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Caption:
Gunnery Sgt. Hector A. Villapudua, 36, leads Lance Cpl. Gabreil M.
Diggs, 20, to a suitable place to park his M88 tank recovery vehicle.
The M88 was needed to pull a stuck M1A1 Abrams tank out of an
irrigation ditch north of Fallujah, Iraq, on April 9, 2004. It was one
of two Abrams from 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, that was
reinforcing Marines from 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, who were
ambushed in a small farming community. While pursuing the attackers,
part of the narrow road the 70-ton behemoth was driving on collapsed,
sending the tank sliding into the canal. A 4 1/2-day recovery mission
was launched, with Combat Service Support Battalion 1 manning the helm
of the operation. CSSB-1 provides support to ground forces in the city
and is a part of 1st Force Service Support Group, based in Camp
Pendleton, Calif. Villapudua is a 36-year-old native of Homeland,
Calif., and Diggs is a 20-year-old native of Harrisburg, Pa. (Photo by
Lance Cpl. Samuel Bard Valliere)
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