On Deciding Not to Pull the Trigger

The author in Kirkuk, Iraq, November 2004. (Photo courtesy of Nick Allison)

If soldiers in a war zone can avoid killing innocent civilians in a split second, why couldn’t a federal agent do the same thing in an American city?

I didn’t imagine when I joined the Army and volunteered for the infantry that one of my duties would involve anything resembling census work. But in 2004, that’s exactly where I found myself. Not full time, mind you, but still. In between overwatch patrols, convoy security...