The Ragged Edge : A US Marine's Account of Leading the Iraqi Army Fifth Battalion

Deployed to Iraq in March 2004 after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, US Marine Michael Zacchea thought he had landed a plum assignment. His team's mission was to build, train, and lead in combat the first Iraqi Army battalion trained by the US military. Quickly, he realized he was faced with a nearly impossible task. With just two weeks' training based on outdated and irrelevant materials, no language instruction, and few cultural tips for interacting with his battalion of Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, Yazidis, and others, Zacchea arrived at his base in Kirkush to learn his recruits would need beds, boots, uniforms, and equipment. His Iraqi officer counterparts spoke little English. He had little time to transform his troops -- mostly poor, uneducated farmers -- into a cohesive rifle battalion that would fight a new insurgency erupting across Iraq. In order to stand up a fighting battalion, Zacchea knew, he would have to understand his men. Unlike other combat Marines in Iraq at the time, he immersed himself in Iraq's culture: learning its languages, eating its foods, observing its traditions?even being inducted into one of its Sunni tribes. A constant source of both pride and frustration, the Iraqi Army Fifth Battalion went on to fight bravely at the Battle of Fallujah against the forces that would eventually form ISIS. The Ragged Edge is Zacchea's deeply personal and powerful account of hopeful determination, of brotherhood and betrayal, and of cultural ignorance and misunderstanding. It sheds light on the dangerous pitfalls of training foreign troops to fight murderous insurgents and terrorists, precisely when such wartime collaboration is happening more than at any other time in US history "Deployed to Iraq in March 2004 after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, US Marine Michael Zacchea thought he had landed a plum assignment. His team's mission was to build, train, and lead in combat the first Iraqi Army battalion trained by the US military. Quickly, he realized he was faced with a nearly impossible task. With just two weeks' training based on outdated and irrelevant materials, no language instruction, and few cultural tips for interacting with his battalion of Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, Yazidis, and others, Zacchea arrived at his base in Kirkush to learn his recruits would need beds, boots, uniforms, and equipment. His Iraqi officer counterparts spoke little English. He had little time to transform his men--mostly poor, uneducated farmers--into a cohesive rifle battalion that would fight a new insurgency erupting across Iraq. In order to stand up a fighting battalion, Zacchea knew, he would have to understand his men. Unlike other combat Marines in Iraq at the time, he immersed himself in Iraq's culture: learning its languages, eating its foods, observing its traditions--even being inducted into one of its Sunni tribes. A constant source of both pride and frustration, the Iraqi Army Fifth Battalion went on to fight bravely at the Battle of Fallujah against the forces that would eventually form ISIS. The Ragged Edge is Zacchea's deeply personal and powerful account of hopeful determination, of brotherhood and betrayal, and of cultural ignorance and misunderstanding. It sheds light on the dangerous pitfalls of training foreign troops to fight murderous insurgents and terrorists, precisely when such wartime collaboration is happening more than at any other time in US history."--Jacket At a time when the United States debates how deeply to involve itself in Iraq and Syria, Lt. Col. Michael Zacchea, USMC (ret.), holds a unique vantage point on our still-ongoing war that is shared by literally no one else, anywhere. Deployed to Iraq in March 2004 after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, his teams mission was to build, train, and lead in combat the first Iraqi army battalion trained by the US military. Zacchea tells a deeply personal and powerful story of hopeful determination turned to hopeless desperation, of brotherhood and betrayal, and of cultural ignorance and misunderstanding, while shedding light on the dangerous pitfalls of training foreign troops to fight murderous insurgents. Unlike other combat Marines in Iraq at the time, Zacchea immersed himself in Iraqs culture: learning its languages, eating its foods, observing its traditionseven being inducted into one of its Sunni tribes. The Ragged Edge is the first American military memoir out of Iraq or Syria that features complex Arab and Kurdish characters, and which intimately explores their culture and politics in a dispassionate way. Zaccheas invaluable lessons about Americans working with Arabs and Kurds to fight insurgency and terrorism come precisely when such wartime collaboration is happening more than at any time in US history. At a time when the United States debates how deeply to involve itself in Iraq and Syria, Lt. Col. Michael Zacchea, USMC (ret.), holds a unique vantage point on our still-ongoing war. Deployed to Iraq in March 2004, his team's mission was to build, train, and lead in combat the first Iraqi army battalion trained by the US military. Zacchea tells a deeply personal and powerful story while shedding light on the dangerous pitfalls of training foreign troops to fight murderous insurgents. The Ragged Edge is the first American military memoir out of Iraq or Syria that features complex Arab and Kurdish characters and that intimately explores their culture and politics in a dispassionate way. Zacchea's invaluable lessons about Americans working with Arabs and Kurds to fight insurgency and terrorism come precisely when such wartime collaboration is happening more than at any time in US history. Front Cover -- Front Flip -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Contents -- Authors' Note -- Foreword by Major General Paul D. Eaton (US Army-ret.) -- Abbreviations, Terms, and Order of Infantry -- Map -- Part I: Kirkush -- 1. Bird Dog -- 2. Kirkush -- 3. Green Zone -- 4. How Training Worked -- 5. Wasta -- 6. The Other Side of the Wire -- Part II: Taji -- 7. Sovereign -- 8. Taking Command -- 9. Abducted -- 10. "The First Bullet Will Be for Me"--Part III: Fallujah -- 11. The Road to Fallujah -- 12. Before the Breach -- 13. City of Mosques -- 14. RPG -- 15. Al-Hadra -- 16. Rules of Engagement -- Part IV: Taji -- 17. Blooded -- 18. Lion of Babylon -- 19. Irhabi -- 20. Going to See the Wizard -- 21. Delivered -- About the Authors -- Back Flip: About the Author -- Back Cover