>> larry: tomorrow night, we'll have reaction to president obama's health care speech and follow the address as soon as it ends. now live from afghanistan, "ac 360." here's anderson cooper. larry, thanks so much. tonight, a difficult day for u.s. forces in afghanistan. four marines killed in the east of the country while on patrol with afghan forces and in kabul, the capital of afghanistan, a suicide attack on the airport there. at least three people known dead. others are wounded. it was a dramatic development in a day that has seen many dramatic developments. for the first time today, nato commander admits that civilians were among the dead in a bombing on friday. america's top commander general stanley mcchrystal now launching an investigation and banning alcohol at the command post in kabul. that is after reports that cnn has not independently confirmed that subordinates were too drunk or too hung over to answer his questions following the strike.

however, pentagon spokesmen did tell the associated press that the general's frustration over contacting his staff did trigger the booze ban. he is clearly doing serious damage control. >> i think it's a serious event that is going to be a test of whether we are willing to be transparent and whether we are willing to show that we are here to protect the afghan people. and i think that it's very important to me that we -- that we follow through. >> protect the afghan people and win over skeptical hearts and minds. we're reporting on that tonight on new evidence the presidential elections here in afghanistan were rigged, a u.n.-backed commission ordering recounts in selected areas. also, new casualties today as i said in the east. and more tonight from marine camp jaker here in southern helmand province. michael ware is back surviving a close call with a roadside bomb. he joins us shortly along with

dr. sanjay gupta. who ended up in dwell cat, life-saving surgery in a busy field hospital. also joined by peter bergen. first we cover the political angles. candy crowley in washington. it appeared this nato air strike was in kanduz. 400 miles away from where we are, helmand province right now. a large 91 of militants were killed, also a large number of civilians. the exact number is unknown by nato, still being investigated. it was a pr disaster. now this word general mcchrystal couldn't get in touch with some of his top commanders early in the hours after the attack to find details about it because they were out drinking. >> which is pretty astonishing. according to "the london times" he couldn't get in touch with his people. and within a couple days he banned drinking for all nato people under his command. >> im, u.s. forces have not been able to drink in theater.

it's surprising to me that nato forces were. this is pr disaster, though, that the taliban makes the most of. >> right. and, of course this is a very conservative muslim country. and it's one, in fact, if you're not an american soldier or british soldier, you can drink, you know, pretty much at will in a lot of these places. so apparently -- i think this is long overdue. i mean we're in a war zone. you shouldn't be drinking. it makes sense. >> i should point out the marines at a base like this and all u.s. forces are not allowed to drink in theater. candy, this war is being sold to the american people by the obama administration as a hunt against al qaeda, as a fight against al qaeda, and therefore protecting the united states. while it is that in the big picture, what we're seeing on the ground is -- looks like nation building. that's a word that washington politicians don't like to use. >> they don't. and this may be what the president is trying to sell, a war of necessity. but the fact is it isn't selling very well at this point. the president is going to have

to face this this fall when we hear from the commanders on the ground whether they want more troops. the betting here in washington and in the military and on capitol hill is that there will be a request for more troops. and that's in the face of rising u.s. opposition to the war in afghanistan. so even as he battles on the domestic front for health care, afghanistan looms very, very large in what in the end certainly will be part of barack obama's legacy. >> peter, president obama is being presented with recommendations for new strategy from general mcchrystal. it's classified, details have not leaked out in specifics. but being here on the ground, as we have been for the last couple days, and we know the marine strategy is clear, hold and build. they're moving into areas they can hold on to and actually keep their troops in and actually help build an infrastructure and build confidence for the afghan government. it seems inconceivable that they're not -- that mcchrystal

is not going to at some point ask for even more troops, even more than the 21,000 president obama has already sent here. >> indeed. i mean the numbers that are being floating around are 10,000 to 40,000. i think -- >> there will be 68,000 american forces by the end of this year. so possibly tens of thousands more? >> right. i think there is a political problem with asking for a lot. that's one of the reasons these numbers are floating out there, sort of to prepare public opinion for the fact that there will be some kind of ask. i think the best ask is for more military advisers, building up the afghan national army. that is the most palatable thing and the best exit strategy for the united states to build up the afghan national army. >> they're going to have to have more than just advisers. there are areas right now in helmand province that the marines don't go into. that are basically the places where the taliban have retreated to and are there unfettered. >> well, i think, you know, it's a matter of triage. it's just too big a country and just not enough forces to go

around. i mean there are four times more iraqi army police than, you know, than there are in afghanistan right now. so you're just going to have to make some decisions about what you're actually going to do. >> candy, it's interesting. the resistance to the idea of more u.s. forces in afghanistan is going to come from the president's own party. >> almost three-quarters of democrats in our most recent poll at cnn are against this war, want this war to end. so even as the u.s. is trying to win hearts and minds as we say on the ground in afghanistan, the president is losing hearts and minds here, particularly in his party, at the same time he's beginning to lose some of them on health care. so this is -- this is a quandary for the president. because the fact of the matter is -- i think peter hit on it. one of the problems is that he's going to have to convince the american public that there's an exit strategy. >> until the government of afghanistan is up and running, an idea of an exit strategy is frankly hard to imagine at this point.

peter bergen, appreciate it. candy crowley as well, thanks. a quick reminder. our coverage of the 1st battalion 5th marines in helmand province is not just on television tonight. it's also online. we're bringing you throughout the week, peter, sanjay gupta and michael ware. go to ac360.com to see their blog and see the work of a still photographer tim heatherington who is traveling with us and posting photos online. just ahead tonight, sanjay gupta in the o.r., not just reporting, operating. and michael ware's brush with death on night patrol in kandahar. [ explosion ] >> you all right? ever worn your clothes in the shower?

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we're coming to you from camp jaker in afghanistan, southern helmand province. we're with the 1st battalion 5th marines of the 2nd marine expeditionary brigade. troops here, combat operations and something more, something less tangible. clear, hold, and build. that's the strategy. clear the taliban. that's the idea. protect civilian busy sticking around. building both infrastructure and trust. they say it's going pretty well here in hell land province in this area. elsewhere there are major challenges and setbacks. in eastern afghanistan today, four marines were killed in what is being called a sophisticated ambush by taliban forces. and roadside bombs are still everywhere. michael ware found out firsthand

a very close call he had in kandahar on night patrol. he is elsewhere now, somewhere safer. here's what it looked like at night in harm's way. >> reporter: this is one night, one police patrol. in kandahar. a hidden taliban roadside bomb, an ied, is about to hit this afghan police gun truck. a cnn cameraman and i are riding in it. by some miracle, it detonates a heartbeat too soon. otherwise, we would all be dead. instead, gravel rains over us. you all right? >> yeah. >> reporter: then comes the shooting. on a so-called death blassome. police firing aimlessly to ward off further attack. but this is the true front line against the taliban. it's where president obama's war will ultimately be won or lost. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: on that front line

is my old friend afghan police commander mullagulakan. i've been away for six years reporting in iraq so it's a relief just to see he's still alive. it takes a certain kind of man to survive for long on the kandahar front. a hardened warrior with little mercy. a man like mullagul. as a police commander, he's been killing taliban since december 2001. for the taliban, that means he's been a target for eight years. i have no idea how he survived. i protect myself, he says. god has a date for everyone's death. and when that day comes, they will die. but my day has not yet come. the men and boys he commands guard the back door to kandahar. after his outpost comes

territory fully controlled by the taliban. through that mountain pass, just beyond his checkpoint, it's all taliban. as for our night patrol, we just broke the muslim fast of ramadan with mullagul and his forces. it's very hard to see me where we are right now. the men we're with are using as little light as possible. these are afghan police patrolling kandahar. this is the taliban heartland. this is the birthplace of the taliban. let's get moving. want to get back in the trucks. these men do this every night. and where we are right now is a taliban-held neighborhood. the commander says if they were not patrolling, there would be attacks almost every night. in his vehicle, he warns me we could be heading into trouble. >> the street that we are getting inside now is the most dangerous place in the area. >> reporter: really? >> yeah. >> reporter: so we're about enter the most dangerous area.

this is where they have a lot of contact with the insurgency. firefights, i.e. ds. there is a curfew in place for 10:00 p.m. anyone on the streets after 10:00 p.m. is deemed suspicious. here we are in the middle of the night, moving through this neighborhood, watching the police at work. we arrive at an intersection controlled by taliban fighters. it's only about ten days ago this intersection here, this small bridge, was a taliban run-in point. the commander says every night they were spotting as many as 20 or 30 taliban gathering here to share information. about where they'd launch attacks. but instead, by establishing just one permanent patrol base, a checkpoint not far from here, he managed to force taliban to move to another area. we didn't know the strike against our vehicle was only moments away. the police gun truck and cnn

cameraman and i are riding in enter this back street. it seems victory is still a long way off. >> michael, what's your assessment of the situation on the ground in afghanistan? >> reporter: well, you have an american mission virtually in crisis. i mean, you have the country here in afghanistan in a political limbo. they don't even know who their president is right now. they don't have the finalized outcome of last month's presidential election. to some degree, not that it matters in many afghans' eyes -- it's one bunch of crooks or another bunch of crooks. the problem is the storm of corruption allegations that's delaying the count has stripped any incoming government of its legitimacy. and that's a heavy body blow to the u.s. mission. also, the whole war plan is up in the air. america is reconsidering how to fight this war.

and it simply doesn't have enough american, nato or any kind of troops, including afghan to fight all the fights that are necessary to put any real kind of pressure on the taliban. so it's got to be a real challenging time for the obama administration to decide whether it really wants to fight this war or not, anderson. >> yeah, to many people on the ground, it seems inevitable that the military is going to ask for more forces here in afghanistan. they're going to have as many as 68,000 troops here by the end of this year. president obama's already ordered 21,000 new forces here. they'll be fully here by the end of this year, 68,000 troops in addition to some 38,000 other foreign troops, nato forces. but it seems likely they're going to have to ask for more troops because the strategy of clear, hold and build, they're not moving to areas that they can't stay in and that they can't build in. and they simply can't go into some areas even here in helmand province. there are some areas they cannot go to. that's where the taliban is in force.

just ahead from afghanistan, the view from even closer to the threat. perhaps the most dangerous job in this dangerous place. we'll take you on patrol on point, not knowing if your next footstep could be your last. also tonight, president obama's other make or break battle for health care reform. ed henry has a preview of his big speech tomorrow night to congress. natural gas is a cleaner burning fuel, yet a lot of natural gas has impurities like co2 in it. controlled freeze zone is a new technology... being developed by exxonmobil... to remove the co2 from the natural gas... so we can safely store it...

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helmand providence is primitive, to say the least. this is patrol base jaker. this is really kind of the future model, perhaps, for what the u.s. is going to be doing increasingly in afghanistan. it's a very small patrol base. general stanley mcchrystal, top u.s. commander, said he'd like to see more operations probably like this one. small patrol base in a local community. marines going out every day on foot patrol, not in vehicles. interacting constantly with locals here. trying to build confidence in the afghan government. it as slow process. it is classic counter

insurgency. very difficult, very slow, and very dangerous. here in afghanistan, probably the most dangerous position for troops when they're out on patrol is being out in front on point, in the lead. we're going to show you just how risky it is. first erica hill joins us with a they 60 news and business bulletin. roadside bombings killed four american troops and seven iraqis. more than two dozen people were wounded. this is the muslim holy month of ramadan. when insurgents often step up their fighting. americans feel far worse about the finances than they have in the past seven months with credit card debt helping to fuel the worries. that's according to the latest consumer reports index. the good news here, interest in shopping for large ticket items like new homes and cars is looking strong for september. and in los angeles, a major rescue operation for a firetruck. the truck fell into a large sink hole caused by a water main rupture on a residential street. it was responding to a call about flooding. four firefighters onboard did manage to escape injury. that truck was eventually pulled out.

and the world champion south africa runner undergoing gender testing is featured in the covering of south africa's "you magazine" wearing makeup, a dress, a new hairstyle. inside the magazine, she is shown wearing a range of outfits. the makeover causing a bit of a stir. some are questioning the timing, anderson, as they're waiting on the results of the gender tests. >> all right. erica, thanks. still ahead, some are calling it a high noon moment of president obama's battle for health care reform. a prime time speech to a joint session of congress. what does the president need to say to sell his plan? we'll talk about that. plus the presidential speech that some said was a ploy to indoctrinate young minds with socialist ideas. today we heard the speech ourselves. does it sound controversial to you? >> you cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job. you you've got to train for it and work for it and learn for it. (voice 1) traffic's off the chart...

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as you know if less than 24 hours president obama's going to give a primetime address on health care reform to a rare joint session of congress. tomorrow's speech may be a make or break moment did to spell out exactly what he means by health care reform and how he says he can pay for it. today the president met with democratic congressional leaders to talk strategy and senate negotiators took up a new proposal. the finance committee chairman max baucus has tossed into the ring. ed henry has the "raw politics." >> anderson, what we know with sources familiar with this meeting in the oval office that is the president was very insistent, really urgent tone in telling democratic leaders they've got to get moving. that now is the time to act. and we're told by advisors to the president that's really going to be the tone of his address to a joint session of congress on wednesday evening. very much, look, the debate has already happened.

it's time to act now. and this is the same high pressure venue that bill clinton used, this joint session of congress. 16 years ago this month. it did not work for bill clinton. and what -- that's why there is so much pressure on the president and democratic leaders right now. they don't want to repeat that and fail on health care. but also have an election year debacle a year later. and that's why it's very interesting that after this meeting, speaker nancy pelosi emerged saying she very much wants a public option. it's essential. and that's not what other democrats are saying. there seems to be some real division here. who are number two, steny hoyer, saying today he thinks a health care bill can get through the house without a public option. essentially the opposite of what pelosi said. and most importantly, advisors to the president telling us that they expect the president on wednesday night to say that while the public option is important, it's not going to be a deal breaker. if it's pulled out the president will be fine with that because in the end he wants to get a deal with or without the public option, anderson.

>> ed, what can you tell us about the health care bill that max baucus presented to the bipartisan gang of six senators? >> reporter: the baucus bill will cost $880 billion. over the next 10 years. how will they pay for isn't it $6 billion in fees on insurance companies, about $4 billion in fees on the makers of medical devices. also in what could be very controversial, it would impose fees on individuals who do not step up and get health insurance. if you're a single person and don't get health insurance, you could pay a fine of $750. if you're a family, the fine could be up to $3,800 a year in terms of a fine. that could be very, very controversial. and, of course, most important of all, the baucus bill does not have a public option. instead, it has a co-op, much less critical in terms of trying to provide choice and competition. but not going for a full public option. what's interesting is my colleague, dana bash, learning on capitol hill max baucus has given a deadline of 10:00 a.m. wednesday for republicans to come up with a counterproposal.

we expect republicans will do that. a lot of people waiting and wondering whether or not they can strike a bipartisan deal. a lot of drama on the hill and at the white house even before the president's big speech. >> tomorrow, cnn is going to carry the president's primetime health care address to congress live at 8:00 p.m. eastern. you can see it live online at cnn.com/live. cnn will have instant polling tomorrow night. we'll bring you the first measure of how the president's speech played to the country. now the other presidential speech making news, today the address that president obama gave to the nation's schoolchildren. he delivered it at high school in arlington, virginia. it was broadcast live on c-span and the white house website. for days we've been covering the backlash over the anticipated speech. today we heard for ourselves what was in it. as back to school messages go, the president's words were pretty basic. take a look. >> you can't let your failures define you. you have to let your failures teach you. you have to let them show you what to do differently the next

time. so if you get into trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker. it means you need to try harder to act right. if you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid. it means you need to spend more time studying. no one's born being good at all things. you become good at things through hard work. >> some schools and parents refused to play the president's speech today, refused to allow students to listen to it. candy crowley is covering it all for us. there was so much made about this. in the end, it was a pretty basic speech. >> reporter: in the end, it was pretty basic and pretty conservative speech. it was -- listen, you cannot blame whatever is going on in your life, even if you have a bad home life or, you know, you're poor, no matter what it is you cannot have an excuse for not studying. that's pretty basic. that's pretty conservative. you know, stay in school.

not many people i know that would argue that except for maybe the kids themselves. but nonetheless, it was a very basic speech on education. and, indeed, a lot of sort of conservative value things in there which obviously are far greater than conservative values. >> i talked to jim greer, the chairman of the florida republican party last week who raised all sorts of concerns saying, you know, essentially this is going to be a speech where the president is talking about health care and trying to shove his agenda down the throats of american students and indoctrinate them into his way of thinking. they was claiming that the white house was going to alter the speech, now that there was controversy. is there any evidence that they altered the speech? >> the white house said it didn't alter the speech. what was altered was the sort of original lesson plan that department of education had suggested to teachers saying, perhaps you could get your students to write how they can help president obama or, you know, that sort of thing. and that's kind of what set off some of these conservatives

saying, wait a second. you know this isn't a teaching tool. that's a political angle. so that was changed to why don't you have them write about why you should stay in school and your educational goals. but the speech itself not changed. in fact, one of the reasons that the white house put out this speech yesterday so that everyone could read it is to kind of tamp down this sort of hysteria that led up to it. >> yeah, clearly, i think, they had no idea what was going to happen when they announced this speech. and clearly it was the lesson plans that caused a lot of trouble, a lot of the criticism. candy, thanks. next on the program, the most dangerous job here in afghanistan. when you're on patrol being on point on search and destroy mission for ieds. most lethal threat facing american forces in this war. if you ever wanted to eat dinner with sarah palin, now is your chance. we'll tell you how coming up. he ran off with his secretary! she's 23 years old!

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you're looking at the still photos taken by our photographer tim heatherington who is traveling with us this week in afghanistan. 62,000 americans. that's how american fores are in the country right now. by the end of the year, there should be 68,000. they're battling an enemy in the unforgiving land about the size of texas. that's the reality that u.s. forces are facing in afghanistan. for them, the pentagon, time is running out. we're back live from patrol base jaker, a small outpost in helmand province where the 1-15 marines are in nawa district. we can't tell you our exact location here at the base. i can tell you it is rough living. no dining halls for marines. just meals ready to eat and bottles of hot water. there is no longer taliban strong hold. they managed to push the taliban, for the most part, out of this region or at least made them lay low for the time being.

the dangers remain here, especially the unseen dangers. talking about ieds. you saw some of them earlier in michael ware's piece. ieds are improvised explosive devices and they're more sophisticated and more destructive here in afghanistan. the question for marines is how do you find them? how do you disarm them? it's a constant struggle. a constant search. we went out on patrol and met one marine whose job is to sweep for ieds. take a look. >> reporter: it is the most dangerous position on patrol, out in front, on point. lance corporal phil howard quickly waves a metal detector in front of him searching for signs of an ied. >> it's kind of scary. you know, i'm on point and knowing that somebody is going to pull something on you or you step on something, it's going to be the front guy. >> every second he has to remain alert. one mistake could kill him or a fellow marine behind him. got to be tough, too. you never really know who's a friend and who's an enemy. >> exactly.

you can look around right now and, you know, like down there in the middle. that could be a good guy or a bad guy. you never know. >> reporter: ieds have become the number one threat to u.s. forces in afghanistan. in helmand province, they're responsible for some 80% of all casualties. they can be buried in the road or detonated by a member of the taliban who's hiding in underbrush like this. that's why it's important for the may roons to keep 10 or 15 meters in between each marine on patrol. so that in the event that an ied is detonated the damage is limited. since they arrived in helmand province a little more than two months ago, the 1st battalion 5th regiment has lost one marine to ieds. 48 others have been wounded. in july, lance corporal james buttery's vehicle was hit. he escaped with just a concussion. and you landed over there? >> yeah. the front of the truck. pretty much where that tree was, knocked the tree out and was laying right there. the front end was there and i was able to crawl out, other

marines were able to jump in and grab the marine that was in the canal. we were all conscious, no serious injuries. >> you were lucky. >> yeah. >> marines collect parts of the ieds they discover. pressure plates like this one are common. >> when you step on that, this charge goes off. and that's how you get your explosion. they make a lot of stuff out here that for the pressure plates, you see how they did it. metal strips right there. can make it real hasty like. put the sticks on there. goes down. that's how it connects. >> that's amazing, something as primitive as that. basically two pieces of wood with metal. >> yes, sir. i'm not going to lie. we're finding them. >> you have seen anything out of the ordinary around here? down in the village? [ speaking foreign language ] >> okay. >> today's patrol is not just about finding ieds, however, it's about meeting local

residents, building their confidence in u.s. forces and in the local afghan government. it's not exactly what first lieutenant chris carnanan expected to be doing in afghanistan. >> initially i thought i was going to have pretty much just fire fight every day, just a run and gun fight. what i've seen is we haven't taken contact in maybe a month or so in terms of small arms which is a good thing. right now we're simply having to meet with village elders. >> having tea? >> exactly. i've had -- i can't even remember how many cups of tea. a couple dinners which is always an interesting experience. >> building trust, however, takes more than tea. it takes time. and with the taliban growing in strength in many parts of afghanistan, u.s. officials acknowledge time is not on america's side. do you think the people here believe you're here to stay? or do you believe they're still on the fence? >> i think the majority of them are on the fence. we have some supporters and we have some people that think that we're going to leave tomorrow. but for the majority of the people, i think they're on the fence. >> to get them off the fence and on the side of the afghan

government, the marines are trying to fund local development projects and show residents they're not going to let the taliban return. in this town, the marines meet with village elders. both are courteous but aren't willing tosy if they support the u.s. or the taliban. lieutenant colonel bill mccullough tells them marines will be here at least until next summer but beyond that they can't promise. so a lot of people are not willing to choose sides. >> they're waiting for a little more bona fides from us that we are here to stay. that's what we're trying to develop here. they trust us, they trust their own government and once these folks pick sides and say, you know, we're with the government, i believe that is -- it's not a win, but it's a sign that we're winning. >> signs of winning are hard to find. i can tell you that. 12 to 18 months. that's what the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff says the u.s. has to turn this war around.

the window is short. time is running out. what happens if that doesn't happen? let's talk to national security analyst peter bergen who is here us here in patrol base jaker. it is amazing when you think about it. the amount of resources and time and effort being put into basically convincing a small number of afghans to support their own government. >> well, you know, to support -- the support for the taliban is actually pretty low, anderson. a lot of polling data shows that support for the taliban is never above 10%. here in helmand it goes up to 30%. as we, from discussions we had yesterday, you know, people don't know is the united states staying? is the united states going? you know, they're hedging bets. they literally have 30 years of war. they're not convinced the united states is going to stay, no matter how many times we say it. >> and that's what the u.s. is really trying to convince people here of. maybe not that the u.s. is here to stay, but there is going to be security here whether it's u.s. forces here or later afghan forces once they're fully trained. >> absolutely. they're building up an army. it takes a long time.

one of the complaints when the united states went into helmand is how few afghan forces were part of that, just several hundred. that is beginning to change. still the afghan national army is not remotely at the point where it could really take charge of this security of this country. >> you don't hear u.s. troops here saying we're winning. >> well, we don't -- you hear -- locally you'll hear marines say well we have seen some successes here in this area. >> i think everybody's been very careful. you know, we're eight years into this. the fight is going on for two months. but, you know, i think it is premature to say we're winning. the taliban don't think they're losing right now. which in an insurgency is very important. if can you wait somebody out, that's their strategy. >> is there an end game here? is there an exit strategy at this point? >> i think building up the afghan national army. we don't know what is in general mcchrystal's assessment. i think he's going to ask for the forces and money necessary to build up the afghan national army to 240,000. right now it's -- >> that is something that takes years.

>> it does take years. it's not a quick process. >> anyone that thinks there's is going to be some quick pullout of u.s. forces from afghanistan, unless some political reversal is made, that is not going to happen. i mean, u.s. forces are going to be here for a long time to come unless something happens much quicker. >> yeah. the biggest variable is the political will of the american people and according to a recent cnn poll, 57% of americans are turning against the war. in 2002, that number was 9%. so that is really the biggest variable. that is the political time line that the administration has to deal with. >> why do you think the taliban is able now to -- they're expanding into the north. they're expanding into the west. why are they -- why is the military situation here in words of admiral mullen deteriorating? >> there are a lot of reasons for that but this is a thinking organization. it was widely advertised the marines were coming to helmand so some people are lying low. there's an effort to show the flag in other parts of the country. show that we can attack anywhere at will. you know, tactically, the taliban remain a problem. strategically, it's not like

they can take kabul or any major city tomorrow. so, you know, they are a thinking organization. are they a strategic threat for the government of afghanistan? i don't think so. >> peter, thank you very much. we'll continue the reporting here from all week. coming up, dr. sanjay gupta who's also here in the war zone shows us an american surgeon, a military surgeon, what he faces on a daily basis here, saving the lives of u.s. forces and afghans as well. also, we'll show you some behind the scenes images from our reporting here in afghanistan. our reporters along with the marines. we'll be right back. there's a big reason to lower high cholesterol... dangerous plaque that can build up in arteries. it's called atherosclerosis--or athero. and high cholesterol is a major factor. but crestor can help slow the buildup of plaque in arteries.

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since the war began eight years ago more than 3,800 americans have been wounded in action. in recent months the pentagon's reported an uptick in injuries. the last two months have been the deadliest months for u.s. forces in afghanistan. when the troops need emergency care an army of medics is there to provide it. simply put their efforts are extraordinary. chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta is at camp dwyer. like us, it's in helmand province. we can't reveal the precise location. sanjay spent time with a surgeon whose job is to save lives. it's an incredible story and for sanjay, a personal one. as you'll see. he went from watching a procedure in the operating room to helping the medical team perform it. >> one, two, three. oh, that's a mess. okay.

>> u.s. army major augustus brown is the only vascular surgeon in afghanistan. >> probably an anti-personnel mine he stepped on. basically it amputated his legs. his feet were gone. and we completed the amputations. >> reporter: brown is 43 years old. he's a long way from home. the same hometown as mine which makes this all the more personal. >> this place has been attacked. you risk your life to save others. >> the deal is when they need you, for whatever they need you, go. that's it. >> reporter: the go call came january 29th. and there's been no rest for this battlefield surgeon. we're here in one of the trauma bays in the hospital. it's an unusually quiet moment. but i wanted to before you an idea of the numbers here which give you a reflection of what's happening here in kandahar, what's happening in afghanistan. on average, they see about 80 patients a month. mainly traumatic patients. by april, 100 a month. take a look at august. roughly 230 patients a month. they think by fall, the numbers will increase even more.

u.s. troops, coalition forces, locals, dr. brown treats them all. >> they asked me to help out. they needed four surgeons. they only have three. this is what happens when you have a hospital as busy as this one. one of your children was born while you were deployed. >> that's true. >> how do you deal with that? >> it is a sacrifice for my family. but it's a privilege. even when i'm back in atlanta and they ask what do i enjoy most about surgery? it's the most fun i ever had is in here. >> reporter: when you had to say good-bye to your wife and your many kids, you have lots of kids just like i do, tell me about that conversation. >> it was hardest for my son. the oldest, 6 years old. that's always hard. there's no silver lining. he gave me a good luck charm.

it's a little stuffed dog. it's in my uniform in the back. i always go it with. the promise is as long as i keep it on me, i'd be safe. >> in talking to major augustus brown, i realize there is a fear of death. but he never lets it steal his thoughts. he finds though, there are some images he can't shut. some that haunt him. like this burned child. her only pain relief, a package of candy. >> you just don't ever see yourself after all those years of education sitting in the middle of a desert trying to scrape dead tissue off a child. that was probably the worst day. and they all lived, all of them. and they all got better. but i think maybe 20 years down the road when everything settles down, if i could come back and see one of them alive. grown up. and you'd feel like it was worth it.

>> reporter: those are tough stories, for sure. but some good endings as well. it's worth pointing out dr. brown is a reservist. typically they spend 90 days in afghanistan. then they're asked, do they want to stay longer? when he was asked that question he said, yes, he would stay a year. >> sanjay, you profiled a 2-year-old boy being cared for in a battlefield hospital yesterday. what is his status today? >> reporter: yeah, you know, anderson, it was interesting. there was concern he might not even survive the operation. the good news is he is doing very well, especially just so soon after his operation. take a look at the video there, he's got his bandages off his head now. the breathing tube is out. actually examining him here. he is even starting to regain some strength in his left arm and left leg. so this is really so far, at least, anderson, fingers crossed a tremendous outcome for him. we're going to, again, keep a close eye on him for the next several days to come.

>> that's great to hear. sanjay, thanks. this is not the first time of course sanjay's skill as a surgeon has been put to use on the front lines. logon to ac360.com to read about his experiences and find out what it's like for him to become part of the story in this case. coming up, sanjay, michael ware and i will continue to bring you stories from the front lines. all week long. tonight, we're going to take you behind the scenes, our look at our living quarters, a bedroom, edit room, rec room all in one. it's kind of smelly. it's our "shot of the day." ever dreamed of having dinner with sarah palin? the bidding has begun on ebay. we're not kidding. details ahead. [ moos ] [ man announcing ] if you think about it, this is what makes theladders different from other job search sites. we only want the big jobs. welcome to theladders. a premium job site for only $100k+ jobs and only $100k+ talent.

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trilipix is not for everyone, including people with liver, gallbladder, or severe kidney disease, or nursing women. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you are pregnant or may become pregnant. blood tests are needed before and during treatment to check for liver problems. contact your doctor if you develop unexplained muscle pain or weakness, as this can be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. this risk may be increased when trilipix is used with a statin. if you cannot afford your medication, call 1-866-4-trilipix for more information. trilipix. there's more to cholesterol. get the picture. we're with the 1-5 marines at helmand province camp jaker. coming up, we'll take a look at our living quarters, show you what they are like. first erica hill joins us with "the 360 bulletin." erica? >> we begin with a "360 follow." a forensic expert examining a bone fragment found in the back

yard of a home where kidnapping suspect philip garrido once stayed is probably human. a sheriff's spokesman says a state crime lab is performing dna tests to determine the bone's age or origin, but also noted it isn't unusual to find native american remains in the area. the spot where the bone was found was next door to the home where garrido and his wife allegedly held jace sea lee dugard captive for 18 years. former president bill clinton says republicans are waiting for democrats to mess up on health care. he tells "esquire" magazine he believes president obama will manage to push through health care reforms succeeding where mr. clinton said he failed in his tenure in the white house. sarah palin on the other hand bringing her case against the president's plan to tomorrow's "wall street journal" in an op-ed she penned for the paper. the former governor states her belief that health care reform will lead to government rationing and concludes that rationing means, in her words, death panels. but maybe you'd rather talk health care with her in person. one on one. you can. sarah palin is auctioning off a

private dinner, starting price $25,000. the proceeds benefit a charity for wounded veterans. by the way a background check is mandatory. one of michael jackson's iconic sequinned gloves, tossed to an australian fan in 1996, sold at auction for $48,400. that is twice the estimated selling price. the winning bid came from a buyer for the hard rock hotel and casino in las vegas, anderson. >> all right. erica, thanks. next, life on a base. a look at our close quarters. where we work and sleep. it's our "shot of the day." and at the. to hour, the fight for afghanistan and the fight for the peace. it's a major mess. the latest from the front lines. [ moos ] [ man announcing ] if you think about it, this is what makes theladders different from other job search sites.

we only want the big jobs. welcome to theladders. a premium job site for only $100k+ jobs and only $100k+ talent.

for ton fate's "shot" i thought i'd give you a little taste of what it's like for us here at patrol base jaker. the marines sleep in tents. the conditions are very difficult for them. we have it pretty easy by their standards. we have the one actual building on the base. this is the room where we're staying. it's small. it's dark. it's packed with our belongings, our equipment. it's where we work and sleep, also where we bathe. and i don't know, spend most of

our time when we're not out on patrol. there aren't any chairs you may notice, we sit on boxes and other containers. as i say, we don't mind, we consider ourselves extremely lucky and honored to be here and privileged to show you what the marines are facing in afghanistan and throughout the country. that's what it's like. probably looks a lot like your office. >> i don't know what you're trying to say about my office, cooper. i do want to ask you, you mentioned you've got it better because you're in a building. the troops there, the marines are in tents. but everything, no matter where you go, is pretty much covered in that layer of dust and sand, right? >> yeah, it's amazing. the dust just gets into everything. we're completely coated in it now. it's in all our equipment. it's in all our bags. it's an effort to keep it out of the cameras and computers and stuff like that. everything else, you give it over to the dust. it's this very fine like moon dust. it's one of the small difficulties troops are facing here. you can see all the most recent

"shots" at our website, ac360.com. also, we're in afghanistan all week. michael ware, peter bergen, sanjay gupta and i. the enormous challenges here to build trust in the wake of incidents like the air strike that a commander now admits took civilian lives. we'll be right back. save time and save for the future. whatever your reason, regions makes saving simpler. lifegreen checking and savings are a great way to start - featuring free convenient e-services, up to a $250 annual savings account bonus and a free personal savings review. so make the switch today - and get your family into the rhythm of saving. regions - it's time to expect more.