HADITHA, Iraq -- On the heels of Operation Harris Ba’sil, the Marines of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, were visited by one of the Marine Corps’ top commanders, Lt. Gen. James W. Mattis, commander, Marine Forces Central Command.
Task Force 1/3 hosted the Commanding General for a visit with the Hadithah mayor where Mattis spoke with Marines, Sailors, Iraqi leaders, as well as locals during his visit. Afterward, he joined the Marines for patrols through the city and dinner at the Hadithah Dam.
Lt. Gen. Mattis was pleased to see a city once rife with turmoil and chaos moving in the right direction.
“It seems the Marines are doing a good job and things are settled down, but things can still go either way,” said Mattis. “Things will not stay the same, but will get better or worse,” he emphasized.
Lt Gen. Mattis had deployed to Iraq as the commander of the 1st Marine Division during the initial attack and subsequent stability operations.
Task Force 1/3 has been supporting Regimental Combat Team 2 with Operation Harris Ba’sil. The purpose of the operation was to interdict and disrupt enemy routes and safe havens outside of the major cities of the Euphrates River valley.