Baghdad to Fallujah

This is a Marine infantryman’s combat memoir from the Invasion of Iraq to the Battle of Fallujah. It chronicles firsthand accounts of war while serving with the most combat-deployed Marine Corps battalion of the Iraq War, the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines. Initially trained as an infantry platoon radio operator and then as a team leader with a scout/sniper platoon, Brian Van Gorden portrays the battles that took place in a complex war and the hardships experienced from repeated combat deployments.

Brian Van Gorden served in the United States Marines Corps from 2002 through 2006. He became a sworn peace officer for the state of California in 2006 and was recalled back into service in 2008 to return to Iraq for a fourth tour at the rank of sergeant. He lives in Southern California.

Brian Van Gorden
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 184
Bibliographic Info: 25 photos, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9365-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5347-1
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction 1

 1. Boot Camp 3

 2. School of Infantry 13

 3. Training for War 22

Deployment I: Operation Iraqi Freedom (January to June 2003)

 4. The Invasion 35

 5. Diyala 47

 6. Baghdad 57

 7. Scout/Sniper Platoon 66

Deployment II: Operation Iraqi Freedom II (January to July 2004)

 8. Haditha 79

 9. The Battle for Fallujah 87

10. Halting the Advance 100

11. On the Hunt 112

Deployment III: Operation Iraqi Freedom III (February to August 2005)

12. Returning to Fallujah 127

13. Blue on Blue 140

14. Father’s Day Massacre 149

15. Home and Comfort 162

Military History of the Author 171

Acronyms and Other Abbreviations 173

Index 175