I read this after coming back from Afghanistan. This was one of the best, if not THE best writing on the "personal" aspect of the war at that time. Honestly I think this should be a must-read. It's not a story on killing and loss, though it indirectly deals in those subjects. It's more like the actual act of being there. It's a fact you have to deal with and understand, but not the real reason you're there. Very well written.