Brutal Fighting in Arghandab River Valley with 82nd Airborne | Andrew Bragg | The Devil’s Playground
About This Episode
On today’s Combat Story we have a deep dive into intense fighting that took place in Afghanistan in the treacherous Arghandab River Valley with Andrew Bragg, a former Army infantryman who served back to back tours to two distinct places in Afghanistan, both with plenty of kinetic activity.
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Andrew’s book The Devil’s Playground is about one of his deployments with the 82nd Airborne to the Arghandab River Valley where his unit experienced 50% casualties, including 6 KIA. Andrew traveled the country in his car to interview members of his unit from 12 years prior, many of whom had not seen each other since. Their common bond was the impact that the Valley had on each of them.
I think you’re going to really enjoy this recounting of some incredibly challenging fighting experienced by just one of several units to survive the ‘Dab with Andrew Bragg.
Book The Devil's Playground: The Story of Two Charlie and The Arghandab River Valley https://www.amazon.com/Devils-Playground-Charlie-Arghandab-Valley/dp/1636244718
Show Notes:
The Devil’s Playground
Chapters
- 00:00Intro
- 00:30Introduction to Combat Story
- 00:49Meet Andrew Bragg
- 02:06The Devil's Playground
- 02:59Andrew's Journey to Reunite with His Unit
- 04:16The Heavy Toll of Combat
- 04:57Andrew's Early Life and Military Beginnings
- 05:45First Deployment with the 173rd
- 06:35The Impact of 9/11
- 07:14Writing the Book: A Collective Effort
- 07:38Reuniting with Fellow Soldiers
- 12:50The Argandab River Valley Deployment
- 14:34The Harsh Realities of War
- 22:12The Aftermath of Combat
- 32:40A New AO: The Argandab River Valley
- 41:08Arrival During Hibernation
- 42:09Learning the Terrain and Locals
- 43:07The Return of Conflict
- 43:49Escalation and IED Threats
- 45:30Close Calls and Ambushes
- 48:47Operation: Loveless Shot in the Face
- 54:29The Valley's Grip
- 59:05Reflections and Reunions
- 01:11:08The Healing Process
- 01:20:15Final Thoughts and Book Release
