JOHN COSTELLO / Inquirer
Staff Sgt. Clay Groves
Afghanistan: The Forgotten War
Audio Interview | Staff Sgt. Clay Groves
Weapons squad leader. Lawrenceville, Tioga County, Pa.
"This is not Iraq. Afghanistan's a ground war, it's not a vehicle war."
Audio: Groves reflects on the loss of two soldiers in his unit, and the dogs the men left behind.
Among his many duties, Staff Sgt. Clay Groves, 38, is responsible for maintaining one of "Combat" Company's Javelin anti-tank missile systems. The Javelin is a heat-seeking missile with a camera on its tip.
Since the Taliban do not use tanks in the mountains of Kunar province, the U.S. forces use the Javelin to take out groups of the enemy who are protected in the rocks. It's not the type of weapon one shoots casually: Each missile is priced at about $70,000 and must be accounted for.
"I love the Javelin," said Groves. "Oh, yeah."
This summer, Groves' unit has lost two soldiers: Lt. Forrest P. Ewens, Groves' platoon leader, who was killed June 16 by a roadside bomb, and Sgt. David M. Hierholzer, who was killed July 24 in a firefight in the mountains.
