Lion of Fallujah Laid to Rest

[scotto]

Lion of Fallujah Laid to Rest


At Camp Victory, Baghdad, United States marines and other service members gathered as a helicopter pad was named in honor of Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, pictured, who was killed in combat in May 2007. Nicknamed the Lion of Fallujah, he was on his fourth tour in Iraq when he was killed in a firefight while leading an Iraqi military unit into battle against insurgents in Baghdad.
Photo: Eros Hoagland for The New York Times



Marine Corps News | May 18, 2007

U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY, ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Lion of Fallujah is at rest.
Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, who once told reporters in the din of battle his Marines “fought like lions,” was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery May 15. A crowd of more than a thousand gathered at the U.S. Naval Academy’s chapel to honor the fallen warrior.
Zembiec was killed in action May 10, 2007. He was 34 years old.
In attendance were more than 30 of Zembiec’s Marines from his tour as E Company’s commander, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. The pallbearers were led by Sgt. Maj. William Skiles, Zembiec’s former first sergeant. Zembiec’s Marines wore dress uniforms adorned by medals marking their combat tours. They came from across the nation, from Marine bases on both coasts to bury their leader.
“There is no one better to go to war with,” Skiles once said of Zembiec.
They came to honor a man who roared life, who led them into combat in Fallujah and who climbed upon a tank to gain a greater perspective of the battlefield, all the while defying rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire smashing around him. They honored a man who considered it his greatest honor to fight in combat with his Marines.
Zembeic told Los Angeles Time reporter Tony Perry that battling insurgents was “the greatest day of my life. I never felt so alive, so exhilarated, so purposeful. There is nothing equal to combat, and there is no greater honor than to lead men into combat. Once you’ve dealt with life and death like that, it gives you a whole new perspective.”
At times during the battle, Zembiec’s Marines tossed grenades within 20 feet of insurgents.
“My Marines have fought like lions and will continue to do so,” he said following the battle. “Ten million insurgents won’t even begin to fill the boots of one of my men.”
Shortly before 9 a.m. and under blue skies and puffy white clouds, Zembiec’s lions brought their leader home.
A Navy-Marine honor detail carried Zembiec to hallowed and venerated halls of the maritime chapel here. It was the same chapel where he attended Catholic mass as a midshipman and the same chapel his took his bride, Pamela.
This time, the proud warrior was carried in. Marine and Navy officers gripped the rails of his flag-draped casket, silently gliding down the narrow carpeted aisle. Zembiec was placed at the front of the chapel where prayers and blessings were offered.
Navy chaplain Lt. Cmdr. Scott Radetski led the service, telling the gathering Zembiec was a “genuine patriot” and a “genuine hero.”
“You can shed a tear because he is gone or smile because he lived,” Radetski said.
Eric. L Kapitulik, Zembiec’s best friend of 17 years, offered a eulogy. He said Zembiec kept a series of journals, often scribbling notes on leadership, pearls of wisdom he collected by those he respected.
One entry, Kapitulik said, came from Col. George Bristol. It read, “Never forget those who were killed. Never let rest those who killed them.”
Kapitulik read another. “Be a man of principal. Fight for what you believe in. Keep your word. Live with integrity. Be brave. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Serve your country.
“Teach. Mentor. Give something back to society” Zembiec’s message in his journal continued. “Lead from the front. Conquer your fears. Be a good friend. Be humble and self-confident. Appreciate your friends and family. Be a leader and not a follower. Be valorous on the field of battle and tale responsibility for your actions.”
The vows of Zembiec’s life, written by his hand, according to Kapitulik, were titled, “Principles my father taught me.”
Zembiec’s lions honored him in fitting memory. They carried him from the chapel to an awaiting hearse. A miles-long procession of cars snaked their way to Arlington National Cemetery. There, among countless rows of white headstones lined on manicured green lawns, a place was prepared.
This is where the lion will rest for eternity. He would take his place in the long line of patriots who consecrated the grounds. It was a place of peace and honor for a warrior who dedicated his life to his nation’s battles.
Radetski led a brief graveside service. The sharp crack of three rifle volleys pierced the warm spring air. Solemn strains of “Taps” followed while Marines held salutes in white-gloved hands.
The following moments were hushed. Marines folded the flag that covered his casket. They gracefully, purposefully and meticulously folded the flag into a triangle.
It was offered to Pamela. With that, Zembiec was given to his nation one final time.
Zembiec, the Lion of Fallujah’s lions, was brought home by his Marines. They carried him home. He was buried in the soil of the nation he loved.
Now, among rows of white stones on green fields, the Lion is at rest.

source

I'm Sgt Maj Bill Skiles and I was Doug's 1st Sgt in Echo Co. in 2004 in Fallujah. I would like to tell you the Doug Zembiec that you won't read about in papers. I shared a hooch with this man for the 7 months and we would talk about everything from his marines to what it will be like to be married. Doug is known for his tremendous warrior spirit and his physical strength. He was a physical specimen but he had a heart of gold. The qualities that I still live with thanks to him are humility and sincerity, Doug would be the first to hug a PFC and tell him it's OK, not put him down for being weak. He would be the first person to stand up for you if he felt you were being treated unfairly. When he told someone he will do something, he did it and made sure you know the results and if you didn't he wouldn't sleep until you understood what was happening. Doug was so confident is his own abilities, he had every right to be the most arrogant man alive if he wanted and could back it up. But he knew who he was and would always tell me that any leader that had to be a righteous prick towards his own marines was probably thin skinned and was insecure on who they were. He would call some of these marines " Junior Varsity" and that they were full of jackassery !! His words……..Doug and I had made a deal on the day our first wounded went down in late March 04. The deal was that I take care and account for all wounded and he would keep the rest focused for the fight. This agreement was made because he could not handle seeing his marines bleeding and hurting…..He and I would weep behind closed doors during some of the trying times with mass casualties. Doug's emotions were always worn on his sleeve and I really admired that. His troops admired that…He showed us all that he was human, he cared deeply about us and felt what we felt. I cannot name another commander that ALL of his troops would give THEIR lives for if needed. He wasn't fake, he wasn't the most politically correct officer but in the troops eyes that walked the streets with him and fought and sacrificed with him understood. That bond is hard to teach any ego….I wish all commanders could learn just a little of the humility and sincerity this warrior displayed daily to every marine regardless of rank. Doug's marines loved to laugh with him, cry with him and mostly fight and kill the enemy with him…..and every marine knew that when Doug shows up to a fight, it makes them feel a little better. Doug allowed the chaplain to perform services during firefights, comforting our grieving warriors after loss and listened to our corpsman on how to take better care of the fallen…..From his firm handshake to a grieving hug together, I will miss him until I join him. I will even miss the hairiest man on earth, from the eyebrows on down..Poor guy had no hair above his eyebrows but he was a human woolly pulley every where else. He would try to shave his back before patrols and always miss various spots and yes, I would help finish the job…What are buddies for ?? Doug Zembiec would never talk about himself, talk about what's he done, talk about any of his accomplishments because he told me that no one really cares about what you have done…as you command, the marines want to know what you can do now and the future….Well said…The day Doug received his Bronze Star with "V", he wept, I wept and I hugged this warrior and no words were spoken……I know why we wept…We would talk over and over again with valor is sacrifice and he thought this valor medal will never match the sacrifice that his marines went though. Humility again shows itself…..About his new family, Doug LOVED Pam and being a dad made him even more humble…Her birth was the proudest day ever for him…...Until her birth he told me the proudest moment in his life was leading the marines of Echo Co in battle. I could talk for days about how much this man meant to me and to his marines but I know throughout my life I will know about a man that was the definition of what a marine should be, what a committed husband and father should be and what this country looks for in a true hero in every stretch of the word. I will spend a couple hours with him tomorrow night when it's my turn to watch over his body and we will finish what we've talked about for those 7 months and both find peace.
I love you Doug
Sgt Maj Bill Skiles
SERGEANT MAJOR WILLIAM SKILES, USMC
HMLA-267 STINGERS
MAG-39, CAMP PENDLETON, CA
" NO SKILL, NO KILL"

source


The Lion of Fallujah is laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
Photo Credit By Michel Du Cille--The Washington Post.

[Woodmonkey]

Another hero laid to rest.

[AT3Weins]

Rest in peace sir