The young men thought they knew what to expect of war, but the truth was that nothing had prepared them for the moment when they would have to confront their own loss of innocence. Gleaned from the pages of Russell Snyder"s wartime journal, Hearts and Mines chronicles the experiences of one of the US Army"s three-man tactical psychological operations teams during the height of insurgency in Iraq"s untamed Anbar province. In his compelling, behind-the-scenes, first-person account of the Iraq War, Snyder uncovers the unflattering realities of war as he chronicles the life-altering experiences in his daily journal while operating along the Euphrates river valley during the spring and summer of 2005. From the heartache he felt as he departed for Iraq to the calamity that followed vicious counterinsurgency fighting, Snyder narrates a candid, unforgettable story that provides an eye-opening look at the barbarism of war, its innocent victims, and the uncertainty and fear of never knowing when the next life will be taken. Hearts and Mines is a vivid portrayal of conflict, healing, and one man"s journey to understanding an unforgettable chapter in modern warfare.