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March 2003 - Thousands of troops are massed on the border of Iraq poised for war. Among the first to cross the line of departure is one of the most decorated units in the American military having served since World War I: First Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment. The Marine Corps infantry unit known as 1/5 (one-five) carries to battle a flag with its salient motto, "Make Peace or Die."
Make Peace or Die: The First Days of War in Iraq with 1st Battalion 5th Marines is a boots-on-the-ground account of the treacherous journey from the oilfields of Kuwait to Saddam Hussein's palace in Baghdad. For three weeks as a lead element charging 300 miles to the Iraqi capital, 1/5 rages across the desert and into the full range of human emotion. Courage. Fear. Gain. Loss. Love. Hate. Joy. Pain.
Footage from embedded reporters, Department of Defense archives, digital images from individual Marines, and interviews conducted by a former member of 1/5 in the summer of 2003 provide a rare glimpse into the souls of America's warriors. From the first full-scale battle at Saddam Canal to dealing with the fog of war at a roadblock on the streets of Baghdad, we witness in these men the essence of conflict, both personal and professional, as seen through the ages. Along the way, 1/5 suffers the first American combat casualty of the war and, in the blink of an eye, forty days and nights of tedious desert living is instantly replaced with an inescapable new reality.
Make Peace or Die: The First Days of War in Iraq with 1st Battalion 5th Marines serves as both an intensely personal oral history and a chilling snapshot of events that would give way to the future in Iraq.
Directed and Edited by Valerian Bennett
Produced by Valerian Bennett, Sgt. Sam Hunter, and Jonathan Haug
