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Contents 1 I dont have much of the details but 2 As for Blackwater... 3 Also... 4 =

[edit] I dont have much of the details but

one thing for sure, the BLACKWATER USA was in the center of this battle, defending the coalition authoritys building in the najaf and preventing it being over run by the mahdi army, they were infact for couple of days with salvadorean and few other soldiers (prolly less than 10 actual soldiers) the only coalition assets in the town and there is no mention of them?

There is plenty of discussions, articles, and rather good video coverage about this in the internet, the videos comming straight from the BLACKWATER USA gunmen. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 62.248.159.240 (talk) 01:03, 1 May 2007 (UTC).

http://www.militaryvideos.net/videos.php?videonum=29 http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=64871

There is actual video of the occasion and also discussion about it including the person who shot it. For reference to somebody who actually knows more about this battle and wants to correct the errors of the article

[edit] As for Blackwater...

Yes, they were there. No, they were never the only coalition assets in the town at any time during the battle. As for your numbers on the El Salvadorians, there was an entire battalion of them there. They may have defended areas with Blackwater but neither one of them were actually invovled with the assault on the Mahdi Militia. I remember, I was there. Ricmatt 17:02, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Also...

Where are these numbers coming from on the Militia strength and casualties? No source whatsoever for them. I can tell you first hand they are inaccurate. Ricmatt 17:07, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

Ricmat, Since you seem to know what your talking about is there any website, thatyou know of where I can verify the troop strength. I have checked several and I cannot find any that say specific numbers other than mentioning the 11th MEU or other units that participated. I know about how many are in the 11th MEU but I doubt that they all participated at the battle at the same time.--Kumioko 00:35, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] =

There were roughly 390 El Salvadorians, 94 Americans, and about 300 Spaniards. The battle that this page talks about is not the first battle of Najaf. That battle occured on 4 April 2004. The Americans were mostly from the Army National Guard's 711th Signal BN. We liked to think of oursleves as the step children of the step children because we came from other units in the states to join the BN. A/279th from Arab Alabama was split between Diwaniyah and Najaf, with their HQ section in Najaf. In country they were known as B Co of the 711th. My platoon was attached to B Co. We were from the 653rd Signal Company from Florida. There was also a Maint platoon of Americans attached onto the El Salvadorians to help them with their US Gov loaned vehicles. The El Slavadorians did a hell of a job. And yes there were Blackwater on the compounds (Golf and Baker). There are accoutns of this battle in Fiasco by Thomas Ricks, Blackwater by Jeremy Scahill, and Hired Guns by Robert Pelton. Each of these books try to tell the story but they each make erronious claims and try to support them with articles written by people that were not on the ground that day or at any other time. All state that the EL Salvadorians were caught outside the gate on 4 April 2004 and that one had a grenade placed in his mouth and the pin pulled by the Mahdi. THe truth is that the El Salvadorian that lost his life that day was hit by a sniper. He was my buddies (LT Jaime Martinez)radioman . The EL Sals did get caught out in the thick of it but it was the El Sals that delivered a stunning blow - they ran out of ammo and one of the El Sals pulled out a knife and killed a Mahdi hand to hand. Dennis Gray of the AP interviewed the El Sal and several stories were run on this but for some reason the fictious story of the grenade in the mouth has found it's way into the history books if you want to call them that. At the very least it is what most Americans will accept as fact when in fact it's fiction. As for Blcakwater they did not conduct Offensive operations they were in a defensive posture. They did a hell of a job and they were great to have around. Everyone on the ground that day and for the next 22 clearly understood that we were all in it together. When I watched the remark of The Alamo I could easily associate with what they went through.

fighting4th 68.14.185.141 03:43, 16 November 2007 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.14.185.141 (talk) 03:38, 16 November 2007 (UTC)