TOO FAMILIAR TERRITORY

On March 20, 2003, the 1st Marine Division crossed the Kuwaiti border and rapidly made its way north alongside British allies into Iraq.

A year later, the heavily decorated unit from Camp Pendleton, Calif., took authority over one of the most contentious regions in the country...

For the Marines, who left the country in the fall only to return half a year later, Iraq is familiar territory. Almost two-thirds of the force served in the country last year.