First Lt. Alvin Shell poses near a mural in Baghdad during his 2004 deployment. He recalls that he was excited before he left for Iraq. “Maybe I was naïve, but I felt I had a lot to offer," he said. "I went into my deployment thinking we could fix things, that I could give it my all and make sure my sons never had to go to war.” (Photo courtesy of Alvin Shell)

First Lt. Alvin Shell poses near a mural in Baghdad during his 2004 deployment. He recalls that he was excited before he left for Iraq. “Maybe I was naïve, but I felt I had a lot to offer,” he said. “I went into my deployment thinking we could fix things, that I could give it my all and make sure my sons never had to go to war.” (Photo courtesy of Alvin Shell)