During the summer of 2005, filmmaker Gordon Forbes spent three months embedded with the U.S. Marines 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion during their deployment to the Sunni Triangle in Iraq. He documented the daily grind and struggles of the men in Alpha Company as they fought the War on Terror, thousands of miles away from home. While most networks send a crew to shoot only enough footage for a 90-second highlight piece, this three-part documentary covers several operations — from helicopter raids and mounted patrols to everyday interactions with the people of Iraq.

Three platoons, 74 professional Marines — strangers in a strange land … Forbes was in the company of these men inside the wire and out in the field, as they fought an enemy they both despised and respected. We learn about how these Marines view war, their desire for combat and their fears. We see how they deal with extreme heat, the constant threat of IEDs and language barriers with humor. We see them dreaming, playing, frustrated and lonely. These Marines are the husbands, brothers, sons, uncles and citizens of America. Alpha Company: Iraq Diary is a Marine’s story, and not the kind you see on the evening news.