“Make Peace or Die: The First Days of War in Iraq with 1 Battalion 5 Marines” is a boots-on-the-ground account of the treacherous three-week journey from the oilfields of Kuwait to Saddam Hussein’s palace in Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom with one of the most decorated units in the U.S. military. Footage from embedded reporters, Department of Defense archives, digital images from individual Marines, and interviews conducted by a former member of 1/5 in the summer of 2003 provide a rare glimpse into the souls of America’s warriors. From their first full-scale battle at Saddam Canal to dealing with the fog of war at a roadblock on the streets of Baghdad, we witness in these men the essence of conflict, both personal and professional, as seen through the ages. The film serves as both an intensely personal oral history and a chilling snapshot of events that would give way to the future in Iraq.