If it wasn't the sheer amount of bombs dropped (more than in the rest of Afghanistan combined at one point), it was the number of American lives consumed during brutal, most often daily fire fights — usually for a matter of feet and inches.

The hard-fought swath of ground in this instance was Combat Outpost Restrepo, an offshoot of a bigger outpost, and more importantly, an offshoot won following a brutal fight in the wake of Juan "Doc" Restrepo's death in combat.

Sadly, troops left Restrepo and the Korengal Valley without accomplishing much of anything. From a New York Times report: