The Devil's Playground: The Story of Two Charlie and The Arghandab River Valley

“As America assesses the value of our intervention in Afghanistan and involvement in future foreign wars, we must always consider the price. Andrew and his friends’ service was valorous and honorable. His authentic perspective of the environment and the eye-opening costs to our soldiers is sobering. These accounts should be mandatory reading for foreign policy makers and defense department leaders.” ― Major General (Ret.) Brian Mennes, United States Army, Former Fury 6

“The Devil’s Playground” was anything south of the second canal to the men of Charlie Company’s 2nd Platoon—Two Charlie—during their 2009–2010 deployment to the Arghandab River Valley in Afghanistan. The valley had been a notorious hot spot throughout history, with the Russians unable to maintain a foothold in the 80s and Coalition forces now facing the same problem during Operation Enduring Freedom.

The Two Charlie paratroopers deployed as part of the 2-508th PIR, Two Fury, of the 82nd Airborne Division, but always seemed to be on their own. They started their deployment attached to Canadian forces in Panjwai but were shortly moved into the Arghandab with one of the battalion’s biggest Areas of Operation. They inherited a bare bones outpost that they worked hard to turn into the defendable position known as COP Tynes, while patrolling the grape fields and orchards of the valley. Little did they know that when the leaves returned to the valley in the spring, so too would the fighting.
As the fighting picked up in the valley, the men of Two Charlie continued to sustain casualties as they fought day in and day out. There was never a dull moment in the Arghandab, and the fact that Two Charlie had to patrol, act as a quick reaction force, and secure their outpost on their own ensured that they never stopped. The men were constantly brought to their breaking point as their numbers dwindled and the fighting intensified. The men all started to believe that they weren’t going to make it out of the valley alive.  The one rule of the valley would be proved time and time again: in the end, the valley always wins.

This book shares the story of the men of Two Charlie and their fight for survival in the Arghandab River Valley, the Devil’s Playground.

Table of Contents

1: 22 Nov 2009
2: A Time to Grieve
3: Welcome to the Dab
4: A Home Away From Home
5: The Drug Deal Trade
6: 22 Mar 2010
7: The Only Thing Necessary
8: So, It Begins
9: Don't Trip
10: The Day Lovelace Got Shot in the Face
11: The Lion's Den
12: 7 Jun 2010
13: The Triumph of Evil
14: One Shot, One Kill
15: 24 Jun 2010
17: For Good Men to do Nothing
18: 6 Jul 2010
19: Vengeance in the Valley
20: The Last Patrol
21: The Valley Always Wins

Andrew Bragg is a combat veteran who served in the U.S. Army for four and a half years after graduating high school. During his time in the military, he served as an infantryman and deployed twice to Afghanistan, first with the 173rd (1-503rd PIR) for a 15-month deployment and second with the 82nd (2-508th PIR) for a 12-month deployment. He grew up in Hilliard, Ohio, but has moved west since leaving the military. He worked as an EMT while going through school, and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He now lives in the Rockies where he enjoys rock climbing, hunting, and other outdoor activities.