INVITED: Colonel Bryan McCoy was the commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion 4th Marine Regiment from May 2002 through July 2004 and led his battalion through two combat tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 3rd Battalion was the first Marine unit to enter Baghdad on April 7, 2003, and it was this unit that pulled down the Saddam statue in Firdos Square on April 9, 2003. In the second tour the 3rd Battalion saw action during Operation Vigilant Resolve in Fallujah in April and May of 2004.

McCoy has served primarily in infantry and light armored reconnaissance units as platoon commander, company commander, and operations officer at the battalion and regimental levels. In 2004, McCoy testified before the United States Congress House Armed Services Committee on the situation in Iraq.

McCoy’s awards include the Legion of Merit with Combat ‘V’, the Bronze Star with Combat ‘V’, and the Combat Action Ribbon with gold star in lieu of second award. He was the winner of the 2003 Navy League General John A. Lejuene Inspirational Leadership Award and has been the subject of articles in Time magazine and New York Times Magazine.

McCoy is a published author on combat leadership (The Passion of Command: The Moral Imperative of Leadership) and is the subject of the book McCoy’s Marines: Darkside to Baghdad by embedded reporter John Koopman. He is currently the commanding office of the 7th Marine Regiment, Twentynine Palms, California.