Brad Colbert | |
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Nickname(s) | Iceman |
Born | July 25, 1974 |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/ | United States Marine Corps |
Years of service | 1995–2016 [1] |
Rank | Master sergeant |
Unit | 3rd Recon Company 1st Recon Company 1st Reconnaissance Battalion Royal Marines Commandos 1st Force Recon Company Marine Detachment, Fort Benning GA Marine Corps Systems Command |
Battles/wars | Global War on Terrorism |
Awards | Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (with 'V' device) |
Brad Colbert (born July 25, 1974) is a retired United States Marine, whose platoon's role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq was featured in a series of articles in Rolling Stone by Evan Wright. Wright was an embedded reporter who rode in the backseat of Colbert's vehicle during this time until his departure on May 4, 2003. Wright later expanded these articles into the book Generation Kill which was turned into a HBO miniseries of the same name in which Colbert was portrayed by Alexander Skarsgård.
A U.S. Reconnaissance Marine, Colbert was nicknamed the "Iceman" by his colleagues, for his ability to stay calm in battle and his overall military competency. During the War in Afghanistan, he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for valor for his role in taking out an enemy missile battery. [2] In the Iraq War, his platoon, the 2nd Platoon of Bravo Company of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion led by Lieutenant Nathaniel Fick, was often at the spearhead of the initial invasion, with his team, of which he was team leader, often on point.
For his efforts during the Iraq War, Colbert received a combat meritorious promotion to Staff Sergeant and went on to serve two years with the Royal Marine Commandos as part of an exchange program. [3] He was later promoted again to Gunnery Sergeant and served as the Company Gunnery Sergeant of H&S Company of 1st Recon. [4] He served two additional tours in Iraq and left the Reconnaissance community in 2010. [5]
In October 2012, Colbert was a special skills operations chief at the U.S. Army's airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia. [6] He was responsible for making sure that Marines who attend the program receive the necessary skills and meet their requirements. He regularly leapt from C-130s to reinforce proper jump techniques.[ citation needed ]
Military.com reported that in July 2016, Colbert was still on active duty as a project officer for Raids and Amphibious Reconnaissance at Marine Corps Systems Command. Colbert retired from the Marine Corps as a master sergeant on October 24, 2016. [7]
Colbert was adopted into a Jewish family. He has been a speaker on combat related PTSD issues for the Heroes and Healthy Families organization. [5] [8] [9]
Combatant Diver Badge | |||||||||||||||
Navy and Marine Corps Parachutist Insignia | |||||||||||||||
1st Row | Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with two award star & valor device | Army Commendation Medal | |||||||||||||
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2nd Row | Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with three award stars | Combat Action Ribbon with one award star | Navy and Marine Presidential Unit Citation | Navy Unit Commendation with two bronze stars | |||||||||||
3rd Row | Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation | Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation | Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal four bronze stars | National Defense Service Medal with one bronze star | |||||||||||
4th Row | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal | Southwest Asia Service Medal | Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one bronze star | Iraq Campaign Medal with two bronze stars | |||||||||||
5th Row | Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | Humanitarian Service Medal | Sea Service Ribbon with one silver and three bronze stars | |||||||||||
Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt) is the seventh enlisted rank in the United States Marine Corps, above staff sergeant and below master sergeant and first sergeant, and is a senior non-commissioned officer (SNCO). It has a pay grade of E-7.
Force Reconnaissance (FORECON) are United States Marine Corps deep reconnaissance companies that supply military intelligence to the command element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). Force Reconnaissance companies unlike USMC division reconnaissance report to the Marine expeditionary force (MEF) and provide direct action and deep reconnaissance during large-scale operations.
The Second Battle of Fallujah, initially codenamed Operation Phantom Fury, Operation al-Fajr was an American-led offensive of the Iraq War that lasted roughly six weeks, starting 7 November 2004. Marking the highest point of the conflict against the Iraqi insurgency, it was a joint military effort carried out by the United States, the Iraqi Interim Government, and the United Kingdom. Within the city of Fallujah, the coalition was led by the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army, the battle was later described as "some of the heaviest urban combat Marines have been involved in since Huế City in Vietnam in 1968" and as the toughest battle the U.S. military has been in since the end of the Vietnam War. It was the single bloodiest and fiercest battle of the entire conflict, including for American troops.
The United States Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalions are the special operations assets of Marine Air-Ground Task Force that provide division-level ground and amphibious reconnaissance to the Ground Combat Element within the United States Marine Corps. Division reconnaissance teams are employed to observe and report on enemy activity and other information of military significance in close operations. The Military Occupational Specialty code for Reconnaissance Marine is 0321.
The 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion conducts amphibious and ground reconnaissance in support of the 3rd Marine Division and Marine Forces Pacific (MarForPac), operating in the commander's areas of influence. The battalion is based out of Camp Schwab, a satellite base of Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler. It is geographically located on the Okinawa Prefecture in Japan.
1st Reconnaissance Battalion is a reconnaissance battalion in the United States Marine Corps. It is a stand-alone battalion with no parent regiment. Instead, it falls directly under the command of the 1st Marine Division. 1st Recon Bn is located at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California.
Jimmie Earl Howard was a Marine Corps staff sergeant when he led an eighteen-man reconnaissance patrol in a fierce battle against a battalion of Viet Cong in June 1966. As a result of his heroic actions, Howard became the sixth U.S. Marine to be awarded the nation's highest honor for heroism in combat in Vietnam. The Medal of Honor was presented by President Lyndon B. Johnson in White House ceremonies on August 21, 1967.
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Generation Kill is a 2004 book written by Rolling Stone journalist Evan Wright chronicling his experience as an embedded reporter with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the United States Marine Corps, during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. His account of life with the Marines was originally published as a three-part series in Rolling Stone in the fall of 2003. "The Killer Elite", the first of these articles, went on to win a National Magazine Award for Excellence in Reporting in 2004.
Generation Kill is an American seven-part television miniseries produced for HBO that aired from July 13 to August 24, 2008. It is based on Evan Wright's 2004 book Generation Kill, about his experience as an embedded reporter with the US Marine Corps' 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and was adapted for television by David Simon, Ed Burns, and Wright. The miniseries was directed by Susanna White and Simon Cellan Jones and produced by Andrea Calderwood. The ensemble cast includes Alexander Skarsgård as Sergeant Brad "Iceman" Colbert, Jon Huertas as Sergeant Tony "Poke" Espera, James Ransone as Corporal Josh Ray Person, and Lee Tergesen as Wright.
Justin D. LeHew is a United States Marine who served in the War on Terror. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions on 23 and 24 March 2003 during the initial 2003 invasion of Iraq. He was hand picked to spearhead the rescue operation and recovery of the U.S. Army's 507th Maintenance Company on 23 March and subsequently was called upon again to take part in the rescue operation of US Army Private Jessica Lynch on 1 April 2003. He is also a recipient of the Bronze Star with Combat Distinguishing Device denoting Valor for his heroic actions from 5 to 28 August 2004 during the Battle of Najaf.
Evan Alan Wright (born 1965 or 1966 is an American writer, known for his extensive reporting on subcultures for Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair. He is best known for his book on the Iraq War, Generation Kill. He also wrote an exposé about a top CIA officer who allegedly worked as a Mafia hitman, How to Get Away With Murder in America.
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