OVERSTATE
OVERSTATE BELLAVIA'S HEROISM FROM THAT DAY IN FALLUJAH BACK
IN 2004.
THE STAFF SERGEANT
RECENTLY SPOKE
ABOUT EVERYTHING
THAT HAPPENED ON
THAT DAY... 15 YEARS
AGO THIS NOVEMBER.
NOVEMBER 10TH, 2004-
STAFF SERGEANT DAVID BELLAVIA MARKED HIS
29TH BIRTHDAY ON A
MISSION WITH HIS UNIT
TO SEARCH A GROUP
OF HOMES IN FALLUJAH
FOR ENEMY
INSURGENTS.
THEY WALKED INTO AN
AMBUSH - TWO
MACHINE GUNS
SPRAYING FIRE AT THE
PLATOON... HITTING
THREE OF BELLAVIA'S
COMRADES.
"I COULD NOT USE MY
RIFLE, AND I LOOKED
DOWN AND I HAD A
ROUND THAT HIT THE
MAGAZINE. COULDN'T
HAVE ASKED FOR
WORSE LUCK."
BELLAVIA TOOK A
SQUADMATE'S MACHINE
GUN - AND WENT INTO
THE BUILDING ALONE.
"SO I JUST STARTED
FIRING. I COULD SEE
THESE GUYS. I SEE THE
LOOK ON THEIR FACE. I
COULD SEE HOW
CONFIDENT THEY WERE.
AND I CLUNK EMPTY AND
I LOOK IN THE HOUSE
AND EVERYONE'S
GONE."
HE REGROUPED WITH
HIS SQUAD AND WENT
BACK IN - WITH ONLY A
JOURNALIST BESIDE
HIM - ONCE AGAIN
RUNNING INTO
INSURGENTS.
"I SAW THIS GUY
LOADING UP AN RPG. I
TURNED THE CORNER
AND I JUST STARTED
PUTTING ROUNDS
DOWN. AND BECAUSE
OF WHERE HE WAS HE
COULDN'T MOVE SO HE
WAS JUST TRAPPED."
ANOTHER INSURGENT
HE HIT SURVIVED - AND
USING THE SOUND OF
HIS RADIO -- TRACKED
BELLAVIA TO A
BEDROOM.
"THEY COULD HEAR
THAT. BUT I DON'T THINK
HE KNOWS WHERE I'M
AT. AND I THINK IT'S
ALMOST APPARENT THAT
THEY DIDN'T KNOW,
BECAUSE THEY WALKED
RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE
BEDROOM AND THAT'S
HOW I GOT THE JUMP ON
HIM."
THAT INSURGENT WENT
DOWN... BUT SOON
AFTER, ANOTHER
STARTED SHOOTING
FROM THE STAIRS.
"BUT THERE WAS A GAP
IN THE FRAME OF THE
BEDROOM, AND THERE
WAS A LITTLE SPACE IN
BETWEEN THE
CONCRETE AND THE
DOOR FRAME. AND I PUT
ROUNDS BETWEEN THE
WALL AND THAT GOT
HIM."
ANOTHER INSURGENT
CAME OUT OF A
WARDROBE - BUT LOST
HIS BALANCE AND
MISSED SHOOTING
BELLAVIA, GIVING HIM
TIME TO RETURN FIRE
AND WOUND HIM.
BELLAVIA CHASED HIM
UP THE STAIRS.
"AND I HIT BLOOD AND I
LOSE MY ENTIRE
FOOTING AND I JUST
FALL. AND THE GUY
SHOOTS AROUND RIGHT
WHERE I WAS
STANDING."
BELLAVIA TOSSED A
GRENADE INTO THE
ROOM - THEN
WRESTLED WITH A
FIGHTER WHO WAS
TRYING TO GIVE AWAY
BELLAVIA'S POSITION.
"I DID MY BEST TO
PACIFY THIS GUY. AND I
DID. AND IT TOOK
EVERYTHING TO DO IT.
AND THEN I WALKED
OUTSIDE. I NEEDED A
CIGARETTE. WHICH
MAKES NO SENSE
WHATSOEVER BUT I WAS
REALLY
REALLY STRESSED OUT." BELLAVIA PLANNED TO WAIT ON THE REST OF
HIS UNIT TO TAKE OUT
THE LAST INSURGENT -
WHEN THAT FIGHTER
JUMPED DOWN FROM
THE ROOF ABOVE.
"HAD HE LANDED
PERFECTLY AND HAD
THE JUMP, MY WEAPON
IS AWAY FROM ME. I'M
SMOKING A CIGARETTE. I
DON'T HAVE A HELMET
ON. I'M BEATEN UP. MY
EYES ARE BURNING. HE
HAD THE JUMP. BUT HE
LANDED THE WAY HE
LANDED. I WAS ABLE TO
FIRE ONTO HIM."
HE AND HIS SQUAD
WERE ORDERED TO
GET
GET OUT
GET OUT OF THE AREA TO CLEAR THE WAY FOR AIR SUPPORT - ALL OF
THEM ALIVE, THANKS TO
BELLAVIA'S BRAVERY.
"A CRAZY DAY ENDED
AND WE WENT ONTO
THE NEXT CRAZY FIGHT.
THERE WAS PLENTY OF
THOSE FOR THE REST
OF THE TIME WE WERE
IN FALLUJAH."
IN FALLUJAH."
NBC
NBC NEWS
NBC NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT
HOUSE CORRESPONDENT PETER ALEXANDER
ALSO GOT A CHANCE TO
SPEAK WITH BELLAVIA
TODAY TO SHARE HIS
POWERFUL STORY.
YOU CAN CATCH THAT
PIECE COMING UP
TONIGHT AT 6:30 ON
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
RIGHT HERE ON