I Don't Know but I've Been Told

"I was a paratrooper in the 2nd 304 Scout Reconnaissance Platoon, 82nd Airborne Division. You don't know me without that. It's where I come from."

So begins Raul Correa's raw, mesmerizing tale of a peacetime soldier. To escape trouble at home, the young narrator enlists in the U.S. Army. Soon he's one of Fort Bragg's Recon Dogs, wild, scrappy, and jumping from airplanes -- after taking mescaline to heighten the experience. He is also discovering the power of stories told by bull-slinging buddies and Vietnam vets to give him a connection to the past, a place in the world, and a sense of self -- even when they're not true. But drawn to shady schemes and seedy bars, the narrator and the Recon Dogs get shipped to Panama, where something unexpected happens to give the soldier a heart-wrenching story of his own.