Steel Rain: How A Marine Artillery Battery Beat ISIS

Professional Military Education

In this interview, I speak with Dave Palka. Dave is an artillery officer in the United States Marine Corps. When he was a Captain, he commanded Echo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 10th Marines out of Camp Lejeune, NC. In March 2016, Echo Battery was inserted into northern Iraq. They formed Task Force Spartan and were given the mission of providing artillery fires to support Iraqi Security Forces preparing for the Battle of Mosul.

Over the course of 67 days, Echo Battery endured indirect fire from enemy rockets as well as complex combined arms attacks. In the process, they fought back and fired over 2,000 artillery rounds that set the initial stages for the battle that would lead to ISIS losing Mosul and eventually all their territorial claims to parts of Iraq and Syria.

Echo Battery was one of the first combat units to fight on the ground in Iraq since U.S. forces left in 2011. Echo Battery fought hard as the enemy rocketed their position with 122mm Katyusha rockets. Due to enemy fire, the unit sustained nine casualties including one Marine KIA. That Marine was the Howitzer Section Chief, Staff Sergeant Louis Cardin from Temecula, CA. This episode is dedicated to Staff Sergeant Cardin’s life and legacy. As Palka explains in the interview, SSgt Cardin was a great Marine leader and a great man. Semper Fi!

Please check out the website to see pictures of Echo Battery, 2/10 and videos of the pre-deployment training as well as the deployment. www.professionalmilitaryeducation.com

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Check out the website: www.professionalmilitaryeducation.com