Allegiance United States Rank Colonel Other work NASA | Name Joe Dowdy | |
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Years of service September 1979 - May 2004 Battles/wars Beirut (1982), Somalia (1993), Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003) Service/branch United States Marine Corps | ||
Commands held 1st Marine Regiment Battles and wars Somalia, Iraq War Education University of Mississippi | ||
Colonel joe d dowdy ceremony auvsi
Joe D. Dowdy was the commanding officer of the Regimental Combat Team 1 (RCT-1) during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
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Career
He led his unit to within 130 km of Baghdad before being relieved of command on April 4, 2003 by Major General James Mattis, the commanding officer of the 1st Marine Division. He was replaced by Colonel John Toolan, then chief of staff for the division. According to the spokesman for the 1st Marine Division at the time, Lieutenant Eric Knapp, Dowdy's removal "was a decision based on operating tempo." This decision was controversial to many in Marine Corps and the Department of Defense. Dowdy became the Special Operations Manager at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in February 2007 but as of May 2012 was no longer employed there. He lives in Cocoa Beach, Florida, with his family.
In popular culture
The replacement of Dowdy and his role in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq is referenced in the episode "Stay Frosty" of the HBO miniseries Generation Kill. The episode highlights the discontent within the Marine Corps over the decision, most notably amongst its officers.