The Top of Baghdad

The series is based on my book, Inside the Fortress that was published back in 2009 and also provided guidance when I worked on the television pilot episode of The Top of Baghdad. Please see the attached pilot script.

The Top of Baghdad brings to life the true-life based story based of my 2009 book “Inside the Fortress" ( https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Fortress-Steve-Valley/dp/1589825667 ) about an Army Reserve unit mobilized for active duty in Baghdad circa 2004. The story is seen through the eyes of the unit’'s leader Army First Sergeant Jake Samuels…The Top of Baghdad.

As Washington fears losing the country’s support for the Iraq war; a no-nonsense and street smart Army First Sergeant leads his unit to Iraq to turn the tables in the propaganda battle in Baghdad without firing a single bullet.

The war of truth and lies in Baghdad is alive and well when the White House pressures the Pentagon as America’s support of the Iraqi war continues to shrink less than a year after hostilities began in 2003. This is when a city bred and street smart Army First Sergeant leads his unit to Baghdad's Green Zone on a mission to turn the tide of public opinion without firing a single bullet.

The pilot episode tells the story, based on actual events, of an Army Reserve unit from the moment the unit receives mobilization order for active duty during a normal weekend drill; to saying good bye to their family as they leave for Kuwait and finally arriving in Baghdad’s notorious Green Zone.

The Top of Baghdad gives a behind the scenes look at the military’s political/communication and combat operations during one of the most unstable periods in Iraq during 2004-05. The military public affairs operation was the nerve center of everything that happened in Baghdad and responsible for shaping the stories that eventually were reported on and shown worldwide; and the Combined Press Information Center (CPIC) was ground zero for everything that the media reported on. And this is the empire that Jake Samuels’ ruled.

Future episodes will explore how the unit comes together as a cohesive team while facing a media frenzy in a spiraling out of control war. The Top of Baghdad shows how being in Baghdad effects the individual Soldiers and what they do to cope with the 16-20 hour work days, never ending barrage of militant attacks, broken marriages, extramarital affairs and professional and personal relationships that grow and fall apart due to the stresses of war, all while trying to tell the world the real story of the Iraqi war.