Brothers, Warriors, Friends

Fifteen men started a journey that would take them to the edge of hell and back. In the end three were to have physical scars and broken bodies. They left brothers in arms and came back brothers in blood. This is the story of the Forgotten Fifteen.

Like any reserve unit the Marines of PTT (Police Transition Team) Hit were a diverse group. Construction workers, cops, students and even a bona fide national hero. They came from varied upbringings, the son of a salty Korean War Marine, another son of a Vietnam Marine. This PTT team was special though in another way. They were all handpicked from a battalion of their peers. The best the battalion had to offer. Among the Marines were four infantrymen, two forward observers, one engineer, one supply chief, a bulk fueler, an admin. chief, a radio operator, a mechanic, an embarker, Navy corpsman, and a highly experienced Master Sergeant. This diverse group of men was charged with raising an Iraqi police force from nothing all the while combating IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices), insurgents and a hostile populace. A daunting and dangerous task.

The deployment started rather slowly. The Marines settled into their roles and the long dusty days began. Heat, sweat, training and more heat. The monotony was broken when the Marines of PTT Hit were told they’d move from Camp Fallujah to Camp Hit- an outpost in a wild part of western Iraq. Life in Camp Hit was a rough life. Mortars dropped almost every day. Rockets flew over head at night. This was going to be no easy experience.

After the move to Camp Hit the Marines of PTT Hit made friends with a detachment of Green Berets, one of the most professional and decorated fighting forces in the world today. This friendship was to pay dividends throughout the deployment.

PTT Hit was shocked back to the realities of war on May 19, 2006 when they encountered their first IED. As the team was screaming into Baghdadi on a raid the gun truck number three was hammered with an explosion. No damage was inflicted and the Marines pressed on to finish their objective but the reality of war had hit. These men were engaged and in harm’s way.

This pattern continued for days. Mortars, rockets, and patrols. Day after day night after night. This pattern couldn’t break spirits though. The Marines celebrated every birthday and family event. Every heartbreak and disappointment was shared. The Marines were becoming brother’s everyday through the shared hardship of combat. This brotherhood was tested on a sunny hot day in July of 2006.

As the Marines of PTT Hit convoyed to police recruitment, the quite morning was shattered by a bone rattling explosion. Truck one was destroyed and close to bursting into flames. An anti tank mine had sheered the rear of the vehicle off. The Marines sense of invincibility had been shattered. As the Marines pulled up to the scene of the explosion Sgt. Victor Quinones was already at work saving Marines lives. He pulled Sgt. Cullen Dodd out of a murky puddle of sewage water, his face bleeding profusely from lacerations. Next he moved to Sgt. Dan Harrington who was stuck screaming in the back of the disabled HMVW. The rest of the team sprang to action. The vehicle was stripped of essential gear, men were medivac’d, and security was set. The price of our war was paid in blood. Sgt. Dan Harrington and Sgt. Cullen Dodd were flown back stateside and Sgt. Victor Quinones had unknowingly suffered a broken back in the explosion. The engagements and the IED’s continued for months but the brotherhood held these men together. Now when they look back, these men see that they embodied the values that the Corps preaches. These men stood together as warriors and came back brothers.

The Forgotten Fifteen Motorcycle Club 2009