Oif Operation Iraqi
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 OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM EAGLE FLAG MILITARY PATCH $12.34 Time Remaining: 27d 20h 10m Buy It Now for only: $12.34 |
 379TH AIR EXPEDITIONARY WING OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM OIF CHALLENGE COIN FORCE $9.99 Time Remaining: 7h 32m |
 OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM WAR VICTORY MAP EAGLE FLAG OIF EMBROIDERED PATCH $12.34 Time Remaining: 22d 19h 44m Buy It Now for only: $12.34 |
 OIF CW2 Helmet Operation Iraqi Freedom $60.00 Time Remaining: 5d 16h 5m Buy It Now for only: $60.00 |
 ARMY OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN BROWN PATCH $12.34 Time Remaining: 20d 16h 57m Buy It Now for only: $12.34 |
 OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDON OIF GOLD TONE LAPEL PIN $10.99 Time Remaining: 29d 1h 55m Buy It Now for only: $10.99 |
 US ARMY OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM UNIT SQUADRON PATCH $4.99 Time Remaining: 23d 1h 15m Buy It Now for only: $4.99 |
 OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN MILITARY CAR DECAL $12.34 Time Remaining: 20d 16h 6m Buy It Now for only: $12.34 |
 US NAVY VETERAN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM MILITARY BALL CAP OIF HAT $14.49 Time Remaining: 6d 8h 28m Buy It Now for only: $14.49 |
 USAF AIR FORCE OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM NEW PATCH $12.34 Time Remaining: 20d 14h 50m Buy It Now for only: $12.34 |
 OIF IRAQ CAMPAIGN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH $6.50 Time Remaining: 13d 3h 48m Buy It Now for only: $6.50 |
 1st CAVALRY DIVISION OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH OIF $6.50 Time Remaining: 19d 21h 52m Buy It Now for only: $6.50 |
 OIF 4th MARINE DIVISION OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH $6.50 Time Remaining: 19d 21h 52m Buy It Now for only: $6.50 |
 OIF 2nd MARINE DIVISION OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH $6.50 Time Remaining: 20d 7h 44m Buy It Now for only: $6.50 |
 OIF 1st MARINE DIVISION OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH $6.50 Time Remaining: 20d 7h 44m Buy It Now for only: $6.50 |
 OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM OIF II 2003 2004 MIUW 106 SHARK RARE CHALLENGE COIN $5.95 Time Remaining: 1d 6h 24m |
 OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM RIBBON CHALLENGE COIN $14.24 Time Remaining: 20d 15h 40m Buy It Now for only: $14.24 |
 ARMY OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM COLOR CHALLENGE COIN $14.24 Time Remaining: 20d 15h 11m Buy It Now for only: $14.24 |
 AIR FORCE OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM CHALLENGE COIN $14.24 Time Remaining: 3d 18h 40m Buy It Now for only: $14.24 |
 USN NAVY OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM CHALLENGE COIN $14.24 Time Remaining: 20d 15h 12m Buy It Now for only: $14.24 |
 OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM OIF HAT US MARINES NAVY AIR FORCE ARMY COAST GUARD IRAQ $20.87 Time Remaining: 24d 23h 17m Buy It Now for only: $20.87 |
 ARMY OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN PATCH $12.34 Time Remaining: 20d 17h 39m Buy It Now for only: $12.34 |
 GULF WAR OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM OIF IRAQ WAR IRAQI MILITARY ARMY BACKPACK $40.00 Time Remaining: 1d 3h 34m Buy It Now for only: $40.00 |
 ARMY 1ST CAV OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM CHALLENGE COIN $14.24 Time Remaining: 20d 21h 22m Buy It Now for only: $14.24 |
 MARINE CORPS OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN PATCH $12.34 Time Remaining: 25d 15h 58m Buy It Now for only: $12.34 |
 OPERATION NEW DAWN IRAQI FREEDOM OIF CHALLENGE COIN $13.29 Time Remaining: 21d 19h 48m Buy It Now for only: $13.29 |
 Patch Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF IRAQ USA Army USMC $6.25 Time Remaining: 15d 7h 40m Buy It Now for only: $6.25 |
 US NAVY OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH IRAQ USS OIF CARRIER MISSILE F 18 HORNET $9.98 Time Remaining: 11d 23h 1m Buy It Now for only: $9.98 |
 t shirt XL OIF kuwait freedom fighter operation iraqi shirt iraq military skull $12.50 Time Remaining: 2d 22h 15m Buy It Now for only: $12.50 |
 DRAGONS ANCHOR OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM OIF 3 PATCH G18 $3.99 Time Remaining: 5d 21h 30m Buy It Now for only: $3.99 |
 OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM OIF COFFEE MUG CUP $14.99 Time Remaining: 3d 20h 51m |
 OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM OIF MARINE CORPS EMBROIDERED MILITARY PATCH $13.29 Time Remaining: 8d 49m Buy It Now for only: $13.29 |
 USN NAVY OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN PATCH $12.34 Time Remaining: 20d 14h 50m Buy It Now for only: $12.34 |
 OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN WAR YELLOW DECAL $12.34 Time Remaining: 16d 1h 5m Buy It Now for only: $12.34 |
 Military US NAVY OIF CHALLENGE COIN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VET New $13.29 Time Remaining: 14d 20h 1m Buy It Now for only: $13.29 |
 OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM WAR BAGHDAD DESERT PATCH $12.34 Time Remaining: 20d 16h 6m Buy It Now for only: $12.34 |
 19th Support Center Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Iraq 2003 Challenge Coin $18.00 Time Remaining: 27d 3h 3m Buy It Now for only: $18.00 |
 AIR FORCE OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN PATCH $12.34 Time Remaining: 20d 16h 7m Buy It Now for only: $12.34 |
 256th Brigade Combat Team LA NG Operation Iraqi Freedom III OIF Challenge Coin $17.00 Time Remaining: 20d 3h 24m Buy It Now for only: $17.00 |
 OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM OIF ARMY EMBROIDERED MILITARY PATCH $13.29 Time Remaining: 8d 57m Buy It Now for only: $13.29 |
 62nd Engineer Battalion 4th ID OIF Operation Iraqi Freedom 05 07 Challenge Coin $17.00 Time Remaining: 5d 4h 48m Buy It Now for only: $17.00 |
 OIF Operation Iraqi Freedom Iraq Navy Biker Pin Gift $9.74 Time Remaining: 17d 7h 50m Buy It Now for only: $9.74 |
 Operation Iraqi Freedom Yellow Ribbon OIF Hat or Lapel Pin 14271 $5.49 Time Remaining: 3d 3h Buy It Now for only: $5.49 |
 USN NAVY OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM PATCH $12.34 Time Remaining: 20d 16h 57m Buy It Now for only: $12.34 |
 Operation Iraqi Freedom US Marine OIF Iraq Biker Pin $9.74 Time Remaining: 19d 3h 7m Buy It Now for only: $9.74 |
 Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Challenge Coin USAF 332 AEW Mortaritaville Balad $20.00 Time Remaining: 4d 19h 11m Buy It Now for only: $40.00 |
 OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM MILITARY WAR BAGHDAD PATCH $12.34 Time Remaining: 20d 14h 51m Buy It Now for only: $12.34 |
 1169th Engineer Group Operation Iraqi Freedom 2006 2008 OIF Challenge Coin $17.00 Time Remaining: 10d 22h 32m Buy It Now for only: $17.00 |
 US ARMY OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VET OIF CHALLENGE COIN $13.29 Time Remaining: 10d 22h 5m Buy It Now for only: $13.29 |
 OPERATION NEW DAWN IRAQI FREEDOM OIF CHALLENGE COIN $14.24 Time Remaining: 4d 18h 2m Buy It Now for only: $14.24 |
 HHC 54th Engineer Battalion Operation Iraqi Freedom 05 07 OIF Challenge Coin $17.00 Time Remaining: 10d 20h 36m Buy It Now for only: $17.00 |
 USAF Operation Iraqi Freedom Iraq War OIF Pin Air Force $2.49 Time Remaining: 5d 16h 44m Buy It Now for only: $2.49 |
 Patch Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF IRAQ USA ARMY USMC $6.25 Time Remaining: 5d 17h 50m Buy It Now for only: $6.25 |
 OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM OIF AIR FORCE EMBROIDERED MILITARY PATCH $13.29 Time Remaining: 8d 52m Buy It Now for only: $13.29 |
 OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM OIF COAST GUARD EMBROIDERED MILITARY PATCH $13.29 Time Remaining: 8d 54m Buy It Now for only: $13.29 |
 OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM OIF EMBROIDERED MILTARY USA FLAG PATCH $13.29 Time Remaining: 8d 1h 2m Buy It Now for only: $13.29 |
 541st Corps Support Battalion Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003 OIF Challenge Coin $16.00 Time Remaining: 24d 18h 46m Buy It Now for only: $16.00 |
 407th Quartermaster Detachment Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Challenge Coin $16.00 Time Remaining: 11d 5h 26m Buy It Now for only: $16.00 |
 726th Ordnance Maintenace Battalion Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Challenge Coin $16.00 Time Remaining: 11d 19h 48m Buy It Now for only: $16.00 |
 HHD 54th Signal Battalion Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Challenge Coin $16.00 Time Remaining: 18d 43m Buy It Now for only: $16.00 |
 9 OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN JACKET PATCH+OIF PATCHMARINESARMYAIR FORCE $9.99 Time Remaining: 5d 4h 7m |
 32nd Signal Battalion Operation Iraqi Freedom 2005 07 OIF Challenge Coin $17.00 Time Remaining: 17d 17h 31m Buy It Now for only: $17.00 |
 46th Engineer Battalion Operation Iraqi Freedom 2005 07 OIF Iraq Challenge Coin $17.00 Time Remaining: 11d 4h 22m Buy It Now for only: $17.00 |
 Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Iraq FOB WARHORSE coin $8.95 Time Remaining: 22d 4h 53m Buy It Now for only: $8.95 |
 NAVY OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN RIBBON PIN $14.24 Time Remaining: 18h 43m Buy It Now for only: $14.24 |
 AIR FORCE OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN PIN $14.24 Time Remaining: 1d 4h 27m Buy It Now for only: $14.24 |
 ARMY OIF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN RIBBON PIN $14.24 Time Remaining: 1d 4h 24m Buy It Now for only: $14.24 |
 OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM OIF NAVY EMBROIDERED MILITARY PATCH $13.29 Time Remaining: 8d 51m Buy It Now for only: $13.29 |
 Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF 06 08 130th EN BN IRAQ Baghdad Challenge Coin $28.99 Time Remaining: 13d 21h 2m Buy It Now for only: $28.99 |
 OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN OIF JACKET PATCH $33.24 Time Remaining: 3d 19h 52m Buy It Now for only: $33.24 |
 OIF Setting the People Free Challenge Coin Operation Iraqi Freedom $24.95 Time Remaining: 18d 10h 12m Buy It Now for only: $24.95 |
 AIR FORCE OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN OIF PIN $14.24 Time Remaining: 1d 4h 37m Buy It Now for only: $14.24 |
 mini t wall statue Operation Iraqi Freedom challenge coin Iraq Afghanistan OIF $35.99 Time Remaining: 15d 26m Buy It Now for only: $35.99 |
 mini t wall statue Operation Iraqi Freedom challenge coin Iraq Afghanistan OIF $32.99 Time Remaining: 15d 24m Buy It Now for only: $32.99 |
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CRKT Hammond Desert Cruiser
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DescriptionCRKT - Part Serrated Hammond Desert Cruiser Linerlock Knife with Desert Tan Zytel Handles. Model: CR7914DI. 5 1/4" closed linerlock. Partially serrated 8Cr14MoV stainless modified clip point blade with satin finish and ambidextrous thumb studs... |
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KA-BAR Operation Iraqi Freedom, USMC
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DescriptionATTRIBUTES Blade Detail: Plain Edge Blade Length (inches): 7.00 Blade Material: 1095 High Carbon Black Carry System: Leather Sheath USMC Handle Material: Stacked Leather Overall Length (inches): 11... |
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KA-BAR Operation Iraqi Freedom, Army
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DescriptionHonors active-duty military personnel who defend our freedom & fight for freedom for the oppressed. Includes brown leather sheath embellished with the appropriate military insignia. |
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WAR STORIES IRAQ: FIVE YEARS IN THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
Sale Price: $19.95 |
DescriptionOn March 20, 2003, nearly 170,000 American and coalition soldiers, sailors, airmen, Guardsmen and Marines were poised for battle along the borders of Iraq. Hours later when they launched into the attack, they were outnumbered nearly three to one by Saddam Hussein's military... |
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F/A 18 Operation Iraqi Freedom (Jewel Case)
Sale Price: $47.79 |
DescriptionF/A 18 Operation Iraqi Freedom (Jewel Case) by Atari and Graphsim Entertainment. Includes extensive electronic documentation PDF files. Multi-player, combat with your internet connection. Allows you to create and fly your own "what if?" scenario with the included Mission Creation Tool. |
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F/A 18: Operation Iraqi Freedom
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DescriptionF/A-18: Operation Iraqi Freedom puts you in the cockpit of an F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter as you fight in Operation Iraqi Freedom! |
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F/A-18 Operation Iraqi Freedom
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DescriptionFly the Navy/Marine workhorse fighting machine-the F/A-18 Hornet. Load up with precision guided munitions. Fly above a thousand square miles of realistic satellite image-based terrain. View the same environment that Coalition fighter pilots navigated during Operation Iraqi Freedom... |
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25th Infantry Division Iraq Combat Veteran Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Decal Sticker 5.5"
Sale Price: $6.49 |
DescriptionThis 25th Infantry Division Iraq Combat Veteran Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Decal Sticker is MADE IN THE USA at our facilities in Scottsboro, Alabama. It is also available in additional sizes. It would make a great addition to your collection or a wonderful gift. |
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Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran License Plate Frame
Sale Price: $15.99 |
Description* 6 by 12 inches in size * Fits all standard DMV license Plates * Great Item for your car or truck * Heavy Duty Chome Plated Metal Frame |
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1st Cavalry Division Iraq Combat Veteran Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Decal Sticker 5.5"
Sale Price: $6.49 |
DescriptionThis 1st Cavalry Division Iraq Combat Veteran Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Decal Sticker is MADE IN THE USA at our facilities in Scottsboro, Alabama. It is also available in additional sizes. It would make a great addition to your collection or a wonderful gift. |
Learning the Lessons of War
An IED blast rips apart a Humvee, and those inside it, near Baghdad. A tribal elder approaches a military officer in the war-torn city of Ramadi. A Marine places the stock of his M-16A4 against his shoulder and fires at a target on a shooting range in the Al Anbar Province, teaching the Iraqi soldier standing next to him by example.
Cause and effect. Problem evolves into solution. But in the case of Operation Iraqi Freedom how are the lessons of war extracted from the bullets and bombs of the battlefield? You would need experts who view the combat zone as a classroom.
Enter the Marine Corps Center for Lessons Learned.
“My job is to make sure that gets recorded for posterity at Headquarters Marine Corps [in Quantico, Virginia],” explains one of those experts, Col. Michael Crites, from his office aboard Al Asad Air Base in Iraq’s Al Anbar Province. He describes his job as “a mixture of consultant and reporter.”
Crites is the Marine Corps Center for Lessons Learned (MCCLL) Liaison to Multi-National Force – West (MNF-W), the force that covers western Iraq which includes all of Al Anbar Province and the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah, to name two. That’s a massive area. Iraq is about the size of California and Anbar is the size of North Carolina. “The command (MNF-W) is the source,” Crites says. “They’re going to guide me into what lessons they want recorded, what lessons they’ve learned, according to their operations.”
As if writing an encyclopedia of war, the Marine Corps records and learns from every operation. “In our history, we’ve built host nation armies, like in Central America in the 20’s. We’ve participated in the occupation of Japan, a security kind of mission,” Crites says. Those lessons include, “Key leader engagements. Building that host military capability. Civil action projects borrowing from what we learned in Vietnam with the civil action platoon and successfully being able to retrograde and leave [Iraq] in the hands of its own security forces reasonably peaceful.”
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) has resulted in reams of recommendations and life-saving changes. Crites highlights a specific example from Iraq that’s also made its way to Afghanistan. “Improvised Explosive Devices became the weapon of choice of the enemy. We’ve gone through, learned all kinds of lessons and, in fact, transformed our vehicle force since we began in Iraq. The MRAP, [Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle] is created to withstand an explosive device. So that’s something that is continuing to evolve and be used in Afghanistan.”
By accessing MCCLL’s secure web site, Marines make a record of combat-related events by filling out an After Action Report. The information is collected and analyzed. The lessons learned from that particular battle or event are extracted and published once a week. “This is the first war where we had a fully functioning system of knowledge management, where information can be gathered, accumulated, studied, and analyzed,” Crites says, emphasizing how the lessons are also passed on to the next fighting force. “A Marine that comes to war studies Lessons Learned, studies what his predecessor did before him, and that’s how he gets ready for deployment.”
The battlefield is a fluid classroom. Imagine a teacher who keeps changing the lesson plan. The enemy is also constantly changing. “Just as we improve our tactics, force protection measures, the enemy tries to think of a way to defeat us,” Crites says. “So it’s a constant learning process.”
His replacement will collect information on the drawdown of forces and equipment in Iraq, lessons certain to be applied one day to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan.
“Marines are famous, I think, in strength and physical courage and intellectual ability,” Crites says. “But now I think we’re showing more intellectual prowess overall because of the effort of Marine Corps Center for Lessons Learned.”
About the Author
Randy Garsee is working throughout 2009 and into early 2010 as a civilian journalist for the U.S. Marine Corps aboard Al Asad Air Base in Iraq's Al Anbar Province. Randy is blogging about his experience at http://randygarsee.blogspot.com
1st Infantry Division OIF Memorial VIdeo