To celebrate the publication of an important new book Dogwood, A National Guard Unit's War in Iraq, by Dr. Andrew Wiest of the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society, we present this one hour special podcast episode.
In 2003 US and coalition forces unleased Operation Iraqi Freedom to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein, expecting an easy victory and a short war.
After a quick seizure of Baghdad, though, the nation of Iraq dissolved into disarray, with an insurgency, led by both Saddam loyalists and foreign jihadists, spiraled out of control.
The deteriorating situation meant that the US would need more forces in Iraq, and quickly, which resulted in the mobilization of National Guard units from all over the country.
As part of that mobilization the 155th Brigade Combat Team from Mississippi would be activated and made ready for war. Their efforts to bring peace to the heart of the insurgency at a remote forward operating base codenamed Dogwood would result in the loss of some of their best and brightest.
This is the story of one such Guardsman, Sergeant First Class Sean Cooley, during his deployment to Iraq in 2005. In this podcast episode, Dr. Andrew Wiest provides in-depth context to the story and we learn of the sacrifice and legacy of this remarkable young man as told by his wife and friends.