Black Hearts: One Platoon's Descent into Madness in Iraq's Triangle of Death

Black Hearts is an unflinching account of the tragedy and horrors of the ‘Black Heart Platoon’ and the factors that contributed to disaster during their deployment to Iraq. 1st Platoon of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion (from the 101st Airborne Division's fabled 502nd Infantry Regiment: the ‘Black Heart Brigade’) found themselves deployed to Iraq’s ‘Triangle of Death’ just south of Baghdad in late 2005 – arguably among the country’s most dangerous locations, at its most dangerous time. Suffering a heavy death toll from intensive targeting by the enemy, immense daily stress, and a chronic breakdown in leadership, members of Black Heart Platoon descended in poor discipline, substance abuse and brutality over their year-long deployment, culminating in the slaughter of the Janabis, an Iraqi family, following the brutal rape of their fourteen-year-old daughter. This book is essential for all soldiers and teams to confront issues of ethics and morality, peer pressure and dealing with the reality of operations; simultaneously, Black Hearts illustrates the centrality of command climate and military leadership in stressful environments, making its lessons invaluable for Officers and NCOs.