My hero is every American who says "My country needs me" and answers that call to fight. I had the good fortune and opportunity to come home and to t… - Jessica Lynch

I had the good fortune and opportunity to come home and to tell the truth; many soldiers, like Pat Tillman… did not have that opportunity. The truth of war is not always easy. The truth is always more heroic than the hype.

Maybe,” Rys says, giving his arm a jerk, “with this, you’ll start to things a little more clearly.

Rys’s gleeful laughter sends chills up and down my spine. He places one hand to his chest. “Is that how you greet your mate?” Not this garbage again. Seriously, I think this guy belongs in the asylum. It’s as clear a case of obsessive delusions as I’ve ever seen.

The cars ahead skated on a skim of water. The vivid red of countless tail lights, brake lights bobbed in the pitch-black night that stretched endlessly in front of them, the only sign that they weren’t alone in this storm. Sheets of rain fell sideways as it hammered down on the roof, a persistent drumbeat that even the radio couldn’t quite drown out.