Rocketman in Ramadi

MNFI:

The crack of insurgents firing rounds overhead sends one Marine into action to find his target and neutralize it - fast. The Marine assesses multiple enemy targets about 400 meters away. He sights in. His finger steadily squeezes the trigger as a single shot jets from his rocket launcher. The explosion rocks the earth as the perfect hit is rewarded by the now silenced enemy – courtesy of the "Rocket Man."

“They are calling me ‘Rocket Man’ because of all the rockets I’ve fired since we have been here,” said Lance Cpl. Richard M. Mason II, of Medina, Ohio. “It’s an adrenaline rush to be the guy firing the rocket during a firefight.”

Mason has accurately fired 24 rockets in combat and his teammates have dubbed him appropriately.

The 21-year-old “Rocket Man” with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment has become a vital asset in the ongoing battle against the insurgency in the capital of Al Anbar province.

“During almost every engagement he has stopped enemy fire by destroying insurgents held up in a building,” said 1st Lt. Carlos M. Goetz, 2nd platoon commander. “Without hesitation he has exposed himself to enemy fire numerous times in order to execute my intent and help his fellow Marines.

“Twenty-four is an awesome feat. He has become very proficient at his job,” said Goetz, 29, from Miami, Fla.

Mason decided to follow his grandfather’s footsteps by joining the Marine Corps in October 2003. So far during his enlistment, he traveled with the battalion to the Caribbean in 2004 and participated in Operation Secure Tomorrow in Haiti. He battled the insurgency in Fallujah in 2005 and now, on his second tour to Iraq, he is helping to improve the security conditions in Ramadi.

His weapon is a portable anti-armor rocket launcher known as the shoulder-launched multi-purpose assault weapon or SMAW. When fully loaded, this 30-pound weapon can destroy bunkers and other fortifications during assault operations. It even has the capability to bring down battle tanks.

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While the SMAW system is effectively equipped with a technologically-advanced optical device and 9 mm spotting rifle, Mason prefers the old-school method when aiming in on his targets, even in the dark.

“I prefer the iron sights. I don’t use a scope or the spotter,” said Mason. “In this type of environment you don’t always have time to use those things.”

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In another situation, Company K Marines at the government center began exchanging machinegun fire with insurgents May 2. The insurgents managed to burrow themselves inside a well fortified building which made it harder for the Marines to eliminate the threat. Mason was ordered to fire a rocket at the building from the rooftop. He scrambled to the rooftop again exposing himself to incoming fire, his teammates laid down suppressive fire and he launched a rocket at the building.

“His quick reactions possibly saved the lives of his fellow Marines. You only get one opportunity to shoot it,” said Goetz. “It leaves a big signature, so you need to be on target.”

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A nice story about Marines doing their job well.