Contents
part one
grey street
smurf village
a new screaming eagle and his indecisive wife
currahee
currashee
a heart too steeled to break
cadence of a culture
part two
before the worst
a taste of this side of war
prophetic dream
the butt boy and earl grey tea
stillness
“eyes on the prize, violet.” wait. is that too cliché?
buoyancy
chinook, down
impulse and instinct
dodged bullet
it’s more than just a bowling ball to a renegade bitch like me
mountain mafia
change of command
a choice
a surge, some spin, and a sucker punch
the race for a brand-new home
summer of hurry up and wait
part three
deployment day flavored kool-aid
non-combat-related casualty
my definition of loyalty
porch pukers and the arrival of the inevitable
a rewritten memory and saving of face
tip of the spear
treadmills, snow, and escape
a cathartic levy break
index cards
before i became steeled
eighteen days of polite face
sleeping in the company of skunks
“cover your panties on the flagpole”
stuffed french toast and what i can never forget
the treadmill, still
“chicken piccata: what an economical choice for an army wife”
part four
the home stretch and the inevitable moment
more than a race
little bombshells and my nugget of strength
when i get home i want to pick up the pieces
war hangover
hails and farewells
part five
echoes of chaos
army-speak as a second language
acknowledgments