Qualla: Battle of Shewan https://qualla.com/battle-of-shewan en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:31 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/t/m/u/3/battle-of-shewan-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Battle of Shewan https://qualla.com/battle-of-shewan Battle of Shewan: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-shewan/ Photo credit Sgt. Steven R. Cushman, Public domain. The corpsman told two of them they would die if they went back in. They went back in anyway. On August 8, 2008, in the village of Shewan in Farah Province, a combined force of Marines from Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, and 2nd Platoon, 1st Force Reconnaissance Company, walked into a fight that would last eight hours, pit them against a force eight times their size, and end without a single American death. The temperature hit 120 degrees. The Taliban had trenches, mortars, RPGs, and reinforcements on the way. What the Marines had was training, firepower, and a refusal to quit that bordered on the medically inadvisable.

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Image: Sgt. Steven R. Cushman | Public domain

]]> Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/m/u/3/battle-of-shewan-wp/tmu3-battle-of-shewan-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Shewan: The Village That Controlled the Road https://qualla.com/battle-of-shewan/ Photo credit Sgt. Steven R. Cushman, Public domain. Shewan was not a village that happened to contain insurgents. It was a Taliban headquarters, home to key leaders who used it as a staging ground for attacks across the region. U.S. intelligence estimated between 100 and 250 full-time fighters lived there permanently. They control...

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Image: Sgt. Steven R. Cushman | Public domain

]]> Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/m/u/3/battle-of-shewan-wp/tmu3-battle-of-shewan-the-village-that-controlled-the-road.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Shewan: Eight Hours in the Furnace https://qualla.com/battle-of-shewan/ Photo credit Sgt. Steven R. Cushman, Public domain. Just before noon, Force Recon began taking heavy small arms and RPG fire from a fortified trench line on the village's southern edge. The Marines had already covered miles on foot in full protective gear under a sun that was pushing the air temperature toward 120 degrees. The pla...

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Image: Sgt. Steven R. Cushman | Public domain

]]> Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/m/u/3/battle-of-shewan-wp/tmu3-battle-of-shewan-eight-hours-in-the-furnace.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Shewan: The Fight Turns https://qualla.com/battle-of-shewan/ Photo credit Sgt. Steven R. Cushman, Public domain. Under sustained pressure from ground fire and air attacks, the Taliban began retreating into buildings to escape the coalition barrage. The Marines spotted a mortar team operating from the mountains and called an 81mm strike onto their position, eliminating it. With their indirec...

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Image: Sgt. Steven R. Cushman | Public domain

]]> Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/m/u/3/battle-of-shewan-wp/tmu3-battle-of-shewan-the-fight-turns.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Shewan: What the Numbers Do Not Say https://qualla.com/battle-of-shewan/ Photo credit Sgt. Steven R. Cushman, Public domain. The official count: over 50 Taliban killed, zero Marines killed. The battle lasted more than eight hours, making it the longest engagement of 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines' entire deployment. The numbers, though, flatten the human reality. They do not capture the corpsman warning ex...

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Image: Sgt. Steven R. Cushman | Public domain

]]> Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/m/u/3/battle-of-shewan-wp/tmu3-battle-of-shewan-what-the-numbers-do-not-say.mp3 0:06 5 full Battle of Shewan: Valor Recognized, Road Reopened https://qualla.com/battle-of-shewan/ Photo credit Sgt. Steven R. Cushman, Public domain. The commendations told part of the story. Gunnery Sergeant Brian Blonder received the Navy Cross, one of the highest honors a Marine can earn. Sergeant Franklin Simmons and Captain Byron Owen each received the Silver Star. Five Bronze Stars with V for valor and six Navy-Marine Co...

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Image: Sgt. Steven R. Cushman | Public domain

]]> Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/m/u/3/battle-of-shewan-wp/tmu3-battle-of-shewan-valor-recognized-road-reopened.mp3 0:06 6 full