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Soldiers • May 2009 5 (the commandos’) knowledge of the local populace, terrain and customs, we can truly become a force multiplier,” said Walton. “That’s what SF does. We bring things to the fight that they don’t have, such as close air support and weaponry. But in the end, it’s an Afghan fight, and we are part of it.” The commandos who accompa- nied the SF team on the mission have developed something of a reputation throughout Afghanistan. “The Taliban calls them the wolves. When they hear the wolves are coming, they know they are in trouble. The commandos are pretty feared. Everywhere we go, they identify us with the commandos, and the fact that this group of insurgents was prepared to sit and fight us to the death was indicative of an enemy force you don’t see every day,” said Morales. “Eighty percent of the guys on the ground that day had been in firefights before,” said Walton. “We feel fairly comfortable in a firefight anytime.” But that day was different. The team was going into the unknown. The Soviets, during their occupation of the country, never made it into the Shok Valley. To date, no coalition troops have been there. This was a first. To get into the valley, the team had to fly. “I feel comfortable with my feet on a ground,” said Morales. “I don’t feel comfortable in the helicopter—we can’t control what happens there. But on the ground, we have a plan, we go in and do it, and the rest falls into place.” “We knew this was going to be a difficult mission. We expected there to be a number of insurgents because of the high-value targets we were after, but we really thought the terrain would be the greatest difficulty,” explained Walton. That thought proved correct. As the helicopters settled over the valley, the pilots couldn’t set the birds down, so the soldiers had to jump about 10 feet off the bird. Many of them landed waist-deep in an icy river. With temperatures in the low 30s, the climate immediately began to take its toll. Then they faced a climb up the mountain. Walton explained the idea was to go into the village unannounced, with the plan to take the fight to the insur- gents in the village. “We didn’t want to fight uphill,” he said, adding that the village is at an altitude of 10,000 feet. The team decided to use switch- backs, which were actually terraced farm plots, as a means to get up to the village. The team was divided into three maneuver units, with members of the SF team paired up with about six commandos and their interpreters. The village itself is situated on a finger off the mountain. The team would have to head up a draw to the village. “The buildings in the village are Members of Operational Detachment Alpha 3336 of the 3rd Special Forces Group recon the remote Shok Valley of Afghanistan, where they fought an almost seven-hour battle with terrorists in a remote mountainside village. Patches and insignia may be altered for security reasons. Sgt. David N. Gunn Soldiers • May 2009 5 Background photos for this article are of a valley with treacherous terrain, negotiated by Soldiers in eastern Afghanistan, but not the Shok Valley.