Exactly one year before they arrived in January at this massive new military base on the southern outskirts of Baghdad, the men of Charlie Company were suffering through one of the most unpleasant days of their young lives. After landing in a remote valley in southeastern Afghanistan, they had to climb 6,000 feet in 24 hours while being pelted by freezing rain. That interminable day and night fell near the beginning of their mission in Afghanistan, where they slept in tents for eight months. When they finally returned to Fort Bragg, N.C., in July, their homecoming was short-lived: just six months, the bare minimum under military rules. Now, this 130-man unit in the 2nd Battalion of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the storied 82nd Airborne Division finds itself posted in Iraq. Like many other soldiers, these Army paratroopers are spending more and more time away from home. Full Story
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