In Kuwait, the men prepare their vehicles for the three-day convoy to their new home north of Baghdad. With a shortage of armored vehicles, they spend their last day hammering plywood to the sides of jeeps to protect them from insurgents. Once in Baghdad, the unit was intended to engage in civil missions, but almost immediately it is deployed on combat missions. It is the first time since World War II that this many Arkansas National Guard soldiers have been deployed to a combat zone. Meanwhile, their families back home are terrified by the news that Arkansas soldiers are already dying in Iraq. By the end of the first month in Iraq, the Arkansas National Guard has lost eight men and seen many more injured. Among the injured is Sergeant Wayne Irelan, who is wounded during a mortar attack and is shipped home to an uncertain medical fate.