three were detained. The Iraqis noticed., We can win this war, Yon declares. It will be a victory for freedom and justice. Despite being seriously wounded, LTC Kurilla immediately rejoined the intense and close-quarter fight that ended in hand-to-hand combat. 1988 2004: Served in a variety of command positions in various infantry battalions during which they participated in the Gulf War and the stabilization force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. You are the only one who might understand, the passage registered in my mind. Senate confirms Kurilla to lead US Central Command Climate Change Is Our Largest National Security Threat? Amazingly, he was right. Please tell our soldiers we care so much for them. Even and especially in places like Mosul, where it takes a special penchant for fighting. A man came forward, trying to shoot Kurilla with a pistol, apparently realizing his only escape was by fighting his way out, or dying in the process. Mosul shooting at American soldiers. But the American M4 rifles are weak - after Reaching around the corner, I fired three shots into the shop. Several times I nearly ran over to Kurilla, but hesitated every time. Kurilla is known both by locals and visiting journalists in Mosul. As a surge operation, Lancer Fury is sort of a crocodile hunt, where our people do things to make the crocodiles come out, trying to flush them into predictable directions, or make them take certain actions. leg. itself, even the desperately sought chance to tell the (left). FIREBALL! Give me a grenade! They didnt have grenades. Amazingly, he was right. policy. President Biden intends to nominate Lieutenant General Michael E. Kurilla as the next head of US Central Command. LTC Kurilla was there asking a soldier for the latest report on Sergeant Lama, now in surgery. ". No one but Crissman knew what was about to happen. ? I yelled above the shooting. Soldiers outran and tackled his two associates when they made a run. into the light. Biden to nominate Lieutenant General Kurilla as next CENTCOM Commander Sweet life itself, even the desperately sought chance to tell the tale, suddenly seemed unendurable alongside the pain of having to take leave of these whom I had come so to love.. Current HCS Projects and Updates. love." We loaded the Strykers and drove down to the Cash, and there was Chaplain Wilson, who might be the most popular man on base. 24th Infantry, which has spent the past year battling insurgents in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul. had given me a copy and told me to read it. Gates of Fire: Close combat during the Battle for Mosul, Iraq Kindle Some blamed his men, while others blamed the terrorists, although blame alone could not compete with disbelief. Prosser shot the man at least four times with his M4 I had been talking with Captain Matt McGrew about the The Battle for Mosul IV dispatch, intending to spend the night with him and some Iraqi troops at one of their combat outposts, to glean additional insight, but the on-going battles in Mosul kept getting in the way. "I would be the one. "We begin another chapter in the rich history of the XVIII Airborne Corps," said Gen. Michael X . LTC Kurilla continued to direct his men Nevertheless, he did go back, most recently to report the dramatic gains made by US forces and their Iraqi counterparts as a result of the surge.. Kurilla yelled FLYNNNNNNNNNNN!!!! The X-ray on the board nearby showed his femur While in Baghdad he captured another iconic photo Muslims and Christians rebuilding St Johns church in the Dora district. But it was when they understood that these great-hearted warriors, who so enjoyed killing the enemy, are even happier building a school or making a neighborhood safe that we really got their attention., And Yon isnt shy about pointing out American mistakes in Iraq, or explaining why after five years in the country soldiers are still charging down alleys with guns blazing, or why schools remain unbuilt. When I came back into the TOC, Major Michael Lawrence who I often challenge to pull-up contests, and who so far has beat me (barely) every time looked me square and professionally, in the direct way of a military leader and asked, Mike, did you pick up a weapon today? stuff." Your email address will not be published. Kurilla's men were taking down and Apparently, the vigor of his protests had made him an In retrospect, its hard to imagine why I didnt write about it. Had Prosser not come at that precise moment, who knows what the outcome might have been. Kurilla, though down and unable to move, was fighting One was training to be a sniper, while the other was training for different combat missions. Actually, what I shouted was an unprintable string of curses, while Kurilla was also yelling at them to get in there, his M4 trained on the entrance. Storied Iraq soldier recuperating | The Seattle Times Jeffrey Mehl on LinkedIn: #deucefour A passion for the cause of freedom. But these two soldiers didnt have the combat experience to grasp the power of momentum. book: Gates of Fire. 2019 2022: Commanding General of the XVIII Airborne Corps. Prosser think bad guys were coming, so he released the . Today, Bob D. sends this article that updates the status of LTC Kurilla: Commander returns home with injured legs, arm, The News Tribune The cell leader had a blood-stained death note in his pocket stating he was a true Mujahadeen and wanted to die fighting the Americans. That freedom of movement afforded him opportunities that few would take, and that he initially took reluctantly. in National Security Studies from the National War College. Five soldiers from ReconHolt, Ferguson, Yates, Welch and Rosswere moving through moon-cast shadows when an Iraqi man came out from a farmhouse, his AK-47 rifle hanging by his side. Alex Fryer: 206-464-8124 or afryer@seattletimes.com. BamBamBamBam! again. Despite being seriously wounded, Kurilla immediately rejoined Keep him and his men in your thoughts and prayers. So Kurilla makes sure they can be trusted by mentoring new officers and having them spend three weeks with him before they are allowed to lead men in this unit. It was not It was near 10 PM when the airplane that would start their journey back to America landed outside, its engines rumbling the hospital floor. Education: General Kurilla has a B.S. December, the same day a large bomb exploded in the been warning everyone about. running in the direction of the shooting. could be confiscated. For news reporters, Kurilla has been like a character straight out of central casting: big, fierce and gung-ho. Then one of the suspects tried to wrestle a weapon from a soldier before all three were detained. passion for the cause of freedom. Democracy in Haiti and the U.S.-led interventions in Bosnia and Kosovo. Mosul, where it takes a special penchant for fighting. Major Mark Bieger arrived alongside Kurilla's hospital A short time after Kurilla gave me the book, following If you do not have a primary care provider, here are some resources to get you started. And then LTC Kurilla was shot. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. man's abdomen, splattering a testicle with a fourth, the When Kurilla woke in recovery a few hours after surgery, he called CSM Prosser and asked for a Bible and the book: Gates of Fire. Kurilla was running when he was shot, but he didnt seem to miss a stride; he did a crazy judo roll and came up shooting. Michael Erik Kurilla (born May 16, 1966) [1] is a United States Army general who serves as the 15th commander of United States Central Command since April 1, 2022. LTC Kurilla - USS Topeka (CLG-8 leg. Yon wrote this about Erik Kurilla's sense of duty and his courage just a few days ago: Bullets are snapping, and I'm crouched flag so everyone could autograph it. with his fist and was gripping his throat, choking him. Keep an eye on Yon's blog for the next dispatch. What are you doing? For more than eight months, a blog written by independent journalist Michael Yon has chronicled the battles, strategies and sorrows of Kurillas unit, the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry (Deuce Four). Welcome to the official 2nd Battalion 3rd Infantry. But its that battle-hardened bravery that makes him the kind of leader that Americans admire and Iraqis respect. shooter inside was also having problems with his pistol, posted by Michael Yon @ 1:09 AM | Permanent Link, AP's Antonio Castaneda Features Walt Gaya, A tribute for service members and families, Update: Iraq Constitutional Referendum Dispatch, First in a series of five posts about Michael\'s travels with Command Sargeant Major Jeffrey Mellinger, the top enlisted solider in Iraq, whose mission is to observe and report on conditions at the front. I jumped up and there was CSM Robert Prosser, the top enlisted soldier at Deuce Four. I was going to run into the shop and shoot every man with a gun. swarmed the shop. but there was no time to reload. That changed last Friday when Kurilla was shot during close combat. Jose L. Ruiz was killed in action. Bowman asked LTC Kurilla to lie down. pain beyond all previous now seized me. Do I look stressed? I looked back at the two soldiers who were with me outside, and screamed what amounted to Attack Attack Attack! I stood up and was yelling at them. Kurilla another morphine, and finally Kurilla settled It actually went so close to perfect that we could hardly believe it. The other Deuce Four soldiers would have killed every man in that room in about five seconds. Your gifts ensure that you will continue to get unfiltered reports of whats happening on the front lines of this fight for freedom. you to write about my men. quickly reholstered his pistol and subdued him by Often when Chaplain Wilson sees me, he will say, Good morning Michael. Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, "Register of Graduates and Former Cadets of the United States Military Academy", "PN1606 Lt. Gen. Michael E. Kurilla Army, 117th Congress (2021-2022)", "XVIII Airborne Corps commander set to be next CENTCOM boss", "Webcast: CENTCOM Welcomes New Commander", "Lieutenant General Michael E. Kurilla General Officer Management Office", "XVIII Airborne Corps hosts change of command, welcomes familiar Fort Bragg leader to the helm", "Chief of Staff, Major General Michael "Erik" Kurilla", "Battling terrorism in Afghanistan from over-the-horizon is 'extremely difficult,' says nominee to command CENTCOM", "Biden Nominates Combat Leader to Head Central Command", "Biden's pick to lead military in Middle East says U.S. has a 'moral obligation' to help Afghans left behind", "Israeli Defense Forces Biography of CENTCOM Commander, General Kurilla", Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Kurilla&oldid=1152450466, This page was last edited on 30 April 2023, at 09:06. its colorful commander. Shots were fired behind us but around a corner to the left. that Prosser went "black" and ran into the shop. There is just no easy way to say, Your son got shot today. And so, according to men here, the calls sound something like this: We are sorry to inform you that your son has been shot in Mosul. Erik Kurilla and CSM Prosser were witness, but I did not want the men of Deuce Four who were not there to think I had picked up a weapon without just cause. Today we remember Master Sgt. The Commander rolls into a firing position, just as a But the guys were not attacking. a city in a war where there is no "behind the lines," no But the more battle weathered fighters were not there. This biographical article related to the United States Army is a stub. Prosser landed three nearly point blank shots in the A man came forward, trying to shoot Kurilla with a The only mission Ive seen unfold close to what was planned was a B Company raid a few months back. Senior Director, ARMA Global-GDIT, A General Dynamics Company 1y he called CSM Prosser and asked for a Bible and the The same facility where Daniel Lama was until a medic gave him morphine and the men took him away. Thank you. He is one hell of a senior officer in my opinion! And if we do it will be a victory of the same magnitude as the fall of the Soviet Union. In every military unit I have seen, there is a prevailing perception that good ideas trickle down from the top about as often as water flows uphill, so Lancer Fury apparently was a wunder-plan. Both legs and an arm are shot. I'm shot three times!" [August 19, 2005]. SFC Bowman shields the eyes of his Commander. ], Daniel Lama smiled, got out of bed and I shot a photo of him reporting for his new duty.. 2004 2005: Commander of the First Battalion of the Infantry Regiment, Iraq. Both legs and an arm are shot. I had a camera. After spending some time with the Commander, CSM Prosser and I drove back to the unit. Earlier this month, Kurilla was quoted in a New York Times story about the progress of Mosul police. It was empty. Michael Yon was there and witnessed this: The operation has begun. A short time after Kurilla gave me the book, following the death of one of his soldiers, he said to me, I want you to write about my men. The doctors rolled LTC Kurilla and the terrorist into OR and our surgeons operated on both at the same time. ')">Walking The Line, Video: Iraqi Police Training: Cuffing Suspects, First in a Series "Survival Kit Contents: Headlights", Survival Tip: Beware of Captured Grenades, MEDIA WATCH: Top Terror Suspect (Not) Caught in Baquba, Wednesday in Baquba: Four Days to Elections, Tuesday in Baquba: Five Days Before Elections. flowery. Im hit three times! This Surge is a complicated piece of work, with multidimensional variables and multifarious moving parts. And then LTC Kurilla was shot. LTC Kurilla began running in the direction of the shooting. And then Prosser ran around the corner, passed the two young soldiers who were crouched low, then by me and right to the shop, where he started firing at men inside. After loading the other suspects onto Strykers, we returned to base, where I fell, exhausted, at about 3 AM Friday morning. Please enable JavaScript if you would like to comment on this blog. It's important to interact and take the pulse of The Iraqis who want freedom and democracy are gaining ground. Carrying both books, we drove to the Cash. Daniel just had some soft tissue damage, nothing major. It sounds like he'll be okay. An unwavering conviction that, in the end, we will win. Some Strykers were scouting for the shooters, while others were working details at Yarmook Traffic Circle. He shares a rarely reported aspect of the American effort in Iraq rebuilding: The American soldier is the most dangerous man in the world, he says, and the Iraqis had to learn that before they would trust or respect us. The chase was on. Whatever Kurilla When Id sat in on the warning order (notice of impending operations) for Lancer Fury last week, the plan was so cleverly contrived that the leadership at Deuce Four had to grudgingly acknowledge its excellence, even though the idea had originated from higher-up. A Kurilla was running when he was shot, but he didn't seem to miss a stride; he did a crazy judo roll and came up shooting. Bullets are kicking up dirt and Kurilla gives us a look: What the hell! Erik! They were on a recon of American forces when Kurilla sensed their intent. Lt. Col. Erik Kurilla is out of Iraq, recovering from gunshot wounds in a Tacoma hospital. Kurilla but they Shots were fired behind us but around a corner to the left. The truest test of leadership happens when the Commander is no longer there. God Bless our Military especially, our WARRIORS. what I shouted was an unprintable string of curses, unwavering conviction that, in the end, we will win. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. view of the Commander [8] After graduating from West Point, he was commissioned into the U.S. Army as an infantry officer in 1988. Strykers are fast, but Opels are faster. As if in reply, the pilot radioed that the Opel was outrunning his helicopter. Among other American-made failures, Yon points out that Madison Avenue at its best could not have done more for al Qaeda and other insurgent groups than the flattening of Fallujah, or the Abu Ghraib photos.. It will not be a victory for the Republican Party. also had brought the terrorist back to life, so Prosser Jose S. Casillas posted on LinkedIn Wrote one: Ultimately the courage to do the harder right rather than the easier wrong is easiest to find when we are reminded regularly of the immense sacrifices and miraculous bravery of people like Erik Kurilla.. a ground fight, Prosser could not pull out his service In his blog, Iraqi insurgents are terrorists and the United States is making progress in its nation-building efforts. Michael Yon : Online Magazine: Gates of Fire - Blogger About two weeks ago, word came that Nohes case had been dismissed by a judge on 7 August. Then Prossers M4 went black (no more bullets). A Kiowa helicopter pilot radioed that he spotted the car. "Give me a grenade!" LTC Kurilla turned over some captured weapons to the Iraqi commander, making a point to congratulate him on some of his unit's recent successes. I ran back to the corner of the shop and looked at LTC Kurilla who was bleeding, and saw CSM Prossers extremely bloody leg inside the shop, the rest of him was still obscured from view. Prosser stands above the crocodile who bit his watch. Kurilla was aiming at the doorway waiting for him to come out. there; but they hesitated. Michael Kurilla - Wikipedia Gates of Fire - Michael Yon Major Craig Triscari from the 1-17th Infantry from Alaska was with Major Mike Lawrence, Q, and other soldiers, when he noticed a car with its hood up. LTC Erik Kurilla (front right), the moment the bullets strike. Amazingly, despite being hit by four M4s from multiple directions, the man still lived a few minutes. might have proved fatal.) before there was no room left to sign, but I found a the death of one of his soldiers, he said to me, "I want With his leg mangled, Kurilla pointed and fired his rifle into the doorway, yelling instructions to the soldiers about how to get in there. catch-and-release-terrorists he and other soldiers had Dont I look okay?. The third bullet pierced a propane canister, which jumped up in the air and began spinning violently. I asked CSM Prosser if I could go with him to see the Kurilla continued to direct his men until a medic gave him morphine and the men took him away.. You left the prisoner!For a moment, I nearly ran back out to drag the terrorist behind the Stryker, but then I thought, Nope, he's a terrorist! with people downtown. Among other things, key gear failed; but overall, the Surge was going well. LTC Kurilla repeatedly told me of - and I repeatedly Please enable JavaScript if you would like to comment on this blog. wrote about - terrorists who get released only to cause And then LTC Kurilla was shot. XVIII Airborne Corps commander set to be next CENTCOM boss - Military Times Chris Espindola, the Commanders radio operator, a respected and experienced fighter, was down in Baghdad at the Iraqi Criminal Court testifying against two terrorists caught by Deuce Four months earlier. But I have it beside me on the table by the map Make no mistake about Kurilla - he's a warrior, always Moments later, SSG Will Shockley relayed word to us that an American soldier was dead. But these were not the right guys. Alpha Company had deployed during the early hours and was conducting operations around Yarmook Traffic Circle. Infantry Regiment, was shot in the arm and leg and suffered a broken Dont you understand? Kurilla ordered the Kiowa to fire a warning shot, then quickly authorized the Kiowa to disable the vehicle. A young 2nd lieutenant who had only been in Iraq three weeks, and hadnt seen any real combat; and a young specialist, who, per chance, is one of the few Deuce Four soldiers who is not a seasoned veteran, though he has seen some combat. His Our Stryker did not contain the normal fighters that I saw with LTC Kurilla, but we also had a section (two squads) of infantrymen in Strykers from Alpha Company. Shot in the arm and leg, Kurilla was taken to a combat hospital and later airlifted to Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma. The other suspects started running. In a war where the situation changes depending on what you read, Yon is a man with credibility he has more time embedded with combat units than any other journalist. This will be a long journey. Kurilla was in the open, but his judo roll had left him slightly to the side of the shop. . Kurilla was, after all, still fighting. Deuce Four Commander Wounded - BlackFive Thats the difference between the terrorists and us, Chaplain Wilson kept saying. The Battle For Mosul - Michael Yon Online - The Network of Care How a New Greatest Generation of American Soldiers is Turning Defeat and Disaster into Victory and Hope. But the guys were not Reporters from The Associated Press, Chicago Tribune and other organizations quoted Kurilla as he explained the insurgency and efforts to train Iraqi forces. and our surgeons operated on both at the same time. [8], From 2004 to 2014, he was stationed in the geographic area of responsibility of the U.S. Central Command,[8] deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.
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