Tom Kunk: Kunk served as Rear Detachment Commander for the 101st Airborne Division when most of the division rotated back to Iraq during 2007a"2008. He was promoted to Colonel in July 2009 and is today the chief of current operations in the Armyas Operations, Planning, and Training office at the Pentagon.
Dennis Largent: Largent was promoted to Sergeant Major in February 2007. He is currently deployed to northern Iraq as Operations Sergeant Major with a 1st Armor Division brigade out of Fort Bliss, Texas.
Eric Lauzier: Diagnosed with PTSD and suffering from a deployment-related back injury, Lauzier was medically retired from the Army in December 2008. Living in West Virginia, he is studying to become an MRI and radiology technician.
Phil Miller: Promoted to Sergeant First Cla.s.s in October 2008, Miller is a Ranger instructor in Dahlonega, Georgia.
Tim Norton: Honorably discharged from the Army in June 2008 as a First Lieutenant, Norton is an insurance claims adjuster in the Boston area and an agricultural investor with Lonnie Hayes, his Charlie Company platoon sergeant, who retired from the Army and is a farmer in southern Illinois.
Chris Payne: Payne deployed to Iraq with the 3-187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division in the fall of 2007. A member of a counter-IED advisory team, he was badly injured by an IED blast in November 2007 during a foot patrol just across the Euphrates from the Yusufiyah Thermal Power Plant. He lost his left leg above the knee, and several reconstructive surgeries were required to restore 50 percent use of his left arm. He was promoted to Sergeant First Cla.s.s in September 2009 and was medically retired from the Army the same month. He is living in Tennessee and working toward his bacheloras degree with the intention of becoming a pharmacist.
Rob Salome: Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in August 2009, Salome is the Army attach to Vice President Joseph Biden.
Matt Shoaf: Promoted to Captain in July 2006, Shoaf served as Chalie Company commander from November 2006 to March 2007. Currently stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he has decided to leave the Army and will begin a masteras degree in electrical engineering at Vanderbilt University in the fall of 2010.
Jesse Spielman: Spielman is serving a 90-year prison sentence at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth. He will be eligible for parole in 2016.
Shawn Umbrell: Umbrell was promoted to Major in November 2007 and deployed to Iraq in early 2008 with a Ranger battalion. He attended CGSC in 2009 and is currently deployed in Afghanistan with the 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, out of Fort Lewis, Washington.
Justin Watt: Diagnosed with PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and an IED-related stomach injury, Watt was medically retired from the Army as a Specialist in December 2007. Today he is partner in a custom-built PC a.s.sembly and service business in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Fred Wintrich: Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in October 2007, Wintrich served as 2nd Brigadeas Executive Officer during its 2007a"2008 deployment to Baghdad. He is currently Garrison Executive Officer at Fort Campbell.
Tony Yribe: Originally charged with dereliction of duty and making false official statements for his role in covering up the March 12, 2006, rape-murders, Yribe was granted immunity from prosecution and an other than honorable discharge from the Army for his testimony in the Barker, Cortez, Green, Howard, and Spielman trials. He remained under investigation for the November 2005 killing of a woman at TCP3 until August 2008, when all charges were dropped for insufficient evidence that the shot was anything other than an accident. Separated from the Army in September 2008, he is today living in Bellevue, Idaho, and is planning to return to school.
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS.
ACU Army combat uniform AFP Agence France-Presse AIF anti-Iraqi forces AO area of operation AQI Al Qaeda in Iraq AVLB armored vehiclea"launched bridge BCT Brigade Combat Team BDA battle damage a.s.sessment CIB Combat Infantrymanas Badge CID Criminal Investigation Division CMO civil-military operations CO commanding officer COIN counterinsurgency COP Coalition Outpost COSR Combat and Operational Stress Reaction CPA Coalition Provisional Authority CUB Commanders Update Briefing EOD Explosive Ordnance Disposal FOB forward operating base HHC Headquarters and Headquarters Company IA Iraqi Army IAI Islamic Army in Iraq IED improvised explosive device IGC Interim Governing Council JAM Jaish al-Mahdi (Mahdi Army) JRTC Joint Readiness Training Center JSB Jurf al-Sukr Bridge LZ landing zone MisCap-DuStWUn Missing, Captureda"Duty Status, Whereabouts Unknown MiTT military transition team MNF-I Multi-National Forcea"Iraq MRE meal, ready to eat MSC Mujahideen Shura Council NCO noncommissioned officer NTC National Training Center OIF Operation Iraqi Freedom ORHA Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian a.s.sistance PJ [Air Force] Para Jumper PLDC Primary Leadership Development Course POO point of origin PSD Personal Security Detachment QRF Quick Reaction Force RIP-TOA Relief in Place, Transfer of Authority ROE rules of engagement RPG rocket-propelled grenade SAW squad automatic weapon TCP traffic control point TOC tactical operations center VBIED vehicle-borne improvised explosive device.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, I want to thank the men of the 1-502nd Infantry Regiment. When I began this project I did not know what to expect, but I did not think that very many men from the unit would want to speak to me. I was surprised, gratified, and ultimately humbled by just how many wound up responding affirmatively to my queries. They trusted me with their stories and they opened up about their experiences, knowing that much of their deployment was uncomfortable, controversial, and disquieting. They knew that this book would not necessarily present all their actions in a flattering light, and yet they talked to me anyway, at great length and in great detail.
Many men, especially those from other platoons or other companies than 1st Platoon of Bravo Company, wanted the world to know that there was more to their war than the rape-murders and the Alamo incident. And the men of 1st Platoon wanted what happened to be put in context. All any of them have ever asked of me is that I do my best to be accurate, that I neither prettify nor vilify their experiences, that I tell their story as truthfully as I could. I am deeply indebted to them, and I hope that I have succeeded.
Thanks go to all those who partic.i.p.ated in or were affected by First Strikeas deployment who graciously agreed to be interviewed: Abu Somer, Allen the Interpreter, Chaz Allen, Chris Arnold, Kayla Avery, James Barker, Chris Barnes, Leo Barron, Gary Bartlett, Richard Baxter, Mark Belda, Phil Blaisdell, Jared Bordwell, Elizabeth Bowler, Daniel Carrick, Renee Casica, Sean Cavenaugh, Steve Cisneros, Paul Cluverius, Dave Cochrane, Eric Conrad, Justin Cross, Anthony Davis, Bob Davis, Phil Deem, Roman Diaz, John Diem, Bill Dougherty, James Downs, Christopher DuBois, Todd Ebel, Jerry Eidson, Anthony Evans, Mark Evans, Jeff Fenlason, Paul Fisher, Les Fuller, Noah Galloway, Jeremy Gebhardt, John Goodwin, Steven Green, John Greis, Justin Habash, Paul Haefele, Walled Mahmoud Hamza, Tyler Hanna, Lonnie Hayes, Nancy Hess, Shane Hoeck, Ryan Hoefer, Bryan Howard, Tim Iannacone, Mark Ivey, Lou Kangas, John King, Tom Kunk, Brian LaFond, Dennis Largent, Andrew Laskoski, Eric Lauzier, Brian Lohnes, Nathaniel Loper, Matt Marcelino, Phil Miller, Joe Mirkovich, Sh.e.l.ly Nelson, Tim Norton, James Page, Roselia Palma, Richard Patenia, Chris Payne, Leif Peterson, Jeff Preston, Rob Salome, Antonio Sandoval, Dennison Segui, Collin Sharpness, Matt Shoaf, Rick Skidis, Daniel Sparks, Jay Strobino, Mike Taylor, Christopher Thielenhaus, Chris Till, Shawn Umbrell, Paul Vermillion, Justin Watt, Rick Watt, Joe Whelchel, Mark Whiteman, William Wilder, Robert Williams, Fred Wintrich, and Tony Yribe.
This project would be nothing without John Glusman, a profoundly talented and enthusiastic editor, who seemed to understand this project at its very root the moment he read the proposal and we first spoke. Ever since then, I have thanked the heavens for his involvement. He believed in it, championed it, nurtured it every step of the way. He inspired me to work harder and dig deeper than I thought possible, and he always encouraged me to follow the story wherever it led, even after we had long departed the original parameters of the proposal. His team at Harmony Books, including Anne Berry, Domenica Alioto, David Tran, Mark McCauslin, and Campbell Wharton, have been more helpful than I could have possibly imagined.
I am similarly indebted to Elizabeth Sheinkman, an old friend and an extraordinary agent, who is a wise guide and a fierce advocate, and whose coworkers at the Curtis Brown Agency, especially Felicity Blunt, are similarly a pleasure to work with.
I am grateful to my editors and colleagues at Time magazine, particularly Michael Elliott, Bobby Ghosh, and Howard Chua-Eoan. They knew I was taking myself out of Timeas, bullpen to work on this book, yet they extended to me all of the door-opening, safety-guaranteeing, wheel-greasing privileges that come with remaining a member of the Time organization for my two trips to Iraq. Without them, those reporting excursions would have been impossible, and their immediate and unquestioned extension of a.s.sistance to me was a demonstration of the fraternity of journalism at its best.
At Timeas, Baghdad bureau, the reporting and logistical a.s.sistance, and the simple companionship provided by its foreign correspondents Mark Kukis, Abigail Hauslohner, and Yuri Kozyrev, were impressive and inspiring, proving that grace under pressure defines not just courage but cla.s.s. Speaking of courage, however, there are few people on the planet braver than innocent Iraqis, especially those who work for Western news organizations. I cannot fathom how Timeas Baghdad staffa"Ali, Sami, Mazen, Omar, and Rahda"managed to stay loyal, motivated, sane, and, I dare say, upbeat given the constant threats that have borne down on thema"and killed several of their colleaguesa"but I did and would forever trust them all with my life. They are personal heroes of mine. Timeas South Baghdad stringer Ahmed also a.s.sisted with finding interview subjects from the Yusufiyah area.
I am grateful to Lieutenant Colonels Andrew Rohling, William Zemp, and Michael Getch.e.l.l, commanders of the 3a"187th Infantry Regiment, the 3a"320th Field Artillery Regiment, and the 2a"502nd Infantry Regiment, respectively, and all of their men for being supremely hospitable embed hosts as I familiarized myself with the Triangle of Death.
Tara Sad, Bethany Hebert, Ben and Jackson Daviss, and Galen Butcher unflaggingly, relentlessly, doggedly turned several hundred hours of interviews into 4,000 pages of transcripts quickly, cleanly, and often on a rush basis. Tara, in particular, was a confidante and adviser, someone I could always bounce ideas off of or seek an opinion from; she was one of the few people from outside the 1a"502nd who, in a way, knew all of the soldiers by listening to their interviews. She took a keen interest in the soldiers and their lives.
I am grateful to Andrew Tilghman of Stars and Stripes and Ryan Lenz of the a.s.sociated Press, who were embedded with the 1a"502nd at different times during the battalionas deployment in 2005 and 2006, for both the stories they wrote and the personal insights they have shared with me since then. Likewise, Sean Naylor of Army Times provided good advice about how best to journalistically navigate the thickets of Freedom of Information Act requests, Army Public Affairs Offices, and other oddities of journalism about the military. Also extending help were Ned Parker of the Los Angeles Times and Michael Ware of CNN. Thanks go as well to Dave Alsup of CNN, Brett Barrouquere of AP, and Evan Bright, boy wonder high-school blogger who doc.u.mented the Steven Green trial with impressive thoroughness and zeal.
My old friend Mike Bergner opened his home to be my base for three months when I was literally homeless and flying around the country interviewing soldiersa"I could not be more grateful for his hospitality. While on the road, I benefited from the kindness of many friends, especially Paul and Erin Scott in Berkeley and Zack Meisel and Cori Schreiber in Philadelphia. John and Elaine Watson rented an apartment in their fourteenth-century farmhouse in North Stainley, Yorkshire, England, to me during the winter of 2008 and 2009 as I wrote the first draft of the ma.n.u.script. It is the most perfect writeras retreat there has ever been. Hugh, Pat, and the entire Greensit family in nearby Masham were and are the best second family in the world and I am blessed to have been so welcomed by them.
The lawyers a.s.sociated with all of the cases surrounding the rape-murders of the Janabis have been extremely helpful with background insights and advice, including Bill Casara, William Fischbach, Marisa Ford, Steve McGaha, Juan Roman, Megan Shaw, Brian Skaret, and Elizabeth Walker. Lawyers Patrick Bouldin, David Sheldon, and Darren Wolff deserve special mention for being remarkably generous with their time, trust, and expertise.
To Jim Culp I am singularly and forever indebted, as he prodded me to investigate this story in the first place and suggesteda"nay, insisteda"that there was far more to the tale than could be contained by a magazine article. He was right.
I would also like to thank terrorism expert Evan Kohlmann for his a.s.sistance in trying to make sense of the Iraqi insurgency, and terrorism blogger Bill Roggio for his views on the complexities of aThe Long War.a I am grateful to forensic expert Dr. Michael Baden for his a.n.a.lysis of the March 12 crime scene photos and to Mike Bealing and Julius Domoney for their photo research a.s.sistance.
Cathy Gramling at the 101st Airborne Public Affairs Office and Val Florez of the 101st Airborneas Freedom of Information Act Office were extremely helpful running down obscure facts and doc.u.ments.
I would like to thank my parents and sisters Laura and Sharon for the unflagging support and encouragement they have provided me my entire life. In particular, however, I want to thank my brother Ted, a retired armor Army lieutenant colonel, who was frequently my first stop to ask about the mysteries of the military, and an early reader of the ma.n.u.script.
And nearly last, but in almost every regard first, I want to thank Charlotte Greensit for her truly bottomless love, patience, support, counsel, and cheer. This book could not have been possible without her. She is, in every way, a partner and a soul mate.
Finally, I would like to thank the Janabi family: cousin Abu Muhammad (who asked that I use a pseudonym for even his nickname), aunt Ameer, grandmother Hajia, and sons Ahmed and Muhammad. I am glad that they chose to speak to me when they have spoken to so few journalists. Their grief continues. I have a particular hope that Ahmed and Muhammad may find peace in their hearts and a future free from hatred.