The OIF GenerationA field guide to the Iraq War and the generation that fought it
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The OIF Generation

Soldiers of the 1st Armored Division with an M1A1 Abrams under the Victory Arch in Baghdad, November 2003.
Soldiers of the 1st Armored Division with an M1A1 Abrams under the Victory Arch in Baghdad, November 2003. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. John L. Houghton Jr. (public domain)

Between March 2003 and December 2011, Americans by the hundreds of thousands deployed to Iraq. They were active duty, National Guard, and Reserve; infantry and aviators, medics and mechanics, truck drivers, engineers, and military police. Many deployed more than once.

This site is a field guide to that war and to that generation. It is organized the way a veteran might want to use it: the history in order, the battles and campaigns by name, the awards and what they mean, the records and benefits veterans are owed, and a look at where the OIF generation went once they came home.

Mar 20, 2003Invasion begins
7Iraq Campaign Medal campaign phases
~4,500U.S. service members killed
32,000+U.S. wounded
Dec 18, 2011Last U.S. troops leave

How to use this guide

History. Start with The War in Brief, then read the war year by year, from the invasion to the final withdrawal.

Battles and operations. Short, factual accounts of the engagements that defined the war, from Nasiriyah to Basra and Sadr City.

Awards. What the Iraq Campaign Medal and its campaign stars mean, and who received the Medal of Honor.

For veterans. How to get your records, use the PACT Act, join the burn pit registry, and find support.

Where they went. The OIF generation is now in mid-career. Its members lead in Congress and the cabinet, in diplomacy, and in many other fields.

If you are a veteran in crisis, or worried about one, call 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line.

The Crossed Swords

The Victory Arch in central Baghdad, the crossed swords over Ceremony Square, is the photograph nearly every Baghdad veteran brought home. See the full Crossed Swords page →

The crossed swords of the Victory Arch over the parade ground in Baghdad, September 8, 2004.
The crossed swords of the Victory Arch over the parade ground in Baghdad, September 8, 2004. Photo by aka4ajax, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
An M1A1 Abrams and soldiers of Task Force 1-35 Armor, 1st Armored Division, under the Victory Arch in Ceremony Square, November 13, 2003.
An M1A1 Abrams and soldiers of Task Force 1-35 Armor, 1st Armored Division, under the Victory Arch in Ceremony Square, November 13, 2003. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. John L. Houghton Jr. (public domain)
Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division take the oath of enlistment at the crossed saber monument in the International Zone, April 23, 2009.
Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division take the oath of enlistment at the crossed saber monument in the International Zone, April 23, 2009. U.S. Army photo (public domain)