Growing up, Brandon Friedman imagined proudly defending his country. Ultimately, his path led him to the army and life as a soldier. And not just any soldier, as an infantryman who gets up-close and personal with his foe in the kill or be killed arena that is close combat. Joining the army in a world more or less at peace, the new second lieutenant imagined proving his valor as he earned glory in the crucible of war. Then came 9/11 and as an infantry platoon leader in the elite 101st Airborne Division, the famed "Screaming Eagles," Friedman and his unit soon found themselves in Afghanistan battling radical Islam in operation Anaconda. After a brief respite at their home base, Friedman and the Screaming Eagles were off to war again, this time for the invasion and then occupation of Iraq. In this gripping memoir follows Brandon Friedman as he comes to grips with the illusion of glory in the face of the disillusion caused by the realities of war.