When the Iraq war began in 2003, Richard Bousman was still in high school. Three years later, after a brief stint in college, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps. Now, in August 2007, he will soon leave on his first deployment to Fallujah, Iraq. This is the story of the final twelve days before he leaves for his first tour of duty. It's not just a story about a Marine's last days of freedom before deploying but also about the family and friends that have to let him go. Richard, like most U.S. armed services' members, will leave behind people that love him deeply and struggle to balance their pride that he's going and their fear that he won't come back alive.