The Christy Collection

Military Stories and Articles

Cold War – Operation Urgent Fury

Cold War – Operation Urgent Fury

In late October 1983, the Caribbean went hot; much hotter than usual. Grenada, a postcard island with beaches, nutmeg fields, and a strategic runway under construction, had just spiraled into chaos. A Marxist government split, Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was executed by hardliners, and a Revolutionary Military Council seized power.  Operation Urgent Fury Unfolded Amid Chaos in Grenada Nearby governments understandably panicked. Washington, worried about the hundreds of American medical...

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Extortion 17

Extortion 17

On August 6, 2011, a quick reaction force (QRF) aboard a CH-47 Chinook helicopter was dispatched from Forward Operating Base Shank in Afghanistan's Logar Province. They were on their way to support U.S. Army Rangers on a kill-or-capture mission against a senior Taliban official. It was carrying 30 U.S. military members, mostly American special operators.  Extortion 17 Was Sent on a High-Risk Mission in Afghanistan But the transport, callsign Extortion 17, was shot down before it could...

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The First Battle of Fallujah

The First Battle of Fallujah

In the earliest years of the Iraq War, the city of Fallujah was one of the most contested cities in the country, but it didn't start out that way. Local citizens had taken control of maintaining order in the city, but a series of misunderstandings between Coalition forces and local leaders soon led to violence and outrage. At the end of March 2004, four private military contractors were massacred and mutilated by insurgents there. The same day, five American soldiers were killed by a massive...

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