Editor’s note: For Veterans Day, this story is part of a series reflecting on the service members and families affected by the two battles of Fallujah in 2004 — among the most intense and costly conflicts in modern American history.
When Marine corpsman Mike Tabura deployed to Iraq in 2004, he called home expecting to tell his wife, Noemi, that he’d arrived safely.
Instead, she delivered the news first: “I’m pregnant!”
At just 26, Tabura was thrust into dual realities — becoming a new father while preparing for one of the most dangerous missions of the Iraq War. Only two months later, he left camp to join Operation Phantom Fury, the second major battle for Fallujah, launched in November 2004. The city had become a central stronghold for insurgents after the March ambush in which four American contractors were killed and mutilated, prompting the U.S. to reclaim the area at any cost.
Entering Fallujah, Tabura recalls, felt like stepping straight into chaos.
“It was the wild, wild west,” he says. “Insurgents everywhere were shooting at you — small arms, sniper rifles, rockets, mortars.”
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The news of his wife’s pregnancy sharpened his sense of purpose.
“Having a pregnant wife added another stressor,” he says. “We had to be hypervigilant. I had to be at the top of my game so we all made it home to our families.”
As the platoon’s “doc,” responsible for the Marines’ lives in combat, he didn’t have much time to dwell on impending fatherhood. His focus stayed on protecting those around him.
The role of a Navy corpsman carries a unique mixture of danger, duty, and deep respect.
“Corpsmen share the hardship of battle and the kinship of Marines, and they keep us alive and fighting,” says retired Col. Keil Gentry, a Fallujah veteran and director of the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va. “When a Marine yells, ‘Corpsman up!’ they know that doc will come running.”
Since the Navy Hospital Corps was established in 1898, corpsmen have served beside Marines in every major conflict. One of the most well-known was John “Doc” Bradley, who fought at Iwo Jima in 1945, received the Navy Cross, and was part of the first flag raising on Mount Suribachi — later chronicled in Flags of Our Fathers and its 2006 film adaptation.
A Hawaii Childhood That Built Resilience
Tabura grew up in Waianae on Oahu’s western shore. A latchkey kid from a challenging environment, he learned responsibility early — walking home alone in first grade, making his own snacks, and starting homework without supervision.
“My childhood wasn’t the best environment,” he says, “but I feel that tough times make tougher people.”
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His path to medicine began unexpectedly at a shopping mall, when a Navy recruiter approached him. Reeling from a breakup and unsure of his future, he listened.
“I hadn’t thought about joining the Navy,” he says. “But I knew I wanted to be in the medical field.”
Soon, he was signing papers to become a corpsman and serve alongside the Marines.
Inside Operation Phantom Fury
In Fallujah, Tabura’s unit spent its days clearing weapon caches hidden underground or inside buildings, and conducting house-to-house sweeps to uncover insurgents — some of the most perilous operations Marines undertake.
Corpsmen saved countless lives during the battle, though not every life could be saved. One story that remains emblematic is that of 21-year-old corpsman Reinaldo Aponte, who tried desperately to revive Lance Corporal Bradley Faircloth, 20, after he was struck by a 20-round machine-gun burst while clearing a building on Nov. 25. Despite intense CPR, Faircloth couldn’t be revived.
“Doc Aponte still lives with the shame he feels for failing his Marines,” Gentry says. “His fellow Marines and Faircloth’s mother, Kathleen, continue to try to help him heal.”
Tabura’s platoon was fortunate to avoid major losses — until one day in December.
A Loss That Still Haunts Him
On Dec. 28, 2004, after returning to camp, Tabura’s medical team received an urgent call: someone had been shot. He sprinted to the scene and found Corpsman Pablito Pena Briones Jr., wounded by a gunshot to the head.
Tabura did everything he could, and Briones was rushed to the shock trauma unit.
“But he didn’t make it,” Tabura says quietly. “I think about him all the time. I was angry. He was only 22. That’s one of my scars from the battle.”
Nearly Three Decades of Service
What began as a five-year plan turned into a 27-year career.
“I thought I was just going to do my five years and get out,” he says. “And here I am today. Serving with my Marine Corps brothers and sisters is a true honor.”
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Now the enlisted medical advisor with the I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton in California, he plans to retire in 2028. His service has taken him around the world — including two lengthy deployments on the USS Roosevelt, 13 months in Afghanistan, and a three-year unaccompanied tour in Washington, D.C.
The Baby Who Motivated Him Through Battle
That surprise pregnancy he learned about before entering Fallujah?
Their daughter Mikaylah is now 20, and her brother, Michael, is 19 — both college students in California.
