We were pinned under a highway overpass by repressive fire coming from a building that was approximately 150 meters away at a hard 45 degree angle to our east side. It wasn't the best of positions to be in so far as laying an effective field of fire is concerned. We couldn't get a clear shot at hajji unless we moved out of our defensive position from under the overpass and he couldn't get a clear shot at us so long as we stayed put. Out of frustration hajji started slamming RPG's into the overpass which was a stupid waste of ammo. We thought that was funny. Dumb little hajji wasting his RPG's on reenforced concrete and steel. That was three stooges s**t to us. Despite hajji's comic relief there was the very real threat of him dropping heavy mortar rounds onto the overpass. If he did we'd be in a world of s**t so we needed a plan. We did have a clear shot at a window in the building from behind the two overpass pillars that were closest to hajji's field of fire so we radioed command to request permission to use a shake and bake strike. A shake and bake is a combination of high explosive ordinance and White phosphorus (WP) flammable ordinance that creates in instant monster of a fire ball by sucking all the oxygen out of an enclosed space. Anyone in that space lungs are instantly sucked flat by the severe pressure drop a second before they're incinerated by a white hot fire ball. It's a f**k brutal way to go, but it is quick. Command gave us the go ahead on the shake and bake so we unloaded the rockets, engaged them and sent two Marines over to the pillars to fire them. The first Marine fired the explosive rocket and the second fired the WP on a count of five after the first rocket and we all dove for cover. I jumped behind a TRAK vehicle, plastered my a*s into the ground with my back against one of the TRAK's large metal wheels. I had just closed my eyes and covered my ears when I felt my lungs contract from the sudden pressure drop as oxygen rushed passed me into the beast we had just unleashed. There was an all encompassing roar as a ground shaking force went screaming around the TRAK followed by a blast of blistering heat. My body shook and convulsed from the fury of it all. It was like being on top of a Tornado made out of fire. After a few moments I tried to get up. The chemical stench of white phosphorus was burning my nostrils and throat as my lungs gasped for oxygen to purge the toxic stench that was permeating them. My ears itched and were ringing as I violently coughed for a few moments. My chest hurt from the strain. I got up on my feet and peered around the back of the TRAK. There was a blazing inferno where the building had been and the heat was prickly against my face. I could feel the heat through my Kevlar vest and I was glad to be wearing field goggles. I lightly slapped my ears with cupped hands in an effort to control the ringing. Other Marines were appearing from out of cover. Some were still coughing and rubbing their watery eyes from the irritation caused by the WP. The man closest to the blast who had fired the high explosive rocket was still in his crouched firing position behind the pillar. I was amazed he hadn't been knocked flat by the blast. We had scored the perfect shot so as if on queue we all started waving our weapons in the air cheering and shouting "F**K YEAH!! GET SOME!!" The grunt's shout out for all that's good in life. Sex, alcohol and annihilating his enemy. We radioed command to report the target had been eliminated. We were ordered to hold our position while waiting for another rapid deployment force and await further orders.
As the occupation of Iraq dragged on shake and bake strikes became increasingly controversial with critics of the war and humanitarian groups focused on the plight of civilians in war torn regions of the world. The UN considered WP ordinance a chemical weapon and accused the US of violating the chemical weapons ban our government had sworn to uphold. The US denied WP was a chemical weapon as the weapon wasn't indiscriminate and didn't kill with toxic gas or fumes. As the US policy changed in Iraq shake and bake strikes were eliminated as to excessive with collateral damage being to severe for a civilian population constantly caught up in the crossfire between the Mujahedeen and the US sledge hammer. Neither side could afford the civilian casualties that were piling up as both sides needed to win hearts and minds to be successful. The Mujahedeen realized murdering locals was as bad a strategy as the US realized blasting the f**k out of everything in site was counterproductive as well.
The Explosion from a shake and bake strike was like nothing I'd ever seen. It was more like blinding vengeance delivered by a wrathful old testament Deity than so many of the other strikes I had witnessed. There was no doubt to the brutality of shake and bake but war is a brutal business.
![[send message]](https://www.writerscafe.org/images/mail.png){kind=small}
![[befriend]](https://www.writerscafe.org/images/friend.png){kind=small}
first
prev
Share This
Email
Facebook
Twitter
Read Request
My Library
Flag Writing
