Perspective: Young GIs get first taste of war in Ramadi

Soldiers attend a briefing before starting on a mission in Ramadi.

RAMADI, Iraq — What lures a young private to Iraq?

For at least two recent arrivals in this battered provincial capital, where troops attached to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division are battling Islamic militants in a muddy and bloody urban war, the answer is both love and money.

“I joined for the money,” Pvt. Andrew Ralston said before heading out on a cordon-and-search operation Wednesday. “My plan is to retire at 45 with $3 million.”

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