The Archive / Season 1, Episode 11
The Korengal Valley
THE ARCHIVE Season 1, Episode 11: "The Korengal Valley" --- [ARCHIVAL NOTE: The following letters and testimonies are from American soldiers who served in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, between 2007 and 2010. The six-mile valley in Kunar Province became one of the deadliest postings in the Afghan War. In 2010, the U.S. military withdrew, abandoning the outposts they had built and fought for. These are the voices of the men who served there.] --- [LETTER ONE] From: Specialist Ryan Torres, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment To: His girlfriend, Oregon Date: June 15, 2007 Hey baby, I'm in the Korengal now. The Korengal Valley. The guys who were here before us call it "The Valley of Death." Real comforting, right? It's beautiful, though. I know that sounds crazy, but it is. Mountains rising on both sides, covered in pine forests, a river running through the middle. Looks like something out of a nature documentary. Except the mountains are full of people who want to kill us. We got hit on our first patrol. Ten minutes outside the wire, and suddenly there were bullets everywhere. I hit the dirt, tried to find cover behind a rock, and just fired back at the treeline. Couldn't see anything. Just muzzle flashes and tracers and the sound of rounds snapping past my head. Welcome to...