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MILITARY CHANNEL |
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MILITARY CHANNEL PREMIERES DELTA COMPANY, PUTTING VIEWERS ON THE
FRONT LINES WITH THE MARINES' 1ST TANK BATTALION DURING
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM |
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Two-Part
Special Premieres on January 10 at 9 PM (ET/PT),
Featuring Dramatic Footage of Unfolding Events
and First-Person Accounts from the Marines on the Ground |
 For
Immediate Release:
Silver
Spring, Md. Offering viewers a front-row seat to history in the
making, the Military Channel premieres DELTA COMPANY, the
story of the U.S. Marine Corps' Delta Company 1st Tank
Battalion, as it pushes toward Baghdad in the early days of
Operation Iraqi Freedom. DELTA COMPANY premieres on
Monday, January 10, at 9 PM (ET/PT).
Using
previously unseen footage of the actual events shot in HD by
Marine Corps combat cameramen assigned to the unit, as well as
first-person accounts from frontline troops, this two-part
special puts viewers in the middle of the action as the Marines
of Delta Company move from the Kuwait-Iraq border to the heart
of Baghdad. Through this unprecedented behind-the-scenes
access, DELTA COMPANY provides extraordinary insight into
the life of a Marine on the ground in Iraq—the dangers, the
adrenaline, the camaraderie and the honor of service on the
front lines.
The story is
told entirely from the point of view of Delta Company, one of
four companies in the 1st Tank Battalion, based out of the
Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command in Twentynine
Palms, California. Shot over the course of three weeks during
Operation Iraqi Freedom in April 2003 by Marine Corps combat
cameramen – who were undergoing all the risks and hazards
inherent in a Marine’s life before, during and after combat –
the program offers a window into the furious action the Marines
faced in their initial encounters with Iraqi resistance.
 As the
program opens, the Marines of Delta Company are staging at the
border between Kuwait and Iraq, awaiting the start of combat.
Among those profiled are the Company's leaders: Lt. Col. Jim Chartier, Commanding Officer of 1st Tank Battalion, and Capt.
Greg Poland, Delta Company Commander, a 10-year Marine who will
be experiencing his first taste of battle in Iraq. Then the war
begins and Delta Company tanks take the lead in the push into
Iraq, leading a convoy that at its longest point stretches more
than 50 miles.
Viewers ride
along as Delta Company overcomes initial resistance, gains speed
and engages resistance at the crucial Basra Bridge. But there's
no time to rest: the Company must push ahead, with virtually no
sleep, on the 300-mile trip to the outskirts of Baghdad.
Meanwhile, it must deal with the Iraqi enemy outside – including
fighters who dress as civilians and wave white surrender flags
before attacking – as well as the internal enemy: fatigue. The
Company experiences a tragic loss when one vehicle drives off
the bridge and into the Euphrates River, and four members of
the battalion are lost.
 As the tanks
head into more populated areas and approach the Diyala River
just outside of Baghdad, the Marines must clear a minefield and
overcome the armed resistance blocking their way into the city.
Viewers see how Marine engineers use mine-clearing line charges
(MCLCs) and cross a severely damaged bridge under enemy fire.
Delta Company achieves the Marine Corps' first Regimental
opposed bridge crossing since the Korean War – only to discover
another minefield on the far side of the bridge. This time, the MCLC doesn't detonate. It requires the heroism of Lance
Corporal Joey Bianchimano to detonate the line charge by hand –
for which he later receives the Bronze Star.
Amid
scattered resistance, Delta Company tanks push through and enter
the city of Baghdad. The Marines are greeted by civilians of
all ages, and witness Iraqis toppling a statue of ousted
dictator Saddam Hussein. As major combat operations conclude,
the Marines reflect on their experience and prepare to return
home.
DELTA
COMPANY makes its world television premiere on Monday,
January 10, airing from 9-11 PM (ET/PT). The special will have
an encore airing on Thursday, January 13, from 9-11 PM (ET/PT). Discovery
Networks, U.S., a unit of Discovery Communications, Inc.,
operates and manages the Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet,
the Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery HD
Theater, Discovery Kids Channel, Discovery Times Channel, The
Science Channel, the Military Channel, Discovery Home Channel,
Discovery en Espanol and FitTV. The unit also distributes BBC
AMERICA.
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 First Tank
Battalion History
First Tank Battalion was activated November 1, 1941,
at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The battalion
saw combat in Guadalcanal, Peleliu, Okinawa,
Korea, Vietnam and Southwest Asia. It is the
First Marine Division's heavy punch. The mission
of First Tank Battalion is to provide combat
power to the division in the form of amphibious
and or maritime preposition force; to conduct
operations ashore utilizing maneuver,
armor-protected firepower and shock action in
order to close with and destroy the enemy. The
battalion is comprised of one Headquarters and
Service Company and four line companies. The
battalion provides a company for each of the
four Combined Arms Exercises (CAX) the division
participates in annually and provides a
reinforced tank platoon to each Southern
California Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU)
Battalion Landing Team (BLT). Using its TOW and
Scout platoons, the battalion participates in
division-level schools teaching crew-served and
TOW weapon systems.
Along with
providing MEU and CAX support, First Tanks
participates in Desert Scimitar, Tank Table
Gunnery (local qualification), MOUT/Amphibious
operations, Steel Knight, Kernel Blitz, overseas
exercises such as Native Fury and Bright Star
and the Marine Corps-wide annual Tank Hotshot
competition at Fort Knox, Kentucky. |
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