The Afghanistan War is more than just rooting out terrorists and others who would suppress freedom.

At 10 years and counting, it's even more than trying to establish democracy or to bring stability and prosperity to this rugged country that has defied foreign involvement for hundreds of years.

It's the story of a mother praying for her son or daughter in harm's way or a family's emotional embrace after a soldier returns home from deployment.

The war is very personal.

"I just want them all home. I just want all the guys and girls home," said Bonnie Marshall, Forsyth County mother of Spc. Taylor Marshall, who just turned 25 in the war zone as part of the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division.
"They've done a great job."

She said she can log on anytime to a Family Readiness Group website for updates and see that there are other soldiers who have been lost in action in Taylor's troop.

"He doesn't even know about them. I find out about them and tell him ... so, I know there's still action going on over there."

The war has claimed at least 1,700 American soldiers since the U.S. invaded the country in South Central Asia on Oct. 7, 2001, in response to the terrorist attacks weeks earlier on Sept. 11.

The Afghan National Army has suffered more than 1,500 deaths. And while there are no reliable figures for how many insurgents have been killed, the estimate is more than 10,000.

Three people from the Northeast Georgia area have died in the war: Maj. Kevin Jenrette of Lula, Cpl. Michael Phillips of Cumming and Petty Officer 3rd Class Emory J. Turpin of Dahlonega.

Others have suffered injuries or witnessed horrors of combat.

Here's just two examples:

• North Hall's Timothy Helton, U.S. Navy hospital corpsman 3rd class, received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for valiant efforts during battle while attached to a Marines unit.

• Kevin Cannon of East Hall, like many warriors, has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from a 2006 deployment with the Marines.

The Taliban, which ruled Afghanistan with an iron fist before the invasion and harbored Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, hasn't slowed attacks on U.S. troops even during Ramadan, the Islamic month of prayer and fasting.

The favored method of attack is the "improvised explosive device," or IED, generally a roadside bomb triggered in a variety of ways, including by remote control.

Gainesville's Tony Herdener's son, Paul, knows about them all too well.

He is part of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines' Cherokee Company, which has used shaving cream to mark suspected sites of roadside bombs and generally pave the way for Marines on patrol.

Paul, a 2004 North Hall High School graduate, arrived home last week from deployment and is currently in Camp Pendleton north of San Diego.

"He is happy to be home, obviously," he said. "It was a tough situation (in Afghanistan) and he's trying to get acclimated over here. I've just let him talk as much as he has wanted to talk."

Herdener, chief financial officer for the Northeast Georgia Health System, said he is elated to have his son back on the homefront, but the war still weighs heavy.

"Two of (Paul's) good friends are about to deploy — one in two weeks and one at the beginning of the year," he said. "You suddenly recognize that even though your son is safe, there are still 130,000 families over there, so to speak."

At 10 years old, the war in Afghanistan is America's longest on-the-ground conflict, even longer than its close comparison, Vietnam.

The big difference between Vietnam and Afghanistan is the level of support from the homefront.

Vietnam veterans, who battled disease and the elements as they fought in dark, humid jungles, often say Americans greeted them coldly as they returned to the U.S.

During the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, on the other hand, organizations and individuals have dedicated time to shipping supplies and letters to troops.

Two area military units played a role in the war: the 802nd Ordnance Company, which is based at the U.S. Army Reserve Center on Shallowford Road in Gainesville; and Charlie Company, a Georgia Army National Guard unit based off Alta Vista Road in Gainesville.

Both were honored with homecoming celebrations.

Still, as Afghanistan has dragged on, there is sense among military families and others that the war and its warriors have been largely forgotten — unlike, say, World War II, when U.S. citizens rallied the troops through savings bond drives and food rations.

"Having a son over there is all you can think about," Herdener said. "... If you're not in the military or affected by the military, it's not top of consciousness."

In the past few years, many Americans have seen another huge concern take precedent — the economy.

"They're worried about their next paycheck, saving their home, keeping their job," Marshall said.

Associated Press contributed to this report.