** spoiler alert ** There's openness to Brian Castner's memoir of soldiering that's startling and revelatory. His story sort of snuck up on me. I was surprised to be surprised. The exact opposite of what should happen to any good soldier.

The portrayal of day-to-day, boots on the ground, Explosive Ordnance Control wartime missions are not anything new; but they ring true. It's to the author's credit that there's not much softening of language or antics that is part of a EOD units life in Iraq and back at home. There's credibility in the beginnings of The Long Walk that were cringe worthy and a bit off-putting to a civi like me. Like it or not, the details of certain missions establish a well-rooted foundation for Captain Castner’s story, and take you down a path that is the books major strength.

The Crazy.

Where this memoir shines is detailing the level of internal obsession over preparations, actions, and thoughts Captain Castner seems to have. From planning a potential massacre led escape through an Iraq civilian square, to mounting a side pistol ergonomically perfectly for smooth action (in his family minivan). The struggles that ensue are shockingly honest and original in there telling. Castner does not shy away from his discomfort with his mental state either:

"I don't deserve to be Crazy. Not that I'm too good for it, but rather not good enough. Not enough tours. Not enough missions. Not enough bodies. Not enough IEDs. Not enough near misses. No friend dead in my arms. No lost limbs. No face exploding in my rifle scope. Plenty of other guys did more, endured more, and came home in worse shape. They deserved it, not me."

The Long Walk is a telling look in to the mind of a soldier at a time when calamitous actions of soldiers abroad, and internal strife over how to care for soldiers once they’re home, are in the news every day.