Memories of 9/11 drive U.S. troops in Afghanistan
9/11/2006
By Paul Wiseman, USA TODAY

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan — Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Taliban chief Mohammed Omar remain at large and Taliban extremists are resurgent, terrorizing southern Afghanistan.

Still, on the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, soldiers from the Army's 10th Mountain Division stationed at the biggest U.S. military base in Afghanistan say they are convinced that this impoverished, war-torn country is worth fighting for.

"We're here for a reason," says Chief Warrant Officer Kimberly Martin, 37, of New York City.
"We're winning," says Sgt. Samson Adeyemi, 29, of Long Island, N.Y. The Taliban are fighting so hard, he says, only because they fear the end is near.

For many soldiers here, their sense of mission is driven by memories of that morning five years ago. the rest