The third deployment returned the battalion to Diyala Province — the same region where the Battle of Baqubah had been fought two years earlier. The mission had shifted from major combat operations to Iraqi Security Force transitions, battlespace management, and support for Iraqi parliamentary elections. But the deployment began with immediate tragedy.
The battalion was commanded by LTC Mitchell L. Rambin.
On the same day the battalion conducted Relief in Place / Transfer of Authority — effectively the first day of the deployment — SSG Todd Selge and SGT Jordan Shay were killed in a vehicle rollover. The vehicle fell approximately 60 feet from a bridge. Both were assigned to Attack Company, 5/20th Infantry.
For SSG Selge, this was his second deployment with the battalion. During the first (2006–07), he had been shot twice and earned a Purple Heart. He was 25 years old and had planned to leave the Army in 2012.
SGT Shay was 22, from Salisbury, Massachusetts. He authored a military blog called "Through Amber Lenses" and was posthumously promoted to Sergeant.
The battalion doubled its battlespace when it conducted Relief in Place with 2-8 FA from Fort Lewis. Over the course of the deployment, the battalion assumed five separate battalion-sized areas of operation — conducting four separate reliefs in place.
The battalion transitioned security responsibilities to Iraqi Security Forces across its areas of operation, including Balad Ruz and Muqdadiyah. This required close partnership with Iraqi Army and police units while maintaining the ability to respond to security incidents.
The battalion provided security support for the Iraqi parliamentary elections — a critical milestone in Iraq's transition to self-governance. The battalion's areas of operation included some of the most contested districts in Diyala Province.
Less than two months before the battalion was due to return home, SGT Israel P. O'Bryan and CPL William C. Yauch were killed when a suicide attacker detonated a vehicle-borne IED near their patrol in Jalula, in northern Diyala Province. O'Bryan, 24, of Newbern, Tennessee, was a squad leader in Battle Company; Yauch, 23, of Batesville, Arkansas, served with Bravo Company. They were the battalion's last losses of the deployment.
The battalion returned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord after 13 months. This was the final Iraq deployment for the 5/20th Infantry.
| Name | Date | Location | Circumstances |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSG Todd W. Selge | 3 Sep 2009 | Diyala Province | Vehicle rollover. Age 25, Burnsville, MN. Second deployment. Previously wounded twice (2006–07). Survived by wife and two sons. |
| SGT Jordan M. Shay | 3 Sep 2009 | Diyala Province | Same vehicle rollover. Age 22, Salisbury, MA. Posthumously promoted. Author of "Through Amber Lenses" blog. |
| SGT Israel P. O'Bryan | 11 Jun 2010 | Jalula, Diyala | Killed by a vehicle-borne IED (suicide car bomb) that struck their patrol. Age 24, Newbern, TN. Squad Leader, 4th Platoon, Battle Company. Survived by wife Brenna and son Turner. Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge. |
| CPL William C. Yauch | 11 Jun 2010 | Jalula, Diyala | Killed in the same attack as SGT O'Bryan. Age 23, Batesville, AR. Bravo Company. Two months from returning home. Survived by wife Mallory. Bronze Star, Purple Heart. |
Seven soldiers from the third deployment were awarded the Purple Heart. Soldiers marked with an asterisk (*) received the award posthumously.
Buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Buried at Saint Joseph's Cemetery, Amesbury, Massachusetts. The SGT Jordan M. Shay Memorial Foundation was established in his honor.
Buried in Wilmot, South Dakota. Survived by his wife Brenna and son Turner.
Buried at Roselawn Memorial Gardens, Batesville, Arkansas. Survived by his wife Mallory.