[February 1, 2022] From 2003 until sometime in 2008, the highway between the Baghdad Airport and the Green Zone was the most dangerous road in the world. More deaths occurred along this main supply route, called Route Irish than any other stretch of road anywhere.
I discuss Route Irish in my book, Our Longest Year in Iraq. My book can be purchased on Amazon (and I hope you considered buying it). The book appeals to all those interested in the Iraq War from Baghdad to Fallujah to Sadr City. It’s a story that needed telling.
Also known as the Baghdad Airport Road, this 7.5 mile stretch was also one of the most heavily traveled and defended. Because of the heavy military traffic and high-profile convoys, the route was extremely dangerous in the years following the invasion by Coalition forces into Iraq. Roadside bombs, suicide bombers, snipers, drive-by shootings, and random acts of extreme violence occurred here on nearly a daily basis.
If you served during the Iraq War, you knew about Route Irish and did what you could to avoid the area. It was a hellhole. This four-lane divided highway ran alongside dense residential area was where some of the most notorious Iraqi insurgents and international terrorists plied their deadly trade.
Literally, if you were on that road, there was no place to hide and no cover if attacked. You fought from your vehicles, and the enemy was on every side. We called it “the road of death,” and we weren’t exaggerating.
We lost count on how many attacks occurred here. Fortunately, our U.S. Army Engineers seemed to have an Angel on their shoulders. Although in constant peril, we sidestepped attacks along this route. Others weren’t so lucky.
While many Coalition troops and civilians died on the roadway, this short stretch of highway was like a gauntlet of fire, to dash from one safe point to another. If you ask anyone who served in Iraq about Route Irish, expect to hear some hair-raising stories.
Every time you prepared to be part of a military convoy, you thought to yourself, “Is today my day to die.” If you were headed along Route Irish, that thought might have been a reality.
—————
Please read my new book, “Our Longest Year in Iraq,” at Amazon (link here).
The most dangerous road was QL-1 (Highway 1) that stretched from the DMZ to Saigon.
At any given time, the VC would ambush or booby-trap the road. Convoys were probably the safest way to travel by road. If not, you drove as fast as whatever you were driving and you never went alone.
It gained another name during the Easter Offensive of 1972 – Horror Highway, as some 20k South Vietnamese escaped from Quang Tri and surrounding villages as the North Vietnamese Army deliberately shelled the road.
Thank you Bob, and welcome home!
All I can say is ‘wow’ —— this is why I keep coming back to your leadership blog. 🇺🇸
Me too. This was an awesome blog post by Gen. Satterfield who was there.
Wow, I’m sure there are thousands of stories like this on ‘the most dangerous road in the world.’ I cannot imagine
Gen, Satterfield, I just never knew about this route. A friend’s son fought in Iraq and tells stories of Route Irish. Scary!
Maybe you could get him to tell you about it. Just a thought. But some combat vets are reluctant to discuss many of their most traumatic incidents in war. You will be fortunate — “priviledged” – if you are told the story of Route Irish. Gen. Satterfield has only given us a small glimpse into this world. Take it and remember.
Right! Privileged to be around combat veterans growing up. See Gen. S. article from today (2/6/2022).
https://www.theleadermaker.com/growing-up-around-combat-veterans/
Great story thanks. Just another reason for visiting the leadership website of Gen. Satterfield.
Yes, and that is why getting Gen. Satterfield’s book, Our Longest Year in Iraq (2021) is so necessary. You will get to read much of his thinking – on steroids! That is what got me to purchase the book in the first place. You can get the book on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/Our-Longest-Year-Iraq-Construction/dp/1737915510/
RA, hey thx for the link to this important book by Gen. Satterfield. I plan to get my copy soon. With you folks recommending it, it must be really good.
Thanks Greg for being a long-time contributor to these leadership forums and for plugging my website.
Learning something new every day, Gen. Satterfield. Thank you for what you do.
Wonderful! Thanks to Gen. Satterfield, we now have a better idea of the most dangerous highway in the world.
Hey guys, I stand with the Canadian Truckers and our Great American Truckers.
You da man!!!!
Me too. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Anything that makes our politicians look like clowns 🤡 that they are, is great entertainment.
I stand up with the truckers. 🇨🇱
NRI, yes, and take a look at today’s article (Feb 4th) on the moral courage of Canadian truckers. You will find it spot-on and it is also good to know that Gen. Satterfield is standing with the freedom these truckers want.
Ooops, forgot. Here is the link:
https://www.theleadermaker.com/moral-courage-canadian-truckers/
I stand with them, too. They are the brave ones, shepherding in freedom .. some people will come to freedom kicking and screaming. 😀
We all do. Things are heatyup. Now American truckers are starting to get in on the action. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Wow, some exciting traveling. I cannot imagine what it took to make a trip on this road. I appreciate the story. Oh, I looked up “Route Irish” and I see that there are many articles on it. Amazing.
Gen. Satterfield, this is a powerful blog post on one aspect of the danger of being in a war zone. The ‘most dangerous road in the world,” perhaps was an understatement. I found several articles on it from veterans. Wow, keep these coming.
As we all know, Gen. Satterfield has a section in his book, “Our Longest Year in Iraq” about this “highway of death.” Great reading. Lessons to be learned and re-learned. I agree with the others here that your article gives some new insight into the dangers of combat.
That’s why his book is popular among the general population and not just for military types.
Got my copy last week and now my wife is reading it. Can’t wait.
How do you get his book to read?
It is a pleasure to read a down-to-earth, patriotic blog. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
If you want to find out more about Route Irish from Gen. Satterfield, then I recommend his book. He writes about Route Irish but puts the whole route and traveling by convoy into perspective. Get his book. Read it. Not written for military experts but for everyone. No blood and guts stuff, just what happened and why.
I hear that civilians who wanted a ride from the Sheraton Hotel to the airport could easily hire their own armored shuttle service – for the deeply discounted price of $2,390 each way. Gee! Massively expensive just for security alone and that had no guarantee you would live through the trip.
Ouch. Life has a price.
Yup! Go for it.
Doesn’t surprise me one bit. Thanks Gen. Satterfield for an eye-opening narrative on the dangers of war and of the men and women who were there on the ground fighting the evil of tyranny.
Dangerous road then, and some danger today. Just talk with Iraqis who still live in Baghdad. The insurgency has not all gone away. And this route is the easiest target along a route that is most traveled in Iraq. Route Irish? No longer that name but still there.
I spent my time there too. Very dangerous. I passed many destroyed vehicles and saw the bodies.
Eventually, Irish would be secured by American troops using concrete obstacles, Iraqi Army units, and taking control of the neighborhoods adjacent to the road. Until then, Coalition forces had to keep the road as clean as possible and remove the blown-up car carcasses.
Yeah Rusty, want to get a quick look at Route Irish, see this YouTube video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuyIpFzjUZ4
Route Irish, we all heard of it and should know that many died there. I knew several soldiers who were injured on this road and they tell harrowing stories about their time driving there.
5 reasons Route Irish was the most nerve-racking road in Iraq
https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/5-reasons-route-irish-was-the-most-nerve-racking-road-in-iraq/
Good article, read it. Worth a few minutes of your time. 👍
Good one, Yusaf and thanks for the article. I never knew. Looks like I should buy gen. satterfield’s new book and get on with it. If you haven’t got his book, there is a Kindle version for $4.99. Perhaps it would do us all good to download his book on the early part of the Iraq War and read it. Oh, give him an honest review too.
I will, thanks Unwoke Dude, love your handle “Unwoke”!!! ✔
God Bless America that we have so many who are willing to put their lives on the line for the freedom of others. But I’m not so sure that Iraqis yet understand that freedom is not just another government handout like they are used to getting. Will they learn? That is yet to be determined.
Right Bernie, you got to earn freedom. Freedom cannot be given for free. There is a cost. And today many do not want to pay the cost because they are too ignorant of history and what is right in front of them.
Right!! God Bless America!!
Great reading. Also, the most infamous highway in the world.
War brings out the best in people and we have seen this in much of Gen. Satterfield’s writings. It also brings out evil in its most insidious forms. And, sadly, we see that too. And for those politicians who support evil actively or passively, then shame on you.
Kicking butt and taking names! Thanks Gen. Satterfield for this insight.
Pow, got that right, “old warrior”. and thank you for your service and continued actions to support America.
Didn’t know. Good stuff for those of us who sit at home with a cup of coffee, a dog at our feet, heat & AC, and a full belly. When you are not threatened, you tend to ignore this kind of info from one who was there and came back to tell us about the dangerous of war.
Yep, thinking the same thing. ✔
Ha Ha, great people in this blog forum.
Yeah, some great insight into the real world. Not like those pussy pinko commie snowflakes we see so often in college.
Good one, old warrior. I always love your comments. Direct and to the point. 😊
Hi Mr. Savage, I heard that Gen. Satterfield is writing another book. Have you heard anything about it? Let us know.
I hear that he is and it will be on leadership for young people …. but applies to everyone.
I heard somewhere that he is but the book will not be out until the end of this year. At least he is back to writing. I bought his new book, Our Longest Year in Iraq ….. found it exciting.