25th November 2004 U.S. Army soldiers on their Stryker ICV at FOB Marez, Mosul, northern Iraq.
Image details
Contributor:
Johnny Saunderson / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
H4P803File size:
18.7 MB (939.3 KB Compressed download)Releases:
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2215 x 2953 px | 18.8 x 25 cm | 7.4 x 9.8 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
25 November 2004Location:
FOB Marez, Mosul, northern Iraq.More information:
These are US soldiers of the 1st Battalion 24th Infantry Regiment (1-24), nicknamed "Deuce Four" (left) and the 10th Mountain Division (right) squat on the front of an M1126 "Stryker" Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) at FOB (Forward Operating Base) Marez in Mosul, in northern Iraq. It is Thanksgiving Day and they are about to deliver food to a remote outpost in the city. Staff sergeant Huntsinger (on the left) carries a couple of M84 stun grenades on his equipment belt. They are fitted with slat armour, designed as protection against RPGs. Camp Marez was near Mosul Airport, 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. This was during the aftermath of the Battle of Mosul (8 - 16 November 2004) when insurgents took control of most of the city. 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. 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.