• EXPLORE PART ONE
• After 13 years of war, America's military feels worn out, underpaid and without a sense of mission. As negativity takes root, the all-volunteer force faces a historic challenge.

• EXPLORE PART TWO
• The top brass in Washington warn that cuts to defense spending will have grave effects on military readiness, but troops say that, for the most part, their units are ready to roll.

• EXPLORE PART THREE
• The end of the war in Iraq and the winding down of the war in Afghanistan have offered no respite from the hectic deployment pace service members and their families have endured during the last several years.

• EXPLORE PART FOUR
• Pessimism among troops has grown steadily during the past several years, and today most of the force believes the war's aims were unfulfilled.