"The following account represents one of the earliest efforts to chronicle Marine Corps operations in Iraq between 2004 and 2005. This was a significant period in the history of Operation Iraqi Freedom, seeing two battles fought over the city of Fallujah, the eruption of the Sadr revolt in an-Najaf, continuous counterinsurgency operations throughout Iraq, and initial efforts on the part of Marines to cultivate and forge alliances with the tribes of Iraq's al-Anbar Province. [...] This book was commissioned and written while U.S. forces were still engaged in combat operations in Iraq. Even now, just five years since the events recounted in this study, we already have a sense of the significance of these years and the Marine Corps' operations to the overall course of the war, and we can thank Dr. Estes for making this possible. This History Division monograph is based on the occasional paper, 'U.S. Marine Corps Operations in Iraq, 2003--2006' by the same author. This revision slightly differs from that original publication in a number of ways. First, it contains maps to help orientate and familiarize readers to Iraq, al-Anbar Province, and the two battles for Fallujah. Second, the new edition contains photographs depicting major commanders, combat operations, equipment, and civil-military operations. Third, several informative sidebars have been added to provide readers with detailed information on specific topics. And finally, references have been redacted into short bibliographical essays at the end of the book to give readers a concise overview of available documentary sources."