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Lt. Col. Michael A. Manning’s
actions in connection with
combat operations involving
conflict with an opposing force
while serving as the operations
officer, Regimental Combat Team
2, 2nd Marine Expeditionary
Force (Forward), in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom from
Jan. 1, 2007, to Jan. 22, 2008,
have been marked by an exemplary
record of accomplishments.
This
is directly attributable to his
courageous leadership, sound
judgment, meticulous planning
and consistently superior
personal example.
Lt. Col.
Manning’s peerless ability to
lead and plan is widely
recognized throughout
Multi-National Force – West.
Several samples of his efforts
include the planning and
executing:
-
Operation EIN
NESSIR, which rid the city
of Hit of insurgents and
terrorists, killing an
operational enemy 82mm
mortar crew and uncovering
over 100 weapons caches. The
overall success of the
operation was evident in the
fact that there was not a
single hostile incident in
the Hit for 54 days after
the operation.
- Operation
HARRIS BA'SIL (March to
May), designed to hunt
al-Qaida in Iraq and
insurgents, deny them their
caches and safe havens and
seize enemy held areas. The
operation netted enough
explosives and bomb making
materials to make over 1,700
improvised explosive
devices. Additionally, over
200 known insurgents were
detained during this
operation.
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-
Operation
MAWTINI I-III (July to
November), which
involved numerous
clearing and disruption
operations across all of
the area of operation
Denver. The results of
MAWTINI included 29
insurgents killed, over
1,200 suspected
insurgents detained and
476 caches discovered.
Five high-value
individuals were
captured or killed. This
operation kept the enemy
on his heels and unable
to muster the annual
Ramadan offensive.
- FAJR
JADEED (December to
January), which focused
on continuing security
in the vast desert areas
of Anbar province, Iraq,
and returning the urban
population centers to
normalcy.
One unique
aspect of Lt. Col. Manning’s
operational design was his
ability to control and
secure 500,000 Iraqi
citizens. This was
accomplished through
extensive use of Biometric
Automated Tool Sets in every
village and city in the area
of operation.
Throughout his entire
13-month combat deployment,
Lt. Col. Manning, 40,
demonstrated exceptional
poise under pressure. His
combat leadership,
professionalism, steady
devotion and war-fighting
spirit were the foundation
for the success and high
operational tempo of
Regimental Combat Team 2 in
the area of operation
Denver. These heroic efforts
leave a lasting legacy for
Iraqis and Americans alike
in the fight against global
terrorism.
Photo and information courtesy of US
Marines /
Dept. of Defense |
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