Reveal   /     In Fallujah, We Destroyed Parts of Ourselves

Summary

It’s been 20 years since the Battle of Fallujah, a bloody campaign in a destructive Iraq War that we now know was based on a lie.  But back then, in the wake of 9/11, the battlefield was filled with troops who believed in serving and defending the country against terrorism.  “Going to Fallujah was the most horrific experience of our lives,” said Mike Ergo, a team leader for the US Marines Alpha Company, 1st Battalion. “And it was also, for myself, the most alive I've ever felt.” This week on Reveal, we’re partnering with the nonprofit newsroom The War Horse to join Ergo’s unit as they reunite and try to make sense of what they did and what was done to them. Together, they remember Bradley Faircloth, the 20-year-old lance corporal from their unit who lost his life, and unpack the mental and emotional battles that continue for them today. Support Reveal’s journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/newsletter Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Subtitle
Twenty years after the Battle of Fallujah, Marines still wrestle with what they were asked to do in Iraq.
Duration
50:46
Publishing date
2025-01-18 05:00
Link
https://revealnews.org/podcast/in-fallujah-we-destroyed-parts-of-ourselves/
Contributors
  The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX
author  
Enclosures
https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/reveal/dovetail.prxu.org/_/149/ac980a25-6af1-49cf-8aa5-2bce7bb926e4/1103_Reveal_PC.mp3
audio/mpeg

Shownotes

It’s been 20 years since the Battle of Fallujah, a bloody campaign in a destructive Iraq War that we now know was based on a lie. 

But back then, in the wake of 9/11, the battlefield was filled with troops who believed in serving and defending the country against terrorism. 

“Going to Fallujah was the most horrific experience of our lives,” said Mike Ergo, a team leader for the US Marines Alpha Company, 1st Battalion. “And it was also, for myself, the most alive I've ever felt.”

This week on Reveal, we’re partnering with the nonprofit newsroom The War Horse to join Ergo’s unit as they reunite and try to make sense of what they did and what was done to them. Together, they remember Bradley Faircloth, the 20-year-old lance corporal from their unit who lost his life, and unpack the mental and emotional battles that continue for them today.

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