They say the Army makes a man out of you—but for 18-year-old SPC Michael Anthony, that fabled rite of passage proved a very dark journey. After soliciting his parents' approval to enlist at only 17, Anthony began his journey with an unshakeable faith in the military born of his family's long tradition of service. But when thrust into a medical unit of misfits as lost as he was, SPC Anthony not only witnessed the unspeakable horror of war—but the undeniable misconduct of the military—firsthand. Everything he ever believed in dissolved, forcing Anthony to rethink his loyalties, and ultimately risk his career—and his freedom—to challenge the military he had so firmly believed in.

This searing memoir chronicles the iconic experiences that changed one young soldier forever. A seasoned veteran before the age of twenty-one, he faced the truth about the war—and himself—in this shocking and unprecedented eyewitness account.

Michael Anthony seemed destined to serve from the day he was born. The youngest of seven children, Michael has four brothers and two sisters, all of whom joined the military (except for one sister). His father and two grandfathers were also in the military. After graduating from high school, he went to basic training, then to job training, to become an operating room medic. One year later, he returned home and enrolled in college to begin his first semester. Almost immediately upon finishing his first semester, he was shipped off to Wisconsin to train for four months before he would leave and spend his next year in Iraq. Since returning home, Mr. Anthony is working toward a bachelor's degree in creative writing.