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12 www.army.mil/publications but Carter spent almost a year in Afghanistan, going out an average of three to four times a week and partici- pating in and documenting a variety of missions, such as snatch-and-grabs, cordons and humanitarian aid. In fact, he was supposed to be done; he had completed his final mis- sion and was ready to go home. But on April 6, 2008, his sergeant had “pink eye,” and couldn’t go on an operation with Team 3336 and Afghan comman- dos to a remote mountain village in the Shok Valley. He asked Carter to take his place. Neither of them could have imagined the horror to come. Things went south almost immedi- ately when the helicopters were unable to land and the Soldiers had to jump about 10 feet to the ground into icy water before beginning a grueling up- hill trek on foot to the village, which was about 10,000 feet above sea level. They only made it partway, and much of the six-and-a-half-hour battle that followed remains a blur to Carter. “‘What was it like?’ I haven’t really been asked that question yet,” he told me. “I’ve sort of been hiding away from everybody and doing interviews. ‘What was it like?’ It was just a bad situation. “When it all happened, when it all kicked off, I don’t know what was going through my mind. I had a lot of people who asked me that when I came back. I didn’t have time to think about what was going on. I just reacted. “I don’t remember thinking about anything. I was just sitting there, going off and doing stuff, helping those guys out,” he continued, leaning forward in his seat, pausing frequently and shak- ing his head as though he still couldn’t believe what went down that day. After our interview, he gave me copies of his award citation and sworn statements from the unit’s commander and noncommissioned officers that detailed his story. The documents are both chilling and awe-inspiring. About 13 Americans and 80 Afghan commandos confronted an insurgent force almost twice their size. They were trapped between the enemy above, more insurgents closing in from below, a sheer 60-foot drop on one side and a weather front moving in. The enemy “definitely occupied the high ground,” as Carter said, and overwhelming sniper, rocket-propelled grenade, small arms and machine- gun fire rained down on the Soldiers. Carter’s video camera was destroyed Staff Sgt. Cynthia Bartlett, from 242nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal, helps Soldiers from Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan load a pallet with 155 mm howitzer rounds for a bundle drop on Bagram Airfield-Afghanistan on June 14, 2007. This is just one of the steps taken to resupply troops. 12 www.army.mil/publications (Right) Soldiers from Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan, prepare 155mm howitzer rounds to be strapped down for a bundle drop on Bagram Airfield, Afghani- stan, June 14, 2007.