Fisher joins his platoon in making the most of a crumpled car March 13, 2008, after a near-sleepless night and a successful mission during 10 days of field training. He arrived in September 2007 and would have 11 months before heading to Iraq with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division. He took part in combat exercises. He was lectured on alcohol awareness, cold-weather survival and suicide prevention. He took physical training tests - and repeatedly failed. Designated the SAW gunner, he drilled diligently, scoring high on his marksmanship.