The Arkansas National Guard continues to face a growing insurgency in Iraq. An increase in car bombs and IEDs (improvised explosive devices) makes every patrol potentially deadly. Back home, the country is divided by the 2004 U.S. presidential elections. With their loved ones in harm’s way, the families of the soldiers vote in what they say is the most important election of our time. During Thanksgiving, everyone struggles with the separation from family. Sergeant Curtis Rohrscheib misses his son’s first turkey dinner, and Suzanne Hertlein prays for her son’s safety as the death toll for the Arkansas National Guard rises to 26.