I really enjoyed this movie, too. It actually bears a repeat viewing, as the first time I saw it I didn't quite get the full impact. And I'm not talking about the Santa dance, as enjoyable as that was to watch both times.
I'm talking about the Roger Deakins cinematography that haunts you, and the poetic screenplay that haunts you, too, with lines like "The Earth is bleeding" and "We are still in the desert." Really a beautiful film. And I thought Peter Sarsgaard was excellent - perhaps the best I've seen him, though I quite liked him in "Shattered Glass" too. Like Jake, so subtle, and so facially expressive.
I also liked how they went against stereotype - how the seemingly redneck Texan turned out to be the bleeding heart liberal (relatively speaking) and how the quiet, thoughtful guy ended up being more pro-war than just about anyone.
The music was great, too, and totally took me back to that time frame, so I imagine it would really resonate with anyone going through something remotely as traumatic as being on the ground in a war, whether anything really happened or not, at that time.