War on Terror: Heroes

American servicemen are fighting for our freedom every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some have gone beyond the call of duty. IBD highlights their courage in this recurring series.

It was the Palm Sunday Ambush, a 30-minute firefight on a four-lane highway south of Baghdad.

Terrorists in small groups had been launching hit-and-run attacks in the area.

But on that Palm Sunday, March 20, 2005, about 50 of the enemy armed with automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and other explosives were ready for battle. Their target was a convoy of 30 civilian tractor trailers with a small military escort at a spot 26 miles southeast of Baghdad.

The ambush might have been devastating were it not for the timely arrival of 10 soldiers from the 617th Military Police Company of Kentucky's National Guard.

They were conducting a routine patrol in three Humvees when they approached the convoy, escorted by nine soldiers in three other Humvees from the 623rd Field Artillery Regiment, also from Kentucky.

Staff Sgt. Timothy Nein, leader of the 617th MP squad, radioed the southbound convoy to say his outfit would shadow it through the area.

Nein and his team were familiar with the area. They had been leading patrols up and down a 25-mile section of the highway for months, looking for ambush sites and roadside bombs.

After each trip, Nein would review with his troops what they did right, what went wrong and how they could do better. They had been attacked on the highway several times and repelled each one.

"Improper preparation leads to disaster," Nein told IBD. "You can't make something out of gold without starting with gold. You have to be meticulous in your planning and thorough in the process."

Be Prepared

Nein insisted his team study the routes, maps and terrain for every mission. The squad did thorough maintenance checks after each one.

His soldiers made sure to store arms, ammunition and equipment in the same place and same way for each of their Humvees. "He wanted everything dress right dress," said Sgt. Jason Mike, a medic in Nein's squad who was involved in the Palm Sunday Ambush. "From the water setup to the ammo to the smoke grenades and grease bins, everything had to be exactly the same, so that if you ended up in another vehicle you knew where everything was."

They knew where potential ambush sites resided and discussed what they would do if attacked — whether to counterattack, retreat, stay in the vehicle or get out.

All that training paid off big time that Sunday.

By coincidence, another equally large convoy was heading north, with 24 soldiers, and met with the southbound convoy at the point where terrorists readied to attack.

Two black-clad terrorists rose up and fired a rocket-propelled grenade. A rattle of bullets pinged off the lead vehicles and two loud explosions rattled the ground. An improvised explosive device ripped through a bus. The battle was just getting started.

Nein's squad, known as Raven 42, was 250 meters from its convoy when the fight ensued. As Raven's soldiers raced to the head of the convoy, terrorists converged on their location and rained down bullets and grenades.

According to a report by the Combat Studies Institute Press of Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Raven 42 had anticipated an attack in this area. The outfit assumed no more than 15 terrorists would participate in such an ambush, as was typical over the previous months.

"We'd been hit on that road numerous times before," said Mike. "We knew where they came from; we knew their tactics and how to beat them."

When Nein surveyed the battlefield that day, he realized the attack was much larger and more sophisticated than expected. He radioed for close air support, but it wouldn't arrive until the battle's end.

By now gunners in two of his vehicles were splaying the terrorists with their 50-caliber machine guns and other weapons.

Two in his squad were hit with rifle fire, one in the left arm and the other with a round that lodged between his heart and lungs. Mike tended to the wounds as bullets bounced off the pavement all around him. He then realized the terrorists were on both sides of the road. Raven was surrounded.

"Everything was going bad, but I said it was time to soldier up and do what I was trained to do," said Mike.

He popped off shots from his 9mm pistol to keep the attackers back as he tended to the wounded. He used an anti-tank weapon to blow up a nearby building used by some attackers for cover.

At Nein's location, he had one vehicle and four soldiers. Fearing they might be overrun, he thought about destroying a tracking device in his Humvee that would benefit the enemy. Then he thought otherwise.

"Saving lives was more important than destroying the equipment," said Nein. "And I knew if I didn't do something to change the tide that we could all be killed. We needed to go on the super offensive. We needed to charge these guys."

He rallied two nearby soldiers, Sgts. Leigh Ann Hester and Dustin Morris. All three reached a trench, shuttling forward in 10-meter rushes. Hester launched two grenades and provided cover fire for Nein as he tossed more grenades.

As Nein, Hester and Morris plowed ahead, the battle turned decisively in their favor. They were joined by several other gunners.

According to the Combat Studies Institute report, "The accumulation of fire, along with the actions of Nein and Hester, devastated what was left of the (enemy)."

In one final attack, a terrorist popped up and shot a full magazine at Nein. He couldn't believe he wasn't hit. He and Hester took out the last terrorist, and the firefight was over, just before reinforcements and air support arrived.

A battlefield survey showed 24 terrorists were killed, nine wounded and one captured. Multiple automatic weapons, grenades and rockets littered the area. Seven U.S. soldiers were wounded, but all survived.

The northbound convoy was damaged some, but the southbound convoy that Nein's squad protected took the brunt of the assault. Multiple trucks were damaged beyond repair and three civilian drivers died.

Fifteen months later, Nein, Hester and Mike were awarded the Silver Star for valor in battle. Thirteen more soldiers received medals of varying degrees. In February, Nein's Silver Star was upgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor.

Nein, who has been on two tours of Iraq and one in Bosnia, is married with two sons, ages 11 and 6.

Born in Louisville, Ky., he comes from a family rich in military background. His father was a Navy man from 1967-73. His grandfather flew bombers over Germany. His great-grandfather served in World War I.

"I've had family from every generation in every war since the Revolutionary War," said Nein, 38. "If they hadn't stepped up and did what they did, I wouldn't be here today. Now it's my turn."

Fighting the war in Iraq, said Nein, "gives me greater appreciation for life and what we have here in the U.S. People just take that for granted." He plans to make the military his career.

Looking Up

Mike, 24, is training to be a flight medic and aspires to be a Black Hawk helicopter pilot. He was born into an Army family in Fort Benning, Ga., and joined the National Guard in April 2002, spurred by 9/11, "to give something back."

Hester, 25, has retired from the Guard and works as a civilian police officer in Tennessee. She was written about extensively upon receiving her medal, due in part to her being the first woman to receive the Silver Star since WWII. She's declined further interviews, according to a military spokeswoman.

In an interview with Stars & Stripes the day her medal was presented, Hester said, "This shows that women can do anything the males can. But this award doesn't have anything to do with being female. It's for doing my job."

BY BRIAN DEAGON