About this item
Deployed to Iraq in March 2004 after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, US Marine Michael Zacchea thought he had landed a plum assignment. His team's mission was to build, train, and lead in combat the first Iraqi Army battalion trained by the US military. Quickly, he realized he was faced with a nearly impossible task. With just two weeks' training based on outdated and irrelevant materials, no language instruction, and few cultural tips for interacting with his battalion of Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, Yazidis, and others, Zacchea arrived at his base in Kirkush to learn his recruits would need beds, boots, uniforms, and equipment. His Iraqi officer counterparts spoke little English. He had little time to transform his troops - mostly poor, uneducated farmers - into a cohesive rifle battalion that would fight a new insurgency erupting across Iraq.
About the Author
Michael Zacchea was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Marine Corps in 1990. He went on to serve as a howitzer platoon commander in OPERATION RESTORE HOPE in Somalia, and OPERATION SUPPORT DEMOCRACY in Haiti. He commanded two artillery batteries. He served two tours on recruiting duty. He served in Iraq from 2004 - 2005 in OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM II. His Iraqi army battalion accomplished a number of historic firsts in Iraq. He was awarded two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart. He also received the Order of the Lion of Babylon from the Iraqi Interim Government. Mike helped form a non-profit organization of military advisers in 2006 to help Iraqi interpreters immigrate to the United States, which eventually became known nationally as Netroots: the List Project. In 2009, he founded the UConn Entrepreneur Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, through which he has helped veterans start more than 100 businesses. Mike founded the CT Veterans Chamber of Commerce 501(c) 6 organization in 2013. He has been recognized as the 2012 Veterans Business Champion by the Small Business Administration, and been inducted into the UConn School of Business Hall of Fame. Mike serves on several veterans advisory boards for elected officials. Mike was appointed to the Advisory Committee on Veterans Business Affairs for the Small Business Administration, advising the Administrator on policies and issues affecting more than 2.5 million veteran-owned businesses producing more than $1.7 trillion in GDP. Mike is a frequent guest speaker in the media, and has been featured in several books and documentaries addressing the Iraq War, Iraqi refugee issues, and veterans' issues, including the acclaimed documentary Thank You For Your Service, winner of the 2016 GI Film Festival "best documentary" award. Mike consulted on the feature film Man Down by Lions Gate Studio. Mike presented "Managing Trauma in the War Theater" to the International Congress of Stress and Trauma Management in 2013. Mike is the author of "Veteran's Advocacy: the Fight for Social Justice and Healing Through Activism" in Healing War Trauma: A Handbook of Creative Approaches (Routledge: 2012) and of "Social Entrepreneurship Solution for Veterans' Reintegration through Entrepreneur Training for Disabled Veterans" in Social Entrepreneurship as a Catalyst for Social Change (Infoage: 2013) .
