Robin "Birdy" Perry enlisted in the Army after September 11th because he wanted to do something for his country. Or at least that's what he tells his uncle, the Vietnam Vet, when he sends him letters from Iraq. Now that's he there, however, he finds himself questioning why he really decided to enlist, and why the U.S. is in Iraq at all.

A member of a Civil Affairs unit, he and his comrades are charged with interacting with and finding out what the Iraqi people need as they, more often than not, become collateral damage to what the American military needs to do to find WMD's and secure the country in a post-Saddam environment.

As he's confronted with the realities of war, he and his buddies are charged with protecting themselves and the people they've been sent to serve, while finding a way to still believe in their country and in their own humanity.

Meyers' (who is also a veteran with two children in the military) apolitical stance on the war and relatively tame depiction of life as a soldier (there are only a few brutal, but powerful, scenes) make his excellent novel a must-read. Available now. Or, find it at your local library.