In 2009, Army second lieutenant Jessica Scott deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

It was a year of many firsts.

This is the first person journey through a combat tour in Iraq, through being a woman in the army and learning to be an officer in the unforgiving environment of a brigade combat team.

This is the journey of a writer, learning to find her voice.

This is the journey of a mother, confronting the emotions of leaving her children.

This is the story of an inexperienced lieutenant, growing into a leader. This is the journey as it happened, without commentary.

This is her blog. There are many blogs from the Iraq war, but this one is hers.