Fast-forward to April 2004 - the Karch Oil Depot in Lutafiyah, Iraq. Reichert, then a Platoon Sergeant, was a trained sniper/scout. He was providing cover to a squad of Marines from the top of an oil tank as the squad attempted to rout out a group of insurgents that had ambushed the Marines. During an intense, day-long firefight, Reichert, armed only with an SASR .50 caliber sniper rifle, shot and killed a number of enemy combatants, some from as far as a mile away, then got pinned down in his position by friendly fire for many hours.