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the Marines advanced, the Iraqis began hurl- ing grenades and peppering the Marines with machine-gun fire. The Marines fought back, but the Iraqis were well protected and heavily armed. Stuck on an open bridge, the Marines were easy targets. They realized there was no getting across the bridge without suffering heavy casualties . . . not without help, anyway. That’s where Campbell came in. The Air Force captain was on her way to another site, but then her radio crackled with a call. The Marines were requesting close-air support, mean- ing they needed aircraft to swoop in at close range— maybe at an altitude of only a few hundred feet— and fire on the enemy. Fortunately, close-air support was Campbell’s specialty, and she knew what she was doing. Even though she was only 27 years old, she’d been in combat before. Her initials were K.C., and her fel- low pilots had given her the call sign “Killer Chick.” Knowing that Marines below her were in dan- ger, she raced to help the trapped soldiers. “You

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