House to House

by David Bellavia

  Lastly, to Mary Ann and Larry Beggs, your faith in me and your patience helped make all of this happen. And to think, this all started with a copy of Red Baron. I love you both. Thank you for letting me be a part of your family. I hope I have made you proud.

  About the Authors

  Staff Sergeant David Bellavia spent six years in the U.S. Army and was present at some of the most intense fighting of the Iraq War. He has been awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star for his actions in Iraq, and was nominated for the Distinguished Service Cross and Medal of Honor for his actions in Fallujah. In 2005, he received the Conspicuous Service Cross (New York State’s highest award for military valor) and was inducted into the New York State Veteran’s Hall of Fame. He is the cofounder of Vets for Freedom, an advocacy organization of veterans concerned about the politicization of media coverage of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. His writing has been published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, National Review, The Weekly Standard, and other publications. He lives in western New York.

  John Bruning is a prolific military and aviation historian who is the author of six books, including the critically acclaimed The Devil’s Sandbox: With the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry at War in Iraq. He has also consulted for museums in both the United States and Europe, computer companies such as Sierra Online and Microsoft, and has helped produce more than a dozen historical documentaries.

  Photographic Insert

  Staff Sergeant Colin Fitts (right) and me during a routine patrol. (Photo from author’s collection)

  My Second Squad. From left to right, Raymond Cullins (covered by weeds), John Ruiz (face concealed), Sergeant Allan Pratt, Michael Gross, Doc Lucas Abernathy. Staff Sergeant Fitts and I are in the back pulling security. (Photo from author’s collection)

  Command Sergeant Major Steven Faulkenburg. (Photo from author’s collection)

  Third Platoon barber and Bradley gunner, Sergeant Chad Ellis, gives Staff Sergeant Cory “Grizzly” Brown a haircut. (Photo from author’s collection)

  Sergeant First Class James Cantrell in a less than jovial mood. (Photo from author’s collection)

  Corporal Piotr Sucholas (left) and Specialist John Ruiz relax before another mission, May 2004 at FOB Normandy, Muqdadiyah, Iraq. (Photo from author’s collection)

  First Lieutenant Joaquin Meno. (Photo courtesy of John Reynolds, LTC, USA)

  Captain Sean Sims (right) gives a thumb’s up after a skirmish in sector, with A Company First Sergeant Peter Smith, March 2004 at FOB Normandy, Muqdadiyah, Iraq. (Photo from author’s collection)

  Lieutenant Colonel Peter Newell addresses his Task Force 2-2 Infantry the morning of the assault on Fallujah.(Photo courtesy of John Reynolds, LTC, USA)

  Sergeant First Class John Ryan, Captain Jeff Jager, First Sergeant Peter Smith, Captain Sean Sims. (Photo courtesy of John Reynolds, LTC, USA)

  Sergeant Garth Sizemore (glasses, in front) leads a squad from First Platoon, A Company, into battle in the industrial district of Fallujah. Sizemore would lose his life to enemy fire in October, 2006, on his second tour in Iraq. (Photo courtesy of Stefan Zaklin EPA / Corbis)

  Specialists John Bandy (top right), Pedro Contreras (middle), and another soldier secure a massive structure in Fallujah. (Photo courtesy of Stefan Zaklin EPA / Corbis)

  Staff Sergeant Scott Lawson pulls security from a Fallujah rooftop with his Vietnam-era M14 rifle with scope. To his left is Sergeant Warren Misa. (Photo from author’s collection)

  Sawgunners from left to right: Jim Metcalf, Steven Mathieu, Matthew Woodberry, Brett Pulley, and Manimal Sergeant Hugh Hall. (Photo courtesy of John Reynolds, LTC, USA)

  Sergeant Warren Misa and Specialist Lance Ohle (right) over watch from an insurgent’s makeshift window barricade in Fallujah. (Photo from author’s collection)

  First Lieutenant Meno, Sergeant Jose Rodriguez, Specialist John Ruiz, Sergeant Chuck Knapp. (Photo courtesy of John Reynolds, LTC, USA)

  Highway 10 overlooking Fallujah’s bloody industrial district, November 11, 2004. (Photo from author’s collection)

  Floor plan of the house contested on November 11, 2004.