Battle Company is Out There

1. Does the writer hold your attention through a long article? If she does, how did she do it? If not, why?

It does not hold my attention because it was too long and boring. Although the first part was bearable. The details of the story are repetitive such as the battle scenes. Also the topic does not really interest me.

2. Quote the most vivid and vigorous sentences in this feature.

A sudden wail pierced the night sky. It was Slasher, an AC-130 gunship, firing bullets the size of Coke bottles. Flaming shapes ricocheted all around the village. Kearney was in overdrive. The soldiers back at the KOP were radioing in that the drone was tracking 10 men near the tree line. Yarnell was picking up insurgent radio traffic. “They’re talking about getting ready to hit us,” someone said. The pilot could see five men, one entering a house, then, no, some were in the trees, some inside, and then, multiple houses. He wanted confirmation — were all these targets hostile? Did Kearney have any collateral-damage concerns? Cursing, Kearney told them to engage the men outside but not to hit the house. The pilots radioed back that men had just run inside. No doubt there would be a family. Caroon reminded Kearney that Slasher had only enough fuel to stay in position for 10 more minutes.

The adversaries faced off in the courtyard as chickens sprinted in and out. On one side were Kearney, Ostlund and Larry LeGree, a naval nuclear engineer and head of the Provincial Reconstruction Team, together with their entourage, including interpreters, all in futuristic high-tech gear. On the other side were the Korengali elders, who looked as if they stepped out of “Lord of the Rings” with their crooked walking sticks, beards dyed red and blue eyes framed by kohl. With no Afghan government out here, the elders are the only channel for communication. The younger men sat on the ground, wrapped in shawls and bold indifference.

3. Write this feature as straight news, 100 words maximum.

American soldiers are waging wars with Korengalists in Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. Capt. Dan Kearney, 26 years old, leads the troops from the Battle Company of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team.

They are trying to win the support of residents apart from fighting off the insurgents, who specialize in ambushes and hit-and-run attacks. NATO uses air power instead of ground troops. NATO has killed 350 civilians in comparison to the insurgents' 438 as of last year, according to Human Rights Watch, resulting to Korengalis to side with the insurgents. The Americans tries to persuade the Korengalis that they are the good guys by building schools, roads and bridges.

U.S. medevac sends humanitarian assistance such as rice, blankets and concrete for retaining walls. “It’s what the government does for their people when there is security here,” says Capt. Kearney.