This candid memoir recounts the author's nearly four years in the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment--a.k.a. "The Old Guard" or "Escort to the President"--from 2000 to 2004. Beginning with his grueling summertime infantry basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, he depicts the day-to-day challenges and triumphs of life in the U.S. Army's oldest and most storied unit, from the 2001 Presidential Inauguration to the recovery efforts following the September 11 attacks.