2953 x 2215 px | 25 x 18,8 cm | 9,8 x 7,4 inches | 300dpi
Aufnahmedatum:
27. November 2004
Ort:
FOB Marez, Mosul, northern Iraq.
Weitere Informationen:
This is a Mark II M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), a type of light machine-gun used by the US Army. Several 5.56mm rounds lie on the ground next to it. This is on a firing range at FOB (Forward Operating Base) Marez, near the airport in Mosul, northern Iraq. This particular weapon was called "Ashley Judd", a tribute to the American actress, by its operator, Sgt. Bill Whittaker who was attached to the 1st Battalion 24th Infantry Regiment (1-24), nicknamed "Deuce Four". The first Stryker brigades were deployed to Iraq in October 2003. The 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (SBCT) "Lightning" (a Stryker brigade), and served in Iraq from October 2004 to October 2005. Camp Marez was initially home to the 101st Airborne Division rear command post and various other units. It was initially known as Camp Performance, then Forward Operating Base/Fire Base Glory. In early 2004 it was renamed Camp Marez. On 21st December 2004, at 2:01 PM, an explosion tore through a crowded US military mess tent during lunch service, killing at least 22 people, and wounding 69. 14 of the dead were US soldiers, most of whom were from the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, a Stryker brigade from Fort Lewis, Washington.The explosion was caused when a suicide bomber disguised as an Iraqi National Guard trainee blew himself up inside the mess tent. Following the US-led invasion in March 2003, the Americans went on to occupy Iraq for eight years as part of a multi-national force, their troops finally departing in 2011.
