The Last 600 Meters

In 2004, America fought the two deadliest battles of the Iraq War: Najaf, in the south, against the Shiite Mahdi militia, and Fallujah, in the west, against Sunni insurgents. The words and deeds of those who fought there reveal the ground truth.

From down-time to go-time, war changes by the moment and is often a matter of millimeters. Cpl. Matthew Piano, 2nd Squad Leader of Battalion 3/1, found this out firsthand in a brief exchange with the enemy in Fallujah. As the rest of his squad still leisurely prepared for the battle, he began engaging with a lone gunman in the distance. That day, fortunately, he had an angel watching over him.

In August 2004, U.S. forces engage with the Shiite Mahdi militia in the Southern Iraqi city of Najaf. After fighting through their way through the city center, the troops find themselves in an ancient, above ground cemetery – a maze of mayhem, minarets and murder.