The Korengal Valley was narrow and steep, with mountains 4,000 feet high and sunlight reaching the valley floor only a few hours daily. American soldiers fought there from 2006 to 2010 in some of the fiercest combat in Afghanistan.

Second Platoon, Bravo Company became the subject of a documentary called Restrepo, named after Specialist Juan Restrepo, killed in October 2006. The film showed daily patrols, combat, and the shock of death.

But the valley had no strategic value. It was remote, on the Pakistani border, and the main supply lines ran through Pakistan, not through the Korengal. Its population and economic value were minimal.

Unit pride, denial of sanctuary to the enemy, and bureaucratic momentum contributed to maintaining presence there. By 2010, the valley was deemed strategically valueless. The forces were withdrawn.

Within months, the Taliban had returned. Within a year, there was no American presence. The effort had not changed anything. Soldiers died in a place that did not matter, and when we left, nothing had changed.

The Korengal represents the tragedy of Afghanistan: effort expended without purpose.