Ramadi Days

The months are heating up for the young men who made up the Magnificent Bastards of Echo Company, Second Battalion, Fourth Marines. April left a leadership gap amongst the lower ranks, and Tor was promoted to leading his brothers who were Belligerent Bastards. The loss of life switched Tor from a carefree Marine, who only cared about his weapon, gear, and self; to a concerned leader. The lives of...

Theo Tor takes you through the streets of Ramadi, Iraq in May of 2004. The deployment was dangerous and full of gun fights. This is important for us to understand the effects of war and the trauma that lasts. Theo also points out how the US Marine Corps is a professional Killers organization.

In the second installment of this intense series, the battlefield shifts from the desert to the psyche as the true cost of combat is laid bare. “Beef ain’t over till someone rests in the dirt.” On April 10, 2004, the streets of Ramadi weren’t just a war zone—they were a testing ground for a brotherhood forged in fire. In What Is Beef? April 10 Revenge Part 2, host Theophilus Tor takes you back ins...

"Beef ain't over till someone rests in the dirt." In this gripping episode of Ramadi Days, host Theophilus Tor takes listeners back to the chaotic streets of Iraq during the Battle of Ramadi. Recounting the events of April 10th, 2004, Tor—then a 20-year-old Marine in Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines—shares a raw and unfiltered look at urban warfare. Fueled by vengeance after losing their b...

April 6th 2004, the imbedded insurgency decided to come out and fight us gun to gun. The battles were daily, until the insurgents realized that they could not beat us with one-on-one fighting. This episode dives into the deaths that we sustained when the fighting started, and a death of a friend that I witnessed up close. It was LCLP Eric Ayon’s last mission. He was supposed to head home after tha...

You never forget your first near death experience. This episode talks about the first time I was in an explosion. It wasn’t the last, but it was definitely memorable. The streets of Ramadi were littered with IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices). Our unit stopped waiting for EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) and decided to self detonate IEDs ourselves. This account was of the day when my fellow Mar...

SASO (Security And Stablility Operations) turn into combat operations as attacks intensify. Our unit quickly went from winning the hearts and minds of the population, to fighting an imbedded insurgency. We didn’t know that we were there to fight in the Super Bowl of Jihad, but we learned quickly after taking our first casualties.

A few have undertaken the monumental task of describing USMC 1st Marines Battallion 2/4 Echo Company 2004 combat deployment to Ar Ramadi, Iraq. In the deployment mistakes were made, men distinguished themselves, and lessons were learned that trained warfighters on modern urban combat. Theophilus Tor is an African American Marine who details the deployment from his eyes. Take a listen to learn what...