Embedded with the Marines in Afghanistan: Can we defeat a resurgent Taliban?

NOW correspondent Bill Gentile reports from Afghanistan's southern Helmand Province, where he was embedded for nearly three weeks in summer 2008 with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU). The 24th MEU was among 60,000 foreign troops on the ground in Afghanistan - more than half of them American. These troops face an ominous challenge as the Taliban attempts a return to power, in some cases merging with other insurgent groups, and potentially providing safe haven for Al-Qaeda and other anti-American terrorists. Reporting from the front lines, NOW provides a soldier's-eye look into what was once considered America's "forgotten war" and fast becoming the most alarming one.

The NOW Web site (www.pbs.org/now ) will feature Gentile's personal account of his experiences in Afghanistan, as well as a slideshow of his moving photographs.