Over the years, I have learned that sharing the experience allowed many of us to put our emotions into words. ", was Keating's assessment. 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. Harder, from Minnesota, just 29, was in charge of a small team of soldiers at the combat outpost, COP Keating. The Taliban surprised the outpost with mortar fire and a massive infantry assault which partly overran and nearly destroyed COP Keating, and, while the Americans and their allies held off several Taliban attacks on the base in the bloodiest battle in Afghanistan since the 2008 Battle of Wanat, the outpost was shut down shortly after and its depot That was our troopers advantage up there. For their heroism, 2 Medals of Honor, 9 Silver Stars and 21 Bronze Stars were awarded. U.S. soldiers reported that none of the Afghan soldiers held their ground. Insurgents had breached the camp in several locations, including at the main entrance, near the latrine area, and on the eastern side. Once we got overhead the target, the biggest thing that struck me was how much of Keating was on fire. The Shapleigh native volunteered to drive an Army truck loaded with supplies along a treacherous 200-foot cliff at night . Lardner, Richard (Associated Press), "Command Failures". [37], Staff Sergeant Ty Carter (then Specialist) was also awarded the Medal of Honor for his courage during the battle. Based there were 53 U.S. soldiers primarily with B Trp., 3rd Sqdn., 61st Cav Regt., 4th BCT, 4th Inf. He was managing care for five Americans and seven Afghans, treating gunshot wounds, head injuries, shrapnel wounds, chest and abdominal wounds, eye injuries and broken legs, all in a makeshift station. 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. Even some of the dialogue is taken word for word from real life. Died of his wounds after his leg was hit by a single gunshot wound. After Keating's death, a "Night Letter" appeared on the door of the Upper Kamdesh mosque on April 29, 2007. Urdu and Pashtun HIG warriors brought arms and ammunition from Pakistan. . [7]:334,501,92,98. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/03/magazine/the-outpost-afghanistan-movie.html. 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. Combat. [5][10] Two USAF F-15E fighter bombers circled overhead, led by Captains Mike Polidor and Aaron Dove and their wingmen, 1st Lt. Justin Pavoni and Captain Ryan Bone, for almost eight hours, helping coordinate airstrikes by 19 other aircraft. As it became obvious that COP Keating was too isolated, indefensible, and impossible to supply, plans were made to close it beginning in December 2008. [34], The flight crews of three United States Army AH-64D Apache helicopters were later decorated for actions during the battle. On Oct. 3, 2009, the odds were against U.S. troops at Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistans Nuristan province, located just 10 miles from the Pakistan border. You are using an out of date browser. 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. [2] Combat Outpost Keating is best known as the setting of the Battle of Kamdesh which occurred on October 3rd, 2009. 1.33 million dollars was budgeted for these projects. Keating's November 26, 2006 death deeply affected his platoon, who wanted to honor his sacrifice and his selfless care for them. Cordova continued to treat the wounded even after flames were within 10 feet of his location. The second incident happened in 2008 at Observation Post Fritsche. Michael Polidor and Capt. Despite overwhelming odds and volume of injuries, MAJ (R) Cordova was able to . It involved a small force of 54 U.S. soldiers (Bravo Troop 3-61), in addition to their Afghan and Latvian allies, at the remote Combat Outpost Keating in northeastern Afghanistan near the town of Kamdesh. Rather off-topic but wasn't Poe at that moment demoted by Leia beforehand? Need to know. He was the last commander of Combat Outpost Keating. However, author Jake Tapper says that this is entirely untrue. Nearly 20 Air Force and Army aircraft flew close-air support missions throughout the day, helping to kill about 150 insurgents. Formalized as "The Commitment of Mutual Support" the agreement also provided the Shura would provide local security in return for an end to uninvited American military searches of local towns and mosques. Keating's story was in the news again earlier this year; he was portrayed in the movie "The Outpost," which tells the story of one of the bloodiest battles in the war in Afghanistan. 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]. [29], Following the battle, the U.S. Central Command conducted an investigation on what had occurred, led by US Army General Guy Swan. [19] At 6:00 a.m, the fighters opened fire from all sides of the outpost with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades,[10] immediately putting the Americans' mortar pit out of action. 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. Stoney Portis, an officer in the Army and a Ph.D. candidate at Duke University, is a guest contributor to the At War newsletter. Ground resupply became almost impossible due to the area's limited roads and the threat of insurgent attacks. The landing zone was placed on the other side of the river on a rocky peninsula jutting into the river near Urmul. It's a solid 10/10 read: No hot food, No fire support. SHAPLEIGH, Maine It's been nearly 14 years since Ken and Beth Keating lost their son, Army Captain Benjamin Keating, in Afghanistan. This page was last edited on 25 January 2023, at 06:49. Nine soldiers were awarded the Silver Star for valor. 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. U.S. air support directed by Sgt. [6], The films The Outpost and Red Platoon are based on the events that occurred in the Battle of Kamdesh. The Allies stopped using the Kamdesh-Naray road. Hutto had worked for years on COIN campaigns in Central America. Unlike Donahue, Nicholson was a supporter of COIN in addition to seeing Kamdesh as a decisive control point. In the year that followed the agreement, ANA and American deaths dropped from thirty to three. 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. The movie does a good job of capturing the nerve-racking tension of being posted at Combat Outpost Keating. The village leaders elected a representative council of 100 members to form a shura that would produce a regional security plan and obtain an agreement with the American military and the Afghan Karzai government. Again, it was later noted that many of Porter's decisions were sound. They professed a Salafi version of Islam, and were hostile to any political rivals. Who plays Nia on the outpost? October 03, 2019. The transfusion was a radical move that brought Mace back to consciousness. Troops, Amazon.com: The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor eBook: Tapper, Jake: Kindle Store, Wehrmacht wins at Dunkirk: Description of the battle that never was. Feb. 5, 2010— -- A military investigation of a Taliban attack last fall on a remote U.S. army outpost that left eight American soldiers dead and 22 wounded has resulted in administrative punishments for two commanders blamed for "inadequate measures taken by the chain of command.". For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. 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. prosthetic makeup effects administrator: Millennium FX. Follow-up attacks attempted by Taliban forces were subsequently thwarted by U.S. Understandable discrepancies emerge when a book that covers four years at a remote mountain outpost is compressed into a two-hour production, but the film unquestionably captures the essence of the soldiers sacrifices, as well as the love we feel and the sorrow we share. Because the reports had not been verified by other intelligence sources, such as electronic intelligence, the reports were discounted. However that road itself was pretty poor in of itself. Between each take, the director and actors paused and turned to Cordova, who offered feedback to make the scene match his memory. That process helped us heal, but a bad rendering of the battle would leave us talking about what the movie got wrong instead of what actually happened. [7]:12930 1345,156. The outpost's depot was promptly looted by the insurgents and bombed on October 6 by a B-1 bomber in an effort to destroy the lethal munitions left behind. The soldiers heard over the radio, "Enemy in the wire The enemy is inside the camp." (The main aid station was too heavily damaged to remain in operation.). 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]:298304, By October 2007 the elders and mullahs of the Kamdesh area had been inspired by Rahman to gather at Kamdesh for a mass meeting, or shura to plan the future of Nuristan. He was awarded the medal on 26 August 2013. It was one of many reasons Cordova was later awarded the Silver Star. Within moments of entry, members of the QRF discovered and confirmed the death of Sgt. In Afghanistan, MAJ (R) Cordova was involved in the Battle of Kamdesh at Combat Outpost Keating on the 3rd of October 2009. [8] In addition, Afghan national forces manned checkpoints and roadblocks at various locations around the area. These factors resulted in an attractive target for enemy fighters," the report concluded. "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. His actions saved the lives of several soldiers, and he alone accomplished the work of four medical professionals without stopping for food or sleep, the battle narrative aptly concluded. The fighting at COP Keating, which is also known as the Battle of Kamdesh, involved an attack by over 400 insurgents against the combat outpost, which was slated to be dismantled. The steep mountains rendered two dimensional maps and landmarks useless. [14] At the time, Afghan national forces were supervised and trained by members of the Latvian Operational Mentor Liaison Teams. Yes. Loss of life was inevitable and the government. [7]:327328 The nearest attack helicopters were located in Jalalabad, a thirty-minute flight away. After an investigation, four officers in the chain of command were disciplined for their failure to adequately support the base. 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. It seemed that it would get extremely intense, with a lot of fire, a lot of RPGs hitting the wall, and then it would die, McMurtrey told Air Force Magazine in 2011. I only watched the trailer. 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. One of the casualties was a bright young specialist named Stephan Mace, whom Cordova kept alive for nine hours by transfusing fresh blood from other soldiers, himself included. A note was attached to his body which said: "Don't work with coalition forces. Furthermore, Camp Keating's location, surrounded by mountains on three sides, exposed helicopters and the outpost's garrison to insurgent fire. 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. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every Friday. I stood silently in the corner and watched a rendition of the story I previously told through sympathy letters to the families of the fallen, in award write-ups for my soldiers and during lectures for military leaders. Clint Romesha, portrayed by Scott Eastwood in the film. Email us at atwar@nytimes.com. Sylvanius Broward in the movie is a fictional name for a real captain, Mel Porter. Villagers and clans who were left out of these projects were resentful, and quick to turn against the Americans. This separation of the landing zone, and the fact that the site was surrounded by mountains on three sides made the site unappealing because of the difficulty of mounting an effective defense. Keating saw these programs as producing mixed results. Shane Courville; Cordova; George Arvidson as Cordova. [The airspace above] Keating was packed full of jets, so we knew this was not an ordinary engagement, Kulish told Air Force Magazine. In 2006, Allied commanders identified the Kamdesh area to be key to denying anti-coalition militia the required access to supply lines crossing into and out of nearby Pakistan. Let's get back on topic please. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. As Cordova worked to stop the bleeding, five injured Afghan soldiers and another American who suffered a chest wound were brought in. "It doesn't really take a lot to sort of trigger the emotions again," said Beth Keating. [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. [7]:1238,1368,18191,407, Combined with difficult conditions for air supply, and little support from the local population, supply to what was renamed Camp Keating on November 26, 2006, was wholly inadequate. Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, View Video of Taliban Fighters in the Camp. "It is one of the most well-planned and carefully choreographed attacks in the history of the Afghan war," Tapper told NPR. Everything was so realistic that had the cameras not been there I would have thought my mind was playing tricks on me. 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. 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. During the first minutes of battle, mortar rounds hit the main generator, cutting power to most of the camp. [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]. 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. aircraft.[5]. 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