{"id":49082,"date":"2025-11-10T20:57:35","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T20:57:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2025\/11\/10\/remembering-the-battles-of-najaf-and-fallujah-in-the-last-600-meters\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T16:44:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T16:44:45","slug":"remembering-the-battles-of-najaf-and-fallujah-in-the-last-600-meters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2025\/11\/10\/remembering-the-battles-of-najaf-and-fallujah-in-the-last-600-meters\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering the battles of Najaf and Fallujah in \u2018The Last 600 Meters\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jan Bender<\/a> remembers the moment as if it were yesterday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking cover from insurgents, his fireteam had just assembled in the dark in front of a house in Fallujah, Iraq, when the Marines were overwhelmed by the percussive blast of an explosion. About 40 yards in front of them was a mass of flames \u2014 the fiery remains of an Iraqi vehicle. Just behind them was the smoking barrel of the 120mm cannon from an M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the wee hours of Nov. 8, 2004, the Iraq War became very real for Bender, who was embedded with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Division<\/a>. With a camera in one hand and a 9mm M9 Beretta pistol in the other, the then-20-year-old combat correspondent was momentarily deafened and disoriented by the roar of the near-simultaneous explosions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had never been on the business end of an Abrams before that close,\u201d he recalled in an interview with Military Times. \u201cWe worked with tanks for weeks and weeks after that and came to be kind of numb to it. Just being a few feet behind the barrel is much different than being a few feet in front of it as far as the overpressure and blast go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t