The Debrief Project

02/28/2026

New Debrief Out Now — #42 with Matt Overling (B Co, 5-20th)

This is history and healing in action!

Debrief #42 just dropped! In this powerful installment, Matt Overling, a veteran of Bravo Company, 5-20th Infantry, shares his firsthand account of deploying straight into the Baqubah action — one of the fiercest urban battles of the Iraq War. 

📍 Why this matters: Baqubah, in Iraq’s Diyala Province, was a key hotspot where U.S. forces faced intense combat during the Iraq War, especially throughout operations like Arrowhead Ripper aimed at clearing insurgent forces from the city and surrounding areas. 

In this episode, Matt walks through what it was like to move from a calm forward operating base into a fight that tested everything — from unit cohesion to sheer grit under fire. Whether you’re into military history, veteran experiences, or just straight-up storytelling from the front lines, this debrief brings it home with clarity and respect.

👉 Watch Debrief #42 — I Deployed Directly to the Baqubah Action here:
https://youtu.be/azTTNIFYTo0

Feel free to share, comment, or tag someone who’ll appreciate this deep dive into a moment most civilians never see.

In this powerful Debrief, Matt Overling reflects on his journey from basic training to combat operations in Baqubah, Iraq. He shares what it was like steppin...

02/26/2026

Next Debrief Release Incoming – B Co 5-20 INF

From JBLM straight into the fMatthew Overlinge for Baqubah — SPC Matthew Overling shares what it was like volunteering to backfill and stepping directly into one of the most intense fights of the Iraq War.

This is what History & Healing looks like.

Real stories.
Real voices.
Real impact.

At The Debrief Project, our mission is simple but powerful:
If you’re willing to share your story, we’re willing to preserve it.

These conversations aren’t just interviews — they are living history. They are healing in action. They are leadership lessons, sacrifice, brotherhood, and truth captured for future generations.

And we can’t do it without you.

👉 Watch the Debrief on our YouTube channel
👉 Subscribe so you don’t miss future releases
👉 Comment to show support and engage with the story
👉 Share to help us reach more veterans and families
👉 Donate to help us continue documenting the Battle for Baqubah and beyond

Every view matters.
Every comment matters.
Every dollar helps preserve history and support healing.

Let’s rally behind SPC Overling and keep this movement growing.

History & Healing — in action.

See you in the Debrief Room.

#

02/21/2026

MISSION: 747 HOURS

We are 747 watch hours away from unlocking YouTube monetization for The Debrief Project.

That’s it. One strong weekend of this community rallying together.

https://www.youtube.com/

Here’s the ask:
Binge-watch Debriefs.
Play them while you’re working out.
Put them on during your weekend projects.
Share them with your battle buddies and family.

YouTube revenue won’t make TDP rich — but it will help us expand our History & Healing mission. Every dollar generated from views goes directly back into:

• Recording more Debriefs
• Preserving more veteran history
• Supporting healing through storytelling
• Expanding Operation Promise Keeper

This is about sustainability. This is about momentum. This is about making sure no story is lost.

747 hours.
We’ve done harder things.

https://www.youtube.com/

Search The Debrief Project on YouTube and press play.

History & Healing in action.

02/20/2026

History & Healing in Action 🇺🇸

The story of the Battle for Baqubah isn’t written in a script — it lives in your photos, your videos, your memories.

And this week, we want to recognize someone who answered the call.

Thank you to Michael Calondis for stepping up and submitting powerful photos that help preserve our shared history. Every image tells a story. Every story matters. What you sent in helps ensure this documentary is real, raw, and authentic.

But we’re not done.

If you were there… if you carried a camera… if you have photos sitting on an old hard drive, phone, CD, or tucked away in a footlocker — now is the time.

This project cannot be completed without you.

We need your:
• Photos
• Videos
• Stories
• Support
• Donations

History doesn’t preserve itself. We preserve it. Together.

Help us honor the mission, the sacrifice, and the brotherhood by submitting your media today.

📩 Send photos & videos to: contactus@debriefproject.org

🎥 Share your story: debriefs@debriefproject.org

Let’s make sure the Battle for Baqubah is told the right way — by the men and women who lived it.

History & Healing in action.

02/19/2026

Debrief Highlight. . . . Debrief #35 Harry Cromer, PL 2nd PLT, B.co 5-20th "My time in the army was some of the best."

In this powerful Debrief, Harry Cromer traces his journey from a small town in South Carolina to the streets of Baqubah, Iraq during the height of the Iraq War. As a combat leader with 5-20 Infantry (Stryker Brigade), Harry reflects on the realities of deployment, the burden of command, and the challenges of making decisions that affect lives.

He speaks candidly about the evolution of enemy tactics, the complexities of urban counterinsurgency, and the emotional and moral weight carried by leaders on the ground. Harry also highlights the losses endured by his unit, the brotherhood formed in combat, and the resilience required to bring those experiences home.

Head over to YouTube to see the full Debrief:
https://youtu.be/khM5VRUbRYA

02/16/2026

History and Healing: Healthy Monday

Moral injury doesn’t come from fear.
It comes from conflict inside your own values.

Sometimes it’s what you did.
Sometimes it’s what you couldn’t stop.
Sometimes it’s what you witnessed.

In combat zones like Baqubah, service members faced impossible decisions—protect your team, protect civilians, survive the day. There isn’t always a clean answer in a dirty fight.

Moral injury isn’t weakness.
It’s a sign you still have a conscience.

If you carry guilt, shame, anger, or questions that won’t quiet down… you’re not broken. You’re human.

Healing starts with telling the truth about what happened—out loud, in safe spaces, with people who understand.

History matters.
But so does healing.

You don’t have to carry it alone.

02/15/2026

VBIED Attacks in Baqubah (2006–2008

During the height of the insurgency in Baqubah (Diyala Province), Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs) were one of the primary weapons used by Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) to destabilize the region.

Why VBIEDs?
-AQI relied on VBIEDs because they were:
-High-casualty: Packed with large explosive payloads.
-Psychologically powerful: Loud, public, and unpredictable.
-Operationally flexible: Used as su***de attacks (SVBIEDs) or parked car bombs.
-Strategic messaging tools: Designed to demonstrate reach and control.

02/14/2026

We did not create this video; however, it is worth highlighting.

A Post-deployment video from 3HBCT, 1CD in Iraq after the end of a 14 month deployment to Diyala, Iraq from OCT 2006 - DEC 2007.

02/13/2026

Battle for Baqubah Veterans: The Time Is Now

Many of you have asked, “How can I help? How can I be part of the documentary?”

This is it. This is your moment.

🎥 We need your pictures
🎬 We need your videos
🎙 We need your Debriefs
💪 We need your donations

The mission of The Debrief Project has always been about History & Healing in action. But history can’t be preserved without the people who lived it. And healing can’t happen in isolation.

This documentary will not be built in a studio somewhere by outsiders. It will be built by those who were there. The sights. The sounds. The faces. The brotherhood. The sacrifice.

If you served, your story matters.
If you were there, your footage matters.
If you believe these stories deserve to be preserved, your support matters.

We cannot complete this mission without all four components. To make this project real. To make it powerful. To make it authentic.

This is your call to action.

Send your photos and videos.
Schedule your Debrief.
Make a donation that fuels the mission forward.

History is waiting.
Healing is happening.
Now is the time to step forward.

Let’s get to work.

02/10/2026

The Power of Sharing — History & Healing in Action

As a mental health therapist, I can’t overstate the power of sharing your story.

When you share your history, you give voice to the sights, sounds, emotions, and sacrifices that so often live unspoken. That act alone can be healing—putting words to experiences that were never meant to be carried alone.

But there’s another powerful layer to sharing your story through a Debrief.

When you tell your story, you’re not just healing yourself—you’re educating others. You’re preserving history as it actually happened, through the eyes of those who lived it. And for fellow veterans, your words can unlock understanding, validation, and healing they didn’t even realize they needed.

One story can remind someone else:

I wasn’t alone.

What I felt makes sense.

It’s okay to talk about it.

This is History and Healing in action—stories that matter, shared with purpose, creating connection across generations.

Your story matters.
Your voice matters.
And when shared, it has the power to heal more than just one person.

Don't put it off any longer, email us today, and let's get you on the Debrief schedule!

Mike
Clinical Mental Health Counselor
debriefs@debriefproject.org

02/07/2026

Here is another bit of reporting on Baqubah. . . Share your thoughts below!

NBC Report on the 5/20 Infantry in Iraq, June, 2008, part of the 3rd Stryker Battalion.

02/06/2026

Debrief Preview. . . . Charger 6G shares his experiences and keeps his word to one boy who asked for something we take for granted.