Capt. Robert Stanton

"A major aspect of the mission up here is to drive that wedge between us and the insurgents and prove that we as a coalition -- not just us as American forces - are a better option for the people to turn to than the insurgents themselves."

Audio Clip 1: Stanton describes "Combat" Company's mission in the Pech River valley.

Audio Clip 2: "You go to bed at night on your cot, staring at the stars, hoping a rocket doesn't come in and happen to land right in your area."

Capt. Robert Stanton, 31, was an enlisted man when he applied to West Point. He excelled at the academy and was the First Captain, the equivalent of class president, when he graduated in 2000.

He took over command of the 1-32 battalion's "C" Company in June. The company's platoons live in austere outposts along the Pech River valley. The company's mission is to rid a 20-mile stretch of road of bombs and insurgents so a contractor can rebuild it.

Stanton's wife, whom he met at West Point, is a Blackhawk helicopter pilot also deployed to Afghanistan. If she is in the neighborhood, she buzzes his camp to say hello.