Damn the Valley

1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 2-508 PIR, 82nd Airborne in the Arghandab River Valley Afghanistan

By: William Yeske, LTG Ben Hodges - Foreword USA (Ret.)

Narrated by: Basil Sands, William Yeske

"DAMN THE VALLEY" was a phrase regularly uttered by the men that spent any amount of time in the Arghandab River Valley during the deployment of 2 Fury to Afghanistan in 2009-2010. The valley has claimed bodies from the troops of Alexander the Great, the British Empire, and more recently, the Russian Army. Operating in the valley was like nothing the men could have envisaged, they called it the "meat grinder."

It was a deployment that the media didn't talk about, and the government doesn't acknowledge. Three of the company were KIA, more than a dozen suffered life-changing injuries, and half the company had Purple Hearts-not many modern-day deployments have a 52% casualty rate. At one point, the entire prosthetics ward at Walter Reed was full of the men who patrolled that deadly area of the world.

Since their return, many of the survivors have struggled to move on with their lives, and the unit has been declared at "extraordinary risk" by the Department of Veteran Affairs. No one who entered that region was left unscathed. This book shares the perspective of the men that were on the ground for that deployment during the fighting season of 2010.

©2023 William Yeske (P)2024 Tantor

Right back in their footprints

I wasn't part of Bravo 2/508, but my team and I arrived in the spring, shortly after Ware was established.

Due to a combination of age, TBIs, and repression, I'd forgotten so many of the important details of this tour, but the author's narrative put me right back into the orchards, and the corn fields, making sure my boots fall right into the footprints of the men ahead of me.

A Brutal Look at War

This books spares few details that may be hard to stomach for some readers, but it is a solid glimpse into what it is we ask our fighters to do on our behalf while highlighting a need for better care down the road. I would highly recommend this book.

Task Force Wolfpack

Alpha Troop 1/17 CALVARY showing love Tarin Kowt Afghanistan RC South. Great book. Hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did!

Gritty and realistic

Will does a really great job of capturing the realism of being a paratrooper in the 82nd airborne division. I served a couple years ahead of him and I can tell you that this book is very gritty and realistic. There are some portions when he’s in Afghanistan that he describes that I can literally smell things from 20 years ago. It’s a great book so hang on tight.

A gripping look into a war we tend to forget

This book made tangible some things that I forget from time to time. Both in good and bad sense. The story is told well and flows together as I was awash in memories as each guys face flashed in my vision as I heard them speak their own parts. This....is the kind of book the boys needed. Thanks Yeske ...you rule Brother

Heroes

Thank you lads for your service and it’s inspiring the dedication to each other you all have, the least you all deserve is the support and resources when returning home. God bless the USA…

Thanks for telling it.

Thanks for telling this story. A Marine OIF veteran it is great to hear what our Army OEF brothers went through. We fought 2 different campaigns in the same War on Terror, our stories are different, but also the same.

Semper Fi🇺🇸

Damn the Dab

Great job, brother. It's crazy hearing stories that never made it my way. This was so well written, and I'm glad you got it on paper for others to maybe understand a huge part of our lives.
AATW-FFTS
Doc, 3rd Plt, D Co

Horrible in every way

I didn’t know an audio book could be this bad. The story is matter of fact and monotone. It’s hard not to describe the author any way other than he is a jerk. He thinks he brilliant and everyone else is dumb. The Private First Class thinks he has more insight than the NCOs and officers. He wants to be SF but all the sergeants believe is not capable. A significant portion of this book is his gripping. I understand that soldiers are in difficult situations and have the right to complain, but don’t write a book about it. There are other books that are much better and give a better picture of the war in Afghanistan. Try Red Platoon instead.