Just Another Soldier
A Year on the Ground in Iraq
Chapter One
April 30, 2005
True American Hero
Getting dressed in my desert camouflage uniform is something I've done hundreds of times, but it felt weird to be putting it on again for the first time in four months. Since returning from Iraq, my National Guard unit hadn't had any drills yet. Typically a drill weekend for us consists of some sort of infantry training, but this one, taking place at Camp Smith, about an hour away from my apartment, was nothing more than taking care of some paperwork and attending an awards ceremony and a dinner. I was wearing one of the uniforms I'd worn in Iraq. It was well worn and comfortable; my boots fit my feet perfectly -- they were the only pair I'd worn for the last year. My roommate Matt, one of my platoon mates, was in uniform too now, something I used to see daily in Iraq. But being dressed in my uniform in our apartment in New Paltz, New York, made me feel fake, like I should be going to a Halloween party.
I'm very proud of the fourteen years I've served in the Army National G ... read full excerpt from Just Another Soldier ebook
