Thursday, March 19, marks six years since U.S. troops invaded Iraq. To mark the occasion, the Associated Press released a series of stories about an Army unit. Killer Blue -- a unit of the Fort Hood-based 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment's 3rd Squadron -- was one of the last Army units to serve a 15-month combat tour in Iraq, before the Pentagon cut combat tours to 12 months. Two of the two dozen Killer Blue soldiers died.
It was a time when hearts were broken, blood was spilled, resolve was tested. But it was also a time of deep camaraderie and loyalty, of adventure, of growth. Associated Press photojournalists lived with the unit for over four months in Mosul, Iraq, and at Fort Hood, Texas, chronicling their combat and now their return home. (21 images)
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U.S. Army soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment arrive at Fort Hood, Texas, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009, after a 15-month deployment in Iraq. Nearly six years after American troops invaded Iraq, the men of "Killer Blue" are home- matured, scarred, looking forward to resuming their lives, finding themselves suddenly startled by what used to be routine. Not everyone made it home. For those who did, their lives in Iraq and the deaths of men who became family have forever shaped their goals for the future and their sense of the kind of people they want to be. AP / Rick Bowmer
Family members cheer as U.S. Army soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment arrive at Fort Hood, Texas, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009, after a 15-month deployment in Iraq. Nearly six years after American troops invaded Iraq, the men of "Killer Blue" are home- matured, scarred, looking forward to resuming their lives, finding themselves suddenly startled by what used to be routine. Not everyone made it home. For those who did, their lives in Iraq and the deaths of men who became family have forever shaped their goals for the future and their sense of the kind of people they want to be. AP / Evan Vucci
Leah Morris, center, and her son, Roman, left, reacts as her husband, Lt. Rusty Morris and his comrades arrive home after a 15-month deployment in Iraq at Fort Hood, Texas , Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009. AP / Evan Vucci
U.S. Army Spc. Nathan Stopps shows his mother a battle wound on his neck as the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment arrive at Fort Hood, Texas, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009, after a 15-month deployment in Iraq. AP / Evan Vucci
U.S. Army Lt. Rusty Morris, center, kisses his wife, Leah, while holding their sons Roman, left, and Loyal, second from right, during a homecoming ceremony for the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment after a 15-month deployment in Iraq at Fort Hood, Texas , Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009. AP / Evan Vucci
.S. Army Spc. Derek Griffard, second right, dances with a woman during a night on the town to celebrate his return from Iraq in Killeen, Texas, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009. Griffard, 22, from Santa Maria, Calif., was wounded by a roadside bomb in October, 2008. AP / Evan Vucci
U.S. Army Spc. Derek Griffard, left, and other soldiers from Killer Troop, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment celebrate their return from Iraq at a bar in Killeen, Texas, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009. AP / Evan Vucci
U.S. Army Spc. Nathan Stopps, left, moves in to the barracks at Fort Hood, Texas with the help of Spc. Joey Boyles, right, Monday, Jan. 26, 2009. AP / Evan Vucci
Lt. Rusty Morris and wife Leah dress their children Roman, second right, and Loyal, second left, at their home on base at Fort Hood, Texas, Tuesday, Jan 27 , 2009. AP / Rick Bowmer
Lt. Rusty Morris and wife Leah adjust clocks set to three time zones at their home on base at Fort Hood, Texas, Tuesday, Jan 27 , 2009. While Lt. Morris was deployed in Iraq, the clocks were set to Iraq time, local Texas time and the time in their home state of South Carolina. AP / Evan Vucci
In this Sept. 11, 2008 file photo, U.S. Army Sgt. Jose Regalado kisses his wife, Sharri, after meeting his newborn daughter, Jaimie, during his mid-tour leave from Iraq. 63 days after meeting his child for the first time, Sgt. Regalado was killed by an Iraqi Army soldier on Nov. 12, 2008. AP / Rick Bowmer
U.S. Army Sgt. Jon Fleenor receives a Purple Heart medal Friday, Jan. 30, 2009, at Fort Hood, Texas. Fleenor was injured by a roadside bomb on Oct. 15, 2008. AP / Rick Bowmer
A U.S. Army soldier from Blue Platoon, Killer Troop, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment displays a tattoo drawn in tribute to his squad leader, Staff Sgt. Chad Caldwell, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009, at Fort Hood, Texas. Sgt. Caldwell was killed by a roadside bomb on April 30, 2008, in Mosul, Iraq. AP / Evan Vucci
Sharri Regalado weeps as pallbearers carry the casket of her late husband, Jose Regalado at funeral services at Holy Cross Cemetery in Pomona, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008. The Department of Defense reported that Sgt. Jose Regalado, 23, was one of two soldiers killed in Mosul, Iraq, when an Iraqi Army soldier approached the men and opened fire on Nov. 12. AP / Rick Bowmer
In this March 31, 2008 file photo U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Chad Caldwell, left, Sgt. Jon Fleenor, center and Sgt. Jose Regalado, right, are seen after responding to shots fired in Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad, Iraq. Caldwell and Regalado were killed in action. Fleenor was injured in October and was sent home to recover. AP / Maya Alleruzzo
In this March 25, 2008 file photo, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Chad Caldwell, 24, from Spokane, Wash., plays golf with his comrades from Killer Troop, Third Squadron, Third Armored Cavalry Regiment watch him at Combat Outpost Rabiy in Mosul, 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq. Sgt. Caldwell was killed by a roadside bomb on April 30, 2008. AP / Maya Alleruzzo
In this March 25, 2008 file photo a U.S. Army soldier and an interpreter from Blue Platoon, Killer Troop play a game at Combat Outpost Rabiy patrol in Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad, Iraq. AP / Maya Alleruzzo
n this March 18, 2008 file photo U.S. Army soldiers from Blue platoon, Killer Troop relax at Combat Outpost Rabiy in Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad, Iraq. AP / Maya Alleruzzo
In this March 22, 2008 file photo U.S. Army soldiers from Blue platoon, Killer Troop drive in armored Humvees through the streets of western Mosul, northwest of Baghdad, Iraq. AP / Maya Alleruzzo
In this March 25, 2008 file photo U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Brian Flading, Platoon Sergeant for Blue Platoon, Killer Troop, relaxes at Combat Outpost Rabiy in Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad, Iraq. Flading was sent home to recover from wounds after an April 30 roadside bomb attack that killed a comrade. AP / Maya Alleruzzo
In this March 26, 2008 file photo U.S. Army Sgt. Cole Weih, 28, from Dubuque, Iowa, a medic with Blue Platoon, Killer Troop passes an Iraqi flag as he patrols in Mosul. AP / Maya Alleruzzo
