Idiotic strategy.  We did the same thing in Vietnam-did not work.  The citizenry is going to put up with whoever is in power.  As soon as we leave Taliban will rush in and fill the vacumn. Peasants will go back to producing poppies and marijuana to feed the world demand for drugs.  It will be like we were never there. All the lives and treasury lost will have been for nothing.  The only rational strategy in that region is to leave-and if we see threats to us in any form- bomb them into oblivion as many times as necessary!  

Guns? Really? Don't they have enough? How about Food, Clean, Water, Shelter and teaching them to Feed themselves? How about tractors and farming equipment? Education maybe?

They know what to expect from us...they have only to look at their neighbors in Iraq to confirm that our presence will bring them tainted water and food supplies, unreliable or nonexistant electricity, improvised medical facilities and corruption in government.  Any semblance of trust or cohesion with our forces will be delusory.  We will never gain their ungrudging cooperation.

To me, if we want to win the this war, after we capture the Tiliban, take their guns away, let them enough western life for awhile. release them. Let Tiliban kill themselves.

Guns, Bom, can not kill them. only themselves.

The enemy knows the rugged terrain. They can hide for weeks or months. They can attack us from well hidden locations. We failed in Vietnam and retreated because we were not allowed to use our awesome firepower. We might as well admit they are not worth saving at the cost of so many American lives. Either destroy them totally or get out. I believe it is time to bring our war weary troops home. They have sacrificed enough.

This angle of this story is skewed in such a way as to present only a tiny sliver of the reality of the war in Afghanistan. The reporter's title is a slam against these young men who are trying their hardest to win hearts and minds while trying to stay alive at the same time. Where is the support for the soldiers? Seriously, what do you expect soldiers to do if someone shoots at them? This reporter has some sick need to make snide remarks that portrays soldiers in a negative light, perhaps so he can gain attention for himself. If the reporter thinks he can do a better job, then I advise him to put a uniform on, grab a weapon, and attempt to do better. On the other hand, the reporter has purposefully excluded the other ways soldiers attempt to win hearts and minds, such as humanitarian assistance, building infrastructure, medical facilities, schools, and improving the agricultural situation. Where are the reports about the dams that were built? What about the centuries-old recontructed irrigation systems? What about the tens of thousands of fruit trees distributed to farmers? What about seed grain distribution? What about crop protection from flash floods using 50,000 gabion baskets? What about the news that soldiers built clean running water solar-powered systems for several villages that didn't even have a well? Why doesn't this get reported? Because the reporter is a glory seeker who loves to step on the backs of others with his self-righeous spew. I challenge him to do better. Otherwise, he needs to keep his knife in his pocket and out of the backs of soldiers. By the way, the soldiers know the terrain, they walk it, and are willing to walk on higher terrain than the lazy talibs...don't think for a moment that taliban is better because they shoot a couple of bullets then run like crazy to keep an Apache gunship off their tail.

OK! I watch your vidio and I can tell you from the looks on the faces of the villiagers that they are lying about everything. I can only see that they are farmers of what!

The fact is the Taliban is there main buyer of poppy and they are not in arms way as long as they keep us at bay. the villagers need to stop! Acting like they are fools for that is the last thing I would call them, they are shrewd business men. And some of the cause of what has happened to the rest of their country growing that crop.

The fact that we need someone in each company that has the ability to get what they want is to hirer Afghans to interpose and make sure they are for peace and not prestige.

In response to the comments left by KG-2125015, I'd like to offer the thought that perhaps it's not the angle of the story that's skewed but rather the preformed opinions of KG-2125015.

This short piece is not intended as an overview of all that is taking place in Afghanistan, but rather a view into the daily lives of a particular unit trying to carry out their current assignment. To show everything that KG-2125015 would like to show would involve the production of feature length film type of reportage. Honestly, I'd rather have access to these types of "slice of daily life" reportage efforts than some attempt at an overview production where the possibility of a particular "angle" or point of view is much more likely to creep in.

I'd also like to thank the reporter and photographer who produced this piece as they've put their lives at risk just as much as the soldiers they're traveling with in order to give us a view into what is taking place in a dangerous and far away land.

Lastly, if KG-2125015 feels so strongly that the piece is in fact skewed or attempting to impart a particular angle, perhaps he/she could get their butt out of their desk chair, throw on a uniform, grab the reporting gear necessary to do this kind of work, endure the same living conditions that the troops are, and produce a piece he/she feels suitably refelcts what's taking place.

Looks like a bunch of murdering @!$%#s, to me!

As I recall we placed our forces in Afghanistan initially to retaliate for 9/11 and to get that #%&@ Bin Laden.  The U.S. took the focus off those goals and we lost the initiative there--plain and simple.  So what are our goals now?  The focus seems to shift regularly and good people are losing their lives while the politicians waffle.  This really does feel like Vietnam only it's lasting longer and there are fewer palm trees.

War is the basest of all human activities. It doesn't win hearts and minds, ever! This reporter writes that being in the real situation, as these pictures are supposed to illustrate, is not at all like the movies portray war.

I would like someone to explain to us how these photos accomplish anything different than what a war movie does. Showing photos or even some short video of these soldiers in Afgahistan does nothing to bring the reality of a war to the average person, like myself, who has never experienced it, and hopefully never will have to experience.

This is a complete waste of time while also endangering the lives of the reporters. I know that these reporters do this willingly, no one forces them to go into such situations, but what's their real motive? Perhaps they're the ones that think there's some sort of sick "romanticism" in war, and maybe that's what's draws such people into these types of work situations.

Why would anyone think that "reporting" from Afghanistan or any other war zone is worth risking one's life over. In my view, it's a pretty insignificant reason to do so.

Reporting from a combat zone is a valuable asset to the American people, who deserve to know how the war in Afghanistan is being prosecuted. My personal gripe is not with reporters, per se, but those who gladhand their way into a combat unit, then knife the soldiers with a "see how sorry our troops are" story while portraying the taliban in a positive light. Perhaps my expectations are too high, thinking that the reporters will produce a report absent personal biased (read sorry) opinion. In regards to Evan Vucci, his title and angle on the story he made is sarcastic and biting...his opinon soils the story instead of bringing out the truth.

WM, let me lay it out for you to understand: the reporters who are embedded with the units come from across the globe, and are not necessarily US citizens...they could be Irish, British, French, etc. In other words, most reporters embedded with the units are freelance, and seek to sell their wares to news agencies at the highest profit. The news agencies shop for the stories that make the greatest amount of controversy, just as surely as you and I shop in the grocery store for goods. So I guess I should harbor my gripe with the msn (the lowest-rated news agency by the way). The reporters usually spend no more than 10-15 days with the units, but I have seen one (an Irishman) who spent an entire month with the soldiers. If you are looking for a really great piece of reporting, then check out Restrepo. All the soldiers I've talked with involved with that particular combat incident say the reporters did a great job representing the story faithfully and without added opinon. I have nothing but utmost respect to those combat-embedded reporters who are brave enough to hang with soldiers and endure the same hardships. What Evan Vucci chose to do was to ignore the good that the troops were doing, and the real ways that they were working to win hearts and minds. If he was embedded long enough to experience a few bullets whizzing by, then he was there long enough to see all the projects the unit was involved in that were having a positive effect. Instead, Mr. Vucci chose to ignore all of that, and focus on a story that would sell.

Regarding my own experience wearing a uniform: 23 years. Just in case it was not painfully obvious that I more than average personal experience with combat operations in Afghanistan, then let me tell you that the real heroes are not the reporters, but the men and women who serve in combat. WM, I make no assumptions about you, as you did for me, except that I am guessing that you have no experience in uniform, and don't have to guts to wear one.

Win, Lose, or Draw? Who are those guys..........?

To G-774053, who said "Looks like a bunch of murdering @!$%#s, to me!".

Are you talking about your troops or the Afghan peasants?

To Paul Morphy your note is only partially true.i was part of an aircrew that delivered a multi million dollar water treatment plant into Bagdad in 2006. A week after it was intastalled and up and running,the insurgents blew it up. America can only do so much, The Irqis must do their part also..deriding the guys who are doing their best to make things right out there, does NOT help or support our people. Believe me, the words 'thank you' really help, I know, I've been there!

I'm commenting on our US troops!  In the video there's talk about the murdered Afghan having an AK-47.  I don't see it!  If the GI's are going to accuse someone of shooting at them, and then shoot at anything that moves, there's something badly wrong.  If they can't positively identify the target, why shoot?  There's no talk about a bunch of goons running around with M-4's, invading their village!.  What would you do if a bunch of armed a-holes come into your town or street and announced they're going to stay for a few days?  The Afghan people have a right to protect their land, family and anything else that has value -- to them.  Mostly water, food and their way of life.  Americans haven't got a F'n clue! 

My son is there right now. Hearing all these degrading remarks are very heart-breaking. I lived through Viet Nam while my husband served there and the disrespect the men received was just as heart-breaking and I still have promblems watching movies from that time without my blood pressure going up.

My son tells me nothing but good that is coming from his being where he is. He is on a very dangerous misson but his father and I support him. He has a wife and children and they support him, so who are you negative people that have never served talking about when you don't really know or want to know what is going on over there. He feels he and the United States are making a difference for the good.

I appreciate KG for speaking up and I could tell without him saying so that he has proudly served his country. Thank you for your service KG! As I say thank you to all the Vets and those who are serving today!

all the defaults  listed were there before our people and will be there when we are gone.  these people are tribal, if you are not of thier tribe, you will not be trusted. you will only matter for what they canextort from you.corrupsion has /is/ and will be thier way of life  until they are taken by Allah.

all the defaults listed , were there before our people....and they will still exist when our people are brought home. these people are tribal/ the only people that they can relate to and trust are members of thier tribeaothers were placed there , by Allah, for them to take advantage of.to extort and cheat to the betterment of thier family. no one else has any worth in thier eyes.

10 years in a war that all about natural resourses and drugs. since we are there lets quit playing this game and win, burn the feilds , get it burn those poopy feilds, junkies are like children or worse liberals it's all about THEM.

we shouldn't have let a corrupt government thats more corrupt than ours be allowed in afganistan, should have put educated civialians in power with force, that have no ties with drug lords or military and write them a new constitution and tell them its up 2 you, and if complain or resist with force start building jails, if it means throwing half the country in jail 2 give them a true start for a democratic society them so be it, like most americans tired of the games, treat them just like germany or japan near end of ww2, bomb them until there's no opposition left, two choices give the afganny's liberty or give them death. just remember TWEAKERS SUCK.