Baghdad, 2006. Every patrol could be your last.
In 2006, a Marine infantry platoon is thrust into the violent streets of Baghdad during one of the most dangerous periods of the Iraq War.
Bury My Heart in Baghdad is the story of a platoon of CAAT Marines escorting an NCIS agent to the scene of a possible war crime.
Over the course of the book, she is drawn closer to their world than she ever intended. The choices she faces on the road to Baghdad will challenge her worldview and put her investigation at risk.
Inspired by my experiences in Iraq, Bury My Heart in Baghdad places readers alongside young Marines fighting a determined insurgency while navigating the chaos, uncertainty, and moral complexity of urban warfare.
Then-1st Lieutenant Byron Owen deployed to Iraq in 2006, where his Marine infantry platoon was attached to the 10th Mountain Division during the surge into Baghdad. He is the recipient of the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts.
This book is inspired by this challenging deployment. Most of the things you will read about are based on events that actually happened.
This is not a biography, however. It is a fictitious story about young people wrestling with a challenging combat deployment to Iraq. The characters in this book are not based on real people, and the events depicted here did not occur the way they are written. They are merely plot devices created so that readers could experience the chaos and moral complexity of urban warfare for themselves.
War is a terrible event that corrupts everyone who touches it. There is no way to escape its corrosive nature, but you can mitigate its effects through engaged leadership and discipline. This is the central theme to this story. You can order the book here. I hope you enjoy it.
Semper Fidelis,
