captain mel porter outpost keating

May 15, 2023 0 Comments

During and after the battle, some of the Afghan soldiers stole items, including digital cameras and protein drinks, belonging to American soldiers at the base. Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, View Video of Taliban Fighters in the Camp. "It doesn't really take a lot to sort of trigger the emotions again," said Beth Keating. Why would the U.S. military put an outpost at the base of three Afghan mountains that were teeming with Taliban fighters who were eager to kill U.S. soldiers? 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. On Oct. 3, 2009, a force of about 50 Americans faced down as many as 400 enemy fighters intent on overrunning COP Keating in eastern Afghanistan. Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha and Staff Sergeant Ty Carter were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the battle. Action at the Aid Station 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.". It may not display this or other websites correctly. 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. Michael Polidor and Capt. Served with United States Army since 2005 and Participated in. Because the reports had not been verified by other intelligence sources, such as electronic intelligence, the reports were discounted. 2023 All rights reserved. This agreement would recognize the authority of the Hundred Man Shura, and provide funds for economic development. [7]:28,41,908,123, The Nuristan provincial reconstruction team base was strongly recommended by Nuristani Province Governor Tamim Nuristani. As they filmed one take after another, Cordova clenched his jaw and swallowed back tears, reliving the most traumatic day of his life. It's at least the third time officers were disciplined after soldiers' deaths. [7]:1238,1368,18191,407, On August 8, 2006, 19 days after the first American landing, the PRT was attacked for the first time. This was a re-deployment from the Cowkay and Korangal Valleys to Kamdesh. It also said the commanders had become "desensitized" to reports of imminent large scale attacks because previous warnings had turned out to be on a much smaller scale. Matthew McMurtrey a cyber systems operator was attached to the 61st Cav and woke at6 a.m. that day to the walls of his bunk shaking, alerting him to the attack. [8] Coalition forces responded with small arms fire, mortars, and by the afternoon, helicopters, heavy artillery, and airstrikes. Additionally, 20 Afghan troops, two Latvian soldiers and a dozen Afghan security guards were at Keating. In response to this, the local Afghan officials sent more government troops into the area. American troops in Nuristan found themselves directly in opposition to the HIG forces. 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. Within moments of entry, members of the QRF discovered and confirmed the death of Sgt. During the highly risky convoy, the road collapsed under the weight of Keating's vehicle. Yes. On Oct. 3, 2009, Keating was the site of the second costliest U.S. firefight of the Afghanistan War. As I neared the camp that evening, Cordovas voice crackled through my radio and asked for more blood donors. 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. Contained between the Landay River and steep mountains, Keating was attacked from multiple directions by 300 enemy fighters. Captain Sylvanius Broward (Kwame Patterson), whom the men refer to as "Broward the Coward," shoots the dog to appease the elder and calm the situation. Click here for complete coverage of the Afghan war. The Los Angeles gift shop Bunkado, at center with a fan on its sign, in the 1950s. [1] Plans were drawn up in the summer of 2006 by the US Army's 10th Mountain Division as part of Operation Mountain Lion. Armando Avalos, Sgt. Fallen Heroes 3-61 Cavalry, 4th BCT, 4th ID. [17], Coalition forces received three human-source intelligence reports sometime before the battle indicating that insurgents were planning an attack on the outposts. From left, Martin Malchev as Specialist Cody Floyd; Jack Kalian as Staff Sgt. It seemed like the entire COP was burning [70 percent did].. Jayson Souter, and 1st Lt. Cason Shrode, including attack helicopters, A-10s, a B-1 bomber, and F-15 fighters, destroyed the local mosque, where much of the insurgents' heaviest fire originated. [7]:229,256,26380[12], The Battle of Saret Koheh made good on the threats of the "Night Letter". He decided that American soldiers' "battle rattle" war gear gave the impression of soulless killing machines. During the day-long battle at Combat Outpost Keating last Oct. 3, the base was temporarily overrun by an estimated 300 Taliban fighters. "[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. 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. A deliberate withdrawal had been planned some time before the battle began, and the closing was part of a wider effort by the top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, to cede remote outposts and consolidate troops in more populated areas to better protect Afghan civilians. Yllescas's charismatic relations with the Shura had supported the transition from 1-91 Cavalry to 6th Squadron, and the Shura's influence and collaboration with ISAF forces declined from this point. Captain Bostick was killed by a rocket propelled grenade. Regrouping there, they pushed out teams to retake much of the outpost. . [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. An additional 4 Afghan allied fighters also died. Yes. The transfusion was a radical move that brought Mace back to consciousness. Ty M. Carter pauses during a patrol outside Combat Outpost Keating, Afghanistan, where he was deployed with the 61st Cavalry Regiment in 2009. Capt. Many of the Afghan troops, however, were a different story. These AAF were more professional and probably represented groups from areas outside of Nuristan. 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 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. "As evening fell on the night of 3 October 2009, COP Keating remained solidly under US control, and enemy forces had suffered severe tactical defeat," according to the Army report, although "eight American soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice defending their outpost and their fellow soldiers." 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. Read more from At War here or follow us on Twitter. Div., at Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistans Nuristan province on Aug. 6, 2009. In the movie, he dies almost immediately after landing at the bottom of the cliff. 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. The high mountains around the camp provided the perfect perches for Taliban snipers to pick off the soldiers. By now, Porter had strained relations with nearly all of his subordinate leaders. [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]. Brown would also note that it was a failure of leadership on Porter's part because of Porter's absolute refusal to explain to his troops why the mortars were being limited. The 53. 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. 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. I only watched the trailer. The rock could not be demolished without raining fragments into the town of Urmul across the Landay-Sin river. [2] A day after, on October 7, Taliban fighters were seen among the ruins of the outpost. What if there was a country in place of the Bay of Biscay? 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 report said the heroic action of American and Afghan soldiers contributed to a "severe tactical defeat for the Taliban" that resulted in as many as 150 Taliban fighters being killed. As the sun rose on Oct. 3, 2009, about 300 Taliban launched a surprise attack on COP Keating. [9] The Americans "declared the outpost closed and departedso quickly that they did not carry out all of their stored ammunition. Troops", "Outnumbered and With Taliban Overrunning the Base, Clinton Romesha Was Awarded MoH at the Battle of Kamdesh", "4th ID Soldier awarded Distinguished Service Cross", "Army vet honored with Distinguished Service Cross for combat heroics in Afghanistan", "Pilots receive Distinguished Flying Cross for valor", "Airmen honored by college for heroism in Afghanistan", "Army veteran Clinton Romesha receives Medal of Honor for Afghan fight", "Obama awards Ty Carter Medal of Honor for Afghan battle", "US soldiers hold back Taliban attack on COP Keating", COP Keating Report at DefenseTech.org: After Action Report, before and after photos, maps, analysis, Executive Summary - AR 15-6 Investigation re: Complex Attack on COP Keating - 3 Oct 09, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Kamdesh&oldid=1135532495, Served with United States Army since 2003 and Participated in, Killed by a single gunshot wound in the head, Served with United States Army since 2004 and Participated in, Killed by multiple gunshot wounds in the head and body, Served with United States Army since 2006 and Participated in, Served with United States Army since 2005. It was nicknamed "Heart Attack Ridge" due to its steep slope and obstacles hazardous to low-flying aircraft. While exploring the movie's historical accuracy, we confirmed that during the real-life Battle of Kamdesh, Taliban fighters got inside Outpost Keating. Set up new plants in Mirdesh and Gawardesh. It was adapted for the screen by Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy (Patriots Day and The Fighter). Enemy forces controlled the landing zone, which prevented the wounded from being lifted out. [15], The Allies planned to close COP Keating by August 2009, but the move was delayed because of other military operations in a nearby district. The first didn't take place at the camp. Plans were drawn up in the summer of 2006 by the US Army's 10th Mountain Division as part of Operation Mountain Lion. Div. Eight U.S. soldiers were killed and 27 wounded; eight Afghan soldiers were wounded, along with two Afghan private security guards. This had the potential to boost the local economy, which had seen few civic improvements. However that road itself was pretty poor in of itself. Keating's November 26, 2006 death deeply affected his platoon, who wanted to honor his sacrifice and his selfless care for them. Clint Romesha rallied his fellow soldiers by telling them, "We're taking this bitch back. They should had just followed their fucking orders. While there are numerous accounts of bravery that day, two Medals of Honor and nine Silver Stars (two have since been upgraded) were awarded. The shops name means house of culture.. When Cordova and I arrived on set, both of us were astounded. For their heroism, 2 Medals of Honor, 9 Silver Stars and 21 Bronze Stars were awarded. Thomas Rasmussen fought back and was knocked off his feet by a rocket-propelled grenade. Here's what else we covered in this week's newsletter. They expanded the perimeter all the way back to the entry control point and to the buildings on the western edge of the outpost, which became their final fighting position. Area of Operations. The fire was so intense they had to toss smoke grenades for concealment, just to get . So if you see the film when it comes out over the Fourth of July weekend, know that you are not just watching a war movie. | Trademarks and service marks of VFW. Second, the search for Bowe Bergdahl, in June 2009, had used up so many resources none were available to address the base's unsuitable location. These troops were ambushed on the Naray-Kamdesh road and shot up badly enough to prevent their arrival in Kamdesh. The wounded Americans condition immediately improved after the first unit of blood, as did the spirits of all those in the aid station. 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.". 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. A year later COP Keating would be the location for the fateful October 2009 Battle of Kamdesh for . 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]. I'd have to look more into the specific situation to know more but from the general impression of the situation. 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. AAF operations were expanding, supported by Taliban organizations in Pakistan. He was thrown from the truck, which rolled over him and sank into the river. 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. In my moment of being the listener to a war story I previously told, I realized that The Outpost was as honest as any war story. 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. Sgt. Youre reading this weeks At War newsletter. Gul Mohammed Khan, the government administrator for Kamdesh District, lived at the intersection of the Landay-Sin and Darreh Ye Kushtoz rivers. Several of the dogs that hung around the camp were with them, one of which supposedly bit an old woman working in a field. This will happen to you." During the Soviet occupation, HIG received more support from the CIA than any other Mujahideen resistance group. Clint Romesha and Ty Carter, portrayed by Scott Eastwood and Caleb Landry Jones, were not present when Benjamin Keating died. "The investigation concluded that critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets which had been supporting COP Keating had been diverted to assist ongoing intense combat operations in other areas," the report said. The brigade was busy guarding another village, and numerous other resources had been consumed looking for Bowe Bergdahl, a U.S. soldier who was held captive by the Taliban after he deserted his post on June 30, 2009. For the most part, yes. This strategy depended upon extending government control by building and maintaining provincial reconstruction team bases. Relief had been slowed in reaching COP Keating due to a lack of available aircraft and density of terrain.

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captain mel porter outpost keating