Ambush in Haditha

A Footnote from Iraq

On the night of May 7, 2005, a platoon of Marine cooks, mechanics, and clerks — hand-picked and forged into a fighting unit by a determined sergeant — rolled into a darkened street in Haditha, Iraq, and drove straight into a carefully orchestrated ambush. What follows is the story of 45 minutes that would come to define them: the kind of brotherhood that can only be built in the worst moments of a person's life.

By Kyle Watts 4-part series ~45 min total read

"These 45 minutes in May back when we were kids defined us, and always will. Everything we do now is on behalf of those guys who didn't make it. They were so much better than us. Far be it from me to waste my bonus life feeling bad for myself or being an asshole. They don't get that choice."

— Stan Mayer

READ THE SERIES

CHAPTER 1:

The POGs

Sergeant Watkins faces a daunting task - transforming a band of reservist POGs into a rifle platoon that could fight — and survive — in Iraq.

Fall 2004 - Spring 2005 | 8 min read

READ CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2:

The Mission

When MAP 7 rolled into the darkened streets of Haditha on a routine QRF call, every instinct told them something was terribly wrong.

May 6 - 7, 2005 | 8 min read

READ CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3:

The Ambush

When a suicide bomber detonated and an ambush erupted, no plan survived — just individual Marines who refused to stop that kept their brothers alive.

May 7, 2005 | 20 min read

READ CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4:

The Aftermath

The battalion came home, medals were awarded, and life moved on — but for the survivors of MAP 7, 45 minutes on a dark street in Haditha never really ended.

May 8, 2005 - Present | 8 min read

READ CHAPTER 4

ABOUT THIS STORY

This story draws on 8 hours of interviews with 5 veterans of Mobile Assault Platoon 7 who survived the ambush on May 7, 2005 and research collected from sources available through the USMC History Division, official award citations, and local news stories. Originally published in Leatherneck magazine, May 2025, on the 20th anniversary. All interviews and reporting conducted by Kyle Watts.

Veterans

Interviewed

Awards for Valor

Navy Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star, More

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About the author, Kyle Watts

Kyle is the Editor and founder of Battlesight Zero. He served as a Communications Officer in the Marine Corps from 2009-2013. Since 2022, he has been the full-time Staff Writer for Leatherneck Magazine, the magazine of the Marines, published by the Marine Corps Association since 1917. He lives near Richmond, VA with his wife and three children.

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