[2] Two days after the September 11 attacks, Young was inspired by President George W. Bush to enlist in the United States Army.

[3] On April 4, 2004,[1] five days after being sent to Iraq, Young was shot while riding in an open, unarmored truck during an ambush staged by rebels in Sadr City.

"[1] He later changed his mind, saying "I want to spend as much time as possible with my wife, and no decent son wants his obituary to read that he was survived by his mother.

"[2] That same month, on the tenth anniversary of the Iraq War, Truthdig published "The Last Letter"[7] by Young directed to former President George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.

In the letter, Young accused Bush and Cheney of war crimes, said that millions of Americans and Iraqis know "who you [Bush and Cheney] are and what you have done", and condemned "the inadequate and often inept care provided by the Veterans Administration", saying "I have, like many other disabled veterans, come to realize that our mental and physical wounds are of no interest to you, perhaps of no interest to any politician.

He said that he believed that the Bush administration considered military personnel and veterans to be expendable, and expressed hope that U.S. leaders would have the courage to apologize for the damage wrought by the war.

The book is also based on Wilkerson's interviews with Young's mother, brother and wife, and close friends, including celebrities Eddie Vedder, Tom Morello and Phil Donahue.