The After Action Review is used to encourage improvement in all aspects of the military, from the Department of Defense in Washington to the squad on the ground. In principle, this is a valuable exercise meant to reinforce the successes and prevent future failures. Unfortunately, the most valuable source of information -- the unfiltered voice of the Troops -- is often overlooked.

For well over a year, Operation Truth has been collecting information directly from the Troops who were deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation
Enduring Freedom (OEF).

These are some of those stories ? unedited and uncensored ? as they were submitted directly to our Web site. These stories make up a different kind of After Action Review. Instead of official platitudes, these stories offer real, firsthand insight into what went wrong, what went well and what needs to change. The Troops offer both praise and criticism, describing their experiences in the field and their return home.

The men and women of the Armed Forces now comprise a smaller percentage of the population than at any time in this country?s modern history. Now more than ever, there is a disconnect between our Troops, our leaders in Washington and the public at large. Operation Truth hopes this report, composed exclusively of stories straight from the ?boots on the ground,? will help bridge that gap.

A note on the report?s format: Operation Truth has combed through the hundreds of stories submitted to our Web site and categorized the comments by theme in Sections II and III. The branch of service and home state of the writer precedes each comment, and the Troops are identified by their chosen usernames; we?ve also noted the date each story was submitted.