On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, the National Guard's famed Fighting 69th infantry regiment, based in New York City, was a mess: Its soldiers' uniforms were incomplete, and their equipment was downright derelict.

But that day's terrorist attacks, and the Bush administration's march to war in Iraq, drove the unit to transform itself into a battle-ready force. Sean Michael Flynn, the unit's company commander, is author of The Fighting 69th: One Remarkable National Guard Unit's Journey from Ground Zero to Baghdad.

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