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Subscribe to RSSThree weeks into the fight in the volatile Arghandab Valley, an American platoon of the Army's 101st Airborne Division is heading to the rear, weakened by horrific war injuries and unable to continue its mission. The platoon -- 1st platoon, Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 320 Field Artillery Regiment, of the 101st Airborne Division -- started the mission with 17 men, and now is down to nine. Combat Outpost Nolen has seen some of the most intense fighting in Kandahar Province.
This area is critical to U.S. control of the region because it's a main supply route into the city of Kandahar for the Taliban. It's also treacherous for the platoon trying to carry out its mission.
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Shrapnel ripped into Sgt. Matthew Kendall's face and left arm on July 4, when a soldier from another unit stepped on a homemade bomb, which the military calls an IED, as Kendall walked next to him.
Spc. Kevin Gatson fell victim to another IED July 12. It was one of many that have been seeded in farming land surrounding the former school the platoon is using as a base. Gatson lost his leg and three fingers. The platoon leader, 1st Lt. Norman Black, had his eardrum blown out by the blast.
A quick reaction team was immediately sent from COP Nolen and came to Gatson's aid. On the way, an IED exploded and Staff Sgt. Kyle Malin lost both of his legs. Less than 45 minutes later, an IED took off both of Pfc. Corey Kent's legs and part of his left hand. Sgt. Michael Hagan was hit in the face and arm by shrapnel, and also suffered a ruptured eardrum.
Just two days later on July 14, Pfc. Brandon King, a soldier from a different platoon, was shot by a marksman while standing guard duty. He was the first soldier killed at COP Nolen since it was taken over by the 101st Airborne Division.
On July 19, Staff Sgt. Avionne Reese walked into an IED for the third time in the three-week deployment -- it shot pieces of the bomb into the right side of his body. Luckily no one was seriously injured in the first incident on July 5, when an IED went off near a patrol. But on July 12, in the second incident, he was struck by shrapnel from the IED that hit Gatson. After three IEDs the Army will take a soldier out of the fight for evaluation.
Spc. Pedro Torres injured his arm and was hit in the face by the same blast that hit Reese.
The group has already been recommended for 10 Purple Hearts.
Sgt. Leon Richards, from a different platoon, was recommended for a Bronze Star for Valor for calling a medivac helicopter, providing aid and assistance to the wounded, and helping Spc. Jacob Walker out of a field peppered with IEDs.
The numbers alone tell you Afghanistan is getting more dangerous by the month, but those tragically killed in action only tell part of the story.
The numbers can't describe the feeling these men have of leaving the razor wire around their tiny mud-walled compound each day. Every day they try desperately to walk in the footprints of the man in front of them, in 120 degree heat, while weighed down by 85 pounds of gear through humid pomegranate groves and grape fields. The fields swamp visibility in every direction, with green foliage carpeting otherwise dusty terrain areas.
They can't walk on roads or paths because the IED threat is too great. They must climb over 10-foot mud walls on a route so difficult that 600 meters of walking could take an hour and a half. All the while they're on the lookout for a command wire, milk jug, or a rock pile that wasn't there the day before.
The minute they leave the wire the enemy has been alerted they're on the move. The element of surprise is not in their favor. Firefights are a daily occurrence. In fact, COP Nolen is attacked so often that the men refer to a "witching hour," usually between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. That's when the energy-sapping heat has faded down enough that the Taliban is ready for fighting.
The buzzwords here are about counterinsurgency doctrine, fighting corruption in the government, setting up local governance, and standing up the Afghan Army and police. But at the very basic level it's about survival for the men leaving the wire to walk through the fields, and for the average farmer working those same fields, too.
Numbers can't explain the constant tension, fear, lack of sleep, or horrific scenes that unfold before platoon members' eyes each day.
Soldiers often say that courage isn't just willing to go into the fight. True courage is knowing what's waiting for you, and going anyway.
Editor's note: Associated Press photojournalists Evan Vucci and Rodrigo Abd are Photoblogging for msnbc.com while embedded with U.S. troops stationed at Combat Outpost Nolen, in the volatile Arghandab Valley in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
U.S. Army soldiers from Alpha Battery walk among grape orchards during a patrol towards COP Nolen, in the Arghandab Valley, Kandahar, Afghanistan, Tuesday, July 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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Our Soldiers are not fighting just the Taliban and their friends but heat, awful conditions, opposition at home and lack of individual support (notice the fading yellow ribbons?) and ridiculous Rules of Engagement. I know a bunch of wonderful people serving in the Army and they want to come but not without making some kind of sense of this war and of the death of their battle buddies and friends and life altering injuries. May all the deities bless our military; they are the 1% serving the 99% that sit at home and complain or talk about what they don't know.
westpointwife&mom If the Greeks, Romans, Huns, Ottomans, Wehrmacht, whined as much as the troops about rules of engagement and individual support, they would not have won a single war.
If you cant cut it as a soldier without non stop whining and blaming others, do us a favor, QUIT.
Yeah, let the tough guys like Mike go fight for us instead! ummm, what service did you say you were in mike? Those who can, do. Those who did, teach. And those who can't, sit on the internet and talk smack about the courage and service of those who have done both.
ZenFreedom "And those who can't, sit on the internet and talk smack about the courage and service of those who have done both"
Please, by the standard measure of all armies throughout history, only victory represents honor, courage, and service. By that universal standard, your alleged claims of service in Afghan fail.
Bush and his Neo-Cons couldn't win this war in nine years, so you expect Obama to somehow win it in 18 months? The stupidity and audacity of the right is blinding in its idiocy!
The American people have been led to believe that if we can just capture Osama Bin Laden that everyone will join hands and sing Kumbaya around the campfire. We are not at war with a nation here, we are not at war with a people, we are at war with an ideology. Until some form of acceptance is established between competing ideologies bullets will fly, soldiers and citizens will die and mothers will cry.
"tapdancintgirl" You are exactly right. Even when we do catch or kill Osama Bin Laden the fight is not over. I thank God for all those who volunteer and serve God and country to take the fight to the enemy. The tragedy is, most Americans don't understand what this all about. We can bring all our troops home, but the war and terrorists are not going to go away. Thankfully we do not negotiate with terrorists. God bless our troops and God bless America.
Bin Laden is a myth, LoL. This is "The Usual Suspects" and bush was playing "Verbal" so everyone would be looking for Keyser Soze while he made out like a bandit.
tapdancintgirl The troops are not looking for Al Qaeda or Bin Laden. Watch the videos of the troops in Afghanistan, they ALWAYS ask "where is the Taliban"
America has been numbed into stupidity by the lies.
This is what's wrong with the world. Religion=trouble Politics=trouble mixing them together=War
There are no winners in this scenario. Just a bunch of innocent young people being used as pawns in a game that cannot be won.
Wars are declared by the old and wealthy, most of whom have never served in the military.
Wars are fought by the young and pooor, mostly minorities, most of whom will never be allowed to run this country.
Out of the 100 Senators and 435 members of the House of Representatives, only a few have seen military action.
Most of these young men and women who are dying above or who are being maimed and left permanently disabled, should they be 'lucky' enough to return home alive, will be forgotten by the government and most of the public.
I will do everything in my power to keep my children from every joining the military.
Soldiers in the military are property of the government, like desks, computers, and guns.
They are moved about and told what to do with little regard for their safety and well being.
There is no excuse for our soldiers to suffer as they have as described in this article.
Our government cares more about not upsetting the Afghanistan and Pakistan governments and the local tribal leaders, both of whom are corrupt as hell, than with protecting the lives of our precious young men and women.
I support our troops, I support them so much in fact that I demand that either they be brought home immediately or they be given the supplies, reinforcements, firepower, and authority to go out and win this war as it should be won...with the goal of doing whatever is necessary to protect our men and women in combat.
I agree with you as well. If I can't help it, my children will never serve a day in the military.
If our country will not give our troops the full go... with all the support that is needed equipment the full numbers needed stop so much restriction on our troops then they should not be there.... It is easy for the politicians our president to give the talk to be so political and not full heartedly care about our men and women fighting and families left behind. It is one thing to talk and want it's a whole diff story to act. If our president and all the politicians with power really care they would give full support and listen to what our troops on the front line say is needed they are fighting this war they know. As I have gotten older I realize that we are not diff at least our politicians most of them are the same as the people in power in the very countries we fight with. IT'S ALL POLITICAL ALL WHAT THEY BELIEVE WILL BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF OTHERS OR AT LEAST THAT IS WHAT IS PREACHED IT'S WHAT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE LEADER FOR HIM AND HIS IDEAS ONLY...
The politicains are so far removed. The only way they get it is when DC gets attacked. Which is probably all they care about. Their own A$$.
A critical place with one platoon? WTF? Who's the idiot in charge? Petraeus needs resolve this asap.
I am like most of the rest of the commenters.....Win it or leave it.....and let the population know what your intend to do.
Afghanistan and Pakistan need hit with the W88 warheads in the Trident Missiles. 475 Kiloton bomb. Wipe both countries clean and start fresh. All that ever seems to come from the Middle East is trouble, suicide bombers, terrorists, and drugs. All they do is mess with us and test us. It should be game over. Launch the missiles from a sub and get it over with.
I'm an ex-submariner, and I approve that message. The next generations will play us anyway.
David in Ohio Typical Israeli response. It would be simpler to take out Israel with one nuke and solve the problem in the Middle East permanently.
With Israel gone the place will calm down and Americans will be safe. As long as Israel exists America is in danger.
***This area is critical to U.S. control of the region because it's a main supply route into the city of Kandahar for the Taliban.***
If thats the case, why the heck we placed only one platoon there with only 17 soldiers???
use jets. send the soldiers to R&R.
As a proud veteran of Desert Storm, I'm horrified by the fact that our troops are not getting the support they need to accomplish their mission. Whether you agree with War or not I think we can all agree if people are in harms way they should be given everything then need to defend themselves, and to end this quickly. As for those who like to pontificate nonsense please continue to do so with the respect and reverence for those who are so willing to stand on a wall and defend our nation or someone elses.
It is so sad , i have a son thats been in the navy for ten years & I think god he has never seen action but he
still doing his part , and i amso proud of him its so sad that our kids are
throwed in a battle so far from home and forgotten when these lives can be saved with the right tools |||||
elhh - ignore the chickenhawks - you're right. I was in Vietnam and lost five very good friends there. For what? And, chickenhawks - especially you, Chris the historian who improperly invokes WWII - why not explain exactly what it is we're trying to do in that insanity? "Take the fight to them?" Nope - they're bringing it to us. "Keep them over there so they don't come here?" Remember Christmas on the airplane? Times Square? "Bring freedom to the Afghans?" As we did in Iraq?Â
It is nothing but insanity fueled by the greed of those who profit on the war.  It's been going on nine years and has only gotten worse. Get out of there!
Howard-286873 Typical Vietnam vet. Blames everyone else for losing the Vietnam war.
Sacramentomike sounds like a college kid. Ever do any servie Mike? Looking at your other post up above I'd say doubtful. A vet's service is a vet's service and is much more honorable than some snot on an internet post board.
ZenFreedom Tell me again why a "soldier" who cant win a war, somehow got us freedom in defeat, or honorable. Defeat is honorable?
Name calling posters on this forum is a violation of the forum rules. Oh well you have no respect for the civillians who pay your wages, or the civillian authority, what else is new. If you were in civillian life you would have been fired as incompetent. Civillians dont reward incompetents with benefits.
Sacramento mike is an idiot........
I have respect for civilians who don't get on the internet and behave like repugnant tools simply because they're anonymous (in case you missed it, yes that means you). If I was in civilian life I would have been fired from what exactly? You've just lost this battle and it's advisable that you quit while you're ahead before you prove to the world what most people are thinking as they read your posts.
Me thinkum Mike um is a Troll! He just likes pissing off the "ants".
LoL, precisely, and I've decided to stop feeding him.
PhantomBeast , Greg-2048281 , clhh-2048208, and anyone else who doesn't agree with what is going on in wars we face....you truly are great Americans, because you just proved how stupid you are and ignorant to the fact of what is and has been done for you to even have the right to post, nevertheless own a computer, the soldiers embodiment, spirit, and valor have been measured in each degree when idiots make posts about opinions that serve nothing. You have made the military, myself, open to the fact we fight for patriots and morons both, because we have laid our life on the line to give you the option to prove without a doubt how misinformed, misguided, and moronic you are, yet we fight for your right to be that way...
,
Thank You for your service - my son did 2 Tours in Iraq also.
Take care & God Bless
Actually, we proved how stupid we were when bush got elected the second time. And then we put the nail in the coffin when we let him rail road the military to war in Iraq. If ever there was a doubt about the idiocy of Americans it was put the test at that time and we failed miserably.
No camera's, no embedded reporters, no information leaking out and I'll bet within a few months things will be different. you can't fight a war and have it shown on the 6 O'clock news. We will sacrifice our flesh for the flesh of others? Collateral damage is part of war however it's not for public viewing. I humped the paddies of the Mekong Delta for 12 months as an 11B, evading "bobby traps" and bad guys. It wasn't fun and it wasn't fair. We used Arty and air with reckless abandon to cut down on friendly casulities. Word was, 1000 rounds per for body count. Who cared, it was cheaper than a WIA or a KIA. "Patty strength' as always down, it's a fact of military life. I salute the troops today, fighting a war under rules better suited for a playground dodgeball match. GO ARMY!
This war is complete madness. We, as Americans, can't stop the prehistoric cave dwellers living in those parts of the world. Blow them to hell from above and let's get our people out of there for good. They are uncivilized sub-humans whose sole purpose in life is to die for Allah. Iraq, Kuwait-now these filthy bearded scum of the earth Pakis and Afghans - it's just a never ending, impossible to win disaster.
lets have the draft, then we will see how much, so many , who say they love this country, will react.
ARMYIRAQ2TOURS - your comment proves the military really IS scraping the bottom. If you are in the Army, I sure hope somebody with sense catches up with you soon. If you were in MY army, you'd be in the stockade. Why? Because egotistic fools like you standing up beating your chest about your courage and devotion and value are the people who get good men killed. A REAL soldier doesn't yap like you.
Enough already! I’m a Vietnam vet and it’s high time we get the F .... oops heck (politically correct) out of there. This is an un-winnable war. The French tried it, the Russians tried it and for what? The only winner in this conflict is the undertaker!
I feel that this article and video is another propaganda pieceto fit someones political agenda. Troops will tell journalists what they need to protect them selves and to successfully fight the war. Unfortunately these ideas are omitted by some journalists. My brother in law has done two tours of duty in the middle east. He is apposed to the war because combat units go in undermanned or ill equipped.
I remember seeing a video in which soldier's moms were sending silly string to Afghanistan. Troops would spray the silly string in front of them to detect trip wires connected to IED's.
1 year ago there was an article appearing on line that shipment of the newer combat vehicle called the "Striker" was being delayed because of the "Hummer combat vehicle. The reasons for this was allegations to protect the "Hummer" production contracts. Those combat units that are using the "Sticker" in place of the "Hummer" have seen casualty rates drop 90%. The Striker vehicle provides better protection for our troops. Just last week "Hummer" patrols were cut back.
Where did you get this information from? "Strykers" have been being used since before 2007. There are whole BRIGADES of Strykers! Don't go around spreading nonsense on the news stories plzkthxbai.
Great Bob. Fantastic assessment. Whatever. Now lets let those nut bags over there fight it out themselves and bring our boys and girls home. Who cares if there's a democratic government there? Why would I care? 9 years!!! F them!!! Let em bang it out in the sand for 9 more by themselves.
Gotta end this BS war.
Thanks for everything George W. Still trying to wash all that blood off of your hands you DB?
bush doesn't, nor did he ever, care. He was simply trying to prove that America hadn't wasted it's time in electing him (twice) and make a ton of money for his dad and his friends on the way out. He still failed at the first part but he excelled at the second one!
And hey, he got to put on a flight suit and play like he was a real soldier while he was on tv! Maybe if he'd been a real soldier instead of a service dodger we wouldn't be in this mess right now.
The danger naturally increases as troops push further into Taliban strongholds. I don't get the daily intelligence briefings to know the relative strength of either the Taliban or the Afghan government forces, but I trust the people who do get them still believe the fight is largely winnable and worth the enormous sacrifices.
You trust too easily then. But on the brighter side, you're not the one over here fighting so it's easy to be ambivalent!
The ROE is why our brothers and sisters are dying. The fact htat we attempt to make war politcally correct is mind boggling. As long as we have to decifer who is friend and who is foe, we will never win this war.
If true, this is another Viet Namh in the making, and Obama will be another LBJ: why? because this is how we lost there, undermanned, outgunned, no leadership at home, and no support at home! it will happen here too.