Walden, Shawn, MSG

Military Police
 
 Photo In Uniform   Service Details
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Current Service Status
USA Active
Current/Last Rank
Master Sergeant
Current/Last Service Branch
Military Police Corps
Current/Last Primary MOS
31B10-Military Police
Current/Last MOS Group
Military Police
Primary Unit
2010-Present, 31B10, 759th Military Police Battalion
Previously Held MOS
95B10-Military Police
Service Years
1982 - Present
Official/Unofficial US Army Certificates
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Cold War Certificate
Military Police Corps
Master Sergeant
Nine Service Stripes
Two Overseas Service Bars

 Official Badges 

Army Military Police Schutzenschnur Silver


 Unofficial Badges 

Aubrey Newman Award


 Military Associations and Other Affiliations
American Legion504th Military Police Battalion AssociationIraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW)
Alamo Chapter
  2008, American Legion - Assoc. Page
  2008, 504th Military Police Battalion Association
  2008, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) - Assoc. Page
  2008, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) - Assoc. Page
  2009, Military Police Regimental Association (MPRA), Alamo Chapter (Lackland AFB, Texas) - Chap. Page



OIF/Iraqi Governance (2004-05)/Operation Pacific Thrust
From Month/Year
August / 2004		 To Month/Year
August / 2004

Description
Major conflict began on 5 August, when the Mahdi Army (MA) attacked an Iraqi Police Station at 1 am. Their first attack was repelled but the MA regrouped and attacked again at 3 am. Soon after, a quick reaction force (QRF) from the MEU was dispatched at the request of the governor of An Najaf. Around 11 am the QRF came under heavy machine gun and mortar fire from the Mahdi Army within the Wadi-us-Salaam, the largest cemetery in the Muslim world approximately 7 miles squared. The cemetery has been layered over the centuries resulting in large underground tombs, tunnels and surface monuments, many reaching two stories tall. The Soldiers of 1/5 Cav fought across this inhospitable terrain and under it in some of the first tunnel fighting seen since Vietnam.

A U.S. Marine UH-1N helicopter was shot down by small-arms fire on the second day of the fighting while conducting a close air support mission over enemy positions, the crew survived. Four U.S. military personnel were killed during the heavy street battles fought between the Mahdi Army and U.S. and Iraqi forces, until the MEU withdrew temporarily on 7 August. On 9 August the U.S. added three battalions from the U.S. Army to the battle:

    1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division
    2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division
    1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division.

During the fighting half a dozen U.S. Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles were damaged or disabled by insurgent RPG fire in the narrow streets.
A United States Marine Corps M1 Abrams tank during a raid on the Muqtada Militia strong points in Najaf on 12 August

Fighting began in the city centre and then moved through the cemetery. After several days the fighting shifted to the environs of the Imam Ali Mosque when the Mahdi Army withdrew and took refuge there. United States Army Soldiers from B Co. 1-5 Cav encircled the complex after fighting through the Old City and began a siege. The Mahdi Army utilized large hotels that overlook the cemetery as overwatch machine gun positions. A Bradley from 1-5 Cav shot TOW missiles at the Mahdi machine gun positions while Soldiers from Alpha and Bravo Co. 1-5 Cav assaulted several of these hotels. After heavy hand to hand and room to room fighting the hotels were secured, relieving elements of Charlie Co. who were pinned down in the cemetery. There were not enough soldiers however to properly hold the hotels and they were consolidated to two adjoining ones. The fighting damaged two of the minarets of the mosque, one of the holiest of all Shiite shrines. (Although neighboring buildings suffered considerable damage, the mosque itself suffered only superficial damage from stray bullets and shrapnel).

On 23 August at least 15 explosions, many sounding like artillery shells, rocked the area, as shrapnel fell in the courtyard of the gold-domed mosque and gunfire echoed through the alleyways. On 26 August 2004, two F-16s flying out of Balad dropped four 2000 pound JDAMs (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) on two hotels near the shrine which were being used by the insurgents. The successful airstrike dealt a devastating blow to Sadr and led to a hasty settlement with Grand Ayatollah Sistani the following morning allowed Al-Sadr and the remnants of his militia to leave Najaf. This arrangement was only favorable to the Americans because it relieved them of the need to enter the Imam Ali Mosque. The Infantryman of 1-5 Cav and Army armor crewmen lined the street watching Sadr's Mahdi Army leave the mosque.
   
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
August / 2004		 To Month/Year
August / 2004
 
Last Updated:
Mar 16, 2020
   
Personal Memories
   
My Photos From This Battle or Operation
No Available Photos

  93 Also There at This Battle:
 
  • Abdulhay, Abdul, SGT, (1996-2007)
  • Achmad, SGT, SGT, (1994-Present)
  • Anderson-Bowen, Tim, CPT, (1989-Present)
  • Anthony, Gerald, SSG, (1997-Present)
  • Baker, Isaac, SSG, (1990-2015)
  • Barber, Antoine, SSG, (2001-Present)
  • Beard, Dave, MAJ, (1998-Present)
  • Benson, Andrew, SSG, (2003-2009)
  • Bogan, Kumalo, CPT, (2003-2008)
  • Brown, Jamil, CW4, (2009-Present)
  • Calhoun, Albert, MSG, (1990-Present)
  • Conley, Christopher, MAJ, (1998-2008)
  • Corbin, James, CPT, (2003-2008)
  • Culbertson, Brice, SSG, (1993-Present)
  • Dannecker, Laura, CPL, (2001-2007)
  • Davis, Raymond, SSG, (1995-Present)
  • Delossantos, Aaron, SFC, (1995-2008)
  • Diamond, David, MAJ, (1996-2008)
  • Doolittle, James, SFC, (1994-2008)
  • Dougherty, Lee, MAJ, (1986-Present)
  • Duvall, Brandon, SSG, (2001-Present)
  • Eddy, Brandon, SGT, (2002-2006)
  • Eldridge, Henry, SFC, (1995-Present)
  • Emerick, Justin, SGT, (2000-2005)
  • Evborokhai, Eragbai, SSG, (2001-Present)
  • Ferguson, William, 1SG, (1986-2008)
  • Frankenberg, Hank, SSG, (2000-Present)
  • Freeman, Brady, CW2, (1998-Present)
  • Freese, Ryan, SSG, (1999-Present)
  • Garrett, Erik, CPT, (1995-2010)
  • Glass, Peter, MAJ, (1997-2008)
  • Glover, Edward, SSG, (1987-2008)
  • Gonzalez, Gabriel, SSG, (2001-Present)
  • Guptill, Andrew, SGT, (2003-2009)
  • Harris, Robert, SSG, (2002-Present)
  • Hernandez, James, SFC, (1991-2008)
  • Hobson, Eric, SSG, (2000-2008)
  • Hudgins, Kenneth, CSM, (1992-2022)
  • Huff, Steven, SSG, (1999-Present)
  • Justus, Jay, SSG, (1993-2008)
  • Keahtigh, Darren, MAJ, (1990-2008)
  • Keahtigh, Darren, MAJ, (1990-2010)
  • Kincaid, Reid, MAJ, (2000-2017)
  • Kinney, Scott, CW3, (1991-Present)
  • Kovach, Richard, S/SGT, (1988-Present)
  • Lagarde, Darrell, SSG, (2000-2008)
  • Martie, John, SSG, (2002-Present)
  • Martin, Joshua, SSG, (2002-Present)
  • Maynulet, Roger, CPT, (1996-2005)
  • McKinney, Charles, SGT, (2001-2009)
  • Mercucci, William, MAJ, (1997-2022)
  • Miller, Dustin, SSG, (1999-2008)
  • Miller, Stewart, CPT, (1987-2008)
  • Moore, John, MAJ, (1988-2008)
  • Murphy, Scott, SSG, (2001-Present)
  • Myers, Kevin, COL, (1989-2022)
  • Nally, Wesley, SSG, (1998-Present)
  • Niblock, Jonathan, 1LT, (2001-2008)
  • Nicholson SSG, Sean, SSG, (1990-Present)
  • Nunez-Morales, Helmut, SFC, (1999-Present)
  • Oziegbe, Fidelis, SFC, (2002-Present)
  • Paredes, Mike, SGT, (2000-Present)
  • Robbins, Kevin, SSG, (2003-2008)
  • Roberts, Joseph, SSG, (1991-2009)
  • Sanders, James, SGT, (1990-2008)
  • Santillana, Carlos, SFC, (1996-2009)
  • Scott, Shane, MAJ, (1994-2008)
  • Sellers, Daniel, SFC, (2012-2015)
  • Sharpe, Chris, CPT, (1998-2009)
  • Stobaugh, Wesley, SFC, (1999-Present)
  • Sublett, Larry (Keith), CW4, (1985-2009)
  • Summers, Todd, LTC, (1989-Present)
  • Trabucco, William, MSG, (1991-2011)
  • Turriff, Braeden, SSG, (2001-2008)
  • Uras, Shane, SSG, (1999-2008)
  • Velez, Jorge, 1SG, (1996-Present)
  • Warren, Donald, SFC, (1980-2008)
  • White, Michael, 1SG, (1990-2011)
  • WILLIAMSON, JERELL, SFC, (1999-2010)
  • Wojcik, Matthew, CPT, (2003-2008)
  • Woodyard, Robert, SGT, (2002-Present)
  • Yager, Jeff, 1SG, (1993-2008)
  • Young, Jeff, SSG, (1997-Present)
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