MAIN CHARACTERS

Sergeant Mariano Noriel— Joker One's first-squad leader, a twenty-five-year-old Filipino immigrant with a feisty personality and can-do attitude. The unofficial second-in-command of the platoon.

Sergeant Danny Leza —Joker One's second-squad leader, a twenty-three-year-old Latino fluent in both English and Spanish. A quiet intellectual and one of Joker One's ablest tacticians.

Corporal Chris Bowen —Joker One's third-squad leader, a twenty-year-old New Hampshire native and one of the best all-around Marines in the platoon. Three years younger than his squad leader peers because of numerous merit-based promotions.

Corporal Brian Teague —Joker One's first fire team leader, first squad, a twenty-one-year-old native of the backwoods of Tennessee. The platoon's best shot and one of its most skilled Marines.

Lance Corporal William Feldmeir—Member, first fire team, first squad, a twenty-year-old refugee from a series of foster homes. A narcoleptic whom Teague constantly supervised.

Lance Corporal Todd Bolding—Member, second fire team, first squad. The twenty-three-year-old leader of Joker One's mortar team, and the only African American in the platoon. Nicknamed “Black Man.”

Lance Corporal Joe Mahardy—Radio operator, first squad. Twenty-year-old Mahardy had achieved academic honors at Syracuse University. Intelligent, tough, and talkative in equal measures.

Private First Class Gabriel Henderson —Member, second fire team, first squad. Nineteen-year-old Henderson persevered through unexplained chest pains early on to become one of the most cheerful, well-loved members of the platoon. Nicknamed “Hendersizzle.”

Lance Corporal Nick Carson— Third fire team leader, second squad. The biggest Marine in the platoon at six foot three and well over two hundred pounds. Twenty years old, he was strong, unselfish, and inhumanly tough.

Private Josh Guzon —Member, second fire team, second squad. The shortest, stockiest Marine in the platoon at five foot four and one hundred and sixty pounds. Nicknamed “Gooch.”

Private First Class Ramses Yebra —Radio operator, second squad. Twenty years old and the fastest Marine in the platoon, running three miles in under sixteen minutes. Tough, calm, and quiet, he was saddled with the radio shortly after joining Joker One.

Gunnery Sergeant Winston Jaugan —Company gunnery sergeant, Golf Company. Known simply as “The Gunny” and responsible for the 180-man company's logistics and training. A forty-something Filipino immigrant, the Gunny was the heart and soul of Golf Company.

Captain Chris Bronzi —Commanding officer, Golf Company. Called “the CO” for short, the thirty-something Bronzi was responsible for everything Golf Company did or failed to do. The 2004 deployment to Ramadi was his first combat deployment.

The Ox —Executive officer, Golf Company. The CO's right-hand man. Worked with the Gunny on Golf Company's training and logistics issues. With twenty-two months commanding an infantry platoon, the twenty-five-year-old Ox was the most experienced lieutenant in the company.

Staff Sergeant —Platoon sergeant, first platoon, Golf Company. Joker One's formal second-in-command, the twenty-nine-year-old Staff Sergeant theoretically worked hand in hand with the platoon commander to take care of the Joker One Marines.

This list of characters features some of the main personalities from my platoon's time in Ramadi, Iraq, throughout the spring and summer of 2004. Written from my limited perspective as a Marine lieutenant and a platoon commander, this book can pay only small tribute to so many, named and unnamed, who acted heroically overseas. During the writing, I consulted my patrol logs, my men, and my memory to help tell our story as accurately as possible. Any mistakes that have been made are unintentional and the inevitable by-products of the all-pervasive fog of war.