My Tour: Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock (Ret.) in Ramadi, Iraq

One man’s view of a conflict zone.

In the summer of 2006, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division out of Baumholder, Germany deployed to Ramadi, Iraq, a dusty metropolis about an hour west of Baghdad. Following the Second Battle of Fallujah in 2004, Ramadi became a chief Al-Qaeda stronghold, and one of the most fiercely contested battlegrounds of the war. The period between April 2006 and November 2006 would later come to be known as “The Battle of Ramadi” for the intensity of the fighting that occurred there. When 6th Infantry – also known as “the Regulars” – arrived in Ramadi, large swaths of the city were under the control of the insurgency, and attacks on coalition forces were frequent and brazen. Under the leadership of Colonel Sean MacFarland, the Regulars, alongside a contingency of U.S. Marines and Navy SEALS, fought street to street in a harrowing campaign to take the city back. And they ultimately succeeded in doing so.

Jeremy Lock, an award-winning military photographer, and a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, spent time embedded with the soldiers of the 6th Infantry during their legendary tour. Many of his photographs appeared in “A Chance in Hell: The Battle of Ramadi,” a documentary about the deployment narrated by Rob Lowe. This is his story.

You can also follow Jeremy Lock on Instagram: @jeremytlock

If you’ve served in a conflict zone and want to contribute to Maxim’s “My Tour” series, drop us an email.

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