Red Zone Baghdad My War in Iraq

"I was there at the start and Marcus was there at the end. Because of this, I found Marcus’s book fascinating. I congratulate him. He was in the middle of it all, and he had enough nous to write about it." Major General Jim Molan AO, DSC, (Retired)

Colonel Marcus Fielding provides a rare glimpse into the contentious Iraq war, one of the most controversial conflicts of our time. An experienced soldier, he paints a vivid picture of the conditions for Australian troops and provides fascinating insights into the complexity of rebuilding a nation against a backdrop of Sectarian violence.

Marcus worked in the senior coalition headquarters in Baghdad, which managed coalition forces on a grand scale and laboured to rebuild a country of 26million people. From his ‘office’ in Saddam’s former al-Faw Palace, Marcus deals with the vital issues associated with rehabilitating this war-torn nation during the introduction of democracy and several crucial elections.

Red Zone Baghdad covers Marcus tour of duty during the final days of the Australian presence in Iraq. His personal experiences of everyday life set against a backdrop of violence: the heat and dust, attending meetings in the Red Zone, the camaraderie of the cigar club and visits to orphanages; allow access to a little understood war and a soldier’s life, far removed from the peace and certainty of life in Australia.