Despite the dangers, the Marines of 1st Platoon Golf Company have managed to stay free of casualties in Afghanistan. This has fueled superstitions among the Marines. Lt. Brandon Currie says his mustache is good luck, so he won't shave it until he returns home.
After sleeping on the ground for weeks, the men say that their newly acquired cots feel luxurious. Lance Cpl. Sergio Navarette sleeps against a mud wall decorated with magazine "art."
A Marine holds an M-16 rifle marked with words symbolizing the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from the Book of Revelation. He says the words keep him safe.
Though 1st Platoon has not lost any men, Golf Company as a whole has lost seven. A wooden cross honors Lance Cpl. Dennis J. Burrow, recently killed in action.
Golf Company's 200 Marines are nearing the end of their deployment, but they are still fighting to hold ground they took from the Taliban in early July.
Marines search through a pile of corn, a common hiding place for insurgents' weapons. Just moments earlier, another squad shot and killed two insurgents, who were pulling AK-47s from the cornstalks.
For the first time, Lt. Currie meets with a group of village elders. The local Afghans want security in the area but are wary of foreigners' intentions.
Even after a grueling day of patrols, the young Marines find energy to work out. Under the glare of headlamps, they take turns using weightlifting equipment they built from sand bags and duct tape.
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Photos and audio by David Gilkey/NPR, Slideshow produced by Heather Murphy/NPR
Photos and audio by David Gilkey/NPR, Slideshow produced by Heather Murphy/NPR
Photos and audio by David Gilkey/NPR, Slideshow produced by Heather Murphy/NPR
Photos and audio by David Gilkey/NPR, Slideshow produced by Heather Murphy/NPR
Photos and audio by David Gilkey/NPR, Slideshow produced by Heather Murphy/NPR
Photos and audio by David Gilkey/NPR, Slideshow produced by Heather Murphy/NPR
Photos and audio by David Gilkey/NPR, Slideshow produced by Heather Murphy/NPR
Photos and audio by David Gilkey/NPR, Slideshow produced by Heather Murphy/NPR
Photos and audio by David Gilkey/NPR, Slideshow produced by Heather Murphy/NPR
Photos and audio by David Gilkey/NPR, Slideshow produced by Heather Murphy/NPR
Photos and audio by David Gilkey/NPR, Slideshow produced by Heather Murphy/NPR
Photos and audio by David Gilkey/NPR, Slideshow produced by Heather Murphy/NPR
Photos and audio by David Gilkey/NPR, Slideshow produced by Heather Murphy/NPR
Photos and audio by David Gilkey/NPR, Slideshow produced by Heather Murphy/NPR