My Men are My Heroes

THE BRAD KASAL STORY

AS TOLD TO

NATHANIEL R. HELMS

NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND

Naval Institute Press

291 Wood Road

Annapolis, MD 21402

© 2007 by Brad Kasal and Nathaniel R. Helms

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

First Naval Institute Press paperback edition published in 2012.

ISBN: 978-1-6125-1137-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data for the hardcover edition is available from the
Library of Congress.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2006921329

This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).

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First printing

This book is dedicated to the memory of the members of 3d Battalion, 1st Marines who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the fight for Fallujah.

 

Headquarters and Service Company

SSgt Russell L. Slay

SSgt Trevor L. Spink

Sgt Krisna Nachampassak

Cpl Bradley T. Arms

Cpl Nicanor A. Alverez

Cpl Terry Holmes

LCpl Louis W Qualls

LCpl James E. Swain

PFC Christopher J. Reed

 

Weapons - George Company

Sgt Byron W. Norwood

Cpl Brian Oliveira

Cpl Steven Rintamaki

LCpl Joshua W. Dickinson

LCpl Abraham Simpson

 

Kilo Company

Sgt Christopher T. Heflin

Sgt Morgan W. Strader

LCpl Jeramy A. Ailes

LCpl Juan E. Segura

 

India Company

Cpl Dale A. Burger Jr.

LCpl Justin D. McLeese

LCpl Andres H. Perez

LCpl Joseph T. Welke

LCpl Phillip G. West

PFC Fernando B. Hannon

PFC Geoffrey Perez

 

Lima Company

Sgt Juan Calderon Jr.

Sgt William C. James

Cpl Theodore A. Bowling

LCpl Benjamin S. Bryan

LCpl Luis A. Figueroa

LCpl Michael W. Hanks

LCpl Nicholas D. Larson

LCpl Nathan R. Wood

From Sergeant Major Brad Kasal:

From writer Nat Helms:

Writing this book has been a remarkably rewarding endeavor. I would like to thank people who contributed so much to making sure this story could be told.

First I would like to thank Sgt Major Kasal for his patience, forbearance, and honesty. By nature he is a very humble man. It was necessary to remind him almost daily the book was about him; otherwise he might never have mentioned his own role in anything.

Kasal is a Marine's Marine and a warrior of unparalleled valor, honor, and honesty. His efforts were ably reinforced by Lt Col Willard “Willie” Buhl, Brigadier General John Toolan, and all the officers and men of the United States Marine Corps who directed me, patiently corrected me, and put up with all my questions for almost two years.

Also I wish to acknowledge the role of Lt Col Robert Brown, U.S. Army Ret, the publisher of
Soldier of Fortune
magazine. Without his advice and encouragement this project would not have gotten off the ground.

I'm grateful to our editors, Larry Erickson and Dan Weeks, who deserve much credit for the final product. During the production of this book Larry's son, Ryan, was fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan as a grunt in the 10th Mountain Division, no doubt making Larry's editorial task doubly difficult.

Finally I must mention my wife, Marsha, who listened to me rumble on far into the wee hours; my daughter, Cecily Daller, Esquire, who provided me legal advice and constant encouragement; and my son, Nate Helms, currently serving in the Coast Guard. It is men like Kasal and our sons and daughters in uniform who make it possible for the rest of us to pursue our dreams.

 

INTRODUCTION

FAILURE WAS NOT AN OPTION

CHAPTER 1

THE MAN AT THE POINT OF THE SPEAR

CHAPTER 2

FALLUJAH: ACT 1

CHAPTER 3

GROWING UP IN AFTON

CHAPTER 4

JOINING UP

CHAPTER 5

THE LONG HAUL

CHAPTER 6

THE BRIDGE FIGHTS

CHAPTER 7

BEFORE FALLUJAH

CHAPTER 8

MOVING UP

CHAPTER 9

SNIPERS, SNOOPERS, AND SELLERS

CHAPTER 10

THE OPENING GAMBIT

CHAPTER 11

THE TRAIN STATION

CHAPTER 12

BREAKING OUT

CHAPTER 13

CLOSING IN