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Originally posted by QuanticoBornMarine:

There are lots of stories on the web about Major Zembiec, but this one sums it up pretty well I think.

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An Annapolis-area Marine known as the "Lion of Fallujah" was killed Friday in Iraq while commanding a raid on insurgent forces in Baghdad, military officials said Monday.

Major Douglas A. Zembiec, a 1995 Naval Academy graduate who was awarded a Bronze Star with a V for valor and a Purple Heart for his actions in Fallujah in 2004, will be buried Wednesday with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

An unabashed warrior who considered it an honor to lead his Marines into combat, Zembiec, 34, had a reputation for inspiring his men with a selfless, lead-from-the-front philosophy.

"He was the Marine that every Marine wanted to be next to, fighting the enemy," said Sergeant Major William Skiles, who had been Zembiec's First Sergeant in Fallujah, where Zembiec's actions solidified his standing.

Skiles recalled that he was wounded in the leg during close and fierce combat in 2004 that earned him the two medals. The Los Angeles Times reported that despite his injuries, he was tossing grenades only 20 feet from the enemy.

"The bullet was still next to his knee -- it was like a badge of honor that he fought next to all the youngsters," Skiles said.

Born in Hawaii, he was the son of an FBI agent. The family later settled in New Mexico.

More than 6 feet tall, he was a big man whose physical condition was described by friends as impressive. His bear hugs were legendary.

At the academy, Zembiec was twice an All-American wrestler.

A Naval Academy spokeswoman said she could not provide information of Zembiec's years at the college, where Wednesday's funeral is scheduled.

He joined the Marines after his graduation from the academy, friends said, because he wanted to be among the toughest in the military. A friend, Marine Capt. Tom Ripley of Annapolis, recounted that when he tested Zembiec for the force reconnaissance program in 1996, Ripley's resolve waned after 12 hours but Zembiec was still going strong. Everyone he'd tested faded within eight hours.

Not long after, Ripley turned over his platoon of the 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company in the 2nd Marine Division to Zembiec.

He served in Kosovo and Afghanistan, before heading to Iraq, where he told the Times for a profile, "One of the most noble things you can do is kill the enemy."

In the fall of 2004, after Fallujah, he turned over his command. He was promoted to major and was stateside until his return to Iraq, assigned to the Headquarters Battalion, National Capital Region, in Arlington, Virginia.

Details of the battle in which Zembiec died were unavailable, with Ripley saying battle information was classified.

Admiration for him within the Marine Corps was broad, coming from those who knew him and those who knew of him.

Zembiec's nickname grew from media interviews he granted in Fallujah in 2004, where he was commander of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. Then a Captain, he often said, "My men are fighting like lions," Ripley said. Zembiec's exhilaration in battle prompted others to use the moniker on him.

"He was the Lion of Fallujah. He was unstoppable," Ripley said.

During one firefight, his efforts to direct a tank to fire on a building housing insurgents seemed to go nowhere.

"Doug ran outside amid rocket-propelled grenades and machine-gun fire and he jumped up on the tank," recalled Captain Edward Solis, his first platoon commander.

Zembiec pointed with his rifle at where the tank should aim before running back to his position unscathed. The tank hit its target.

"The jaws of every Marine there had dropped. It was like, did he just do that? I am a God-fearing man, but he just sort of walked on water that day," Solis said.

And though people spoke of the fire in his eyes, Zembiec also was known for his wide smile and the unabashed tears he shed for his dead and wounded men, showing those who served under him that "you fight the good fight and you remember your fallen comrades," Solis said.

As fierce as he was in battle, that is how gentle he was with his family, friends said.

Zembiec leaves behind a wife of two years, Pamela, and a 1-year-old daughter, Fallyn Justice; parents Donald and Jo Ann Zembiec of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and a brother, John, also of Albuquerque.

"He deserves to be buried with full military honors. What he deserved is to grow old as an American," Ripley said.

Marine and Navy officers carry Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec from the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Md., following a service in his honor. Zembiec, former commander of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment was brought home to rest at Arlington National Cemetery May 16 by the Marine who served by his side. Zembiec once said his Marines 'fought like lions' during combat in Fallujah. The Lion of Fallujah is now at rest.



A Navy and Marine honor detail, led by Sgt. Maj. William Skiles, carries Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec into the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Md.. Zembiec, a Naval Academy graduate, was honored one final time before being laid to rest May 16. Zembiec, former commander of E Company, 2nd Battaion, 1st Marine Regiment, once said his Marines 'fought like lions' during combat in Fallujah. He was killed in action May 10.



Flowers to honor Maj. Douglas A. Zembeic were placed by his grave at Arlington National Cemetery May 16. Zembeic, killed in action May 10, was brought home by the Marines who served with and alongside him in combat, including more than 30 Marines from E Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. Zembiec commanded the company in combat in Fallujah. There, during the battle, he told reporters his Marines 'fought like lions.'



Navy chaplain Lt. Cmdr. Scott Radetski leads Marines to the final resting place for Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, former commander of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. Zembiec was laid to rest by the Marines with whom he served May 16 at Arlington National Cemetery. Zembiec considered serving with his Marines in combat one of the greatest honors of his life.



Marines from Marine Barracks 8th & I march through Arlington National Cemetery to offer final honors for Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, who was killed in action May 10. Zembiec, former commander of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, was brought home to his final resting place by the Marines with whom he served May 16.



Navy chaplain Lt. Cmdr. Scott Radetski pulls stones from his pocket he and Maj. Douglas A. Zembeic collected during their tours together. Radetski led a brief graveside service for the former commander of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment May 16. Zembiec was brought home to rest by the Marines with whom he served after being killed in action May 10. He told reporters during combat in Fallujah his Marines 'fought like lions.'



A folded national ensign is held carefully prior to the burial of Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, former commander of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. Zembiec was killed in action May 10. He once told reporters during combat in Fallujah his Marines 'fought like lions.' Zembiec was laid to rest by the Marine with whom he served May 16.



Marines carefully fold the flag that draped over the casket of Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, former commander of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. More than a thousand came to honor Zembiec, including at least 30 Marines who served alongside in combat. Zembiec was killed in action May 10 and laid to rest May 16 at Arlington National Cemetery.



Marines hold tight the flag that draped over the casket of Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, former commander of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. More than a thousand came to honor Zembiec, including at least 30 Marines who served alongside in combat. Zembiec was killed in action May 10 and laid to rest May 16 at Arlington National Cemetery.

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Originally posted by booksbenji:
Warning! Reading this will cause your computer screen to get very blurry. It's an incredible letter, written by Major Doug Zembiec, USMC, known as "The Lion of Fallujah".

It very much reminded me of another Major's letter, Sullivan Ballou, Major, 2nd Rhode Island Volunteers, 14 July 1861, prior to the first Battle of Bull Run.



5 Months Before He Was Killed in Combat, Marine Maj. Doug Zembiec Wrote a Letter to Keep Alive the Memory of a Fellow Officer Who Gave His Life in Iraq

Widow Karen Mendoza asked her husband's fellow Marine officers and his men to write something about Maj. Ray J. Mendoza that his children, Kiana and Alek, could read when they were older. One of the officers who responded was Maj. Doug Zembiec, a 1991 La Cueva High School graduate legendary among Marines in Iraq as the Lion of Fallujah.
Mendoza and Zembiec attended Expeditionary Warfare School together, received their first commands together at Camp Pendleton and were both deployed to Iraq in 2004.
Marine Maj. Ray J. Mendoza was killed in action along the Syrian border Nov. 14, 2005.

Karen Mendoza writes that "Doug's letter took some time to get to me, which I understood. ... The last time I spoke with Doug before he deployed to Iraq this time, ... he told me that he wanted to write the letter in a good state of mind. He wanted the letter to be perfectly clear, so Kiana and Alek would understand and feel their father. ...

"I did not allow my kids to read any of the letters until recently. My daughter was in a speech contest at school. The topic was American leader or hero. She chose her father. It was emotionally difficult for her, and during the process I realized that she did not understand how Ray was a leader. So I let her read some of the letters that his Marines had written.

"The one letter I knew would explain her daddy the best was the letter from Doug Zembiec. He nailed it. His words still send shivers down my spine, because those are the exact words that I could now tell his daughter, Fallyn, about Doug."



Marine Maj. Doug Zembiec was killed May 11 leading a raid on Baghdad insurgents. His letter to the children of a fallen comrade-in-arms:

Dear Kiana and Alek,

Ray and I had a conversation late May in 2004 while we were deployed to Iraq. He spoke of why he fought. He fought to give the people of Iraq a chance. He fought to crush those who would terrorize and enslave others. He fought to protect his fellow Marines.

The last thing he told me that day was, "I don't want any of these people (terrorists) telling my kids how to act, or how to dress. I don't want to worry about the safety of my children." Kiana and Alek, your father fought for many things, but always remember, he fought for you.

As you fight this battle we call life, you will find your challenges greater, your adversity larger, your enemies more numerous. The beautiful thing is, you will grow stronger, smarter, faster, and you will overcome the obstacles in your way.

No one could've better prepared you than your father. In the month and a half your family stayed with me in Laguna Niguel, Calif., while waiting for base housing to open up, I saw how, with the help of your incredible mother, he instilled in you the essentials to life:


Live with integrity, for without integrity we deceive ourselves, we live in a house of cards.

Fight for what you believe, for without valor, we lose our freedom.
Be willing to sacrifice, for anything worthy in life requires sacrifice.
Be disciplined, for it is discipline that builds the foundation of your success.

You will encounter misguided people in your life who may question America's attempt to help the people of Iraq and the Middle East. These pathetic windbags, who have nothing so sacred in their lives that they would be willing to fight for it, will argue and debate endlessly on what we should've done.
While they criticize, they forget the truth, or conveniently overlook the fact that it takes men and women of action, willing to make a sacrifice, to free the enslaved, to advance the cause of freedom.

Our great nation was built on the shoulders of men like your father. While the nay-sayers and cowards hid in the shadows sniveling that nothing was worth dying for, men like your dad carved our liberty away from the English, freed the slaves and kept the Union together, saved Europe from the Germans twice; rescued the Pacific away from the Japanese, defeated communism, and right now, fight terrorism and plant the seeds of democracy in the Middle East.

Your father was a warrior, but being a warrior is not always about fighting. He was patient with those he led, and he understood people make mistakes. He cared about the men he led as if they were his own family. To him, they were. His work ethic was tremendous. But he made time for his family, to enjoy life. He was balanced, at equilibrium. He was an inspiration. He was my friend.

In your future, when you are pushed against a wall, in a tight spot, outnumbered and seemingly overwhelmed, it may be tempting to give up, or even use the absence of your father as a crutch, as an excuse for failure.

Don't. Your father's passing, while tragic, serves as an endless source of your empowerment. Your father would not want you to wallow in self-pity. I know you will honor him by living your life in the positive example he set. Respect and remember him. Drive on with your lives. Serve something greater than yourself. Enjoy all the good things that life has to offer. That is what he would want.

Kiana! I have never met a more capable young lady in my life. You are the most well-read, articulate, disciplined young person I know. Often I tell people of the arm-bar you demonstrated on me in your parents' garage. When you become a worldwide Judo champion, I will say with great pride, "that woman nearly torqued my shoulder out when she was 11 years old!"
If my daughter grows up with a quarter of the strength of your principles, determination and intelligence, she will be an incredible human being. Like your mother, you are a beautiful woman, a fact of which you should be proud.

Alek! You are blessed with your father's strength of character and his unbreakable will and his broad shoulders. Your mother gave you her determination and unwavering mental toughness.
Your mother told me the story of you hanging up the sign, "Be a leader, not a follower." My eyes well up every time that I think of you doing that. My eyes fill not with tears of sadness, but of pride, to know you grasped the mindset your father passed on to you. This mindset will allow you to be a leader and protector like your father, and one day, to raise an upright, solid-as-a-rock family of your own.

When I look in your eyes, I see your father. Courageous, determined and resolute, your father embodied all that is virtuous in a warrior. Even now, you strive to embody his same character. Remember, there will never be any pressure for you to be exactly like your father. Be your own man, but build your character in his image.

Many people may be concerned about your future because of the early passing of your father. I don't worry at all. Your dad gave you all you ever need to become a great woman and a great man. I know your father would have told you to be your own hero/heroine. Don't wait for someone to rise up and lead you to victory, to your goals. If you do, you might wait for a very long time.

Ray died as a warrior, sword in hand, in service of his country, his comrades and you, his loved ones. His spirit and example give us all hope, reaffirms our faith. Your father reminds us there are men willing to fight for people that they don't even know so that all may live in peace.

I joined the Corps to serve beside men like your father. There is no other Marine I'd rather have protecting my flank in combat than your dad. Even now, as I write this letter in Iraq, I will honor him on the field of battle by slaying as many of our enemies as possible, and fight until our mission is accomplished.
You will always be in our lives. Please stay in touch. We will always be in your corner for assistance, advice or just conversation. Pam and I plan to retire in Idaho and would love for you to visit us so we can take you white-water rafting and mountain climbing.

Very Respectfully, Doug


NEWS RELEASES from the United States Department of Defense

No. 584-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2007
Media Contact: (703) 697-5131/697-5132
Public/Industry(703) 428-0711

DoD Identfies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, 34, of Albuquerque, N.M., died May 11 while conducting combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq.

He was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, Marine Corps National Capital Region, Henderson Hall, Arlington, Va.

For more information in regard to this release the media can contact the headquarters Marine Corps public affairs office at (703) 614-4309.

Semper Fi, Sir