Ihave a friend who is an accomplished writer. He is an older man. He is at terms with himself. He tells me that to be a good writer, you must be able to walk naked down Main Street on Sunday afternoon. It is a metaphor, of course. However, he makes a salient point. One must be comfortable with the truth about who he or she is.

It seemed to me that the environment in Iraq exposed people. Given the constant assault of challenges, it was impossible to pretend to be someone you were not all the time. The circumstances would expose you.

It was interesting to watch the way people reacted to the pressures of a combat zone. The outcomes were sometimes surprising. Some of the brash talkers in garrison proved to be timid in a combat zone. They avoided duty outside the gates of the forwa

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