Joe Dowdy

Infobox Military Person
name= Joe Dowdy
born=
died=
placeofbirth=
placeofdeath=


caption=
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Marine Corps
serviceyears=September 1979 - May 2004
rank= Colonel
commands= 1st Marine Regiment
unit=
battles=Beirut (1982) Somalia (1993) Operation Iraqi Freedom
awards=
laterwork=
Colonel Joe D. Dowdy, was the commanding officer of the Regimental Combat Team 1 (RCT-1) during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He led his unit to within 130km of Baghdad before being relieved of command on April 4, 2003 by MajGen 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, Lt. Eric Knapp, Colonel Dowdy's removal "...was a decision based on operating tempo."

ee also

External links

* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A31340-2003Apr4&notFound=true Key Marine Commander Is Removed] Washington Post, April 5, 2003