Soha, Stephen, MGySgt

Specific Billet MOS

TWS Ribbon Bar

Service Photo

Service Details

Current Service Status
USMC Retired

Current/Last Rank
Master Gunnery Sergeant

Current/Last Primary MOS
9915-Special Assignment-Enlisted

Current/Last MOSGroup
Specific Billet MOS

Previously Held MOS
0300-Basic Infantryman
5811-Military Policeman
0369-Infantry Unit Leader
8005-Special Assignment Officer

Primary Unit
2013-2013, Wounded Warrior Bn - West, Wounded Warrior Regiment

Service Years
1984 - 2015

Official/Unofficial USMC Certificates

Cold War Certificate

Golden Dragon Certificate

Golden Shellback Certificate

Shellback Certificate

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Operation Enduring Freedom

Marine Combat Water Survival Qualified (WSQ)

Official Badges

Unofficial Badges

Military Associations and Other Affiliations

Marines' Memorial Association & Foundation

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)


	2003, Marine Corps League
	2003, 1st Marine Division Association
	2003, American Legion
	2003, Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
	2003, Marine Corps Heritage Foundation
	2003, Marine Corps Reserve Association (MCRA)
	2003, Marines' Memorial Association & Foundation
	2003, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW), Post 8154, George R. Baxmann (Chaplain) (United States)
	2003, Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation
	2009, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)

Additional Information

What are you doing now:

Retired!

Remembrance Profiles - 8 Marines Remembered

Anderson, Alonzo, SSgt, (1983-1993)	Bush, Tim, Cpl, (1983-1987)
Lanphear (aka) Smith, Sterling, Cpl, (1967-1969)	Lapka, Christopher, Cpl, (2001-2004)
Mcnutt, "RJ", Sgt	Parker, Elmer, LCpl, (1984-1990)
Passaro, Michael, GySgt, (1987-2008)	Wood, William, PFC, (1941-1944)

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 Marines
23rd Marines
1st Marines
2nd Bn, 1st Marines (2/1)
1st Bn, 1st Marines (1/1)
MASS-3, MACG-38
VMGR-452
HMH-462
5th Marines
10th Marines
3rd Bn, 4th Marines (3/4)
VMA-542
1st Combat Engineer Bn (CEB)
VMA-121
3rd Bn, 7th Marines (3/7)
HMM-165
HMM-161
1st Bn, 2nd Marines (1/2)
MWCS-28
2nd Marine Division
VMAQ-2
Marine Forces Reserve Command Headquarters
VMSB-231
L Co, 3rd Bn, 7th Marines (3/7)
MWSS-371 Sandsharks
1st Bn, 24th Marines (1/24)
VMA-214
2nd Engineer Bn
USS Boxer (LHD-4)
VMFA-115
3rd Bn, 10th Marines (3/10)
VMFA-232
HMR-162
MAG-29
VMFA-122 (Crusaders)
HMLA-167
USS Austin (LPD-4)
9th Engineer Support Bn (ESB)
2nd Medical Bn
VMA-323
MWSS-272
2nd Bn, 5th Marines (2/5)
3rd Assault Amphibian Bn (3rd AABn)
9th Comm Bn
2nd Assault Amphibian Bn (2nd AABn)

My Photos From This Battle or Operation

No Available Photos

7530 Also There at This Battle:

More...

[Name Withheld], (2002-2010)

Abbey, Derek, Maj, (1991-Present)

Abbott, Jason Neill, HM3, (2003-2003)

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)

Acord, Jason, GySgt, (1997-Present)

Acosta, Daniel, MGySgt, (1975-2005)

Acosta, Jose, SgtMaj, (1979-2008)

Acosta, Michael, Cpl, (1999-2003)

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-Present)

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)

Addesso, Dennis, Sgt, (2000-2005)

Adeyemi, Olugbenro, Capt, (1999-2004)

Adkins, Cory, Sgt, (2002-2007)

Adkins, Cory, Sgt, (2002-2008)

Adkison, Donald, Cpl, (2002-2005)

Adler, Steven, Sgt, (1997-2006)

Adrianzen, Luis, MGySgt, (1984-2012)

Afmeged, Nuradin, Cpl, (2000-2004)

Aguayo, Derek, Sgt, (2001-2010)

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)

Aguilera, Miguel, Capt, (2002-Present)

Agulia, Richard, MSgt, (1985-2010)

Ahlin, Evan, Sgt, (2002-2008)

Aiello, Paul, MGySgt, (1990-2015)

Aiu, Lucas, Sgt, (2001-2005)

Aiu, Sheena, Sgt, (2002-2006)

Ajeroh, Eboh, Capt, (1994-2014)

Akeley, David, GySgt, (1986-2007)

Akerelrea, Sean, Sgt, (2001-2005)

Akers, Bobby, GySgt, (1993-2008)

Akrish, Eric, HM3, (2001-Present)

Akrish, Eric, PO3, (2001-2007)

Alaniz, Paul Christopher, Capt, (1996-2005)

Alano, Angelo, MSgt, (1994-Present)

Alao, Asher, PO2, (2000-2007)

Albee, Thomas, Cpl, (1999-2004)

Albers, Aaron, Sgt, (1999-2007)

Albiero, Louis, Maj, (1992-2008)

Albin, Cameron, Maj, (2000-Present)

Albino, Jose, Cpl, (1998-2003)

ALBOTA, ALEX, Sgt, (1999-2008)

Albright, Andrew, Sgt, (2000-2006)

Albright, Christopher, Capt, (1993-2008)

Albright, Sam, SSgt, (1991-Present)

Albright, Tina, GySgt, (1995-2015)

Albro, Shawn, SSgt, (1995-2007)

Aldamuy, Christopher, SSgt, (1997-2014)

Alderdice, Jeff, SSgt, (1995-2009)

Aldrich, David, MSgt, (1990-Present)

Alejandre, Angel, SSgt, (1998-2014)

Alejandro, Jose, Cpl, (2001-2005)

Aleman, Mark, Cpl, (2002-2006)

Alessi, Frank, MGySgt, (1986-Present)

Alewine, Adam, SSgt, (1998-2018)

Alexander, Dustin, Sgt, (2000-2008)

Alexander, Lee, SSgt, (1981-1993)

Alexander, Simon, SSgt, (1999-Present)

Alexander, Vincent, MSgt, (1981-2007)

Alexanian, Phil, HM2, (1996-2006)

Alexovich, Zacheria, Sgt, (2002-2006)

Alfonso, Larry, Sgt, (1998-2005)

Ali, Oscar, Cpl, (2000-2004)

Alicea, Ismael, Capt, (2002-Present)

Alicea, John, 1stSgt, (1985-Present)

Alifieris, Nicholas, Cpl, (1999-2006)

Alker, Michael, 1stLt, (2002-2006)

Allaire, Michael, Cpl, (2002-2006)

Allan, Joshua, LCpl, (2002-2005)

Allegretto, Donald, GySgt, (1986-2006)