Four years ago, Melbourne photogranher Ashle Cee accompanied US Forces on the bloodiest battle of the Iraq War. Perce e rea Cees eatWAR ENSEMBLE // ‘The Battle of Fallujah was the messiest scrapof an already ugly war in kag Street Steet houeetosinioe faceto-ooe ahieg made ling 2 itmere personal hon gue ‘soar bom na citar amie pans ‘Codenamed Cpetaion Phantom Fury by he US foroes renamed A-Pyt ("Dawa") by the term zag gaveermmen, mast ofthe eamage ot what Dbeasmns ism aa the Secon Bate ot Falah took place oer awoek in November 2004, ‘The alle was uigyeted by evens elcht months ealer wn our contactor fx US pevate security mn Blackwator were Smut and falled inthe ome of the at 7 Zao Sect Helvenston, Michael Teague ‘a Wesley Balona bad been assoned to guard racks belonging oa private catering Company collecting lichen ecpipment fon st amy bate pear Falah, Amundane exercise vent very wrong around 10 S0am ca March 31 Sethe vehiclas drove down a city eteet ‘Wimasses exh gunn rin ont the toad ane Daated escort SUVe wah asoaut ries, "The American acuity tee former Navy Seals and an Army Ranger eaming around SUS800 a day tr tear wee cb nat cr could not hoot back "Actowd of about 300 an tothe sweet to ceslebrate the atack. A Young boy Tae pet) ‘nto te hurning oars, ceatag hea. THe Anetean te rl the bunny ‘eile, beaten and npped apart According to fareportin The Mev Yore Tes, a L0-yearcla oy ground nus neo oa chatted head and shouted, "Where Bish” "The corpses wore dragged down sects ve env cheer At least bodes voor ng om a brie tat etched acre the Euphrates Ror Ear, ve Ameren solders wero Jiled noarby when aoadee Domb npped tough a persomel camer Fe dayslater, bia stamp some sauhorty ona ety gene vie, marinas unleashed hall Operation Vigant Resse, the Ft Bate of Faujan, was supposed to patty and Gest insurgent groups thal had taken conta. retant goo plan US forose Dbeesmva begged czam and avenmly wnt replaced by an metectve Lag brigade that {ated mo Deter ‘Over he folowing mont Fanujan became sn neurons net Tha US mary ploted revenge Plans were dra up for Operation Phantom Pury the heaves! US urban combat rmsion noe he Vitamase iy oC FS became a ate ne ln 1988 Australian photographer Actley (Gibertson steuld hav besoin France visting hs gist be hinge oem ent go span the mcd of war. Hens he found ime in Bagdad, crnking Falluja amr ~ improved veel cocltals~ataparty fr journals hearing othe upon bate of Falah ‘Guberiaon yas orn Melnourma m 1078 and grew up photographing local skateboarders and grat ast. He nerer Infentedto be a war photographer bata Just [ehetosiepotane of rages race sored 2A MEN'S STYLE BOMBS RAINED DOWN IN THE PRE-DAWN DARKNESS. GILBERTSON LOOKED ACROSS AT THE MEN HE WAS WITH, BREATHED IN, AND THOUGHT: “SOME OF US ARE SURELY GOING TO DIE.” HE WAS RIGHT 1 Ausata fom Kosovo ape became daa 10 teling te stones of people afected by war "is eamera tok hm to Indoneeh, Pala, Afghanistan sd erentaly northern eat Tbofre the TS launched te 2909 atackson Saddam Fussens iegme,A eelanoe ne travelled tough ra vain another Austad, TV cameraman Tim Gracea, a colin frees rolled in andthe country colapeed. Gberison (ne Gructa were the fast journalists into Mosul Gnelwere im Tikrt, where Saddam had palace, ‘hen tara henley to 'A year lar, by tho timo US toops were ready roll hackinto Falla in November Cabertson had already racked up let of experi ning and had oncasicnal ‘semte wn Die Naw Yer fra He floc troops ae oten a he dove off nh a local gud ‘or crossed Ines fo spend tne With Ketegent Head balls and he naa pics, ity rant ts go ca ets the Maas ry Sadr Cityn Baghdad, you callin advance and Jot Bom know youre coming” Gibertson 537s yout bemg escorted by tbe Manel Army youcanat around andhave hich, Thay bare ‘he pas ose sow ‘Sadr Gy is one place but a Fanyjan there vere no noductory phone cals an isugents weld e inno way weloomng That ‘wasvny several days afar crag hs ast ‘oektal in Basa, Gilbertson stood ina dusty Ted cute Falah while a marine explated. ow'o se an M49 piste and an AT and M16 sacar "The cach course in gun sis was not, Gbersen explamed, because he and New Terk inesieporier Dexter Fikes woul carry ‘yeapons during the bate The Iet-mate ‘rang aoction was "justin caso” Justin c=56 the guanery sergeant suggested, bey ware the dest fo stance, "Tost eakac mts hell” Cabertson ya. "Thad been: demal abourbew ween ‘hat bate would achuly be unt then. But when 1 showed ws howto puta ound inthe (chamber put ston ful aut and pl the age ‘theaght Cane hiss going albe mealy Baa Just afer Jamon November 8, amare sergeant called the rl or Brave Company, wo ‘Guerison woud scoampary ino bate, Patt ofthe let Bato, ft Renent, Brav0 20, all ns alas tae place m Cundaloanl nl Saipan m WW ant Bert nthe 19808, when ‘acide homber drove atruck iso me regents headquarters ‘wat isang aa Bravo marched hse ‘Mlometes iem camp to thir vehicles, canryng dokg packs plus Weapons and cameras Thay crore two hous and stoppad on {he edge ofthe ty Bombs raped down nthe pre-dawn darinoss. Cabertsoa looked aces tthe men he wae wo, breathed nan ‘tought "Some of us ae auety acing to he Howser "The day was pen altar reting cr watching ave eed ofsurvetlance footage Rom inde Falla cn a computer perched on a Humes Dbonnat That night they lnaied up and drove sueund the citys outserta atramline termed ‘he “breach point, the star or te owe tat ‘Bravo Companys 40 mammes woud take rto ‘he ey Marines detonated alin charge a socks hat carves apatway through mines and rmadhide bombs to dear the way and single Ne, 150 marines ented Hel. Giborison deseribes tooe mst saps as centering avin beast, Falah wa a nesting sama] experiencing a vclent physical ‘action foe presence the marines, ‘vomiting up rockets, grenades, fre ana ballets [ores not nappy The nee ea heme c= even wout naapons Moaquse walled wile fan American tuck drove arsund woh a huge PAcn ts backblasing out AC/DC's Hels Balls epee Me Amedeo ‘Brews ist objective was to take an aie cultural centre in the city thought be an ansugent staging posto got ere, hey Test dose tose th Steet. nem the arme2