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Britney Alexander

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Alexander remembers being put on Quick Reaction Force duty, which essentially meant that she aided in one of the first lines of defense of the Shindand Air Base. When she first got there it was in the middle of the Islamic month of Ramadan, a very peaceful time in which there was little to no fighting from the enemy. Once that time ended, however, she was surprised to see that violent mortar attacks started up again. (7:47)

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Unlike wars of the past, Alexander actually had a way to talk to her family back home while she was away at war. She would use Skype and a phone line to talk to her family every so often. During her downtime, she would interact with the Italian Army soldiers, go to the gym, and try to enjoy herself with the people around her. There was one mortar attack in particular that she remembers being really close to their base. (6:09)

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At long last, Britney Alexander was allowed to fly back home to American soil. When they finally landed in the US, they were met with all kinds of cheering and applause from the people waiting for them. Instead of getting deployed to Afghanistan a second time, she was forced to step down after discovering the effects of a hip injury she had gotten. Soon after, she took a job as a truck driver and decided to go to business school, with plans to start up her own truck company later on down the line. (6:13)

Brooks Tucker

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It was ironic that Brooks Tucker was born in Saudi Arabia, where his father worked in the oil industry. He decided to become a Marine and that set him on a path to return to that part of the world as a young officer. (7:31)

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After receiving his commission, Brooks Tucker started his Marine officer training in earnest. The Basic Officer Course was followed by the Infantry Officer Course and these were used to mold young college graduates into platoon leaders. (4:24)

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He was a newly minted rifle platoon leader in the Marine infantry. Brooks Tucker had no experience outside of training, so he worked hard to fit in and get respect in the historic unit, which counted Tarawa and Beirut in it's backstory. (4:54)

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Brooks Tucker sought and received a transfer to a different battalion so he could get a deployment sooner. It was only training in Okinawa, but it was in the field, at least. While the Marine platoon leader was busy there, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and training became preparation for war. (7:09)

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Platoon leader Brooks Tucker was in the Saudi Arabian desert, waiting to see what Saddam Hussein would do. The Marines were training in mock ups of Iraqi defenses, mostly at night to avoid the scorching heat. The men were getting impatient just as the air war started. It wouldn't be long, now. (6:06)

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The Marines were lined up on the Saudi side of the Kuwait border. There were bands of mine fields on the other side and Brooks Tucker had to wait impatiently as the engineers cleared the ordnance. This gave the Iraqis a chance to lob some poorly aimed shells their way. The young platoon leader and his men had to go to chemical warfare posture, including full body suits, after an alarm was sounded. (10:24)

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Brooks Tucker's Marine battalion did not continue north into Iraq. It was tasked with security in a Kuwait City suburb. As they took stock of their new surroundings, the air was heavy with smoke from oil well fires set by the fleeing Iraqis. (3:40)