For Operation Phantom Fury (Al Fajr), the November 2004 combined-joint assault to retake the Iraqi city of Fallujah, Captain Coley D. Tyler served as the fire support officer for 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment which, during this decisive urban fight, was attached to Marine Regimental Combat Team 1. In this interview, Tyler talks at length about his unit's working (and fighting) relationship with the Marines, his own perceptions and, indeed, his original misconceptions of them. "Honestly," he admitted, "before I actually worked with Marines, I think I probably had the regular, stereotypical idea of what Marines were: not necessarily the brightest, that the Army was always better and smarter. However, I found the Marines were extremely intelligent, have a lot of common sense, and I actually enjoyed the way they ran their operation, almost more so than the Army…. I really enjoyed working with them. I found them to be very, very good soldiers." In addition, Tyler discusses the operation itself in great detail, from the initial recon by force and his role observing and calling for fires, to the rules of engagement and his work with unmanned aerial vehicles. During the battle, he said, “I called more missions, talked more pilots onto targets than I would have ever dreamed – and it was the technology we have that made that all possible.”

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