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The Devil's Playground: The Story of Two Charlie and the Arghandab River Valley
This book shares the story of the men of Two Charlie and their fight for survival in the Arghandab River Valley, the Devil’s Playground.
“The Devil’s Playground” was anything south of the second canal to the men of Charlie Company’s 2nd Platoon—Two Charlie—during their 2009–2010 deployment to the Arghandab River Valley in Afghanistan. The valley had been a notorious hot spot throughout history, with the Russians unable to maintain a foothold in the 80s and Coalition forces now facing the same problem during Operation Enduring Freedom.
The Two Charlie paratroopers deployed as part of the 2-508th PIR, Two Fury, of the 82nd Airborne Division, but always seemed to be on their own. They started their deployment attached to Canadian forces in Panjwai but were shortly moved into the Arghandab with one of the battalion’s biggest Areas of Operation. They inherited a bare-bones outpost that they worked hard to turn into the defendable position known as COP Tynes while patrolling the grape fields and orchards of the valley. Little did they know that when the leaves returned to the valley in the spring, so too would the fighting.
As the fighting picked up in the valley, the men of Two Charlie continued to sustain casualties as they fought day in and day out. There was never a dull moment in the Arghandab, and the fact that Two Charlie had to patrol, act as a quick reaction force, and secure their outpost on their own ensured that they never stopped. The men were constantly brought to their breaking point as their numbers dwindled and the fighting intensified. The men all started to believe that they weren’t going to make it out of the valley alive. The one rule of the valley would be proved time and time in the end, the valley always wins.
“The Devil’s Playground” was anything south of the second canal to the men of Charlie Company’s 2nd Platoon—Two Charlie—during their 2009–2010 deployment to the Arghandab River Valley in Afghanistan. The valley had been a notorious hot spot throughout history, with the Russians unable to maintain a foothold in the 80s and Coalition forces now facing the same problem during Operation Enduring Freedom.
The Two Charlie paratroopers deployed as part of the 2-508th PIR, Two Fury, of the 82nd Airborne Division, but always seemed to be on their own. They started their deployment attached to Canadian forces in Panjwai but were shortly moved into the Arghandab with one of the battalion’s biggest Areas of Operation. They inherited a bare-bones outpost that they worked hard to turn into the defendable position known as COP Tynes while patrolling the grape fields and orchards of the valley. Little did they know that when the leaves returned to the valley in the spring, so too would the fighting.
As the fighting picked up in the valley, the men of Two Charlie continued to sustain casualties as they fought day in and day out. There was never a dull moment in the Arghandab, and the fact that Two Charlie had to patrol, act as a quick reaction force, and secure their outpost on their own ensured that they never stopped. The men were constantly brought to their breaking point as their numbers dwindled and the fighting intensified. The men all started to believe that they weren’t going to make it out of the valley alive. The one rule of the valley would be proved time and time in the end, the valley always wins.
1 pages, MP3 CD
Published October 15, 2024
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April 25, 2025
Many, many thanks to you and your brothers of 2 Charlie for your service and sacrifice. What a horrible war. I cannot begin to imagine the hell that you went through. I really want to give this book 4.5 stars. My complaints are minor and should not dissuade anyone from reading this book. The dialogue for the first half of the book seems stiff and unnatural. Referring to each person by their rank and then their name EVERY time was awkward and interrupts the natural flow. Also - the author chose to write this from the 3rd person perspective - I believe that this takes away from the deeply personal point of view that the author surely experienced.
A great memoir of the Afghan war from the people who experienced it first hand. The author doesn’t sugarcoat anything.
A great memoir of the Afghan war from the people who experienced it first hand. The author doesn’t sugarcoat anything.
Displaying 1 of 1 review