Robin 'Birdy' Perry, a US army recruit from Harlem, isn't quite sure why he joined the army, but he's sure where he's headed: Iraq. Birdy and the others in the Civilian Affairs Battalion are supposed to help secure and stabilise the country and successfully interact with the Iraqi people. Officially, the code name for their manoeuvres is Operation Iraqi Freedom. But the young men and women in the CA unit have a simpler name for it . . .War.