What We Got Into: The Politics of Our War and the Trials that Followed

Life is a series of stories woven together by choices, and sometimes experiences are put together by sheer chance and circumstance. Outcomes may be exactly as planned, but sometimes there is simply no real way of knowing what you've gotten into. Compelled by an inner conviction to protect and serve their country in a time of war and driven by deliberate decisions to join the fight against terrorism in ground-pounding combat as United States Army infantrymen, the soldiers of Third Platoon Charlie Company had no idea exactly what they were getting into and even less where this adventure would take them. Deeply imbedded in the Taliban-infested grape fields of the Panjwei'i District of Kandahar Prov-ince, Afghanistan, the birthplace of the Taliban and less than one hundred miles from the border of Pakistan, follow the dramatic encounters of daily combat where it's not about playing soldier. It's about being a warrior . . . a survivor. What We Got Into tells the story about how they live out the choice they made to become infan-try combat soldiers. As you read, you'll journey with them as they find brotherhood in the face of isolation, courage in the face of fear, and strength in the face of pain and ultimate sacrifice. You will renew your appreciation for the fact that freedom is paid for at a high price by those willing to fight to protect others . . . those who are willing to foot the bill. This story is a rare look through the insider's eyes, the catastrophic collision of choice, circum-stance, and chance that rocked the lives of a whole platoon in the wake of a tragic and highly publicized suicide of one of their own and the unprecedented trials as military justice unfolds for the combat-seasoned and highly decorated platoon charged in connection with his death. You will struggle with them as they fight to heal from the scars of war; to find and rebuild their lives beyond their calling as soldiers. What will it tak