107p cs Sgt. 1st Class Trederick Sapp, of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division, crawls toward the camp perimeter to scan for insurgents after a firefight . Neil Shea/Stars and Stripes (Neil Shea/Stars and Stripes)

Neil Shea/Stars and StripesAfghanistan, August, 2011: Sgt. 1st Class Trederick Sapp of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, crawls toward the perimeter of Operation Dagger Fury's command camp in the Araban Valley of western Wardak province to scan for insurgents after a firefight. A Stars and Stripes story noted that if "coalition allies wanted to secure the heart of Afghanistan, the Araban needed taming" because of its reputation as a Taliban stronghold and its relative nearness to Kabul. Planning the assault fell to "a unit of cooks and fuelers, mechanics and clerks, led by an engineer, Lt. Col. Blace Albert. Three maneuver companies, including cavalry and infantry troops, were attached to Albert’s command for the mission. An aviation company, plus Air Force units, would support them."

RELATED MATERIAL: Stars and Stripes' 2011 story about Operation Dagger Fury.