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The article examines the circumstances surrounding the crash of a U.S. military Black Hawk helicopter in Diyala Province, Iraq in January 2007. The article profiles the 12 individuals killed when the helicopter crashed. In addition the piece notes that owing to the crash the on which it occurred was the 3rd bloodiest for U.S. troops since the Iraq War began. The article evaluates the overall number of dead as a result of the war and speculates as to whether the sacrifice had been worth the high death toll.

Examines U.S. military strategy in the 2003 Iraqi War. Background on Operation Iraqi Freedom; Worries over guerrilla fighters and their weapons; Speculation on an extended Middle East war; Suicide bomber attacks; Setbacks; The President George W. Bush administration's defense of military strategy; Risks of urban warfare in Baghdad: Role of Bush; Remarks by military commanders; Strategy of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein; Outlook for the war.

Describes how the United States government discovered where Saddam Hussein would be on March 19, 2003, which led to aerial bombing of the secret bunker in Baghdad. Details of the attack which was organized by General Tommy Franks at Central Command headquarters in Doha, Qatar; Use of mind games by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in their propaganda campaign against leaders of the Iraqi regime; Role of psychological warfare, U.S. Special Forces, and infantry soldiers in Operation Iraqi Freedom; Expected resistance from Saddam's Republican Guard units.

Examines single parents in the armed forces in the United States and the problems they face as they ship out for the Gulf. Doubling of the number of single moms and dads in the military since the last Gulf war; Why this doubling occurred; Special challenges that single parents in the military face; Creation of a new network of child-care centers for military persons with children.

Focuses on the refusal of a unit of U.S. Army Reserves to follow orders in Iraq. Decision of some soldiers to refuse a mission delivering fuel without armed vehicles to protect them; Vulnerability of fuel delivery trucks to attack and ambush by insurgents; Fears expressed by soldiers about the impact of their refusal on their military careers; Concerns of National Guard and Reserve troops over increasing deployments and active service in Iraq.

Reports that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been purchasing French weapons and goods. France which has stated it has complied with a 1990 embargo on Iraq; United States military which has found French missiles in Iraq; Missiles which are thought to have been made in 2002; French government which claims Saddam obtained the goods illegally.

Relates the author's experience as a reporter with the U.S. 3-7 Infantry Battalion in Iraq during a fierce sandstorm. Description of weather conditions; Impact of the storm on soldiers; Visibility when driving a vehicle; Pervasiveness of the sand.

Discusses the efforts of anti-war activists in the United States with regard to proposed military action in Iraq. Plight of actress Susan Sarandon to oppose the war; Suggestion from Ed Peck, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, that a U.S. invasion of Iraq would increase the threat of terrorism; Consideration of advertising paid for by TrueMajority.com, a liberal activist group; Speculation that many teachers and business owners in the United States hold antiwar sentiments.

Reports that evidence found by U.S. troops in Iraq suggests that, despite United Nations sanctions, Saddam Hussein continued to receive an abundant supply of French weapons and luxury goods. Discovery by U.S. forces of 51 Roland 2 missiles that were made by a partnership of French and German arms manufacturers; Possibility that one of the missiles was manufactured in 2002; Discovery of the remains of a Roland 3 launcher and radios with MADE IN FRANCE labels; French luxury goods in Hussein's palaces, including Baath Party-logo silverware; Anger of U.S. political conservatives over this evidence of French perfidy; Denial by French officials of any wrongdoing.

Relates the stories of five journalists in the Gulf region during the United States invasion of Iraq. Colin Soloway, embedded reporter with the U.S. 101st attack aviation brigade; Rod Nordland, writing about the dangers journalist face; Arian Campo-Flores and Kevin Peraino, both with the Third Infantry Division; Babak Dehghanpisheh, with Kurdish forces in Iraq.

Discusses the reactions of U.S. troops to the pressure and stress of the proposed war in Iraq. Consideration of marines, fighter pilots, paratroopers, the Navy Seals, and the Green Berets; Role of psychiatrists and counselors in the armed services; Suggestion that U.S. soldiers in Iraq will be better protected than former U.S. combatants; How alcohol is forbidden on warships and at forward bases of the U.S. military; Characteristics of the mock battlefields at which U.S. soldiers are trained.

Reports on the plight of the Fedayeen, the special bodyguards of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Consideration of the leadership of Hussein's sons, Uday and Qusay; Paramilitary operations in Iraq; How the Fedayeen fighters are armed with mortars and AK-47s; Suggestion that the military policy of Iraq is unorthodox; Ambush of American soldiers during the advance on Baghdad.