Edward Ballanco 🇺🇸

ALT Three weeks into the invasion of Iraq, the 3rd Infantry Division led Coalition Forces in the decisive push to seize Baghdad, marking a turning point in the conflict. After intense fighting that resulted in the loss of over 2,000 Iraqi soldiers and 34 coalition troops, the division\u2019s rapid advance helped bring down the regime of Saddam Hussein. In the days that followed, Coalition forces secured Kirkuk on April 10 and Tikrit on April 15, 2003. That same day, the United States declared victory over the Iraqi regime, later marked by George W. Bush\u2019s \u201CMission Accomplished\u201D address on May 1\u2014cementing the 3rd Infantry Division\u2019s role in one of the most significant operations of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

ALT On 21 March 2003, Dogface Soldiers launched a lightning ground assault from Kuwait to Baghdad\u2014covering 400 miles in just 21 days\u2014and executed the historic Thunder Runs that helped seize the Iraqi capital.