Afghanistan...

Here's a fine article, at The Atlantic, that everyone should read:

The Last Patrol, by Brian Mockenhaupt, The Atlantic

"In September 2009, the second platoon of Charlie Company arrived in Afghanistan with 42 men. Ten months later, nearly half had been killed or wounded, mostly in the Arghandab Valley—a key to controlling southern Afghanistan. Now these 82nd Airborne troops were getting ready to leave the Arghandab behind. They had one more dangerous job to do: a joint mission with the untried artillery unit that would replace them patrolling the fields, orchards, and villages they called the Devil’s Playground."

read the article: The Last Patrol, by Brian Mockenhaupt, The Atlantic