[sullivan-fan]

"The Marines asked specifically for the Black Watch, there were other troops available."

Wouldn't this operation have been planned at the level of CentCom or General Casey? They would have determined the order of battle, not the Marines.

The Black Watch was deployed south of Baghdad, not anywhere near Fallujah. It replaced a Marine unit sent to Fallujah.

[RKV]

The book states the Marines who were planning the attack specifically requested the Black Watch and the 2nd of the 7th Cav. IIRC Centcom didn't like it, but acquiesced.