Dispatches from Iraq
Returning to Active Duty with 1st Marine Division
An unexpected call brings me back to active duty
In early 2003, the 1st Marine Division lead the assault into Iraq with the mission to take Baghdad. It was a mission they accomplished with the usual United States Marine Corps flair. A straightforward charge up the middle.
In late 2003, with their combat mission completed, the Division rotated back to its home base in Camp Pendleton, California.
Their stay at home was to be short.
The Bush administration ordered the Division back in March 2004 with the mission to support the reconstruction effort.
Turns out I was to be part of that proud organization when it returned. I kept a journal of my experiences and compiled them into succinct accounts of my time in Iraq. This is one
January 2004 —
The United States Marine Corps rarely calls senior reserve officers to active duty with their combat units. I doubted that would change when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. What the Marine Corps needed at the time was trigger pullers.
I was not a trigger puller. I was a colonel and a part-time one at that. I split my time between my civilian…
