Invasion (2003) Post-invasion insurgency (2003–2006) Civil war (2006–2008) Insurgency (2008–2011) On Easter Sunday April 11, 2004, a battle was fought at Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) in Iraq primarily between United States Army truck drivers, air defense artillerymen, armor, military policemen, engineers and miscellaneous logistics personnel and militants from Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army, along the Southwest side of the airport wall in an area commonly referred to as Engineer Village.
On Thursday night, April 8, the militia destroyed eight bridges and overpasses around Convoy Support Center Scania thus halting all northbound traffic into the Sunni Triangle.
That same evening, 2LT James L. McCormick's Humvee gun truck, Zebra, of the 1486th Transportation Company, fought off an enemy ambush at the turn into BIAP for about 20 minutes with him and SPC Brandon Lawson was seriously wounded.
For approximately 45 minutes, the enemy concentrated their attack on the section of wall occupied by the Zebra, and a handful of truck drivers fought back against intense small arms fire and repeated volleys of rocket propelled grenades.
Finally, CPT Peter Glass’ C Troop, 3-8 Cavalry arrived and replaced the gun trucks on the ramps with his M1 Abrams tanks which ended the enemy resistance after 45 minutes of fighting.
[2][3] Thirty minutes after having defeated the enemy attack, the crew of the Zebra fought through three more ambushes to escort convoys with critical ammunition to the Green Zone for the 1st Cavalry Division.