35044 U.S. MARINE (FALLUJAH, IRAQ 2004)

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is an independent branch of the US armed forces. The unit was established in November 1775, and the first branch of this unit was formed a year later. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, US Marines served primarily in the region of South and Central America, guarding American interests in this part of the world. It was also then that the principle was established that it was the USMC that was deployed to the area of operations as the first among other units of the US armed forces. Corps soldiers fought in World War I, but they gained special fame in the course of bloody and heavy fights in the Pacific in 1941-1945, taking part in such battles as Guadalcanal (1942-1943), Tarawa (1943), Iwo-Jima and Okinawa (both from 1945). Often in the face of the enemy, the soldiers of this formation showed a lot of courage, an example of which can be, for example, John Basilone was awarded the Medal of Honor for his accomplishment during the battles on the Gudalcanal. After 1945, the soldiers of the Corps fought, for example, in the Korean War (1950-1953) or especially in the Vietnam War (1964 / 1965-1975), suffering heavy losses in the latter war. After the end of the Cold War, USMC soldiers took part in, for example, both Gulf Wars (1990-1991 and 2003). Currently, there are 182,000 soldiers in the Corps, and about 38,500 in the reserve. The motto of the Corps is the Latin motto Semper Fidelis (Polish always faithful).Second Persian Gulf War 2003 invasion of Iraq ) was formally launched on March 19, 2003, and formally ended with a speech by US President George W. Bush Jr. on May 1, 2003. It is worth remembering, however, that American troops and the countries supporting them officially remained in Iraq until 2011. The main cause of the conflict was the US's desire to destroy the weapons of mass destruction allegedly owned by Iraq, and the country's alleged sponsorship of international terrorism - a slogan that was particularly popular and important for the US citizen after the tragic attack of September 11, 2001. On one side of the barricade, in the course of this war, stood the troops of the anti-Iraqi coalition composed of the forces of several countries (including Poland), but mainly of the United States, which in the period March-April 2003 totaled approx. 200,000. Over time, the numbers of these forces changed. Their opponent was the Iraqi forces estimated at 350,000-380,000 soldiers. Paradoxically, then, the Iraqi forces had an advantage in numbers, but they were clearly inferior to the coalition forces on other levels of the art of war. Contrary to the First Gulf War, the command of the coalition forces decided to conduct simultaneous very intensive operations on land and in the air, focusing primarily on the technological advancement of its own forces, surprise and speed of action. The main goal of the operation was to seize Baghdad as a result of a violent raid of coalition troops deep into Iraq. It is worth adding that in the course of this highly movement phase of the war, the coalition's troops bypassed larger cities, making an exception for the important cities of Basra. Within 21 days of the start of the attack, the coalition's troops had reached Baghdad, and on April 9, 2003, the capital of Iraq was formally in the hands of the coalition forces. Considering the war from a purely military point of view, it ended with a complete success of the coalition forces, achieved very quickly and with minimal losses. From a political point of view, however, it turned out to be a debatable victory, and what's more, it engaged American troops in long-term stabilization activities in Iraq, the cost of which - both human and economic - probably exceeded the costs of the March-April 2003 operation.