Table of Contents
Part 1 Survival
Chapter 1 Alive (December 2005) 1
Chapter 2 Harsh Realities (December 2005-January 2006) 9
Chapter 3 Uncle Johnny and the Open Door (January 2006) 17
Chapter 4 Turning Point 21
Chapter 5 A Blast from the Past 37
Chapter 6 Transition to Independence (May-August 2006) 45
Chapter 7 I'm Out of the Army Now 55
Part 2 Challenges
Chapter 8 A Life Begins; A Marriage Ends (2004-2005) 61
Chapter 9 Return to Combat (September 2005) 83
Chapter 10 And Then I Got Blown Up (December 2005) 103
Chapter 11 Sweet Home Alabama (September 2006-March 2007) 119
Chapter 12 Finding a New Normal (2007-2009) 125
Chapter 13 Slowly Filling with Darkness (2007-2009) 131
Chapter 14 Ten Days in the County Jail 137
Chapter 15 Final Kick in the Pants (2010) 159
Chapter 16 Tornadoes and Terrorists 165
Chapter 17 Let's Go Racing 175
Chapter 18 Operation Proper Exit 187
Part 3 Renewal
Chapter 19 Getting Attention in a Good Way 197
Chapter 20 The Bottom Falls Out-Again 211
Chapter 21 The Girl on the Radio 217
Chapter 22 Stumbling into the Limelight 229
Chapter 23 Long-Distance Love (October 2013-February 2014) 237
Chapter 24 Suddenly My Dance Card Was Full (2015) 243
Chapter 25 Personal Growth and Loss 261
Conclusion 267
Acknowledgments 271