Photo by James Lee, Special to The Star

Soldiers assigned to Fires Squadron, 2nd Stryker Calvary Regiment, US Army walk through a cloud from a smoke grenade  while transporting an Iraqi woman critically injured during a series of improvised explosive device attacks, Iraqi Army Combat Outpost Mukhisa, Diyala province, Iraq on July 18,2008. Two other women were seriously wounded and a pregnant woman was killed by the powerful explosions. The injured were flown to Balad Air Base and underwent emergency surgeries at the Air Force Theater Hospital.  >>Inside the assignment