Shade It Black: Death and After in Iraq

Jess Goodell's memoir recounts her work as a Marine handling the remains and personal effects of fallen soldiers in Iraq, and her subsequent struggle with PTSD. The book addresses questions raised by CBS chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan about how Americans engage with the reality of war casualties: how do the remains of service members reach Dover Air Force Base, and what does this process reveal about modern warfare and ourselves? Goodell enlisted in the Marines after high school in 2001 and volunteered in 2004 to serve in the Marine Corps' first officially declared Mortuary Affairs unit in Iraq. Her platoon recovered and processed the remains of fallen soldiers. She describes the work of retrieving and examining remains, the psychological toll of witnessing death in multiple forms, and the difficulty of maintaining humanity in such circumstances. When diagramming outlines of the fallen, she was instructed to "shade it black" for any missing parts. The memoir also explores the challenges these Marines faced transitioning from military service to civilian life, examining how post-traumatic stress affected their adjustment.