Couvillon, David W., Col

Specific Billet MOS
 
 TWS Ribbon Bar
Life Member
 
 Service Photo 
 Service Details
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Service Status
USMC Retired
Final Rank
Colonel
Last MOS
9906-Colonel, Ground
Last MOSGroup
 Specific Billet MOS
Previously Held MOS's
1100-Basic Utilities Marine
0121-Personnel Clerk
0369-Infantry Unit Leader
0302-Infantry Officer
Primary Unit
1980-2003, 0302, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines (3/23)
Service Years
1974 - 2014
Official/Unofficial USMC Certificates
Cold War Certificate
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Marine Combat Water Survival Qualified (WSQ)
Voice Edition
Colonel

 Official Badges 

Green Belt


 Unofficial Badges 


 Military Associations and Other Affiliations
American LegionMarine Corps Association and Foundation (MCA&F)United States Naval InstituteChoctaw; Detachment 778
Marine Corps Mustang AssociationVeterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)Military Order of the Devil DogsMilitary Order of World Wars (MOWW)
Military Officers Association of America (MOAA)Reserve Organization of America
  1980, American Legion
  1982, Marine Corps Association and Foundation (MCA&F)
  1985, United States Naval Institute
  1988, Marine Corps League, Choctaw; Detachment 778 (Past Commandant) (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
  1990, Marine Corps Mustang Association
  1991, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
  1992, Military Order of the Devil Dogs
  1998, Military Order of World Wars (MOWW)
  1998, Military Officers Association of America (MOAA)
  2004, Reserve Organization of America


 Additional Information
What are you doing now:

Enjoying life!

Had a podcast this past Memorial Day. http://podcast225.com/honoring-america/
   
Other Comments:

VFW Post 3785 American Legion Post 160 Reserve Officers Association Marine Corps Association Marine Corps Mustang Association Military Order of the World Wars Cadets of the Ole War Skule Knights of Columbus #10744 Baton Rouge Blues Society US Naval Institute Baton Rouge Society of Miniature Gamers
   
 Photo Album   (More...) 



OIF/Liberation of Iraq (2003)
From Month/Year
March / 2003		 To Month/Year
May / 2003

Description
The 2003 invasion of Iraq lasted from 19 March to 1 May 2003 and signaled the start of the conflict that later came to be known as the Iraq War, which was dubbed Operation Iraqi Freedom by the United States (prior to 19 March, the mission in Iraq was called Operation Enduring Freedom, a carryover from the conflict in Afghanistan). The invasion consisted of 21 days of major combat operations, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and deposed the Ba'athist government of Saddam Hussein. The invasion phase consisted primarily of a conventionally fought war which concluded with the capture of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad by American forces.

Four countries participated with troops during the initial invasion phase, which lasted from 19 March to 9 April 2003. These were the United States (148,000), United Kingdom (45,000), Australia (2,000), and Poland (194). 36 other countries were involved in its aftermath. In preparation for the invasion, 100,000 U.S. troops were assembled in Kuwait by 18 February. The coalition forces also received support from Kurdish irregulars in Iraqi Kurdistan.

According to U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the coalition mission was "to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people." General Wesley Clark, the former Supreme NATO Allied Commander and Joint Chiefs of Staff Director of Strategy and Policy, describes in his 2003 book, Winning Modern Wars, his conversation with a military officer in the Pentagon shortly after 9/11 regarding a plan to attack seven Middle Eastern countries in five years: "As I went back through the Pentagon in November 2001, one of the senior military staff officers had time for a chat. Yes, we were still on track for going against Iraq, he said. But there was more. This was being discussed as part of a five-year campaign plan, he said, and there were a total of seven countries, beginning with Iraq, then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia and Sudan."  Others place a much greater emphasis on the impact of the 11 September 2001 attacks, and the role this played in changing U.S. strategic calculations, and the rise of the freedom agenda. According to Blair, the trigger was Iraq's failure to take a "final opportunity" to disarm itself of alleged nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that U.S. and British officials called an immediate and intolerable threat to world peace.

In a January 2003 CBS poll, 64% of Americans had approved of military action against Iraq; however, 63% wanted Bush to find a diplomatic solution rather than go to war, and 62% believed the threat of terrorism directed against the U.S. would increase due to war. The invasion of Iraq was strongly opposed by some long-standing U.S. allies, including the governments of France, Germany, and New Zealand. Their leaders argued that there was no evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that invading the country was not justified in the context of UNMOVIC's 12 February 2003 report. On 15 February 2003, a month before the invasion, there were worldwide protests against the Iraq War, including a rally of three million people in Rome, which is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest ever anti-war rally. According to the French academic Dominique Reynié, between 3 January and 12 April 2003, 36 million people across the globe took part in almost 3,000 protests against the Iraq war.

The invasion was preceded by an air strike on the Presidential Palace in Baghdad on 19 March 2003. The following day, coalition forces launched an incursion into Basra Province from their massing point close to the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border. While the special forces launched an amphibious assault from the Persian Gulf to secure Basra and the surrounding petroleum fields, the main invasion army moved into southern Iraq, occupying the region and engaging in the Battle of Nasiriyah on 23 March. Massive air strikes across the country and against Iraqi command and control threw the defending army into chaos and prevented an effective resistance. On 26 March, the 173rd Airborne Brigade was airdropped near the northern city of Kirkuk, where they joined forces with Kurdish rebels and fought several actions against the Iraqi army to secure the northern part of the country.

The main body of coalition forces continued their drive into the heart of Iraq and met with little resistance. Most of the Iraqi military was quickly defeated and Baghdad was occupied on 9 April. Other operations occurred against pockets of the Iraqi army including the capture and occupation of Kirkuk on 10 April, and the attack and capture of Tikrit on 15 April. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and the central leadership went into hiding as the coalition forces completed the occupation of the country. On 1 May, an end of major combat operations was declared, ending the invasion period and beginning the military occupation period.
   
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
March / 2003		 To Month/Year
May / 2003
 
Last Updated:
Mar 16, 2020
   
Personal Memories
   
Units Participated in Operation

7th Marine Regiment

23rd Marine Regiment

1st Marine Regiment

2nd Battalion, 1st Marines (2/1)

1st Battalion, 1st Marines (1/1)

Marine Air Support Squadron 3 (MASS-3)

Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452 (VMGR-452)

Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462 (HMH-462)

5th Marine Regiment

10th Marine Regiment

3rd Battalion, 4th Marines (3/4)

Marine Attack Squadron 542 (VMA-542)

1st Combat Engineer Battalion (CEB)

Marine Attack Squadron 121 (VMA-121)

3rd Battalion, 7th Marines (3/7)

Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 165 (HMM-165)

Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 161 (HMM-161)

1st Battalion, 2nd Marines (1/2)

Marine Wing Communications Squadron 28 (MWCS-28)

2nd Marine Division

Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 2 (VMAQ-2)

Marine Forces Reserve Command Headquarters

Marine Scout Bomber Squadron 231 (VMSB-231)

L Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines (3/7)

Marine Wing Support Squadron-371 (MWSS-371)

1st Battalion, 24th Marines (1/24)

Marine Attack Squadron 214 (VMA-214)

2nd Engineer Battalion

USS Boxer (LHD-4)

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 (VMFA-115)

3rd Battalion, 10th Marines (3/10)

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 (VMFA-232)

Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron 162 (HMR-162)

Marine Aircraft Group 29 (MAG-29)

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 (VMFA-122)

Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167 (HMLA-167)

USS Austin (LPD-4)

9th Engineer Support Battalion (9th ESB)

2nd Medical Battalion

Marine Attack Squadron 323 (VMA-323)

Marine Wing Support Squadron-272 (MWSS-272)

2nd Battalion, 5th Marines (2/5)

3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion (3rd AABn)

9th Communication Battalion

2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion (2nd AABn)

6th Engineer Support Battalion (6th ESB)
 
My Photos From This Battle or Operation
No Available Photos

  7599 Also There at This Battle:
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  • [Name Withheld], (2002-2010)
  • Abbey, Derek, Maj, (1991-Present)
  • Abbott, Robert, SSgt, (1998-Present)
  • Abel, Brandon, Sgt, (2001-2007)
  • Abell, Brendan, Sgt, (1999-Present)
  • Abernathy, William, GySgt, (1996-2016)
  • Abeyta, Vincent, 1stSgt, (1990-2011)
  • Abfalter, Douglas, SSgt, (1995-Present)
  • Abruzese, Eric, Cpl, (2002-2006)
  • Acevedo, Salvador, Sgt, (2001-2005)
  • Ackerman, Michael, GySgt, (1983-2006)
  • Ackerman, Ryan, Cpl, (2001-2005)
  • Acord, Jason, GySgt, (1997-Present)
  • Acosta, Jose, SgtMaj, (1979-2008)
  • Acosta, Raul, Sgt, (2001-2008)
  • Acosta, Raymond, Sgt, (1998-2008)
  • Acosta, Richard, LCpl, (2000-2004)
  • ACOSTA, RUBEN, SSgt, (1998-Present)
  • Adam, John, SSgt, (1977-2007)
  • Adams, Bobby, SSgt, (1996-2008)
  • Adams, Chris, Cpl, (1999-2003)
  • Adams, Daniel, SSgt, (1994-2007)
  • Adams, David, SSgt, (1993-Present)
  • Adams, Ethan, SSgt, (1998-Present)
  • Adams, Jerome, Sgt, (2000-2008)
  • Adams, Jessica, Sgt, (1998-2007)
  • Adams, Joel, Sgt, (2002-2008)
  • Adams, Joseph, SSgt, (1998-2004)
  • Adams, Joshua, Sgt, (2002-2008)
  • Adams, Mike, CWO5, (1983-2013)
  • Adams, Nicole, GySgt, (2011-Present)
  • Adams, Timothy, Sgt, (1997-2007)
  • Adams, Troy, Sgt, (2000-2008)
  • Adamson, Jeremy, LCpl, (1999-2005)
  • Adcox, Bryon, Cpl, (1999-2003)
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  • Aguayo, John, MSgt, (2001-Present)
  • Aguayo, Juan, Cpl, (2000-2004)
  • Aguilar, Adrian, SSgt, (2000-2010)
  • Aguilar, David, Sgt, (1990-2005)
  • Aguilar, Michael, Maj, (1995-Present)
  • Ahlin, Evan, Sgt, (2002-2008)
  • Aiello, Paul, MGySgt, (1990-2015)
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  • Akrish, Eric, PO3, (2001-2007)
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  • Alao, Asher, PO2, (2000-2007)
  • Albee, Thomas, Cpl, (1999-2004)
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  • Albino, Jose, Cpl, (1998-2003)
  • ALBOTA, ALEX, Sgt, (1999-2008)
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  • Alexanian, Phil, HM2, (1996-2006)
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  • Ali, Oscar, Cpl, (2000-2004)
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