Generation Kill
Combat Jack
TV Flash files “Combat Jack” as hour 4 of 7 in the TV Flash guide — Generation Kill (2008) on HBO, season 1, episode 4, aired 2008-08-03, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S01E04: listed hour 4 of 7 in the Generation Kill guide, hour 4 of 7 in season 1. It aired 2008-08-03 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Screwby” (S01E03). Next is “A Burning Dog” (S01E05).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Having raced to capture the airfield, First Recon is now miles ahead of the rest of the American force and has some time to rest and regroup. The abandoned supply truck has been looted and destroyed, and the company is now down to one meal a day. After expressing their dismay to their commander, Alpha is tasked with a different mission - to recover the body of a captured Marine who was murdered in Ash Shatrah, which takes a twist when a CIA-trained army of Iraqi Freedom Fighters arrives and then just as quickly departs. Meanwhile, Bravo pushes north, clearing hamlets and facing heavy fire. Along the way, Trombley is able to redeem himself at least a bit in the eyes of his fellow Marines. As Alpha heads into Ash Shatra, Bravo sets up a roadblock outside of Al Hayy. The men debate the proper protocol to stop cars, but it is a fine line between being cautious and putting oneself at risk. Bravo steps off as Alpha returns to the fold, having raised more questions with their mission in Ash Shatra than they answered.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Combat Jack sit in the Generation Kill guide?
S01E04 is listed hour 4 of 7 — hour 4 of 7 in season 1, season 1 episode 4.
When did Generation Kill S01E04 air?
Combat Jack aired 2008-08-03 and is listed at 60 minutes.
How long is Generation Kill?
Seven episodes, 2008, one limited series. No open-ended war procedural — a recon unit into the 2003 invasion, then it stops.
In the series
Why this series still plays
The Wire's David Simon and Ed Burns follow a Marine recon unit into the 2003 Iraq invasion and skip the poster. Generation Kill is seven episodes of bad intel, black humor, and operational farce in the dust — banter as a survival skill, heroics refused on principle.
Generation Kill does not open like a war poster. It opens like a briefing that already failed. David Simon and Ed Burns — the team behind The Wire — follow a Marine recon unit into the 2003 Iraq invasion for seven critically acclaimed HBO hours in 2008, based on Evan Wright's embedded reporting. Alexander Skarsgård as Brad "Iceman" Colbert, James Ransone's Ray Person, Lee Tergesen as Wright, Stark Sands, Billy Lush, Jon Huertas. Bad intel. Black humor. Operational farce in the same dust cloud. Banter as a…
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