Assignment: “Battle company is out there”

Does the writer hold your attention through a long article?
► No. The article is very long that readers almost lost the thought of the whole article. Unless someone is really into serious terminologies about wars, he could enjoy this article. The author was able to use vivid words to describe the situation. However, what makes me lose my attention while reading the article is its being too lengthy; thus, it makes the article more of a compilation of events and less of a feature story.

Quote the most vivid and visual statement.
► “Kearney could often sound cold-blooded, like when he’d march into the mess tent in shorts, improvising rap lyrics about killing bad guys. But then he’d switch to counselor, trying to salvage a soldier’s marriage, or he’d joke with a Korengali elder about arranging a marriage between his own infant son and the elder’s daughter to make peace. The performances steeled him against shouldering so much mortality. As he put it, ‘“The only reason anyone’s listening to me in this valley right now is cause I’m dropping bombs on them.’ Still, he wasn’t going to let himself shoot at houses every time is unit took fire: “I’d just create more people that hate me.”

Make a news story out the feature article. Maximum of 100 words.
► American soldiers set out for a war in Afghanistan against the Afgans on October, 2007. The war began seven years ago, when in late 2001, the B-52 symbolized for many Afgans, liberation from Taliban rule. Twenty-six year old, Capt. Dan Kearney led the American soldiers.
Kearney and the Battle Company were air assaulted into the insurgents’ backyard for a mission. It was called Rock Avalanche and would last about six days. One of its main targets was the village of Yaka China.