Preface -- 1. Six days to ready -- 2. 120 degrees and rising -- 3. The worst assignment in Iraq -- 4. Convoy -- 5. Mortar attack at Abu Ghraib -- 6. Living in the shadows -- 7. The marine and Mohammed -- 8. Prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib -- 9. Attitude adjustment -- 10. Settling in -- 11. A day in the life -- 12. The unsung heroes -- 13. Small pleasures and the best day in Iraq -- 14. Challenges -- 15. God and good old-fashioned fun -- 16. Sami and grandpa -- 17. A moment in time -- 18. Anything but R & R -- 19. Back home at Abu Ghraib -- 20. The nameless and faceless -- 21. Sisterhood -- 22. Finding myself again -- Epilogue -- Acknowledgments -- Photographs.