This site is a historical record of the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment — the Sykes' Regulars — and their three deployments to Iraq between 2003 and 2010. It exists for the soldiers who served, for their families, and for anyone who wants to understand what this battalion did and what it cost.
The 5/20th Infantry was part of the first Stryker Brigade to deploy to combat. Across three tours spanning nearly 39 months, the battalion fought in Samarra, Mosul, Baghdad, Baqubah, and Diyala Province. Twenty soldiers were killed. More than 77 received Purple Hearts — and that number is incomplete, as the second deployment's Purple Heart roster has not yet been fully documented.
The Battle of Baqubah in 2007 was described by military historians as "arguably the most significant campaign of the war in Iraq after the initial invasion." The battalion walked into what was at minimum a brigade-sized fight and held ground for nearly three months before reinforcements arrived.
Much of this history has never been compiled in one place. This is an attempt to change that.
Samarra, Tal Afar, An Najaf, Al Kut. First Stryker infantry soldiers into combat. Replaced a 50,000-soldier division. 683 personnel, 74 Strykers.
Mosul, Baghdad, Baqubah. Extended from 12 to 15 months. Battle of Baqubah. Operation Arrowhead Ripper. Six soldiers killed by single IED on May 6, 2007.
Diyala Province, FOB Warhorse. Two soldiers killed on the first day. Battalion assumed five separate areas. Iraqi Security Force transitions and parliamentary elections.
The 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment traces its lineage to the Civil War. Redesignated on August 16, 1986, the battalion served as part of the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea, patrolling the DMZ during and after the Cold War.
In 1999, the battalion was hand-picked to lead the Army's transformation to the first Stryker Brigade Combat Team — transitioning from the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division to the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. The 19-ton Stryker wheeled combat vehicles were designed for rapid deployment via C-130 aircraft, combining infantry firepower with strategic mobility. The battalion earned the Army Superior Unit Award for its role in this transformation.
Between 2003 and 2010, the Sykes' Regulars deployed three times to Iraq, spending approximately 39 months in combat operations across some of the most contested terrain of the war. The battalion was part of a brigade that lost 88 soldiers killed in action across the same period.
The 5/20th Infantry was one of four maneuver battalions in the 3d Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2d Infantry Division. The brigade's total losses across the Iraq War:
Names, dates, and circumstances for all 20 soldiers killed in action across three deployments.
Distinguished Service Cross, unit citations, and the 77+ Purple Heart recipients documented so far.
Why this site was built, who maintains it, and how to contribute corrections, stories, or information.