The memoir of a sharpshooter and respected Band of Brothers soldier describes his childhood in Clinchco, Virginia, where he trained his rifle shooting skills and his transition to the blood-filled battles of World War II in France and Germany.

General Taylor's lottery -- No ordinary country -- The fun and the fear -- Bulletproof -- Faces set like flint -- The things I had no words for -- Orders -- A blur of battles -- Craziness -- Only safe under the earth -- Foy -- Maybe we'll actually live -- At war's end -- The difference at home -- How a man wrestles with war -- The Band of Brothers -- The last garden -- Epilogue -- Chart: Understanding Shifty's placement.