For several weeks last fall, a dusty and dangerous frontier town in Afghanistan was home for Legion Magazine staff writer Adam Day. Armed with a notebook and camera, Day spent his time in Salavat with a platoon of 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, deployed in an attempt to secure the town and win the trust of its people. The result of Day’s visit is a series of articles, beginning with Part 1, The Struggle For Salavat. Before we go there, however, we open with a story (Hearts And Minds) by freelance journalist Matthieu Aikins whose travels throughout Afghanistan have given him a perspective on how Afghans view international efforts to bring stability to their country.

For the first few days the platoon was uneasy. So much of everything was unknown. As a unit they were new to the war but they knew the war’s reputation for random savagery.

As each patrol was leaving the little fortified schoolhouse over the first days, the soldiers staying behind would come out to see them off, pretending to tease them. Or maybe they would really tease them. There were always a few sombre last moments as the guys gave each other thumbs up or fist bumps on their way out, and then it would start. ‘Have fun at the war soldiers,’ someone might yell in a girl’s voice. ‘Watch out for those IEDs, tough guys,’ another might yell cutely. It seemed pretty clear the soldiers were worried about each other.