The commander of Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment in Fallujah, Iraq, as part of November 2004's Operation Phantom Fury (Al Fajr), Captain Edward Twaddell III and the rest of Task Force 2-7 were attached to Marine Regimental Combat Team 1 for this decisive urban fight. In this interview focusing on the role his two platoons of Bradleys and one platoon of tanks played in the overall operation, Twaddell discusses pre-mission planning, the initial breach into the city, the seizing of company objectives and the unit's engagement and destruction of enemy forces. In this detailed, day-by-day account, he also talks at length about his company's working (and fighting) relationship with Marine Corps units and how the taking of casualties affected him and his soldiers. In fact, Twaddell tells how, in the so-called Martyrs District of Fallujah, his own command Bradley was punctured by a rocket-propelled grenade, leading to the death of his Iraqi interpreter and the wounding of three others. How he and his gunner escaped totally unscathed, Twaddell said, “I have no clue.” Believing his company – and Task Force 2-7 in general – could have been better employed during the operation, it pained Twaddell to hear reports of “great Marines getting hurt” because they “didn’t have the protection afforded by armored vehicles…. They’re a light force,” he added, “so we were very frustrated. It appeared that the whole force was not using the assets available to accomplish the mission.”

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