Special Report

They say their stories reach beyond casualty reports, and they want people to pay attention. To share their experiences, Alabama National Guard soldiers participated in a survey to gauge their thoughts on the work they do and the people they signed up to protect.

We are simply good ole boys. Some are racists, some are ignorant, but despite these shortcomings, we all get along as brothers. We are a family willing to die for one another, and each other’s families and yours. Best of all, working at a place like CVS, no one knows you fight for them. Everyone should be treated this way. I prefer people not know I fight for them. I don’t want glory, but peace.

The survey uncovered feelings of a Guard stretched past its intent, past its training and recruitment abilities. Their ideas about readjusting to civilian life, and why they joined the Guard in the first place, shift as the war on terror drags on.

This is a project of the University of Alabama Knight Community Journalism Fellows and The Anniston Star.