“My husband ran two races against the ferocious desert storms during his deployment. The first was a victory.”
Northeastern Iraq | Fall of 2006 | By ARTIS HENDERSON

“It was a ‘beach party,’ so women were encouraged to wear their swimsuits.”
Seattle, Washington | Summer of 2007 | By CYNTHIA GOCKLEY

“Four days after burying John, I was crouched in a jail cell, reeking of vodka and white wine.”
Provincetown, Massachusetts | 2006 | By RICHARD S. FERRI

“Keith Karlson had his chin in his hand and was staring intently at my mother.”
Randolph, Massachusetts | 1982 | By COURTNEY A. WALSH

#1: Giant, Gasping Sobs | By LOTUS MASON
#2: A Speck in the Distance | By SUSAN ZEMELMAN

“Every time the Mick came to bat, I went into spasms of ecstasy.”
Yankee Stadium, New York | 1963 | By JOHN CANNATELLA

“The surgeon slides her finger into one of the shorter wounds. It disappears up to her second knuckle.”
New York, New York | 2004 | By YANNIE TEN BROEKE

#1: Confessions of a Call Girl | By KATE SCOTT
#2: The $10 Minute | By EMILY FAULKNER

“No amount of patriotic pride’ll make you glad your son’s joining what’s surely about to be a hot war. “
Syracuse, New York | February 2007 | As told to BENJAMIN T. ALTMAN

#1: Grandma’s House | By DINA PERCY
#2: The Crimson Angel | By M.A. Brewer