Twenty years ago today, United States Marine Corps Sgt. George Martinez Ulloa Jr. was killed in action while commanding an M1A1 Abrams tank during combat operations near Habbaniyah in Iraq’s Al Anbar Province.
On this solemn anniversary, the American Heritage Museum remembers Sgt. Ulloa not only as a courageous Marine and skilled tank commander, but also as a devoted husband, father, mentor, and leader whose actions helped protect the Marines serving beside him.
Sgt. Ulloa served with Company A, 2nd Tank Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5. During an earlier deployment, he participated in Operation Al Fajr, the major 2004 offensive to retake Fallujah. He returned to Iraq in March 2006 and led his Marines on more than 70 combat patrols. In May, he became a tank commander and section leader with the company’s 2nd Platoon.
On August 3, 2006, Sgt. Ulloa and his crew were supporting security and stabilization operations near Habbaniyah. Their mission was part of an effort to open and secure the dangerous road between Fallujah and Habbaniyah in support of the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment. An improvised explosive device detonated alongside their M1A1 Abrams, and Sgt. Ulloa was fatally wounded by shrapnel.
The training, discipline, and leadership Sgt. Ulloa had instilled in his crew enabled the other Marines to maneuver the damaged tank away from the danger area and survive the attack. His platoon commander later observed that the crew’s performance that day demonstrated the lasting influence of their young tank commander.
Today, the actual M1A1 Abrams damaged during Sgt. Ulloa’s final mission is preserved inside the American Heritage Museum’s War on Terror Gallery. The exhibit presents the story of the attack through the experiences of Sgt. Ulloa and his crew, placing visitors beside the battle-damaged vehicle and connecting a powerful instrument of modern warfare with the individual Marines who served inside it.
The scars still visible on the Abrams make the history immediate, but the exhibit is ultimately about far more than the tank. It is about the responsibility shared by a four-man crew, the trust required inside a combat vehicle, and a leader whose preparation helped bring his fellow Marines home.
Those who knew Sgt. Ulloa described him as intensely dedicated, professional, confident, and committed to mentoring others. Away from the battlefield, he was remembered as a loving husband to Maria and a devoted father to their three children. Whether guiding young Marines or coaching children on a soccer field, teaching and encouraging others were central to his character.
At his memorial service in Iraq, Col. Larry D. Nicholson described true heroes as “mortal men who perform immortal deeds” and told the assembled Marines that Sgt. Ulloa would forever remain one of his heroes.
The American Heritage Museum is honored to preserve Sgt. Ulloa’s story so that his sacrifice—and the service of the crew who fought beside him—will not be reduced to a date or statistic. Through the Abrams and the personal history surrounding it, visitors are asked to understand the human cost of military service and remember the families whose lives are forever changed by war.
On this 20th anniversary, the American Heritage Museum joins Sgt. Ulloa’s family, fellow Marines, friends, and a grateful nation in honoring his life, leadership, courage, and sacrifice.
Sgt. George Martinez Ulloa Jr.
April 12, 1983–August 3, 2006
Semper Fidelis
Visitors wishing to leave their remembrances and thoughts are encouraged to do so at the guestbook at Sgt. George Ulloa’s obituary at:
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/george-ulloa-obituary?id=52202020
