The ‘Fall of Baghdad’ WOD was the featured workout for GORUCK Tribe in March, 2021.
The ‘Fall of Baghdad’ Workout
- 2000m (~1.25 Mile) Ruck
- 34 Rounds
- 1 Sandbag Cluster (Sandbag Clean + Thruster)
- 3 Ruck Push Ups
- 5 Mountain Climbers
- 2000m (~1.25 Mile) Ruck
Ruck Weight: 20# / 30# (or whatever you’re comfortable with)
Sandbag Weight: 40# / 60# (or whatever you’re comfortable with)
The Significance
Here is the significance of the workout according to the March GORUCK Tribe email:
34 Rounds = 34 Killed in Action
1 Sandbag Cluster = USMC 1st Marine Division
3 Ruck Push Ups = US Army 3rd Infantry Division
5 Mountain Climbers = 5 Coalition of Joint Forces and Aircraft involved in the battle
2000m Ruck = infil and exfil distance represents the year and estimated Iraq KIA
From GORUCK: In preparation for the invasion, CIA’s Special Activities Division paramilitary operations officers and 10th Special Forces Group soldiers were the first U.S. forces to enter Iraq as early as July 2002. Their main objective was to force multiply with the friendly Kurdish Peshmerga and battle Ansar al-Islam for control of strategic territory. When Turkey denied official use of its territory, the Coalition made Kuwait and other Persian Gulf nations their primary bases and modified the plan of attack to take place simultaneously from north and south.
The invasion was swift, beginning on March 19, 2003, and led to the collapse of the Iraqi government and military in about three weeks time. As planned, Coalition forces conducted simultaneous air and ground assaults and quickly incapacitated the Iraqi command structure, thus minimizing civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure. Some 44 oil wells were destroyed either by Iraqi explosives or incidental fire, dark streaks of smoke filled the skies.
The destruction of the Saddam Hussein statue in Firdos Square marked the symbolic end of the Battle of Baghdad on April 9, 2003. On May 1, President George W. Bush declared an end to major combat operations and thus began the period of military occupation.
Final Thoughts
Be smart in how you track the 34 rounds. Whether that’s 34 rocks and you remove one after each round or using the lap counter on a watch. I can get lost in workouts at 12 rounds so I’ll definitely need to plan ahead for this. If you end up completing this workout please come back and let me know your ruck weight, sandbag weight, and time in the comments!
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