In Afghanistan, Soldiers Use Diplomacy to Win the Battle

Written by, CBS News' Kaylee Hartung

In this week's "Unplugged Under 40," First Lt. Patrick Nevins shows us how Marines fighting in Afghanistan must use more than military tactics to accomplish their mission.

"It's not a war we're going to win based on conventional means," Nevins says. "It's not a war we're going to win going out and fighting every day. The ability to interact and talk and gain the trust of the local populace is key."

Nevins spent nearly two years preparing for his first combat deployment, but he says nothing could have prepared him for six months deep in Taliban territory of Southern Helmand Province.

"There's no real way to train how to talk to a villager about how you just blew up his home or how you can provide school for his family," he says. "Those kind of things, you kind of learn as you go."

Nevins and the Marines of Echo Company's 2nd Battalion, 8th Regiment are now training at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina. "Back at step one," he says. He expects they'll re-deploy to Afghanistan "sometime next year," replacing units from this year's 30,000 troop surge.