Patriots Point To Host Free Symposium on 2006 Battle of Ramadi

Huesing (third from left, provided)

Several leaders of Echo Company, 2^nd Battalion, 4^th Marines, the Iraqi interpreter who worked alongside the American military forces, and a “Gold Star brother” will share their firsthand experiences of a fierce 2006 urban battle in Iraq in at a symposium aboard the USS Yorktown on Thursday, September 6th at 7 pm. 

The symposium, entitled “Echo in Ramadi,” will provide unique perspectives of the 10-month battle on the streets of what was considered by many at the time as the most dangerous place in the world – Ramadi, Iraq.  The symposium will be based on the book of the same name, Echo in Ramadi, written by Echo Company Commander Major Scott Huesing, who will also serve as a panelist for the event.You can purchase the book here.

Joining Huesing will be two other Marines who served at the time in Echo Company and a Gold Star brother of one of the fallen Marines from the battle. A native Iraqi who served the U.S. military for three years as a combat interpreter will also share his experiences, and how he became a United States citizen.

The panelists include:

• Major Scott Huesing – Echo Company Commander who led 248 men from the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines into battle in Ramadi, which has widely been considered the most dangerous place in Iraq, if not the world.
• John McLaughlin – Platoon commander in Echo Company during the second Battle in Ramadi and actively served in the Marines from 2005 to 2015
• Chris Libby – The Gold Star Brother of Corporal Dustin Libby, who in December 2006 was the first of the 248 Marines under the leadership of Major Huesing to be killed in an intense firefight in Ramadi.
• Samawi “Big Sam” Al Helli – Born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1987, while in fear of Al Qaeda, “Big Sam” decided to use his language skills to help the U.S. Marines and Army as an interpreter during the surge in 2006. He worked for different military units in Iraq for three years and eventually was forced to leave Iraq for his own safety and became a U.S. citizen in June 2018.
• Staff Sergeant Brian McKibben – Joined Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines in January 2005 and served on the ground in Ramadi during the battle in 2006.

The symposium is part of the ongoing “Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things” symposium series offered by Patriots Point’s Institute of History, Science & Technology. The event, sponsored by the USS Yorktown Foundation and BAIRD, is free and open to the public.

Click here for more info.

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