Though many soldiers from the Civil Affairs unit are nervous about the possibility of going into combat, Birdy says it feels as if they’re all building themselves up before a big game, as if they secretly want to be involved in something dangerous. The soldiers are constantly being told that they have the best training and are in the best army in the world. After some time, however, it all starts sounding the same to Birdy. He questions his training along with Jonesy. Doubt emerges within the ranks in other ways, as well.

Some of the soldiers in the Civil Affairs unit, for instance, such as Darcy, are annoyed because they’re being given confusing information. The Civil Affairs unit is supposed to differentiate between friend and foe while in a combat situation, but there are no clear answers as to who is friend and who is foe. The Iraqi soldiers, for instance, will change into civilian clothing to blend in with noncombatants if they are losing. There is also a civil war taking place among the Sunnis and the Shiites, two warring Muslim denominations, so the Civil Affairs unit has to first decide if the two sides are fighting each other or if one of the sides is attacking the U.