SANGIN, Afghanistan (AP) – When U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Derek Goins deployed to the most dangerous place in Afghanistan five months ago, he mentally prepared for the risk of getting shot by the Taliban or stepping on bombs buried throughout this southern river valley.
But he wasn't ready for what happened to his two best friends, who were shot to death inside a patrol base by an Afghan army soldier who escaped into the arms of the Taliban.
“I grew up with those guys in the Marine Corps and shared a lot of laughs and tears with them,” said Goins, 23, from Trumbull, Texas. “We expected to come here and fight and not just get murdered, and that's what it was.”