This Month's Cover

SGT Adam Nielsen (right) and SGT Jason Thyne, two infantry team leaders from Company A, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, Iowa National Guard, exchange a high five after working their way up a steep mountainside outside the Afghan village of Shebatkyl in Laghman Province in February. The last time the soldiers of Company A attempted to enter Shebatkyl, they fought through an ambush of enemy forces firing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades from multiple directions on the surrounding mountains. This time, the soldiers were able to enter the village and conduct a key leader engagement with village elders, which focused on working with the coalition to secure the town from insurgents operating in the Sygal Valley.