Operation Iraqi Freedom consists of four phases. What were those four phases, as outlined by Captain Cole?

By the end of the novel, can the army really say that the first three phases of Operation Iraqi Freedom have been completed and that the fourth is well underway? Giving examples, show why you agree or disagree that the first phases have been achieved.

Marla Kennedy posits that the Civil Affairs unit is really just the army’s guinea pig. The unit has gone from cleaning up the army’s messes to being sent in to see who shoots at them in an effort to reveal the enemy. Given Birdy and his unit’s experiences, would you agree?