"We're constantly under observation." They performed heroically and bravely.. [7]:21530, The closeness of the action, and coordinated fire from both sides of the valley indicated that the attackers in this ambush were different from the groups that had been using sporadic, long range, harassing fire. The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor - Kindle edition by Tapper, Jake. Defense officials confirm that three other Army officers face disciplinary action for their role in the attack on the military outpost in Wanat in July, 2008 that led to nine dead U.S. soldiers and 27 wounded. The attack was the bloodiest battle for US forces since the Battle of Wanat in July 2008, which occurred 20 miles (32 km) away from Kamdesh. [1] Plans were drawn up in the summer of 2006 by the US Army's 10th Mountain Division as part of Operation Mountain Lion. This article is featured in the 2019 October issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Janie Dyhouse, senior editor for VFW magazine. The first effort was made by First Lieutenant Dave Roller. Div. [7]:31214,371, The shura began to falter by October 2008. He discussed their common values as leaders of families and communities working toward a better future. Zorias Yunger), most of what unfolds in the movie is largely accurate. It's at least the third time officers were disciplined after soldiers' deaths. Not an Ordinary Engagement The 13-hour battle to re-take Combat Outpost Keating from an assault by 300 Taliban fighters on Oct. 3, 2009, was a team effort. [7]:28,41,908,123, The Kamdesh village and most of Nuristan is located in the Hindu Kush. -The Outpost book. Joshua Hardt, who until this time had been MIA. [17], Coalition forces received three human-source intelligence reports sometime before the battle indicating that insurgents were planning an attack on the outposts. The action takes place at Combat Outpost Keating, which was initially built to engage the locals in community development projects. The AAF responded to this advance with a well-organized ambush on July 26, 2007, in the river valley at Saret Koheh. Yllescas' death happened when he was serving with the 6/4 CAV in 2008. An after-action report stated that within less than a few minutes of fighting, the Afghan soldiers serving at Keating, as well as the Afghan security guards, had fled their positions, allowing the enemy to quickly overrun the post. Captain Bostick was killed by a rocket propelled grenade. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. It was nicknamed "Heart Attack Ridge" due to its steep slope and obstacles hazardous to low-flying aircraft. If they shoot from the hills, US troops can shoot at them without fear of hitting civilians in town, and it makes an enticing target. There was an element of ABLE Troop 3-71 CAV 2nd Platoon still left on the PZ after the crash that worked relentlessly to recover the bodies of their 10 comrades and destroy sensitive equipment in the wreckage. These factors resulted in an attractive target for enemy fighters," the report concluded. After an investigation, four officers in the chain of command were disciplined for their failure to adequately support the base. The attack was the bloodiest battle for US forces since the Battle of Wanat in July 2008, which occurred 20 miles (32km) away from Kamdesh. Sylvanius Broward in the movie is a fictional name for a real captain, Mel Porter. I'll have to give it a read sometime. The other two mountains that surrounded the actual outpost were inserted with CGI. Commanders of Camp Keating are disciplined for not taking proper measures that led to deaths of eight U.S. soldiers and the wounding of 22 others in a Taliban attack. Quick reaction forces (QRF) from 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment did not reach the outpost until 7:00pm that day, while insurgents remained in parts of the outpost as late as 5:10pm. 8 killed 27 wounded[5] 4 killed 10 wounded. [29], Following the battle, the U.S. Central Command conducted an investigation on what had occurred, led by US Army General Guy Swan. Eight U.S. soldiers were killed and 27 wounded; eight Afghan soldiers were wounded, along with two Afghan private security guards. Among these U.S. troops were men of great mettle. Div., at Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistans Nuristan province on Aug. 6, 2009. Operation Deep Strike began on May 5, 2006. Of the 53 U.S. soldiers who fought in the Battle of Kamdesh at Outpost Keating, 45 survived, 8 lost their lives, and 27 were wounded. But I never told the story from my own perspective. You are using an out of date browser. During the first minutes of battle, mortar rounds hit the main generator, cutting power to most of the camp. "[5], On November 9, 2018, the Netflix series Medal of Honor featured two separate episodes for both Romesha and Carter's personal accounts of the events that took place at COP Keating during the Battle of Kamdesh. Capt. At such time the platoon cleared the remaining areas of the outpost which members of 3-61 had not yet retaken. "Reviewing and examining and improving are part of our process and when we do it from within, it is embraced," said the officer who asked not to be identified. [34], The flight crews of three United States Army AH-64D Apache helicopters were later decorated for actions during the battle. Click here for complete coverage of the Afghan war. A bus carrying employees of an Afghan television station was bombed in Kabul on May 30. are assisting Somali soldiers fighting Al Shabab, and by a health care system that utterly failed him, The case has irritated U.S. relations with a crucial military ally. Need to know. Nine years earlier, Cordova and his medics toiled away in the aid station to treat the wounded and save the dying. Rather off-topic but wasn't Poe at that moment demoted by Leia beforehand? Lieutenant Keating, first commander of the Kamdesh PRT, was determined to make COIN a success in the region. "whatever you think of their ideology, these are fierce and smart fighters. [18], At about 3:00a.m. on October 3, over 350 Taliban backed insurgents ordered all Kamdesh villagers to leave the area. Meanwhile, back at the aid station, Cordova learned that the first medevac would not arrive until after 7:30 p.m. A critically wounded soldier needed a blood transfusion in order to survive. Some of the soldiers who were at the battle are interviewed by the book's author, Jake Tapper, during the closing credits. Given its proximity to Pakistan, Combat Outpost Keating was part of a counter-insurgency strategy. The Allies hoped that extending these bases into Nuristan, one of the most remote and isolated eastern provinces in Afghanistan, they could demonstrate to the entire Afghan population the government's credibility and power. Omar was the top Taliban leader, but U.S. Intelligence stated that HIG had done the killing, crediting Omar to instil more fear due to Omar's greater reputation. Camp Keating Officers Disciplined for Attack That Killed 8 U.S. Captain Benjamin Keating Born: May 31, 1979 Birthplace: Sanford, Maine, USA Death: November 26, 2006, Kamdesh, Afghanistan (injuries suffered when vehicle turned over) Milo Gibson Born: November 16, 1990 Birthplace: Australia Captain Robert Yllescas Born: October 7, 1977 Birthplace: Guatemala City, Guatemala Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor. The latest acronym for attackers used by the Americans was AAF, for anti-Afghan fighters. To a man, they all felt they had an obligation to help out in those areas where they saw Portar as failing, but upon hearing their recommendations, the captain consistently told them, point blank, that he was the commander, not them. Cordova continued to treat the wounded even after flames were within 10 feet of his location. This page was last edited on 25 January 2023, at 06:49. [35] Capt. At 6 a.m., Oct. 3, 2009, Combat Outpost Keating in Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, came under complex attack by an enemy force estimated at 300 fighters. Resistance in Nuristan revolved around a specific group of Islamic fighters known as Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin or HIG. It was only then that I truly appreciated how important the listeners role is in the healing process. Porter had already done two tours in Iraq and even before he was deployed to COP Keating, his superior officer Lieutenant Colonel Brad Brown and the men of his company thought he was "spent". On that day, then-1LT Bundermann's leadership and heroic actions in orchestrating the defense of Combat Outpost Keating, helped prevent it from falling into the hands of a Taliban force of more than 400 fighters. The outpost was manned by 54 American personnel from B Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, who faced greater than seven-to-one odds in the battle. During the day-long battle at Combat Outpost Keating last Oct. 3, the base was temporarily overrun by an estimated 300 Taliban fighters. He decided that American soldiers' "battle rattle" war gear gave the impression of soulless killing machines. Thomas Rasmussen fought back and was knocked off his feet by a rocket-propelled grenade. Colonel Pat Donahue, the former commander of the 3rd BCT, believed that the Nuristani population was essentially neutral, hostile to any outside groups, and so isolated that resources allocated to the region would be wasted. Keating was killed in November 2006 when he volunteered for a dangerous mission to drive an army truck loaded with supplies up to the camp, along treacherous 200-foot cliffs. Died of his wounds after his legs were hit by RPG shrapnel. Like in the movie, the quick reaction force (QRF) coming down the mountain to help were shocked by the firey devastation. The note was signed "Mullah Omar". It may not display this or other websites correctly. The report said that there were as many as 47 attacks in the five months prior to the deadly assault, 10 in the 30 days prior to the mass attack. [2], The attackers overran Keating's perimeter defenses about 48 minutes into the battle. The Battle of Kamdesh took place during the war in Afghanistan. The true story confirms that the Afghan National Army soldiers, who were fighting alongside the U.S. troops, either fled the outpost after the attack began or hid in cowardice. [14] At the time, Afghan national forces were supervised and trained by members of the Latvian Operational Mentor Liaison Teams. Provide clean water by installing gravity fed pipelines. Once we got overhead the target, the biggest thing that struck me was how much of Keating was on fire. When Captain Aaron Swain of Cherokee Co. had sounded out Afghan Border Police Commander Ahmed Shah about setting up near Kamdesh, he was told that HIG insurgents tried to blow up Shah's jeep on his last trip there and it was a bad place. The outpost's depot was promptly looted by the insurgents and bombed by American planes in an effort to destroy the lethal munitions left behind."[10]. The rock could not be demolished without raining fragments into the town of Urmul across the Landay-Sin river. [2] Two Americans, Staff Sergeants Clinton L. Romesha and (then Specialist) Ty Carter were awarded the Medal of Honor for their role in defending the base.[3]. "[16] Four U.S. Army officersCaptain Melvin Porter, Captain Stoney Portis, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Brown, and Colonel Randy Georgewho oversaw COP Keating were admonished or reprimanded for command failures. It occurred on October 3, 2009, when a force of 400 Taliban assaulted the American Combat Outpost ("COP") Keating near the town of Kamdesh in Nuristan Province in eastern Afghanistan. The fire was so intense they had to toss smoke grenades for concealment, just to get . The basic approach to victory by the PRT involved three steps: Nicholson hoped the PRT would seed a process to be developed by the Nuristanis rather than imposed from the outside. [10], OP Fritsche was established to provide overwatch for COP Keating and was manned by a mix of US and Afghan national forces. Through the summer and fall of 2008, Captain Joey Hutto, COP Keating's new commander, expanded this initiative. Lardner, Richard (Associated Press), "Command Failures". As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Above their paygrade. On July 20, 2006, 2:00 a. m. all of Cherokee Company and one platoon from Able Troop, 3-71 Cavalry Squadron dropped in two Chinooks on Landing Zone Warheit, a cornfield on a ridge near Kamdesh, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Howard to garrison the area. The elder considers this to be a bad omen and demands that there be retribution. AAF forces involved fit the pattern of the improved force, in that they were uniformed and equipped as Afghan Army and police forces, with the latest weapons and radios issued to government Afghan forces, along with ski masks. Regrouping there, they pushed out teams to retake much of the outpost. But he was ineffective in actually making the men understand why/how he came to certain decisions. [31] 3 soldiers were awarded the Bronze Star Medal, and 18 others the Bronze Star Medal with "V" device for valor. Relief had been slowed in reaching COP Keating due to a lack of available aircraft and density of terrain. The enemy was obviously superior in numbers but not superior in discipline, professionalism and fighting skill, Col. Randy George, of the 4th BCT told the Colorado Springs Gazette in 2011. Within moments of entry, members of the QRF discovered and confirmed the death of Sgt. Several days after the battle, U.S. aircraft bombed the location in an effort to destroy any munitions that remained. He was thrown from the truck, which rolled over him and sank into the river. A common misconception is that the Taliban are primitive fighters who lack the necessary skills to be effective in battle. He was awarded the medal on 26 August 2013. Not exactly, but in researching The Outpost's historical accuracy, we learned that a similar incident happened the year prior, in 2008, involving more than just one dog. American forces formed a thinly held and poorly supplied picket line from Naray to Kamdesh along the river. Much of this is the result of the real-life Battle of Kamdesh veterans who were involved in the film, both as technical advisors and actors. The report found that a "mindset of imminent closure" led the unit to not improve the outpost's defenses despite intelligence reports that warned of a possible attack by "a large enemy force.". Set up new plants in Mirdesh and Gawardesh. "It doesn't really take a lot to sort of trigger the emotions again," said Beth Keating. Combat Outpost Keating in Nuristan, Afghanistan, as recreated on the set. The movie does take liberty with the way it portrays previous commanders of the outpost, 1st Lt. Ben Keating and Capt. [4] She noted two claims the military put forward in its report: first, the resources to relocate the base had not been available because the brigade was concentrating on guarding a village that Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, considered strategically important. It was treacherous and subject to enemy ambush. Then tragedy struck again. An additional 4 Afghan allied fighters also died. A new counter-insurgency strategy seemed to offer a way around these problems. On Oct. 3, 2009, the odds were against U.S. troops at Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistan's Nuristan province, located just 10 miles from the Pakistan border. [7]:228,249,469, At the end of May 2007, Bulldog Troop, 1-91 Cavalry Squadron, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, arrived at COP Keating. Sylvanius Broward (1972-) was a US Army captain who served in the US 61st Cavalry Regiment during the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War.. History. Staff Sergeant Vernon Tiller, the most senior mechanic, was in the passenger's seat when it went over the cliff. Christopher Cordova, the squadrons physician assistant, was manning the aid station where there was no power. The 48N6 missiles of the S-400 (and why they were designed by flat-earthers), WI: Instead of a NATO pull-out, the bases/forces in Afghanistan are handed over to the UN Peacekeeping. Unconfirmed footage reportedly shows a short segment from a November 2008 battle at Combat Outpost (COP) Keating, in which ISAF troops attempt to defend the stupidly-placed position from an enemy that holds the high ground on all sides. [7]:1238,1368,18191,407, Despite recommendations not to drive the large supply vehicle, First Lieutenant Ben Keating took the wheel while returning an armored supply truck to the Naray FOB. This includes Scott Eastwood's character, Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha, telling the men, "We're taking this bitch back," after the camp is partially overrun by Taliban fighters. [7][8] The former of which is based on the book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by journalist Jake Tapper. 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