The attack Faylaka Island attack

antonio j. tony sledd (left), sole u.s. marine killed in attack.

on october 7, 2 kuwaiti men, anas al-kandari , jassem al-hajiri, sat in small white-with-red stripes nissan pickup truck had rented , reconnoitered marines training distance. had spent time @ local mosque few days before , had reconnoitered marines day prior well.

the 2 men jihadis had received terrorist training in afghanistan. had arrived @ island via ferry @ 10:30 a.m. , had been island few times before, play soccer , imbibe soft drinks. al-kandari himself had fasted , prayed before going island in october, writing in demanded possessions given fellow jihadis. recorded martyrdom video @ mosque before going island, read verses quran , gave oration camera urging muslims more devout in islam , fight infidels, lambasting u.s. alleged atrocities against muslims. al-hajiri al-kandari s cousin , 26-year-old man worked kuwaiti ministry of oil.

the following day, october 8, hot , sunny day on island. @ approximately, 11:00 a.m. local time, marines taking break official duties , resting @ beach-side campsite during lull in training. did not have live ammunition in rifles training purposes, although few commissioned officers , senior ncos carried beretta m9 sidearms loaded live ammunition. thereafter, 2 gunmen began shooting @ marines kalashnikov rifles, targeting 2 marines playing makeshift game of baseball during rest in training. 1 nearby marine became disgruntled after hearing gunfire, mistaking of fellow marines, realized otherwise.

the marines, believing island safe, caught off guard attack. gunfire 2 assailants struck 2 baseball-playing marines tent , dozens of cases of soft drinks. after shooting @ marines initially, reports state men drove location , shot again. according accounts, marine sentry returned fire m16a2 rifle , company commander captain matthew s. reid returned fire sidearm, former s gunfire disabling truck. 2 kuwaiti gunmen shot, 1 of them exiting vehicle on passenger side several gunshot wounds. reid , senior-most marine enlisted on island, first sergeant timothy ruff, , company gunnery sergeant wayne a. hertz closed , shot gunman several more times, killing them. ruff , other marines, including hertz, extracted wounded driver of truck out of vehicle. gunman died. before second gunman died, marines walked body , stood on him. surrounded u.s. marines, mortally-wounded gunman laid dying on ground , muttered few phrases in arabic before expiring.

radio operator lance corporal george r. simpson, jr., 21-year-old ohioan dayton, shot in arm , lance corporal antonio j. tony sledd, 20-year-old floridian, shot in chin , abdomen. avid baseball fan florida s hillsborough county, sledd playing impromptu baseball game lance corporal simpson when former shot 1 of black-bearded gunmen @ point-blank range in back.

naval corpsmen assessed injured marines , came conclusion needed more intensive care , request put in u.s. army hospital @ camp doha medical evacuation. within ten minutes, u.s. army uh-60 medical helicopter arrived , flew 2 wounded marines mainland treatment @ army hospital in kuwait city. sledd reportedly in spirits when taken away helicopter, mortally wounded , subsequently died. however, simpson managed survive wounds , awarded purple heart medal later month general.

after al-kandari , al-haijiri killed marines, reports indicate marines took incoming gunfire nearby fishing village, of them jumping water avoid being shot, cover scarce on sandy beach. ch-47 helicopter arrived , distributed ammunition marines, went town fight village-based attackers. 8 hours later, marines concluded , left.