  The
study of history can be insightful
and instructive – learning how to
avoid the path of past mistakes. The
experiences of Vietnam and the small
wars in Latin America are rich with
lessons, and none more important
than this: there can be no military
victory in Iraq without a victory of
the hearts and minds of the Iraqi
people. Then-Capt. Diorio, a student
of history, arrived in Iraq armed
with these past lessons, realizing
that he had to lead his Marines on
the battlefield, but had to also win
over the Iraqi citizens.
Diorio, commander of India Company
at Camp Gannon – a Marine base near
the city of Husaybah, Iraq – saw
firsthand how difficult each of
these tasks would be. His intuition
and leadership in the heat of battle
helped ward off repeated insurgent
attacks – including an especially
ferocious attack on April 11, 2005.
On that day, the base was shaken by
a powerful blast. Insurgents
distracted Marine guards with
well-aimed mortars and RPGs as
successive waves of suicide bomb
attacks inflicted damage across the
base. Camp Gannon was under a
full-scale attack. Diorio knew he
had to react quickly in order to
save his men and the base from
insurgents trying to overrun the
base.
Diorio sent additional Marines to
reinforce the areas hit by the IEDs.
As the Marines took up their new
positions, they saw two
explosive-laden vehicles heading
toward the center of the base.
Laying down heavy suppressive fire,
the vehicles blew up before they
could exact serious damage.
As insurgents continued to pour on
their assault, using gunfire and
more explosives, Diorio called in
air support. Soon, F-18 fighter jets
and Cobra helicopters came looming
out of the sky, inflicting heavy
damage on the enemy forces.
Eventually, the enemy forces melted
back into the city, and Diorio and
his Marines were able to secure the
base. At the end of the fight, 19
insurgents were dead and another 15
were injured; not one Marine was
killed in the attack.
After the April battle, Diorio began
studying the city and its
inhabitants, and recognized that a
rift was emerging between the locals
and the insurgents. Seeing an
opportunity to erode the enemies'
base of support, he began meeting
with community leaders, working with
them to stabilize, secure, and their
city. The Marines at Camp Gannon
mobilized and focused its resources
on addressing the concerns of the
community leaders, rebuilding vital
infrastructure such as water systems
and schools, and delivering
much-needed food items.
The bond of trust between Diorio and
the village leaders proved to be
instrumental in helping the Marines
fight further insurgent attacks and
ensure security for the area. The
locals informed India Company of
imminent attacks, and when
insurgents returned to the village
to punish them for their loyalty to
the Americans, the Marines thwarted
their efforts.
For his efforts and leadership,
Diorio was awarded the Bronze Star
for Valor on Jan. 31, 2006. |
