"NO SOIL WILL LEAVE THIS COUNTRY"

The arduous and mundane task of cleaning equipment...but it is a huge hurdle between the soldiers and coming home

Soaked through to the skin, Pvt. Dustin Munson, 19, of Shirley, N.Y., lit a cigarette and checked his watch. The mechanics had worked for 24 hours, with just a two-hour break, Munson said. Despite the soldiers’ best efforts, sergeants working for customs still found dirty places the soldiers overlooked.

“It sucks. They’ll reach their finger at something you didn’t see,” Munson said. “After a year in Iraq, it’s hard to get these trucks clean. But no soil will leave this country.”