More than just another ominous catch-phrase from war in the Big Sandbox, Black Sunday was the day in April 2004 when units of America’s 1st Cavalry Division saw their routine deployment turn into a harrowing and costly fight. Enraged, motivated, and well-armed insurgents crammed the alleys, streets, and buildings of Sadr City. In that fight, a surging mob of militants ambushed one small unit of the Black Knight battalion. The heroic rescue attempt proved fatal for many of the determined soldiers who braved the gauntlet. Cav veteran Matt Fisk–who fought through Black Sunday and survived–gives us a gut-level, over-the-rifle-sights view of a short, violent period when one of the safest places in the war zone suddenly turned into a cauldron of death and destruction.

His rugged deployment with colorful and courageous fellow soldiers resulted in some serious problems when he returned home, testing his coping skills. He turned to the VA for help–and wound up with the same frustration that plagues so many of today’s returning combat veterans.

It’s all here in Black Knights, Dark Days–and it’s all brutally honest.