I'd have to look more into the specific situation to know more but from the general impression of the situation. Youre reading this weeks At War newsletter. (The main aid station was too heavily damaged to remain in operation.). Joshua Hardt, who until this time had been MIA. Operation Deep Strike began on May 5, 2006. This seems to be displayed rather accurately in the movie, at least with regard to how it's described in Tapper's book. [18], At about 3:00a.m. on October 3, over 350 Taliban backed insurgents ordered all Kamdesh villagers to leave the area. Cordova continued to treat the wounded even after flames were within 10 feet of his location. [20] Observation Post Fritsche was attacked simultaneously, limiting available support from that position. They made sustained attacks over a two-day period, drawing American support forces and widespread air forces into the battle. I support this diversion into a discussion of the operational art and command structure as practiced by the New Resistance under Leia Organa. Roller attended his next meeting with village leaders dressed in a T-shirt and shorts. He was the last commander of Combat Outpost Keating. Robert Yllescas. The idea was to stop the insurgents' supply lines coming in from Pakistan. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? He became the fourth surviving soldier from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts to be awarded the Medal of Honor due to courageous actions during the battle. Lieutenant Keating, first commander of the Kamdesh PRT, was determined to make COIN a success in the region. They performed heroically and bravely.. 1.33 million dollars was budgeted for these projects. To avoid damaging the trust they had established with the Afghans, Cali and another semi-hostile dog named Willie Pete were shot by Staff Sergeant Ian Boone and another soldier. [5] Within two minutes of the beginning of the attack, American forces suffered their first casualty. The smaller U.S. force ultimately beat back the attack after a fierce hours-long battle where Apache helicopters, that raced to assist the besieged soldiers, made all the difference. The difference there being the writers seemingly supporting her reticence to explain anything. Cordovas care raised the morale of every soldier in the aid station, and word quickly spread across the outpost, the battle narrative stated. Something had to be done to bring Nuristan on to the American side. As with Captain Benjamin Keating, the movie pushes both of their deaths to 2009 and fictionally depicts both men as being part of the 3/61 CAV (3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment). Keating saw these programs as producing mixed results. Martina Skokova. However, Army 1st Lt. Benjamin Keating's death actually happened three years earlier, in 2006, not 2009. 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. He wanted to avoid risking the lives of his men while traveling on an unstable road subject to ambush with an overweight vehicle. Four U.S. Army officers were reprimanded for "inadequate measures taken by the chain of command." 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. Yes. The first effort was made by First Lieutenant Dave Roller. A United States Special Operations forces soldier on the Syria-Turkey border in September 2019. Lardner, Richard (Associated Press), "Command Failures". Lieutenant Colonel Mike Howard, Squadron Commander, saw COIN as a process of providing three services: This would improve the local economy while providing improved communications with the central government and the rest of the nation. Members of 10th Mountain Division's 1-32 Infantry Regiment were air lifted to the nearest helicopter landing zone on OP Fritsche and arrived at approximately 2:00pm, as recalled by a soldier on scene. Portis had been in command of the platoon for less than two weeks when, on Oct. 3, 2009, the Taliban attacked Combat Outpost Keating while he was away visiting a mountain observation post. In the process, the truck rolled over him and ended up almost fully submerged in the river. 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. For their heroism, 2 Medals of Honor, 9 Silver Stars and 21 Bronze Stars were awarded. My soldiers and I had been sharing stories since Oct. 3, 2009, when our 53 cavalry scouts fought off more than 300 Taliban fighters bent on overrunning Combat Outpost Keating in Nuristan, Afghanistan. It's a solid 10/10 read: No hot food, No fire support. ABC News' Karen Russo contributed to this report, 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. They professed a Salafi version of Islam, and were hostile to any political rivals. The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor - Kindle edition by Tapper, Jake. Soldiers Dead in Bold Attack in Afghanistan", Attack on Afghan outposts kills 8 soldiers, "U.S. ignored warnings before deadly Afghan attack", "U.S. Military Faults Leaders in Attack on Base", "Courage at Keating: 2 Medals of Honor, 1 DSC, 8 Silver Stars for standout B Troop", "Army releases report on battle at Combat Outpost Keating battle", "Afghan insurgents pushed into U.S. base, official says", "Strategic Plans Spawned Bitter End for a Lonely Outpost", "Defense.gov News Release: DoD Identifies Army Casualties", "Defense.gov News Release: DoD Identifies Army Casualty", "Insurgents breached U.S. outpost in battle", The Gazette: Mom works to help Carson soldiers honor battle bonds, "They 'weren't going to get beat that day' the Medal of Honor recipients who held COP Keating against all odds", "US premiere of film about Battle of COP Keating and Latvian soldiers | Aizsardzbas ministrija", Latvijas Televzija: Videofilma "Afganistna. The U.S. evacuated the camp three days later. "But it is very difficult for us when people who weren't there and weren't involved, question the decision of leadership in a fight, but sometimes it is also necessary.". During the day-long battle at Combat Outpost Keating last Oct. 3, the base was temporarily overrun by an estimated 300 Taliban fighters. [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. October 03, 2019. [34], The flight crews of three United States Army AH-64D Apache helicopters were later decorated for actions during the battle. [7]:28,41,908,123, The Kamdesh village and most of Nuristan is located in the Hindu Kush. During this battle Taliban members outnumbered US forces in a staggering 5 to 1 ratio and was considered one of the bloodiest battle of the War. But he was ineffective in actually making the men understand why/how he came to certain decisions. The Shapleigh native volunteered to drive an Army truck loaded with supplies along a treacherous 200-foot cliff at night . Jake Tapper, author of the bookThe Outpost, wondered the same thing when he embarked on his research. Div., at Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistans Nuristan province on Aug. 6, 2009. Staff Sergeant William "Ryan" Fritsche was killed by rifle fire. Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, View Video of Taliban Fighters in the Camp. These troops were ambushed on the Naray-Kamdesh road and shot up badly enough to prevent their arrival in Kamdesh. While this is indeed alarmingly frequent, the movie makes it seem like the attacks are happening daily. Does this give anyone else flashbacks to he purple hair admiral in The Last Jedi? He was the last commander of Combat Outpost Keating. 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. The following day, insurgents kidnapped and murdered Fazal Ahad, an elder from Badmuk who was attempting to end the Kom/Kata tribal disagreements by arranging a meeting in Kamdesh. One officer in Afghanistan who was familiar with the attack on COP Keating said he had mixed feelings about the criticism leveled against the camp's commanders. "We're surrounded, and we're sitting in a bowl," Porter said on "Good Morning America" today. The movie was filmed in 2018 on a set created at the base of a mountain in Bulgaria, not far from the city of Sofia. Skola karalauk", "COP Keating Investigation Findings Released", "Afghan, US troops kill 40 militants in east", "Camp Keating Officers Disciplined for Attack That Killed 8 U.S. The punishments reflect a recent trend in Afghanistan to hold military commanders accountable for battlefield failures. Given its proximity to Pakistan, Combat Outpost Keating was part of a counter-insurgency strategy. This letter was written in Pashto and signed "Mujahideen". It was adapted for the screen by Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy (Patriots Day and The Fighter). Need to know. SHAPLEIGH, Maine It's been nearly 14 years since Ken and Beth Keating lost their son, Army Captain Benjamin Keating, in Afghanistan. A new counter-insurgency strategy seemed to offer a way around these problems. Keating was permanently shut down three days following the attack. The movie does take liberty with the way it portrays previous commanders of the outpost, 1st Lt. Ben Keating and Capt. A dog named Cali growled at the eldest son of an Afghan Security Guard, who would often come to the post with his father. It is a story about the battle to defend against a coordinated Taliban attack that later came to be known as The Battle of Kamdesh. [7]:28,41,908,123, The area had not been occupied by any conventional US forces prior to 3-71 Cavalry's takeover, although Special Operations forces operated in the area on a very limited basis. Between each take, the director and actors paused and turned to Cordova, who offered feedback to make the scene match his memory. After assisting with securing the OP from potential follow on attacks, members of the Quick Reaction Force descended from the mountain's peak to COP Keating on foot. The note was signed "Mullah Omar". The camp was originally constructed to be a PRT (i.e., Provincial Reconstruction Team), called PRT Kamdesh, but due to extremely high levels of fighting in the area it remained a fire base instead of a PRT. According to one account, Hill without hesitation picked up a Latvian sniper rifle and eliminated the target at a distance of over 300 meters., 1st Lt. Andrew Bundermann, de facto ground commander, worked to slow the fire in the operations center and salvage equipment. Captain Melvin Porter, 4th Infantry Division, US Army, said: "We're sitting in a bowl so we are constantly under observation." This is how the war went at COP Keating: a few pot shots from. I witnessed the making of The Outpost, a film about the day my unit fought off 300 Taliban fighters who tried to overrun our camp in Afghanistan. Captain Matthew Kaplan, CW3 Ross Lewallen, CW3 Randy Huff, CW2 Gary Wingert, CW2 Chad Bardwell, and CW2 Chris Wright were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for conducting close combat attacks on the Taliban during the battle. As a result of the battle, COP Keating was partially overrun and nearly destroyed. When Cordova and I arrived on set, both of us were astounded. [36], On 11 February 2013, President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha, a survivor of the battle. Afghan contractors were unable to keep the narrow mountain road in safe condition, and convoys were subject to constant ambush from the surrounding mountains that lined the route. [2] A day after, on October 7, Taliban fighters were seen among the ruins of the outpost. Everything was so realistic that had the cameras not been there I would have thought my mind was playing tricks on me. [31] 3 soldiers were awarded the Bronze Star Medal, and 18 others the Bronze Star Medal with "V" device for valor. Tears were streaming down his face. The Los Angeles gift shop Bunkado, at center with a fan on its sign, in the 1950s. Within moments of entry, members of the QRF discovered and confirmed the death of Sgt. That doesnt mean anything should be taken from the guys on the ground. Resistance in Nuristan revolved around a specific group of Islamic fighters known as Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin or HIG. Mawlawi Abdul Rahman was a local elder impressed with this new approach. Despite overwhelming odds and volume of injuries, MAJ (R) Cordova was able to . Based there were 53 U.S. soldiers primarily with B Trp., 3rd Sqdn., 61st Cav Regt., 4th BCT, 4th Inf. Captain Broward is a fictional character likely based on Captain Melvin Porter, the officer who commanded COP Keating before it was attacked and was reprimanded for its lack of preparedness. Email us at atwar@nytimes.com. Set up new plants in Mirdesh and Gawardesh. During the highly risky convoy, the road collapsed under the weight of Keating's vehicle. Clint Romesha rallied his fellow soldiers by telling them, "We're taking this bitch back. In May 2016 CBS News profiled Staff Sergeant Romesha, after he published an account of his experiences at the base, entitled Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor. [2] Combat Outpost Keating is best known as the setting of the Battle of Kamdesh which occurred on October 3rd, 2009. ", was Keating's assessment. Served with United States Army since 2008. The first of these would be "Operation Mountain II", an effort to extend a series of observation posts west to control the villages between COP Keating and the Afghan village of Saret Koheh. [17], Coalition forces received three human-source intelligence reports sometime before the battle indicating that insurgents were planning an attack on the outposts. The U.S. soldiers killed in the battle were: Amy Davidson Sorkin, writing in The New Yorker, tried to answer the question why the base had not been moved, when it was found to be unsuitable. The movie does a good job of capturing the nerve-racking tension of being posted at Combat Outpost Keating. The fire was so intense they had to toss smoke grenades for concealment, just to get . 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