THE TENSION: Combat Camera: Gunfight and Airstrike in Korengal Valley, Afghanistan

U.S. Army Sgt. Graham Mullins gives an order to U.S. Army Pfc. Damian Gardner as insurgents fire on their position, during an early morning gun battle in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar province, Aug. 13. Mullins, a native of Columbia, Mo., and Gardner, a native of Beecher City, Ill., are infantrymen with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson, Colo. International Security Assistance Forces across Afghanistan have increased operations in recent months, in order to ensure safety and security during Afghanistan's second national election, scheduled for the end of August. (Photo by Sgt. Matthew Moeller, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)

Senior Airman Gregory Moulton, a native of Lynchburg, Va., fires at insurgent positions during an early morning gun battle in the Korengal Valley of Kunar province, Afghanistan, Aug. 13. Moulton is attached to the U.S. Army's Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson, Colo. Many Airman fight side by side with U.S. Army units, serving as liaisons between ground forces and U.S. Air Force bombers and fighter jets patroling Afghan airspace. International Security Assistance Forces across Afghanistan have increased operations in recent months, in order to ensure safety and security during Afghanistan's second national election, scheduled for the end of August. (Photo by Sgt. Matthew Moeller, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)

A U.S. Army soldier and U.S. Air Force Airman scan the Korengal valley's rocky hillside as fellow members return fire at insurgents, during an early morning gun battle in the Korengal valley of Kunar province, Afghanistan, Aug. 13. Both service members are attached to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson, Colo. International Security Assistance Forces across Afghanistan have increased operations in recent months, in order to ensure safety and security during Afghanistan's second national election, scheduled for the end of August. (Photo by Sgt. Matthew Moeller, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joel McPherson, a native of Knoxville, Tenn., calls in an airstrike on insurgent positions in the steep hills of Kunar province, Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, Aug. 13. McPherson, a joint terminal attack controller, is attached to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson, Colo. (Photo by Sgt. Matthew Moeller, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)

A U.S. Army soldier watches as U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter jets destroy insurgent positions with a bomb, after a 20-minute gun battle in Kunar province, Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, Aug. 13. U.S. Service members from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, routinely engage insurgents in the volatile valley. International Security Assistance Forces across Afghanistan have increased operations in recent months, in order to ensure safety and security during Afghanistan's second national election, scheduled for the end of August. (Photo by Sgt. Matthew Moeller, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)

Tech. Sgt. Joel McPherson, a native of Knoxville, Tenn., calls in an airstrike on insurgent positions in the steep hills of Kunar province, Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, Aug. 13. McPherson, a joint terminal attack controller, is attached to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson, Colo. International Security Assistance Forces across Afghanistan have increased operations in recent months, in order to ensure safety and security during Afghanistan's second national election, scheduled for the end of August. (Photo by Sgt. Matthew Moeller, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)

A U.S. Army soldier from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, watches as an artillery barrage destroys insurgent fighting positions, after a 20-minute gun battle in Kunar province Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, Aug. 13. (Photo by Sgt. Matthew Moeller, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)

Tech. Sgt. Joel McPherson, a native of Knoxville, Tenn., scans the Korengal Valley's steep hills for insurgents in Afghanistan's Kunar province, Aug. 13. Moments later, McPherson and fellow members of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, were attacked. The 20-minute gun battle ended with 500 pound bombs, dropped by U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter jets, destroying insurgent positions in the surrounding hills, no civilians were injured. International Security Assistance Forces across Afghanistan have increased operations in recent months, in order to ensure safety and security during Afghanistan's second national election, scheduled for the end of August. (Photo by Sgt. Matthew Moeller, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)

U.S. Army and Air Force personnel assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, return fire at insurgent positions in the Korengal Valley's steep hillside in Afghanistan's Kunar province, Aug. 13. The 20 minute gun battle ended with 500 pound bombs, dropped by U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter jets, destroying insurgent positions in the surrounding hills. No civilians were injured during the battle. International Security Assistance Forces across Afghanistan have increased operations in recent months, in order to ensure safety and security during Afghanistan's second national election, scheduled for the end of August. (Photo by Sgt. Matthew Moeller, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)