Brutal Fighting in Arghandab River Valley with 82nd Airborne | Andrew Bragg | The Devil’s Playground

[@82lowe36id]

Glad to see a channel covering an Infantryman’s experience. It’s getting old with most channels only covering Special Operations guys.

[@discofishing]

Very nice to hear stories from non-SOCOM types.

[@wpspss4653]

Thank you brother. I don’t have the strength to tell our story. I’m glad you do. You have always been a bad ass. -SSG Craumer

[@tomwhite9716]

Thank you both, Gentlemen, for sharing this remarkable story! God Bless!!

[@brad8346]

Retired AF vet here, zero deployment experience. I listened to this interview twice.....am on about page 200 of the book. Last night i experienced serious inner turmoil, not for me but these kids. God bless each of them as theyve experienced hell on earth. Thank you Andrew for your story.

[@billyballard4318]

This without a doubt is the best show you have done. 6 out of 5 stars.

[@Optrixx]

Ryan, you and Andrew knocked it out of the park & I have been watching & listening since your beginning; very captivating! Bravo...

[@connormason7517]

I’m surprised this channel doesn’t get waayyyy more traffic! 🔥 definitely deserve and will get it

[@jcbrusa16]

Great interview. Thank you Ryan for getting Bragg on the show. Being from 3C i trully appreciate Bragg telling 2Cs story. I cant imagine doing it for 1C and 3C back in COP Nolen. Thanks Bragg and I will be reading your book in October.

[@rexspencer9873]

Brutal. So much emotion. Great story from a non spec op soldier. Keep up the great work.

[@shawnlopez5115]

For listeners...COP Nolen was attacked with small arms, rpgs, and mortars probably 3-4 times a week it seemed Average heavy ammo spent during contact per contact at COP Nolen. 60mm mortar-20 240B-2000 Mk-19 40mm-60 Just to give an idea of the fighting there. Definitely need more Arghandab river valley stories on these podcasts.

[@StarcraftDr]

This is extremely intense.. loving this interview so far

[@shawnlopez5115]

Hell yeah, Andrew, great job. Missed you at the reunion for CCO. Hope all is well.

[@thinbluelinelife]

Man, it was nice hearing someone telling the story of that hell. Shout out from A Co 2-508.

[@to8860]

Thanks Ryan!!

[@carlfischer4163]

Wow I can really feel him. His emotions . The feelings. Thank you.🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️

[@tekorewha5884]

I love the fact that he travelled the country to touch base with the boys.. Suicide was a thing for some returning veterans trying to transist & adapt back to civilian life

[@jerrymarbury9365]

Great work

[@fckinvandoos]

That answer at the end about reconnecting with your bro's from the difficult deployment is so spot on , did 2 deployment , first one was intense as fuck and we still see each other once in a while ,usually on memorial day even if we are far apart. The second not so much, didnt lose anybody didnt go through as much adversity and we barely have kept in touch since

[@aewhatever]

When I was a kid my I read the hell out of fellas accounts in Vietnam. I think it's awesome more and more accounts are coming put. Hats off to you fellas

[@davidbarocio1872]

I think it would be unfair if we split 1st plt and 3rd plt story into their own. Both of those platoons operated out of Cop Nolen during their time in the Arghandab and 3rd plt had a helluva challenge and fight in BMG which is a story all on its own. Lucky to have survived those 3 days of combat before reaching the Arghandab with the other elements of C co.

[@gregwilson1613]

The story of BMG could be a book of its own for sure

[@Lykitysplit]

24:51 that 2nd ID unit is 5/2 SBCT 1-17IN

[@IcanDriveIt]

I was at COP Jannat in 2012-2013. Our terps remembered you guys and the 101st guys that followed you in the arghandab. We relieved the guys who relieved the 101st guys. I can confirm there were a ton of IEDs. We encountered one about every other day.

[@jetobey5656]

Ryan and Andrew----Is it wrong that this non- vet, 78 years old sheds tears in many of your interviews?. My experience was with civilian brutality.over a 40 year's time.

[@Johnson11c]

I brake down hearing some of these stories. I'm nobody I didn't do anything but I still have an idea of what men have seen and have done. I have lost a few brothers and have lost alot. I just thank God everytime for another day. I shouldn't be here and to hear these stories reminds me why I fought. Everyone has a path, everyone has a job and a place in life. It may not be what we want, sometimes it's what God wants for us and for those we touch and interact with

[@Jc-ly6pe]

I love the conventional stories

[@discofishing]

Yeah, I am sick of the self-congratulatory SOCOM types. It's getting old.

[@ArranMcconnell]

His unit replaced mine. Crazy time in the war and I’m glad he came home safe BCO 4-23 2nd ID

[@nightgoon_0_0]

I Remember seeing a sign out in the middle of one the trails we most frequently traveled out in the Arghandab. It's was an 82nd airborne sign. I don't remember what it said though. 2011/2012 Arghandab river valley Afghanistan.

[@danielherlihy4685]

It would really help if you could depict the terrain these warriors are talking about. There’s gotta be a way to show avenues of approach and enemy positions. That would really help with the storytelling.

[@tcharman73]

Spent time attached to Alpha 2-508 as a K9 handler. Spent a lot of time with 2Delta and was loaned out to Charle a few times for big operations. I also did a bunch of missions attached to EOD in Charle’s AO. The Arghandab was no joke. Looking forward to reading the book.

[@justinplaysguitar]

I’m from Cleveland Ohio and was with the 173rd in 2006 to 2009 2/503rd chosen So we were in Italy together and I guess deployed together I just didn’t know where the 1/503rd went

[@jasonrogers8754]

It's not Andrew Bragg anymore, it's Andrew Liberty 😬🤦

[@wecanjump7512]

Ft. Liberty is a fine name….what, you don’t like liberty?

[@jasonrogers8754]

@@wecanjump7512 it's a great name and there isn't any reason they should have changed it from Bragg though.

[@wecanjump7512]

I was in the 82nd and I don’t mind. I never understood having forts named after southern generals, anyways. Just some common traitors if you ask me. I would have been fine with renaming the state in 1865

[@mikhailarutyunyan4126]

If there was a book about fighting in the same territory and the same tactics were used by the same enemy... How come was it not studied before throwing these fighters there? How come he knew of this only later? Isn't there intelligence that is supposed to study this?

[@markschuette2615]

Oh no thats to thoughtful.. the leaders of our country seem to likr getting our soldiers hurt or worse

[@bradalan7188]

⛩

[@KabbalahredemptionBlogspot]

50pct casualties means this officer made a lot of mistakes. Sitting ducks. Don’t need to listen to this.

[@daleknollinger7470]

That’s absolutely not what that means. I served in this platoon and it had nothing to do with our officer. The entire battalion suffered a high casualty rate, and every unit that stepped foot in that land had the same or higher rate.

[@ArranMcconnell]

Yeah dude every unit in the valley took huge casualties. You’re a keyboard warrior who obviously didn’t deploy but wants to throw your worthless opinion around

[@wpspss4653]

You are wrong

[@ajcsonsforge6370]

14:04 crazy to hear the name of Khost and Salerno. I was in Sabari in 2011-2012

[@christopherbench1513]

33:13. Stop trying so hard to draw emotion out in your interviews. You're not Barbara Walter's. Let the man tell his story.

[@immortaltyger1569]

I think it was a fair question, because if you haven't experienced something like that there is no way a civilian or someone in military who hasn't been in combat could imagine what that is like.

[@lisakurkowski9131]

Lol dude that was a good question and totally fit within flow of the conversation

[@ArranMcconnell]

I think it’s the difference between making your interview for vets or for everyone

[@immortaltyger1569]

@@ArranMcconnell Exactly.