Marines: Fallujah Battle a Source of Pride

[Zep]

From Guardian Unlimited
http://talk.workunlimited.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4646438,00.html

FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) - Maj. Rich Bourgeois says the image of a young Navy medical corpsman rushing to aide a mortally wounded Marine in Fallujah's notorious Jolan district will be forever imprinted in his mind.

``In the middle of a firefight, there was this wounded Marine, his left leg blown off and just the femur sticking out,'' recounts Bourgeois, 41, of Malden, Mass. ``And the young corpsman ran to his side, oblivious to the battle, applying the tourniquet.''

More than 50 Marines have died since the Fallujah attack began Nov. 8, and skirmishes still take place in the city. Yet for some Marines, their performance in one of the major battles of the Iraq conflict is a source of pride.

``Fallujah is going to be right up there among the most successful battles in Iraq,'' said Maj. Tom Davis, 45, of St. Cloud, Minn. ``It's where the rubber meets the road. That is where our heroes did their best.'

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