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From YouTube: David Finkel on "The Good Soldier"
Description
Author David Finkel speaks at Arlington's Central Library on his book, "The Good Soldier". This event is a special feature of the 2011 Arlington Reads campaign.
A
This
year
we
present
the
soldier's
story
serving
country
and
community,
a
theme
that
speaks
to
the
residents
of
Arlington,
many
of
whom
are
military
families,
and
it
supports
the
county
boards
telling
Arlington
story
initiative.
Our
guest
author
tonight
is
David
Finkel,
a
Pulitzer
prize-winning
reporter
from
the
Washington
Post
his
critically
acclaimed.
The
good
soldiers
in
which
we
meet
the
men
of
the
Rangers
battalion
has
been
called
the
most
unforgettable
book
about
the
Iraq
war,
both
heart-stopping
and
heartbreaking.
A
To
say
that
the
good
soldiers
is
about
the
horrors
of
war
is
a
little
like
saying.
Catcher
in
the
Rye
is
about
an
alienated
adolescent
or
that
Bernard
Malamud
'he's,
the
natural
is
a
book
about
baseball.
The
good
soldiers
is
about
the
horrors
of
war
and
so
much
more.
It
is
about
abstract
concepts
like
duty
obligation,
honor
and
trust.
It
is
about
decisions
and
strategies,
commitments
and
beliefs,
bonds
of
friendship
and
survivor's
guilt.
It
is
about
revealing
the
hidden
place
and
about
bearing
witness
to
human
tragedy
and
failings.
A
It
is
about
the
paradox
of
good
the
good
soldiers,
good
people.
It's
all
good
David
has
spent
much
of
today
having
lively
exchanges
with
Arlington
High
School
students
who
read
the
book.
We
were
meeting
both
with
new
direction,
students
and
journalism,
students
at
Yorktown,
High,
School
and
tonight
it's
our
turn
to
hear
David
offer
fresh
documentation
of
an
age-old
story.
Men
and
women
may
leave
a
war,
but
it
never
leaves
them.
It's
my
pleasure
to
welcome
our
2011
Arlington
reads:
featured
nonfiction
author
David
Finkel.
B
B
Want
to
start
off
with
some
some
necessary
and
enthusiastic
thank-yous
to
Diane,
into
Margaret
Brown
and
to
the
to
the
library
it
was
no.
No,
when
I
was
writing
the
book
or
when
I
was
waiting
for
it
to
come
out.
Friends
who
had
written
books
said
so
there's
some
really
great
moments
ahead.
When
you
get
to
cover
that's
a
great
moment.
One
day
the
cover
showed
up
in
the
mail
I'd
like
to
cover
that
was
nice.
B
B
I
was
just
passing
through
a
town,
I
had
time
to
kill,
so
I
went
into
the
library
and
there
was
the
book
and
it
you
know
it
had
that
wrapping
on
it
that
clear,
wrapping
and-
and
he
knew
in
a
couple
of
years,
it
probably
was
gonna-
have
that
library
sent
to
it
and
and
I
started
just
seeing
seeing
the
book
in
that
place,
where
I
didn't
expect
to
see
it
meant
and
means.
So
much
to
me,
I
mean
I,
just
love,
libraries
and
I'm
glad
to
be
here,
and
thank
you
to
you
this.
B
B
I
guess
he
could
say
the
book
is
about
the
Iraq
war.
More
specifically,
it's
about
a
period
in
the
Iraq
war,
known
as
the
surge
and
more
specifically
than
that
I
think
the
book
is
about
any
war.
My
intent
wasn't
to
write
a
book
about
the
Iraq
war,
but
to
use
that
war
to
write
a
book
about
the
character
of
young
men
who
enter
a
war
at
pretty
much
the
lost
moment
and
to
Chronicle
into
document
what
happens
to
them,
what
war
does
to
them
over
the
course
of
their
time
in
this
place.
B
In
this
case,
in
this
particular
case,
the
soldiers
belong
to
an
army
infantry
battalion.
Now
the
Fort
Riley
Kansas
called
the
216,
nicknamed
the
Rangers
passed
all
that
it
was
800
guys-
and
forgive
me
for
saying
guys,
but
this
was
infantry
and
except
for
support
positions,
everybody
who
was
male
800,
guys
average
age
19,
most
of
them,
hadn't,
been
out
of
the
country
before
hadn't
been
to
war
before
and
and
the
rest
of
their
life
began
to
take
shape.
B
On
the
evening
of
January
10th
2007,
when
George
W
Bush
went
on
TV
and
announced
this
new
strategy
called
the
surge
and
as
he
went
on
at
one
point,
he
said
many
something
like
many
listening
tonight
will
wonder
what
the
differences
will
be
this
time.
Well,
here
the
difference
is,
and
he
went
on
to
elaborate
to
to
enunciate
what
the
differences
would
be
in
the
strategy,
but
there
was
a
guy
in
Fort
Riley,
a
lieutenant
colonel
named
Ralph
Cossa
rich.
B
If
you've
ever
wondered
what
the
search
felt
like
this
is
what
it
felt
like:
blue
sky
hot
temperatures,
another
mission
to
get
from
here
to
there
another
convoy,
each
convoy
had
four
or
five
Humvees.
Each
Humvee
had
four
or
five
soldiers
inside
each
soldier
was
wearing
70
pounds
of
gear.
They
always
wore
body
armor
than
a
case
them
takes
surrounded
plates.
It
were
bullet
resistant,
glasses,
heat-resistant,
gloves,
knee
pads
and
elbow
pads.
B
They
carried
tourniquets
bandages,
240
rounds
of
ammunition
and
grenades,
all
of
them
tartan
assault
rifle
some
of
them
carried
good
luck,
charms
some
would
sit
with
one
foot
in
front
of
the
other.
So
if
a
roadside
bomb
went
off,
they
might
lose
one
foot
instead
of
two.
Sometimes
they
joked
about
what
their
last
words
would
be,
but
always
every
day
they
were
getting
their
Humpty's
and
also
they
would
go.
This
day
the
trip
was
from
one
base
in
eastern
Baghdad
to
another
along
a
road
called
Ralph's
Pluto.
B
B
B
It's
it's,
it
is
what
it
was
like
and
and-
and
the
soldiers
of
course
didn't
know-
that
at
the
beginning,
you're
19
years
old,
you're
filled
with
bravado
a
sense
of
mission,
some
version
of
patriotism,
some
sense
that
you're
gonna
go
win
this
thing
and
really
I
guess
in
the
end,
a
combination
of
naivety
and
invincibility,
and
they
thought
nothing.
Bad
was
going
to
happen
to
them.
And
then
you
know
what
happened
was
what
always
happens
in
war.
B
The
war
began
for
them,
they
lost
a
guy
and
then
they
lost
their
second
guy
and
and
as
they
tried
to
carry
out
this
counterinsurgency
strategy,
which
has
to
do
with
number
one
make
the
population
feel
safe
and
that's
the
way
to
win
a
war,
the
very
streets
they
were
going
into
to
make
the
population
feel
safe,
made
them
feel
less
and
less
safe
because
they
were
seated
with
so
many
roadside
bombs.
They
simply
couldn't
get
them
all.
B
They
got
a
lot
of
them
thanks
to
jamming
devices
thanks
to
all
kinds
of
things
on
Humvees,
but
they
couldn't
get
him
off.
So
so
here's
the
deal
this
in
this
part
of
Baghdad
in
East
Baghdad,
the
weapon
of
choice,
was
called
it's
a
type
of
roadside
bomb
called
an
explosively
formed
penetrator
EFP.
You
know
it's
a
it's
a
it's
a
rather
benign
and
almost
like
a
neutered
name
for
a
really
insidious
device,
and
rather
simple,
there's
a
shaped
charge.
B
B
It
might
wrap
around
the
palm
through
the
shadows,
finally
into
the
hand
of
a
guy
who's
waiting
for
convoy
of
American
soldiers
to
hit
the
perfect
aiming
point
that
he
had
pre-selected
somewhere
in
the
distance
and
when
a
truck
gets
there
hits
the
trigger
other
end
of
this
thing,
there's
a
was
typically
a
piece
of
copper,
a
copper
disc
about
the
size
of
a
dinner
plate,
sometimes
a
little
smaller.
Sometimes
there
were
one.
Sometimes
there
are
several.
This
thing
is
propelled
forward.
It's
such
a
high
velocity.
B
It
becomes
almost
liquid,
it
becomes
semi
molten,
it's
hot
and
it's
traveling
fast
and
that,
if
you
could
see
it,
I
guess
would
take
the
shape
of
a
tadpole
and
and
this
hundred-dollar
device
would
simply
burn
its
way
through
whatever
was
in
front
of
it,
and
if
it
was
well
aimed
what
it
would
burn
through
was
the
very
thickest
up
armored
door,
500-pound
door,
their
very
best
Humvee.
The
military
could
ship
to
these
guys.
B
At
that
moment,
$200,000
Humvee
one
hundred
dollar
device-
it
wasn't
even
close
thing-
would
burn
right
through
and
absolutely
caused
chaos
inside
and
that's
why,
on
the
video,
when
I
said,
you
know,
there's
a
gunner
who
would
stand
this
way?
A
calculated
decision
I'm
going
to
go
out
today
with
one
foot
in
front
of
the
other.
So
when
the
shaped-charge
comes
through
and
it
would
come
through,
I'm
gonna
lose
one
foot
instead
of
two
or
you'd
see
these
guys
make
calculations.
B
I'm
gonna
ride
around
with
my
hands
behind
my
body
armor,
or
they
would
tie
a
horseshoe
to
the
grill
or
they
would
just
you
know,
they're
kids,
and
they
would
laugh
about
what
their
last
words
would
be,
and
then
they
wouldn't
be
laughing.
They
get
a
lot
a
little
serious
about
it,
but
out
they
would
go
every
day
into
these
streets
learning,
really
what
we
all
kind
of
can
figure
out
for
ourselves.
This
is
what
war
actually
is.
B
What
I'd
like
to
do
is
just
well
I'd
like
to
have
a
robust
question-and-answer
period,
but
before
that
I
want
to
I
want
to
show
some
pictures
of
these
guys
and
just
tell
you
about
a
few
characters
in
the
book.
If
you've
read
it
great,
if
you
haven't,
it
may
interest
to
read
the
book,
but
at
least
I
want
to
talk
about
them.
The
way
the
book
came
about
was
I,
wrote
a
little
story
for
the
post
about
these
guys
heading
into
the
surge.
I
then
got
in
touch
with
the
battalion
commander.
B
This
guy
Casa
rich
and
said
I
wanted
to
write
a
book
and
I
said
you
have
to
understand.
I
have
I'm
a
journalist,
I
have
no
agenda
here.
I'm,
not
gonna,
write
a
book
saying
the
war
was
won
or
the
war
was
lost
or
the
surge
was
good
or
the
surge
was
bad.
It's
not
a
judgmental
book.
It's
not
a
policy
book.
Those
who
come
out
buy
them.
B
It's
simply,
and
it's
not
a
first-person
book.
It's
just
a
book.
That's
going
to
document
this
one
unseen
corner
of
the
war,
not
policy
in
Washington,
but
the
far
end
of
policy
as
it
was
being
enacted
and
carried
out
every
day
in
this
little
vicious
part
of
East
Baghdad.
He
said
you
want
to
come
over
come
on
over
and
if
that's
your
promise
that
you
don't
have
an
agenda,
my
promise
to
you
full
access
to
everything
we're
doing,
and
he
was
good
to
his
word.
These
guys
were
there
on
the
ground.
B
B
I
was
gonna,
sell
or
just
just
disappear
completely,
but
to
try
to
describe
that
hidden
part
to
add
to
all
the
documentation
of
this
war.
I
mean
it's
a
consequential
war
so
that
later,
when
people
are
combing
through
this
war
and
this
time
to
see
what
it
was
like,
along
with
the
great
policy
books
and
the
memoirs
and
everything
else,
was
one
more
book
describing
the
day-to-day
of
what
this
war
did
at
this
point
in
time,.
B
So
this
is
that's
cause
rich,
and
this
isn't
for
Riley,
and
this
is
when
it,
when
it
kind
of
really
kicked
in
after
George
Bush
announced
the
surge
and
Casa
lurch
found
out
exactly
where
he
was
going.
He
gathered
his
guys,
they
stood
in
the
snow
and
he
told
him
we're
going
to
what
what
I
understand
is
a
mean
little
vicious
area
of
East
Baghdad
and
when
he
said
that
everybody
cheered
because
they
were
so
eager
to
get
into
this
thing.
B
The
book
begins
this
way.
If
I
can
read
a
quick
excerpt,
his
soldiers
weren't
yet
calling
him
the
lost
cause
behind
his
back.
Not
when
this
began,
the
soldiers
of
his
who
would
be
injured
were
still
perfectly
healthy
and
the
soldiers
of
his
who
had
died
were
still
perfectly
alive,
a
soldier
who
is
a
favorite
of
his
hadn't.
Yet
written
of
the
war
in
the
letter
to
a
friend
I've
had
enough
of
this
another
soldier,
one
of
his
best
hadn't,
yet
written
in
the
journal.
He
kept
hidden,
I've
lost
all
hope.
I
feel.
B
The
end
is
near
for
me
very,
very
near
another
hadn't,
yet
gotten
angry
enough
to
shoot
a
thirsty
dog
that
was
lapping
up
a
puddle
of
human
blood.
Another
who,
at
the
end
of
all
this,
would
become
the
battalions
most
decorated
soldier
hadn't,
yet
started
dreaming
about
the
people
he
had
killed
and
wondering.
B
If
God
was
going
to
ask
him
about
the
two
who
had
been
climbing
a
ladder,
another
hadn't
yet
started
seeing
himself
shooting
a
man
in
the
head
and
then
seeing
the
little
girl
who
had
just
watched
them
shoot
the
man
in
the
head
every
time
he
shut
his
eyes
for
that
matter.
His
own
dreams
hadn't
started
yet
either
at
least
the
ones
he
would
remember.
The
ones
in
which
his
wife
and
friends
were
in
a
cemetery
surrounding
a
hole
into
which
he
was
suddenly
falling.
B
Those
dreams
would
be
along
soon
enough,
but
in
early
April
2007
Ralph
Cossa
rich,
a
US
Army
lieutenant
colonel
who
had
led
a
battalion
of
some
800
soldiers
into
Baghdad
as
part
of
george
w
bush's
surge
was
still
finding
a
reason
everyday
to
say
it's
all
good.
He
would
wake
up
in
eastern
Baghdad
in
hell,
it's
bitter
burning
air
and
say
it
it's
all
good.
He
would
go
past
the
blast
walls,
the
sandbags,
the
bunkers,
the
aid
station,
where
the
wounded
from
other
battalions
were
treated
the
annex
were
they
assembled
two
dead
and
say
it.
B
He
would
say
it
in
his
little
office
with
its
walls,
cracked
from
various
explosions.
While
reading
the
morning's
emails
from
his
wife
I
love
you
so
much
I
wish
we
could
lay
naked
in
each
other's
arms
bodies,
meshing
together,
perhaps
a
little
sweat
from
his
mother
in
rural
Washington
State.
After
some
surgery,
everything
turned
out
to
be
normal
goody-goody
from
his
father.
I
have
laid
awake.
Many
nights
since
I
last
saw
you
and
have
often
wished.
I
could
be
alongside
you
to
assist
in
some
way.
B
He
would
say
it
when
he
went
in
his
Humvee
into
the
neighborhoods
of
Eastern
Baghdad,
where
more
and
more
roadside
bombs
were
exploding
now
that
the
search
was
underway,
killing
soldiers
taking
off
arms,
taking
off
legs,
causing
concussions
exploding,
eardrums,
leaving
some
old
soldiers,
angry
and
others
vomiting
and
others
in
sudden
tears,
not
his
soldiers,
though
other
soldiers
from
other
battalions.
It's
all
good,
he
would
say
when
he
came
back,
it
could
seem
like
a
nervous
tic.
B
This
thing
that
he
said
or
a
prayer
of
some
sort,
or
maybe
it
was
a
declaration
of
optimism
because
he
was
optimistic,
even
though
he
was
a
midst
of
war,
that
to
the
American
public,
the
American
media
and
even
to
some
in
the
American
military
seemed
all
over
in
April
2007,
except
for
the
pessimism,
the
praying
in
the
nervous
tics,
but
not
to
him.
Well,
here
the
differences
george
w
bush
had
said
and
ralph
Cosford
she
thought
will
be
the
difference.
My
battalion,
my
soldiers
me
and
every
day
since
then
he
had
said
it.
B
B
This
was
the
excellent
of
Italian
guy
named
Brent,
Cummings
and
and
I
like
to
think
that
if
I
were
ever
to
be
a
soldier
or
had
been
a
soldier,
Brent
Cummings
would
be
the
soldier.
I
would
have
liked
to
have
been
or
to
be
very,
very
moral
man,
and
here
he
wasn't
this
place
in
fighting
the
war.
Morally
was
essential
to
him
so
much
that
when
you
meet
him
in
the
book
he's
consumed
with
the
most
absurd
task.
His
soldiers
are
trying
to
take
over
a
building
to
a
part
of
counters.
B
Urgency
was
to
have
community
neighborhood
outposts,
basically,
cops
come
and,
and
they
had
found
a
building
where
they
wanted
to
put
some
guys,
but
when
they
were
going
through
the
building,
they
lifted
up
a
little
round
thing
on
the
ground,
a
little
manhole
cover
and
they
realized
it
was
a
septic
tank
and
when
they
looked
in
the
septic
tank
inside
floating,
they
saw
the
headless
body
of
an
Iraqi
and
just
kind
of
floating.
In
this.
B
In
this
pool
water
and
next
to
him,
was
floating
his
head
and
and
brent
cummings
said:
we've
got
to
get
this
body
out
of
there.
Well,
no
one
wanted
to
do
it.
It
wasn't
an
American
body,
so
the
Americans
didn't
have
to
do
it.
The
Iraqis
wanted
nothing,
nothing
to
do
with
it,
but
it
was
essential
to
Brent
to
get
this
guy
out,
because
he's
saying,
if
you
know
he
could
be
so
he's
he's
certainly
somebody's
son,
he
could
be
somebody's
husband,
brother,
father,
whatever
we
just.
B
If
we're
moral
people,
we
have
to
get
him
out
there
by
the
end
of
the
book
when
everything
just
went
to
hell
and
these
guys
were
in
the
worst
fighting
of
their
entire
deployment.
There
was
a
point
when,
on
a
video
screen,
there
was
a
scene
of
an
Iraqi
with
a
semi-automatic
rifle
firing
at
an
American
convoy,
and
here
came
some
American
gunships
to
kill
this
guy
and
Brent
Cummings
was
screaming
at
the
top
of
his
lungs
died
monkey
die
now
he
knows
princess
Marja.
B
That's
a
great
guy
dizzy
was
one
of
the
Iraqi
nationals.
He
served
as
an
interpreter
and
just
a
quick
story
about
Izzi.
He
was
so
in
love
with
America.
He
still
wants
to
be
here
still,
but
at
that
point
he
was
so
in
love
with
America
that
among
the
few
possessions
he
carried
with
him,
wherever
he
went,
was
a
frequent
flyer
card
from
Pan
American,
World
Airways.
B
B
There
was
a
particularly
restive
area,
called
comm
Alea
that
the
soldiers
were
trying
to
bring
under
control
a
little
bit,
and
this
guy
Michael
Emery
was
on
a
rooftop
when
a
sniper
got
a
clean
shot
into
his
head
and
he
went
down.
He
obviously
not
dead,
but
but
but
terribly
terribly
wounded
and
he's
on
this
rooftop
and
they've
got
to
get
him
down
three
flights
of
stairs,
so
they
can
medevac
him
out
and
for
some
reason
they
were
having.
B
B
He
was
finally
carried
down,
he
was
medevacked
out
and
he
firstly
went
to
Landstuhl
in
Germany,
and
then
he
went
to
Bethesda
and
every
day
these
emails
would
come
back
first
from
Germany
and
then
from
Bethesda
talking
about
how
good
Emory
was
doing
and
it
was,
it
was
amazing.
It
meant
so
much
to
these
soldiers
that
Emory,
you
know,
it'd
be
an
email.
He
sat
up
today
told
his
wife,
I
love.
You
gave
her
a
kiss
and
you
know
so.
B
These
guys
would
get
these
little
emails
and
think
okay,
so
they
didn't
get
Emory
they're,
not
gonna.
Get
us
he's
coming
back,
he's
getting
better
and
better.
So
maybe
five,
six
weeks
after
this
happened,
I
took
a
break.
I
came
back
to
the
states,
I
went
to
Bethesda
and
and
I
found
out
the
truth
of
what
an
email
can
actually
mean.
So
the
part
in
the
book
that
explores
that
that
has
to
do
with
his
wife,
taking
care
of
him.
Marija
goes
like
this.
B
Give
me
your
hand,
baby
Maria
Amory,
said
to
her
husband,
who
was
diapered,
who
could
barely
move,
who
had
a
ventilator
tube
inserted
into
his
throat
who
is
looking
in
panic
at
his
wife,
armored
in
a
mask
and
gown
and
gloves,
and
when
she
took
his
right
hand
and
wrapped
it
around
hers,
he
emitted
a
high-pitched
whimper.
Are
you
cold?
She
asked
he
didn't
answer.
Just
looked
at
her
less
panicked.
Now
his
head
was
as
misshapen
as
the
moon
over
rusta
Maya
baby.
She
said,
leaning,
closer
sweetheart,
she
said
even
closer.
B
She
straightened
up
he
whimpered
again.
So
this
is
what
I
do
now
she
explained
of
what
life
had
been
since
a
phone
call
in
which
the
Department
of
Defense
informed
her
that
her
husband
had
been
shot,
and
now
she
added
details
by
reading
from
a
diary,
she'd
been
keeping
since
then
made
the
third
I
kissed
him
on
his
lips.
This
was
in
Germany,
I,
told
him
I'm
going
to
kiss
you
on
the
lips
and
if
you
can
feel
it
move,
I
kissed
him
twice
and
he
moved
both
times.
May,
the
sixth.
B
We
got
on
the
medevac
flight
and
we
flew
from
Germany
here
to
Bethesda
May,
the
17th.
He
opened
his
eyes
for
the
very
first
time
May
the
19th.
He
moved
his
fingers
in
his
legs
and
I
told
him
that
I
loved
him
and
he
started
a
crying
May,
the
20th.
He
was
just
sleeping
May,
the
25th,
the
president
came
to
see
him,
and
now
she
put
the
diary
down
as
she
thought
about
the
day
that
President
Bush
came
to
visit
about
what
he
had
said
to
her.
B
B
He
had
said
to
him
that
he
didn't
understand
what
we're
going
through,
because
he
doesn't
know
how
it
feels
and
that
I
didn't
agree
with
what
was
going
on
with
the
war
about
why
she
hadn't
said
it,
because
I
felt
it
wouldn't
have
made
any
difference,
and
my
husband,
of
course,
had
his
eyes
opened
and
I
didn't
want
him
getting
upset
about
what
Bush
didn't
understand.
I
mean
when
I
saw
him.
B
I
was
so
angry,
I
started
crying,
and
he
saw
me
and
came
to
me
and
gave
me
a
hug
and
said
everything's
going
to
be
okay.
That
was
why
he
came
over
to
her.
She
said
because
he
misunderstood
the
reason
for
her
tears.
He'd
had
no
idea.
They
were
because
of
anger
and
he'd
had
no
idea.
They
were
because
of
him,
and
nothing
was
okay.
She
said
so.
He
was
wrong
about
that
too.
Her
husband
was
ruined
in
seven
weeks.
B
B
She
stepped
out
of
the
room
she
removed
the
gloves,
the
gown,
the
mask.
She
hurried
to
a
vending
machine
to
get
something
to
eat
and
then
came
right
back
so
she'd
be
next
to
him.
When
he
woke
up
down
back
on
mask
back
on
gloves
back
on
waiting,
he
opened
his
eyes
for
a
moment.
There
was
alarm,
then
he
saw
her
there.
She
was
as
if
she
hadn't
moved.
Can
you
give
me
a
kiss
she
said?
Can
you
give
me
a
kiss?
She
leaned
in
until
her
mask,
was
against
his
lips.
B
So
when
Emery
was
shot
and
had
to
get
him
down
to
three
flights
of
stairs
Adam
Schumann
put
him
on
his
back
and
carried
him
down
the
stairs
and
kind
of
a
fireman's
carry
and
Adam
Schumann.
He
was
on
his
third
deployment.
He
had
been
in
country
about
a
thousand
days.
He
was
pretty
well
regarded
as
one
of
the
very
best
soldiers
in
this
battalion.
B
Big
old
Emory
put
him
on
his
back,
carried
him
down
three
flights
of
stairs
because
of
the
angle
of
things.
A
lot
of
blood
coming
out
of
Emory
head
kept
going
into
Adams
human's
mouth
as
he
huffed
and
puffed
his
way
down.
The
stairs
gets
him
down
six
months
later,
he's
still
tasting
this
blood,
and
because
of
that
and
some
other
things,
he
just
couldn't
do
it
anymore.
It
was
time
to
go
severe,
no
question
about
it.
B
Even
among
these
tough
guys,
there
was
no
doubt
this
guy
was
legitimate,
severe
case
of
a
guy
who
just
couldn't
do
it
anymore,
severe
PTSD,
so
I
was
with
him
well,
this
is
right
before
he
left
and
a
little
bit
after
this
packed
up.
He
had
it's
time.
He'd
said
goodbye
to
his
guys,
his
team
he's
walking
to
the
landing
area
to
come
home
and
where
the
helicopters
land
stops
calls
his
wife
says
he's
on
his
way.
B
B
Everybody
moves
forward
to
get
on
these
helicopters.
Schumann
gets
the
front
of
the
line
and
the
guy
yells.
It's
not
your
helicopter.
Everybody
else
gets
on
helicopters
leave
now
Adam.
She
was
just
standing
there
by
himself.
Here
comes
the
next
set
of
helicopters,
big
red
crosses
on
the
side,
the
helicopters
for
the
injured
in
the
dead,
and
that's
when
showman.
You
know
he
finally
gets
it.
That's
him
he's
injured,
he's
dead,
he's
done,
gets
on
the
helicopters
comes
back,
I,
don't
know.
Maybe
a
year
later,
I
was
out
visiting
some.
Some
of
the
guys.
B
I
saw
Schumann
say
how
you
doing
he
said
well,
it's
I
was
a
normal
guy
who
went
to
Iraq
and
I
became
crazy,
and
so
they
sent
me
back
to
America
to
become
normal,
and
now
it's
America,
that's
driving
me
crazy.
So
so
that
was
enough
for
me,
you
know
I'm
working
on
another
book
now
the
second
volume
of
the
story
which
human
will
be
a
main
character
and
a
few
other
guys
as
well,
but
you
know
he's
at
it-
he's
not
well
he's
trying,
but
so
far,
not
so
good.
B
Before
I
talk
about
this
guy,
I
I
want
to
tell
one
other
story,
and
you
know,
even
though
the
Maria
Marie
part,
she
was
not
crazy
about
George
W,
Bush
I'm
serious
when
I
say
the
book
is
not
a
political
book.
It's
it's
not
a
book
with
an
agenda.
Each
chapter
starts
with
a
quote
from
Bush
something
Bush
said
about
the
time
the
rest
of
the
chapter
unfolds
and
you
know
I've
gotten
dinged
a
little
bit.
B
People
think
I'm
trying
to
make
fun
of
Bush,
because
what
he
says
is
often
in
opposition
to
what
happens,
and
it's
not
the
case
at
all.
That
I
mean
I,
don't
know
what
George
Bush
went
through,
and
this
is
and
I'm
not
trying
to
stain
his
reputation
or
or
make
fun
of
him
in
any
way.
What
I
am
trying
to
show
is,
and
if
anybody
here
who
served
you
know,
this
is
as
well
as
anyone
that
any
war
is
really
several
wars
on
the
well
and
the
Iraqis
have
their
own
versions
of
this.
B
B
The
distance
between
these
two
with
September
4
2007,
when
George
W
Bush
lands
in
Australia,
is
asked
how
the
war
is
going
and
it's
answered
that
day
was
we're
kicking
and
the
book
doesn't
quarrel
without
us,
it
doesn't
argue
against
it
to
Bush
September
4th.
That
was
the
war.
We're
kicking
ass
to
these
guys,
September
4th
was
the
day
another
patrol
went
out.
Another
EFP
went
off
this
time.
Three
guys
were
dead
on
the
spot.
B
A
fourth
lost
both
of
his
legs
above
the
knee
and
a
fifth
was
a
19-year
old
guy
named
Duncan
Crookston
Duncan
in
that
moment
became
somebody.
Who'd
lost
both
of
his
legs.
All
the
way
up
his
entire
right
arm
his
left
arm
down
to
about
here
and
what
little
remained
of
Duncan
was
was,
of
course,
badly
burned.
He
was
airlifted
Landstuhl,
then,
to
Brooke
Army
Medical
Center
to
be
taken
care
of
by
his
his
mother
and
his
and
his
young
wife,
who
basically
pick
up
their
lives
and
and
moved
to
this
place.
B
This
burn
unit,
the
months
go
by
every
guy
gets
18
days
to
go
home
in
this
deployment.
Ralph
Cossa
rich
goes
home
at
the
end
of
the
year,
goes
to
Disney.
World
sees
his
family
at
the
end
of
it.
He
goes
to
Brooke
Army
Medical
Center,
to
see
his
wounded
soldiers.
There
were
a
dozen
or
so,
including
dunka,
and
the
day
he
walked
into
Duncan's
room.
It
was
about
the
only
time
I've
been
with
him
in
years
and
years
now,
where
he
hasn't
said.
B
It's
all
good,
because
when
he
walked
in
the
room,
what
he
saw
as
I
say
in
the
book,
it
just
didn't
make
sense.
It
was.
It
was
a.
It
was
a
full-sized
hospital
bed
propped
up.
You
know
and
monitors
everything
you
can
imagine
mother
over
here,
wipe
over
here
downed
up
and
we
go
and
there's
Duncan
and
it's
it's
it's
just
wrapped
in
bandages
and
it's
it's
it's
like
half
half
of
a
man
bolted
to
a
full-size
bed.
C
B
There's
all
this
stuff
going
on
around,
isn't
his
mom
Lee
talking
to
him
his
wife
talking
to
him
he's
just
there
cos
were
just
talking
to
him
we're
winning
the
war.
No
response,
thanks
to
you,
thanks
to
all
you've
done,
I've
got
some
medals
for
you,
blah
blah
blah,
no
response.
Finally,
at
the
end
of
this
cos
search
says
well
I'm,
leaving
from
here
going
to
the
airport,
going
back
to
Iraq
and
I'm
gonna
finish
this
war
and
win
it,
because
that's
my
job
and
your
job
is
to
get
this
to
get
better.
B
B
So
cos
rich
finishes
leaves
goes
to
the
airport.
He's
done
with
this
leave
flies
back
to
Baghdad
goes
into
his
office.
We
zooms
the
war
turns
on
his
computer.
There's
an
email,
Duncan's,
mother,
Lee
Crookston,
begins
Duncan
just
died
in
the
end
of
it.
I
think
it's
the
most
beautiful
line
in
the
book.
She
said
after
explaining
what
happened.
B
Yes,
so
in
September
4th
two
versions:
we're
kicking
ass-
that
is
legitimate,
but
to
these
guys,
September
4th
is
the
day
three
died
and
other
losses
legs
and
and
the
creation
of
the
final
version
of
a
Duncan,
Crookston
and
I.
Tell
you
this,
because
you
know
one
of
the
things
I
hope
this
book
does.
If
it
is,
you
know
it's
very
easy.
Not
to
pay
attention
to
this
war.
B
1%
of
the
country
is
is
is
specifically
engaged
directly
involved
in
the
war,
a
little
less
than
1%
go
into
a
neighborhood
knock
on
99
doors.
No,
we
don't
have
anybody
in
the
war
I
like
they're,
shutting
down
factories
to
build
em
raps
so
so,
which
are
far
better
against
the
FPS
and
not
like
there's
a
whole
lot
of
economical
side
economic
sacrifice.
Even
though
it's
it's,
it
is
so
costly.
It's
it's
it's!
It's
tangential
involvement
in
most
families
and
it's
very
easy
to
get
to
the
paper.
B
Read
the
post
see
a
headline
that
says
three
killed
in
East
Baghdad
or
three
killed
in
Afghanistan.
Okay,
fine
pause
for
a
minute
kind
of
sad.
Maybe
that's
all
we
can
do,
but
underneath
these
deaths
is
the
story
of
Duncan
Crookston
every
single
time.
So
so
forgive
me
for
going
off
course,
but
I
do
like
mentioning
that
little
preachy
anyway,
here's
made
Schulman
great
soldier
at
the
end
of
their
deployment.
Nothing
had
happened
for
a
while,
and
these
guys,
almost
to
a
man,
were
thinking
that
what
they
had
done
did
make
a
difference.
B
Things
were
quiet,
things
were
better
in
East
Baghdad
and
then
everything
just
really
did
go
to
hell.
They
were
packing
up
to
go
home.
They
were
done
and
instead
of
packing
for
something
that
happened
way
down,
the
southern
Iraq
had
nothing
to
do
with
them
and
shivered
its
way,
all
the
way
up
into
East
Baghdad
outside
of
Sadr
City.
These
guys
were
in
forget,
forget
coin
strategy.
These
guys
were
in
flat-out
warfare
for
ten
days
and
during
this
period
two
more
soldiers
died.
Another
AFP,
including
a
guy
named
Patrick
Miller
PJ
Miller.
B
The
one
I
knew
the
really
just
wonderful
guy
dead
in
a
in
a
convoy
that
was
led
by
this
guy
Nate
showman.
So
one
last
quick
excerpt
from
the
book
after
this
has
to
do
with
things
calm
down
enough
and
showman
came
back
to
the
forward
operating
base.
Bob
Ross
DeMaio
in
another
part
of
the
FOB
Nate
showman
was
writing
ray
baby.
He
wrote
to
his
new
wife.
He
had
come
in
with
blood
on
his
boots
and
a
sadness
so
thorough
that
he'd
been
unable
to
speak.
B
Even
when
a
few
soldiers
asked
him
how
he
was
doing.
His
answer
was
to
shake
his
head
and
stare
at
the
ground.
He
had
spent
the
rest
of
the
day
in
isolation,
and
only
now
had
he
found
some
words.
He
wanted
to
say
writing
to
his
wife.
I'm
gonna
need
some
help
when
I
get
home,
he
slept
only
a
little
that
night,
even
though
he
was
exhausted
and
the
next
day
a
casa
lurches
request.
He
went
reluctantly
to
the
Operations
Center
for
debriefing
I'm,
just
trying
to
figure
out
what
the
hell
happened.
B
Casa
rich
said
getting
right
to
it
and
when
showman
looked
at
him
in
silence,
casa
rich
said
quietly.
If
you
would
just
talk
me
through
so
Sherman
began
by
telling
Casa
la
rich
about
what
Patrick
Miller
was
doing
just
before
he
died
that
he
was
standing
outside
of
his
Humvee
eating
a
date
that
he'd
been
given
by
an
Iraqi
national
policemen.
The
last
thing
I
saw
of
little
Miller
is
how
he
put
it,
and
he
didn't
bother
to
explain
that.
B
Miller
was
called
little
Miller
to
differentiate
him
from
big
Miller
a
soldier
with
a
back
so
hairy
that
there
would
be
bets
among
soldiers
over
who
would
be
brave
enough
to
lick
it
or
about
the
nidus
soldiers.
Woke
him
up,
and
there
was
little
Miller
dancing
in
front
of
him
naked,
except
for
sunglasses
and
m4,
a
bandana
and
a
thong
and
laughing
hysterically
as
he
chanted
I'm,
ready
to
fight
the
terrorists.
B
B
You
know
not
every
day
was
bad.
Most
days
were
fine,
although
every
day
carried
the
chance
of
it
becoming
bad
very
quickly.
There
were
a
lot
of
bad
days,
but
there
were
a
lot
of
you
know
fine
days.
These
are
these,
were
these
were
19
year
olds?
They
were,
they
were.
They
were
smart,
they
were
stupid,
they
were
funny,
they
were
idiots,
they
were
mooks
there
was
there
was
talking
earlier.
B
They
were
great,
they
were
idiots,
you
know,
and
there
was
a
there
was
a
day
when
there
was
this
soldier
of
the
Month
competition
in
which
sergeants
could
ask
privates
whatever
they
want
to
ask
in
privates.
If
they
want
to
get
promoted,
they
got
to
be
ready
to
answer.
They
have
to
know
everything
in
order
to
get
to
a
promotion
board.
That
would
make
these
guys
so
nervous.
He
didn't
came
one
guy
red
hair,
full
kid
sweating
like
crazy,
so
nervous
in
this,
and
the
sergeant
said
to
him.
B
B
B
So
I,
don't
know
you
know
800
guys,
14
died.
It's
not
exactly.
Vietnam
numbers
right,
14,
9,
10
percent,
serious
purple,
hearts
those
are
the
physical
injuries.
I
can
tell
you
that
that
many
many
more
have
all
kinds
of
mental
wounds,
some
crippling
some,
some
okay
yeah,
so
we're
doing.
Okay,
some
are
really
really
bad.
B
That's
the
book,
it's
a
very
simple
book.
They
went,
things
happened,
they
came
home
and
it's
a
again.
The
intent
was
just
not
dispassionately,
because
obviously
I'm
emotional
about
this,
but
but
to
journalistic
journalistically
honestly
chronicle
this
corner,
get
it
down
for
the
record.
Let
it
be
part
of
the
archive
of
this
war.
That's
the
book.
It's
it's!
It's
it's
it's!
I
went
on
a
little
long,
but
I
hope
you
all
have
some
questions
and
we
can
talk
a
little
longer.
B
B
Mean
I
was
I,
guess
yeah
yeah,
so
I
was
in
a
couple
things.
But
but
the
point
is
this:
the
soldiers
themselves
were
in
many
many
more
things
they
did
and
and
much
more
frequently
than
I
was,
and
so
you
know,
I'm
not
trying
to
deflect
I'm
just
trying
to
sort
of
move
the
emphasis
back
to
where
it
was.
How
did
they
survive
is
the
question:
how
do
they
survive?
What
did
they
become
because
of
this
experience?
What
happens
to
any
man
in
any
war?
I
got
lucky
a
few
times.
B
B
B
Truth
confronted
consider
it
and
that
was
really
key
thought
ik.
That
was
an
amazing
thing
to
be
able
to
do
so.
Of
course
it
changed
me.
This
was
a
profound
thing,
but
not
in
a
not
in
a
crippling
way.
Soldiers
again,
some
are
fine.
Some
aren't,
but
none
got
that
luxury
of
being
put
into
place
and
told
ok,
here's
some
money.
Consider
it
now
consider
everything
you
went
through
and
who
you
became
so
so
that's
it's
kind
of
a
wandering
answer,
but
I
got
through
it.
Fine
and
so
did
most
of
soldiers
happens.
B
No,
no,
no
I
wasn't
gonna
go
unless
I
had
a
book
in
a
book,
contract
and
disability
insurance,
so
once
I
line
those
babies
up
all
now,
the
idea
I
took
a
leave
from
the
post,
it
was
a
two-year
leave,
the
intent
was
I
didn't
know.
If
anything
would
happen,
I,
just
these
guys
said
come
and
and
who
knew
what
was
gonna
happen.
B
What
did
happen
if
you
read
the
book
I
think
you'll
see
if
it
had
been
a
piece
of
fiction.
People
would
just
dismiss
it
as
this
is
way
too
amped.
This
is
not
the
way
it
goes.
It's
it's.
It
is
the
way
it
went.
I
mean
I
mean
if
you
read
it.
If
well,
you
did
start
it
and
thank
you,
but
if
you
keep
going
everything
in
there,
it's
it's
it's
it's
true.
It's
the
names
are
real.
The
quotes
are
real.
The
events
were
almost
entirely
observed
when
they
weren't
they
were
documented.
It's.
B
This
is
a
controversial
war.
I
wanted
to
make
sure
that
I
produced
a
work
that
if
people
tried
to
attach
politics
to
it,
accused
me
of
whatever
they
might
accuse
me
of
I.
Could
back
it
up
with
documents
and
and
and
make
my
case
about
why
this
is
a
yeah,
to
my
mind,
to
my
standards,
a
valid
piece
of
journalism?
B
Don't
know
I
mean
I
go
back
and
forth.
I've
went
through
periods
where
there's
a
little
startled
by
noises,
and
you
know
stuff
like
that,
but
no
I
think
I'm.
Alright.
As
for
my
family,
you
know
this
is
always
my
everybody's
gotta
have
a
cheap
joke
right.
My
cheap
joke
is
I've
been
married
for
30
years.
One
day
my
wife
looked
at
her
watch
and
said:
don't
you
have
a
war
to
go
to.
B
B
I've
read
growing
up
my
interest,
the
Pulitzer,
whatever
it
was,
I
got
to
be
the
one
to
go
to
this
unseen
place,
and-
and
then
that
meant
a
lot
to
me
and
my
family
understood
that
my
kids
were
in
college
at
that
point,
so
you
know
they
were
doing
college
things
and,
and
the
hard
part
for
my
wife
was.
We
could
email
a
little
bit,
but
I
was
afraid
that
my
email,
it
was
was,
was
being
monitored
not
necessarily
by
the
government.
But
it's
just
such
a
sketchy
arrangement.
B
It
was
some
Iraqi
national
who
came
on
and
charged
an
enormous
amount
for
a
bad
internet
connection,
and
he
just
didn't
know
who
was
looking
at
what
you
wrote.
So
I
was
very
careful
in
my
emails.
I
also
had
a
cell
phone,
but
the
only
place
on
this
fob
where
I
could
get
more
than
one
bar
was
to
stand
in
the
field.
That
was
the
field
that
was
always
being
mortars.
E
F
David
M,
my
name,
is
Christy
Kaufman,
army,
wife
and
I
really
appreciate
the
the
stories
that
you
tell
of
both
the
caregivers
and
the
families
at
home
and
I.
I.
Think
the
book
that
you're
working
on
is
following
up
on
the
homefront.
If
I
could
I
just
wanted
to
address
and
maybe
share
a
little
bit
with
with
everybody
in
the
audience
what
it's
like
to
be
a
military
family
member
these
days,
there's
an
entire
generation
us
now,
myself
included
that
got
married
just
two
months
before
September
11th.
F
That
really
knows
nothing,
but
war
I,
don't
know
what
marriage
would
be
like
without
war.
You
have
children
that
don't
know
what
childhood
would
would
be
without
war.
So
the
stories
that
you
share
in
your
book
and
I'm
sure
that
the
second
book
that
you're
going
to
be
working
on
that
will
come
out
more
I.
Can't
I
try
to
figure
out
an
analogy
to
describe
to
civilians,
because
my
civilian
friends
always
ask
you
what
it's
like.
F
You
know
when
you're
driving
on
a
front
Highway-
and
you
see
a
cop
car
in
the
rearview
mirror
and
you
see
the
lights
go
off
and
you
get
that
thing
in
your
chest.
Have
that
feeling
for
10
years
straight?
That's
what
it's
been
like
and
because,
when
they're,
there
you're
obviously
worried
about
what's
going
on
when
they're
back
and
the
effects
of
these
wars
are
cumulative
and
we're
going
to
see
with
the
reintegration
and
the
and
and
with
the
longer
dwell
time.
The
impacts
on
the
homefront
are
going
to
be
significant.
E
B
When
I
talk
on
the
video
world,
where
now
about
you
know
the
soldier
strategies,
you
know
going
out
like
this,
there
were
just
as
many
strategies
back
here
for
how
to
deal
with
the
day
if
you're
a
family
member
in
this
battalion
in
any
battalion
and-
and
of
course,
you
know
this.
So
one
thing
this
next
book
will
do
the
second
volume
of
the
story:
it's
not
in
Iraq.
B
It
doesn't
begin
there
and
there
it
begins
here,
three
years
later,
two
and
half
years
later,
and
and
unlike
that,
one
where
families
sort
of
floated
in
a
little
little
in
and
out
there
front
and
center
in
this
book.
What's
going
on
now,
so
so
it's
not
gonna.
You
know,
I
you're,
gonna,
know
more
than
any
book
can
tell
you,
but
I
think
you'll
recognize
some
of
what
you
go
through
have
gone
through
and
what
your
friends
are
going
through
in
this
next
book,
I
hope
so
they're.
B
C
B
No,
no,
but
but
I,
wouldn't
you
know,
don't
assume
that
there's
these
are
all
angels
and
there's
nothing
going
on.
There
was
some
miss
battalion.
You
know
the
guys
managed
to
find
liquor.
There
were
a
few
guys
who
were
really
abusing
steroids,
interesting
like,
but
it's
different.
It's
a
I,
don't
know
why
I
was
just
reading
this
this
this
this
piece.
B
This
morning
somebody
sent
me
it
was
published
in
one
of
the
British
papers
and
it
talked
about
how
there's
a
much
lower
incidence
of
PTSD
among
British
troops,
even
British
troops
who
have
been
in
the
thick
of
it.
Then
American
troops
like
I,
might
have
this
wrong,
been
like
seven
times
higher
among
American
troops.
It's
really
interesting!
B
Now
this
thing
goes
on
and
it
suggests
that
perhaps
the
reason
is
that,
unlike
in
previous
Wars,
there's
almost
an
expectation
now
here
that
a
soldier
is
coming
home
with
PTSD
and
and
so
when
you
re-enter
a
culture
where
the
expectation
is
you're,
going
to
be
wounded.
Eventually,
you're
gonna
be
wounded,
I,
don't
know
if
that's
true
or
not
I'm
interested
in
I
want
to
I'm
going
to
do
some
research
into
it.
B
You
know
and
nothing's
changed
that
war
they're
all
the
same,
but
I
guess
I
mean
well
that's
a
lame
thing
to
say
that
they're
all
different
I
don't
know
the
guys
would
find
ways
to
medicate
themselves
after
they
had
been
through
what
they
had
been
through.
They
would
seal
off
some
guys,
I'm
sure
found
some
hash
or
something
I.
Don't
think
there
were
a
lot
of
psychedelics
or
anything.
Some
guys
drank.
B
There's
a
chapter
in
the
book
devoted
to
what
a
platoon
did
for
a
week
when
they
were
brought
back
when
a
bad
day
after
after
some
deep
buried,
IDs
blew
up
and
and
hungry
goes
up
in
the
air
comes
down
on
fire.
Everybody
gets
out,
except
for
one
guy,
19
year
old,
sweet
kid
who
burns
to
death,
and
you
got
to
wait
for
yata.
B
But
at
this
point
there
were
so
many
deaths
and
that
you
know
you
had
to
wait
till
the
general
arrived
and
these
guys
I
think
they
were
on
the
fob
for
maybe
seven
eight
nine
days
and
it
basically
chronicles
what
they
did
during
that
week
to
cope
with
this
excruciating
period
of
time.
Waiting
to
just
get
that
ceremony
over
with.
So
they
could
get
back
in
the
field
and
go
back
to
having
the
release
of
being
a
soldier
different
Wars,
different
releases,
same
dynamic.
C
E
F
C
B
It's
an
it
was
an
urban
area,
unlike
Afghanistan,
where
it's
being
fought
more
at
the
platoon
level
in
the
battalion
level
and
in
these
valleys
that
are
a
little
tougher
to
get
to
it
helicopters,
and
so
so,
there's
a
greater
chance
there
to
bleed
out
I
think
then
there
was
in
Iraq,
although
it
certainly
happened,
and
it
happened
in
this
battalion,
but
helicopters
could
often
get
there
or
there
were
enough
field
hospitals
around
to
get
a
woman
to
God
there
pretty
quickly
like
like
Emory
or
whoever
it's
interesting.
Lately
you
know
I.
B
It
took
a
long
time
to
gain
the
trust
of
these
soldiers,
because,
even
though
the
battalion
commanders
sort
of
certified
the
project
here
comes
a
reporter
from
the
Washington
Post
and
proceeded
not
by
the
reality
of
what
a
reporter
from
the
Washington
Post
is,
but
by
suspicions
of
what
a
reporter
must
be
I
was
there
because
I
was
there
being
paid
by
the
battalion
commander
to
write
his
biography,
not
true,
but
that's
that's.
What
a
lot
of
guys
saw.
B
There
was
a
rumor
that
any
time
any
guy
talked
to
me
I
would
immediately
leave
and
go
back
to
the
battalion
commander
and
just
spill
everything
not
true,
but
there
was
that
rumor
they
went,
they
went
on
and
I
guess
the
way
I
gained
trust
finally
see
if
I
could
make
this
point
quickly.
When
I
stayed,
you
know,
I
wasn't
a
reporter
who
dropped
in
for
a
day
or
a
weekend
or
a
week
and
pretended
I
knew
anything.
B
I
stayed
in
state
and
stayed
until
I
think
the
book
I
wrote
is
a
version
of
their
truth,
rather
than
just
a
version
of
some
suburbanite
from
Silver
Spring
Maryland.
You
know
my
truth
that
helped
and
then,
and
then
when
I
was
in
bad
things
and
the
dust
settled
and
the
smoke
cleared
and
I
was
there
taking
notes
rather
than
screaming,
rather
than
becoming
a
problem
for
the
soldiers
when
the
dust
cleared,
and
they
saw
a
guy
at
the
edge
with
a
recorder
out
or
taking
notes
that
helped
them
understand.
B
B
Every
soldier
loves
this
book,
but
a
lot
of
them
have
emailed
me
from
Napa,
teen
and
other
battalions
and
then
set
a
version
of
so
I.
Was
there
too,
and
when
I
came
home,
everyone
asks
what
was
it
like
and
I
don't
want
to
talk
about
it,
I
don't
want
to
tell
them
and
I
can't
talk
about
it.
I
read
your
book
and
I'm
gonna.
Give
him
your
book
and
say:
read
this
thing
and
you'll
understand
what
it
was
like
and
why
I
can't
talk
about
it.
B
B
Some
some
some
bought
into
coins.
Some
thought
it
was
ridiculous
that
the
most
frustrating
thing
for
them
is
is
we're
here
trying
to
help
them.
Why
do
they
keep
trying
to
blow
us
up?
You
know
and
they're.
There
is
legitimate
answered
that
question.
That's
not
seeing
it
from
the
other
side,
that's
seeing
it
from
their
side,
but
that's
legitimate
to
why
we're
here
to
help.
Why
do
they
keep
trying
to
kill
us,
and
then
that
eventually
became
you
know
they're
setting
off
all
these
bombs,
but
were
the
only
targets?
B
So
if
we
just
leave
it'll
stop
setting
off
the
bombs,
you
know
just
they
were
always
just
trying
to
work
their
way
through
it.
But
the
frustrating
thing
was:
why
is
this
happening
and
and
and
and
so
what
happened
is
again
what
happens?
They
went
from
a
sense
of
mission,
naive
mission
in
the
beginning
and
by
the
end,
the
only
reason
they
were
there.
Most
of
these
guys
would
say
the
only
reason
they
were
there.
You
know
had
nothing
to
do
with
mission.
Patriot
forget
that
that's
all
out
the
window.
B
G
Hi
David
I
think
you
answered
one
of
my
questions
in
your
previous
explanation,
but
trying
to
think
of
something
else,
but
also
combining
that
I
guess
I
would
ask
what
what
is
most
of
their
views
of
the
world.
I
mean
I'm,
sorry
of
the
war
now
that
they
fought
in
and
how
did
they
feel
about
you
sharing
their
stories
if.
B
You
have
800
guys,
you're
gonna
have
800
opinions
about
whether
this
worked
or
whether
it
didn't
and
some
you
know
cos
rich,
is
he
he
believes
that
what
they
did
over
there
helped
turn
the
tide
he's.
You
know
he's
a
brilliant
guy
with
a
healthy
ego
and
he
thinks
that
what
they
did
mattered
matters
changed
things.
There
are
other
guys
who
think
that's
complete
nonsense,
but,
like
I
said
earlier,
most
of
the
guys
inhabit
this.
B
This
very
large
kind
of
shaky
terrain
in
between
those
two
extremes,
where
it's
not
sure
they're,
just
not
sure
what
they
accomplished
and,
even
more
importantly,
what
it
did,
what
it
did
to
them
who
they
became.
You
know
one
of
the
guys
I'm
writing
about
in
the
next
book
it
he
says
I'm
trying
to
figure
out
the
monster
I
became
over
there.
What
happened?
Why
did
I
act
that
way?
There's
another
guy,
there's
another
guy!
Listen
to
this.
B
He
wasn't
in
the
first
book,
but
he
wasn't
the
Humvee
that
that
blew
up
that
day.
You
know
when
I
was
talking
about
the
platoon.
That's
been
a
week
trying
to
deal
with
what
would
what
happened?
Okay,
he's
a
great
guy
thing:
blows
up
comes
down.
This
guy
is
thrown
out
of
the
Humvee
with
a
broken
leg,
even
as
the
dust
is
coming
down.
It's
still,
this
kind
of
almost
vulgar
brown
color
he's
making
his
way
back
to
the
Humvee.
He
pulls
two
guys
out
as
the
Humvee
catches
on
fire
rounds
are
cooking
off.
B
He
saves
him.
He
can't
get
to
the
driver
either
and
he
they
fix
this
leg.
You
know,
I
was
with
him
in
the
aid
station
when
they
were
working
on
him
and
I
was
with
him
I
just
you
know,
nobody
was
with
him,
so
I
stood
next
to
him
when
the
buddy
came
by
and
he
said
well
what
about
Harrelson
headshake
and
that's
you
know
when
he
understood
Harrelson
had
died.
B
He
gets
through
the
deployment
he's
he's
gets
through
almost
another
deployment
and
then
one
day
he's
back
here
on
leave
and
he
just
you
know
something
happens,
and
he
just
he
just
loses
it
and
and
and
ends
up
for
a
week
in
a
lockdown
facility
psychiatric
facility
and
then
he's
gone
through
various
programs
just
trying
to
get
himself
back
together
and
we
were
talking
and
I
said.
So
what
what?
What's
the
thing
that?
What
is
it?
B
What's
the
haunting
thing
here
is
it
it's
just
this
dream
and
I
have
to
at
least
once
a
week
and
it's
usually
more
and
it's
the
same
dream
and
it's
it's
it's
Harrelson
and
he's
on
fire
and
he's
saying
to
me:
why
didn't
you
save
me
I
said
you
ever
dream
about
the
guys
who
did
save
and
he
said
well,
you
can't
really
control
your
dreams.
Can
you?
So
that's
that's
a
great
guy
who
saved
two
guys,
but
he
has
just
held
hostage.
My
dreams
are
the
one
he
didn't
save.
B
That's
a
consequential
thing
that
shouldn't
be
ignored
and
and
and-
and
you
know,
I
want
to
do
the
next
book.
I
guess
because
we
can,
we
can
think
the
war
is
over.
There
there's
some
arguments
that
it
is.
There
are
arguments
that
it
isn't
if
you're
in
Araki,
it's
not
over,
you
know
it's
not
so
good
over.
There
bombs
are
going
off
every
day.
It's
not
like.
You
have
a
lot
of
electricity
life.
B
Maybe
Saddam
is
gone
but
you're
still
it's
you're,
not
you're,
not
living
a
great
life
so
far,
and
and
for
these
guys
the
war
is
anything
but
over.
You
know
it's
back
here.
Maybe
it's
left
Iraq.
The
American
version
is
mostly
left
Iraq,
but
it's
it's
undeniably
undeniably
here
now
moving
into
American
communities
and
we
get
to
see
the
effects
of
that
for
quite
some
time
and
and
I
hope
content
with
it
in
a
very,
very
compassionate.
H
B
Was
a
special
group
these
were
they
work
for
the
school
paper,
so
I
was
basically
talk
to
them
and
say
you
know
it's
go
out
there.
If
you
stick
with
this,
go
to
the
hard
place,
the
unseen
place
be
a
witness,
tell
the
truth.
You
know
that
kind
of
message,
so
it
was
a
bit
corny,
but
that's
but
heartfelt
and
that's
what
I
was
trying
to
get
across
it's
it's
really
nice
when
I
go
to
colleges
to
talk
about
this
book,
because
I
can
always
start
the
same
way.
B
You
know
this
is
this
is
about
the
people,
your
age,
who
who
aren't
here
at
Kansas
stage,
who
aren't
here
at
century,
aren't
here
at
American.
You
know
there
are
the
ones
who,
because
of
various
things,
instead
of
being
here
at
k-state
having
a
good
time
there,
they
went
a
few
miles
away
to
Fort
Riley,
and
then
they
lift
it
off.
It's
really
it's
it's!
It's
I
like
doing
that.
You
know
and
it's
not
a
guilt
trip
or
anything.
It's
just
I'm,
just
trying
to
get
across
what
you
all
know
about.
B
Looking
you
all
get
this.
You
know
this.
You
know
we
live
here,
we're
all
engaged
in
in
policy
were
smartest
can
be
when
we
live
here
on
and
on.
We
read
the
paper.
We
we,
we
probably
some
of
you
here.
Probably
in
the
paper
you
you
decide
the
things
that
are
in
the
paper.
You
just
help
decide
the
policies.
So
it's
not
like
we're
we're
ignorant
and
what
goes
on,
but
I
still
think
it's,
whether
it's
here
or
anywhere.
B
It's
just
helpful
to
remind
people
that
the
borer
is
too
far
away
thing
or
it
can't
be
considered
a
far
away
thing.
You
can
love
the
war,
you
can
hate
the,
but
nobody
loves
war.
You
can
take
it's
justified,
you
can
take
it
silly,
but
attention
you
know
willy
loman.
Here
attention
ought
to
be
paid
right
so
who
has
a
microphone?
Yes,
this.
B
That's
what
happens?
That's
what
it
comes
to
Vietnam
world.
Well,
I
mean
I've,
read
it
so
many
books
before
I
went
to
see
what
I
might
be
getting
myself
into,
how
this
story,
the
various
ways
it's
been
told
over
the
years
and-
and
they
all
seem
to
come
down
to
that-
is
a
pretty
common
element
in
the
end.
It's
it's
not
that
they
lost
their
patriotism.
It
had
nothing
to
do
with
that
anymore.
They
they
had
seen
too
much.
B
C
B
It's
actually
more
credible
than
the
way
I'm
describing
it.
You
look
at
all
the
things
needed
kind
of
thickness.
That
kind
of
makes
sense.
So
so
it's
not
that
by
the
end,
these
these
were
naive,
dumb
guys,
but
that
is
what
it
came
down
to
I'm
here
because
of
the
guy
next
to
me
and
the
hell
with
the
rest
of
it
interesting
anybody.
Yes,
there's
a
microphone.
B
These
amazing
ceremonies
just
a
couple
of
guys.
You
know
holding
up
a
little
flag
and
the
guy
standing
in
front
with
his
with
his
hand
in
the
air
swearing
taking
the
oath
again
and
so
I
think
they
kept
a
chart
on
the
bonuses
paid
in
this
pagina
I
think
it
by
the
end
of
it.
It
was,
it
was
either
over
two
million
or
three
million
dollars
in
bonuses
for
these
guys
to
Rio.
B
So
the
longer
you
stay,
the
more
you
get
six
years,
you're,
getting
some
serious
money
if
you're
facing
unemployment,
Sandusky
Ohio-
and
you
know
that's-
that's
a
pretty
smart
thing
to
do.
Army
has
to
fight
a
war.
The
army,
the
army,
needs
its
numbers
and
and
the
waiver
cases.
This
is
interesting.
The
waiver
cases
at
that
point
in
2007.
B
It
was
something
like
18%,
which
meant
that,
because
the
army
had
to
hit
a
number
certain
number
of
soldiers
to
fight
this
war.
Eighteen
percent
of
the
guys
who
came
in
needed
a
waiver
to
get
in
needed
basically
to
be
excused
from
some
past
behavior
in
in
a
full
army.
These
guys
never
would
have
gotten
in
drug
convictions
drinking
driving
things
there
were.
You
know
a
couple
of
extreme
cases
of
sexual
assaults.
B
B
There
was
extraordinary,
you
know
they
discipline
whatever
it
was
being
in
something,
but
you
would
you
would
he
would
see
these
guys
who
were
who
were
headed
to
a
really
bad
life
get
in
this
place
and
in
some
cases
they
they
became
the
great
men
they
never
would
have
been.
Otherwise
I
feel
that's
a
fair
thing
to
say
so
again
you
know
the
extreme
yeah,
hey,
I'm,
sorry
hi.
D
B
It
taught
him
I,
think
I,
think
it's
fair
to
say:
I
taught
them
what
being
a
soldier
actually
is
rather
than
what
they
imagined
it
to
be.
It's
not
a
video
game.
It's
not
romantic!
It's
not
all
about
saving
the
day
and
being
a
hero.
They
they
learned
all
that
ugliness.
You
know
they
grew
up.
I,
think
it's
they
grow
up.
A
lot
of
them
stayed
in.
You
know
they're
in
now
they
like
being
in
there.
B
It's
confusing,
though,
because
I
say
that
and
then
I
can
think
of
anecdotes.
That
confuse
the
whole
thing.
There's
there's
one
guy
who
I
was
talking
to
like
around
Christmas
at
Fort
Riley,
and
you
know
we
had
seen
each
other
while
hey
man
how
you
doing
we
met
in
the
bar
I
just
happened
to
walk
in
the
bar.
B
At
the
end
of
the
day,
I
wanted
to
stake
in
a
drink
and
in
Junction
City
Kansas,
there's
only
one
place
to
go,
it
doesn't
have
a
drive-in
window
and
it's
this
place
so
I
went
in
and
this
guy
had
been
in
there
like
10:00
p.m.
he
had
been
in
there
since
noon.
Just
drinking
and
that's
what's
going
on,
he
said
no
I'm
doing
fine
I'm
doing
fine
bull
drunk,
but
I'm,
headed
back
to
Afghanistan
I
said
good.
What
do
you
think
about
that?
He
said
I'm
excited
I,
said:
okay,
so
you're
doing
all
right.
B
I,
wake
up
screaming
a
lot
and
you
know
it
just
disintegrated
from
there
he's
nervous
he's
on
like
six
medications:
anti-depressive
anxiety,
drugs.
You
know
the
usual,
the
usual
cocktail
I
said.
So
why
are
you
going
back?
He
said
I
think
it's
the
only
place
that
makes
sense
to
me.
I
got
to
go
back
and
I
want
to
finish
the
job
and
be
a
leader.
I
said:
are
you
putting
your
guys
in
danger?
The
way
you
are,
he
said,
I'm
sure
I'll
be
fine.
There's
another
guy.
B
His
name
was
Fred
era
who,
when
I
saw
Crookston
when
I
was
with
Casa
lurch
and
went
to
Brooke
Army
Medical
Center
and
he
visited
his
wounded
soldiers.
There
was
a
guy
I'm,
sorry
I
wasn't
for
dare
was
loony
and
lost
part
of
a
foot
in
an
explosion,
and
this
guy
you
know
it's
just.
It
was
so
important
to
him
to
rehab
and
stay
in
the
Army
and
get
to
the
fight
to
get
to
Afghanistan,
and
you
know
goddamn
it.
He
did
it.
B
You
know
he
rehabbed
in
rehab
been
rehabbed
and
he
got
sent
out
of
Brooke
Army
Medical
Center.
He
was
fine
sent
over
to
Afghanistan
and
there
he
was
back
in
there
and
not
so
long
ago.
He
was
on
a
street
corner
when
somebody
walked
up
with
a
suicide,
vest
and
detonated
it
and
that's
the
end
of
Loony
he's
dead
weird.
It
was
so
important
to
him
to
get
back,
no
most
guys
go
back,
and
that
doesn't
happen,
but
it
also
does
happen.
E
B
He's
a
full
colonel
now
he
is,
he
did
another
deployment
at
the
division
level.
He
was
in
southern
Iraq.
Just
got
back
from
that.
Siddalee
he's
headed
to
next
I,
think
to
the
War
College
in
Pennsylvania.
Hidden
I
just
saw
him
the
other
day
and
he's
doing
fine.
He
says
he's
doing
fine,
Brent
Cummings,
it's
interesting
he's
also
doing
fine
except
every
night
before
he
goes
to
sleep.
You
know
at
that
little
moment
when
you
drop
off
he
screams
and
he's
not
aware
of
it.