A tank company's battle to Baghdad in 2003. During the 2003-2006 Iraq War,
co-author Captain Jason Conroy commanded Charlie Company, part of Task Force
1-64 of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, part of the US Army's 3rd Infantry
Division. A tank unit equipped with mammoth M1A1 Abrams tanks, Conroy's company
was literally at the tip of the US Army's spear and one of the first elements
into Baghdad. Veteran journalist Ron Martz was embedded in Charlie Company.
Together, from the unique perspective of an armour unit that was in nearly
continuous combat for four straight weeks, Conroy and Martz tell the unvarnished
story of what went right and what went deadly wrong in Iraq. Conroy and his
soldiers were able to overcome supply shortages, intelligence failures and
miserable weather to battle their way into downtown Baghdad - a place where they
were told they would never have to fight. "Heavy Metal" evaluates the US Army's
performance, including its use of tactics that were developed during the war but
for which the soldiers had never trained.
