"This is the part of my job I thought I'd never have to do," said Sergeant Joseph Garcia as he prepared to call the parents of Corporal Luis Santos. Santos was killed by an IED [improvised explosive device]. As Santos' friend and sergeant, Garcia prepared to call and comfort the parents about the loss of their son. Though Garcia and many others in the platoon had served prior tours of duty in Iraq, the death of Santos was the first time most of them had lost someone in their unit to the fighting.

Six months into their present tour in Iraq, already over a quarter Stalker's forty-odd-man platoon has been awarded the Purple Heart for injuries received from enemy contact. IEDs have destroyed six humvees and of those wounded four returned to the United States for medical treatment and recovery. Santos has been the only fatality.

Returning to their base after Santos' memorial service, Sergeant First Class Michael Greer's humvee struck an IED that destroyed the front end of his vehicle. Greer suffered a massive bruise on his leg, and his gunner, Private First Class Chad Munn took a blow to the head when the blast threw him into his machine gun. Both men returned to duty the next day. Aside from those minor injuries and some shaken nerves, everyone was fine.

"Man, this has been an ugly tour," said Staff Sergeant Eric Moroge currently serving his second tour. Joking that he'll suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder he adds, "I'm going to be like one of those (crazy) Vietnam veterans."

The loss of a comrade combined with other serious casualties brought home to many in the platoon for the first time the gravity of what they're doing and raised new questions about the direction of the war.

While the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, made front-page news, those in Stalker platoon doubt his death will change anything for the better. Within four days of Zarqawi's death Stalker platoon lost three humvees and Corporal Santos to IEDs. It was the most effective and consistent resistance that the platoon experienced since their arrival.

As part of the unit credited with killing Zarqawi, some believe the increased violence represents the insurgents' response. "We're being punished for Zarqawi's death," said Sergeant Ken Fahr.

Before taking such serious casualties, some soldiers talked about going home on leave and exaggerating Iraq to strangers who asked about their experiences. "People would ask me if it's as bad as the news makes it out to be over here," chuckled Private First Class Matt Graham. "I'd say, 'It's worse. The news only shows the good stuff.'"

Now with the human cost of the war and its possible consequences made all too clear, soldiers engage in more sober reflection. Private First Class Matt Gundy and Specialist Tony "Chico" Chicoine both agree that Iraq is nothing like World War II or Vietnam in terms of intensity, but says Chico, "We're America's next generation of war veterans."

Chico and Gundy wonder how they'll deal this new label. Before losing a friend, Chico wasn't certain how to respond to people who approached him and said they appreciated what he was doing or thought he was a "hero." He and Gundy refuse the label of hero, but Chico says after losing his friend he can understand why some people want to thank him for volunteering for something so difficult. Still the two worry what to tell people at home in America who don't understand what it's like serving a tour of duty in Iraq.

In the past six months, Stalker platoon has only engaged in three firefights. In one they never even saw the enemy, though they could hear them talking and reloading. When an IED detonates, the streets are usually empty. There's nothing to shoot at but empty buildings. The night Santos died soldiers didn't have to worry about taking enemy fire or advancing on an enemy position. While a few soldiers searched for a possible IED trigger man and fired at potential hiding spots, everyone else was free to administer first aid and comfort the wounded.

Battling a seemingly invisible enemy intensifies the violence, many soldiers begin to feel real fear. Before going out on a mission Private First Class Zach Lindsley says he gets the shakes. Sitting down to dinner after a wave of IEDs, a soldier told Specialist Tom Carpenter to enjoy his meal. "Who knows," responded Carpenter. "It might be my last."

As Stalker platoon continues to take an unusually high amount of casualties some soldiers begin to wonder if their commanders are involved in a secret conspiracy to kill their own soldiers. "The Lieutenant Colonel [Tom Fisher] isn't going to be happy until we're all dead or we're all dead," said Private First Class Graham.

"It's going to get worse before it gets better," said Specialist Robbie Mathis.

Despite feeling discouraged, soldiers try to remind themselves that they volunteered to do a risky job. "No matter what we do they'll find a way to beat it," said Sergeant Ken Fahr. "More people might die, but this is our job."