Hillbilly Elegy

moment in time in Iraq, where I was
lucky to escape any real fighting but
which affected me deeply nonetheless.
As a public affairs marine, I would
attach to different units to get a sense of
their daily routine. Sometimes I’d escort
civilian press, but generally I’d take
photos or write short stories about
individual marines or their work. Early
in my deployment, I attached to a civil
affairs unit to do community outreach.
Civil affairs missions were typically
considered more dangerous, as a small
number of marines would venture into
unprotected Iraqi territory to meet with
locals. On our particular mission, senior
marines met with local school officials