[Media-watch] The Watchdogs of Fallujah (Combat Technology) - Slate/msn - 10/11/2004

Julie-ann Davies jadavies2004 at yahoo.co.uk
Thu Nov 11 08:47:18 GMT 2004


http://slate.msn.com/id/2109447/entry/0/ 

The Watchdogs of Fallujah
   
From: Bing West
Subject: If a "Muj" Blinks, the Marines of VMU-1 See It
Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2004, at 11:34 AM PT 
 
Oh, Pioneer
 
In a small ops center inside a tent, a dozen Marines peered at two
26-inch flat-panel displays. On the screens, the black edges of the
hospital roof stood out in sharp contrast to the white thistle clumps of
palm trees in the courtyard below. A line of white ghosts snaked around
the trees and flowed onto the roof. 

"Those guys are wearing packs. They're friendlies," Lt. Col. John
Neumann, the mission commander, said. "It's the 36th Iraqi commandos."

"Concur," said Lt. J.P. Parchman, the watch officer. "The movement's too
disciplined to be muj."

A few miles away in Fallujah, Operation Phantom Fury had commenced at
dark on Nov. 8. Inside the tent, the Marines of unit VMU-1, which flies
the Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle or UAV, were looking at video taken
from the UAV by a Forward-Looking Infra-Red (or FLIR) camera. The
pictures were bright as day. 

"The raiding party wants us to scan across the river," Cpl. Robert
Daniels said, reading a chat-room message that had popped up on his
computer monitor. "Someone's firing."

"Take us east," Neumann said over his shoulder. "Shift from white-hot to
black-hot."

Behind him, the pilot of the UAV adjusted the flight path as his partner
tightened the zoom on the plane's camera. The images on the screen
jumped slightly and focused on two black spots hopping from place to
place behind an earthen berm. 

"I confirm weapons," said Sg. Jenifer Forman, an imagery analyst. "Watch
their right arms when they run. They're shooting across the river."

When the black spots bobbed together, the screen suddenly bloomed white,
then settled back into focus, showing a thick gray cloud and a
scattering of small black spots, like someone in the cloud had thrown
out a handful of rocks. 

"Tank gun got them," Neumann said. "Picked them up on their thermals.
They're scratched. Scan up the street."

The camera tracked up a wide, empty boulevard bordered by ramshackle
warehouses, tin-roof repair shops, and dingy apartment buildings. Four
dark spots-presumably insurgents-were splayed against one corner of a
large concrete building, with three similar spots on the other corner

"One's lying down," Neumann said. "They're manning a crew-served weapon
pointed at the bridge. Tell Fusion we have targets for Basher."

Neumann's VMU unit flew the UAVs and analyzed the video for targets but
rarely communicated directly with the shooters. Matching targets to
shooters was the specialty of the Fusion Center located on the other
side of Fallujah. There a staff pulled together information from Marines
on the front lines, UAVs, electronic intercepts, agent reports, and
other sources. The Fusion Center compiled target lists, tracked battle
damage, prioritized targets, and assigned shooters. 

Cpl. Daniels typed in and sent the center a grid location accurate
within a few meters. The center sent a one-line response: Basher on the
way. Marines doing various chores around the op center stopped what they
were doing and clustered behind the screens. A minute went by. The four
dark spots moved slightly but stayed in the shadow of the building next
to the street. On the screen a ball of black hit the edge of the
building, sending black chunks flying out. Another black ball and
another and another, enveloping the dark spots crouched along the side
of the building. 

"Basher," an Air Force AC-130 aircraft, had illuminated the ambushers
with its huge infrared spotlight and was pounding them with 105 mm
artillery shells, each round packing 50 pounds of high explosives. Gray
smoke rose from the scene. 

"Watch for squirters," Neumann said. "There's one now, heading north.
Stay with him."

A black spot broke out of the smoke. Against the background of the
macadam on the street, the man's silhouette stood out plainly. He was
running with the speed of a sprinter. 

"Ten to one he's headed for the mosque up the street,'" Neumann said. 

"Same as always," Lt. Parchman said as he watched the runner climb over
a wall. "He's made it. Can't hit him there."

The camera tracked back to the damaged building. Basher had moved on to
another target. The Pioneer UAV circled the building to assess battle
damage. A large door in the back of the building slid open and two men
ran around the side and quickly returned, dragging something behind
them. The Marines watched as this was repeated a few times. 

"Are they carrying a heavy weapon or a body part?" a Marine asked. 

"Don't know. We can confirm four down, though," Lt. Parchman said. "Mark
this as a safe house. We'll come back later for a relook."

The Pioneer flew on for a look along the river's edge. The "Watchdogs,"
as the Marine UAV crew called themselves, were the scouts out in front
of the troops assaulting Fallujah. It was impossible for the insurgents
to move out of doors without being seen and tracked.

"Those muj are out there to kill our soldiers or Marines," Lt. Col.
Neumann said. "We're in here to find them so our shooters kill them
first."





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