Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brown, Todd S. (Todd Sloan), 1974—
Battleground Iraq : journal of a company commander / by Todd S. Brown.
p. cm.
Includes index.
1. Brown, Todd S. (Todd Sloan), 1974- 2. Iraq War, 2003-Personal
narratives, American. 3. United States. Army. Infantry Division
(Mechanized), 4th. I.Title.
DS79.76.B774 2007
956.7044'342092-dc22
[B]2007018112
First Printing—CMH Pub no. 70-107-1

The Army's 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) spent a long and demanding year of successful combat operation in Iraq. As its commander, I daily witnessed the phenomenal courage, competence, compassion, and sacrifice of our soldiers. We experienced high points such as the capture of Saddam Hussein but also endured the rigors of extended operations against dogged opponent in a complex and often hostile environment. Soldiers en route to such a theater should be not only properly trained and equipped but also psychologically prepared.

Capt. Robert ("Todd") Sloan Brown was among the best of our company commanders. He and the soldiers he led performed magnificently in some of the division's toughest and most critical operations. Indeed, some of the materials he wrote or briefed received wide currency within the division when preparing others to follow him into rough neighborhoods. I believe his journal can serve a similar purpose for those on their way to Iraq—or someplace like it. His narrative is not thoroughly analytical nor is it always fair; but it is gripping. It provides useful discussion of tactics, techniques, and procedures as they evolved in Iraq. It also touches on the conflict between combat operations and nation building. More important, it captures the stresses of combat and corresponding emotions as they accumulate over time in a combat outfit. Understanding these could prove invaluable to those who courageously serve our nation and will continue to endure them in th long war. However, this work should also be taken in context. The timeframe was 2003 to early 2004—tactics and the environment have changed over time.

The U.S. Army Center of Military History has provided helpful prefacing and contextual materials to sustain the perspective of the reader. Appendixes reproduce materials Captain Brown authored in Iraq to assist his comrades and provide insight into the command and control process at Brown's level. Taken together, this collection should prove constructive and useful to deploying soldiers and remarkable to those who appreciate what our soldiers do to protect our way of life.

Baghdad, Iraq
22 March 2007

Raymond T. Odierno
Lieutenant General, U.S. Army
Commander, Multinational Corps—Iraq

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