Surprised they didn't frag him. Here's what else we covered in this week's newsletter. [34], The flight crews of three United States Army AH-64D Apache helicopters were later decorated for actions during the battle. Keating saw these programs as producing mixed results. Breaches occurred at a latrine area close to the perimeter wire; also the main entrance where civilian Afghan security guards were overwhelmed; and from the eastern sidewhere Afghan National Army soldiers were stationed. New roads would be the final stage, built and maintained by local contractors. Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha and Staff Sergeant Ty Carter were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the battle. Clint Romesha and Ty Carter, portrayed by Scott Eastwood and Caleb Landry Jones, were not present when Benjamin Keating died. The combination of volatile weather and rugged mountains make any kind of travel and life in general difficult and challenging. ", Yes. prosthetic makeup effects administrator: Millennium FX. [7]:363383[13], COP Keating became increasingly isolated in the summer of 2009. Despite some condensing with regard to the timeline and a fictional character or two (Pfc. Sylvanius Broward in the movie is a fictional name for a real captain, Mel Porter. 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. American military operations in Kamdesh were affected as soon as units began gathering for deployment in the area. Please email thoughts and suggestions to atwar@nytimes.com. 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. A new counter-insurgency strategy seemed to offer a way around these problems. This page was last edited on 25 January 2023, at 06:49. [7]:327328 The nearest attack helicopters were located in Jalalabad, a thirty-minute flight away. 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]:1238,1368,18191,407, From August 8 to November 25 of 2006, strenuous efforts were made to supply and expand the PRT by supply convoys using the Landay-Sin valley road from Naray FOB. I only watched the trailer. 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. Michael Polidor and Capt. [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. 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. 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 [36], On 11 February 2013, President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha, a survivor of the battle. 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. Melvin Porter of the Fourth Infantry Division, as Keating has been furiously and repeatedly attacked since it opened in 2006. The military's failure to close Combat Outpost Keating earlier likely contributed to the Battle of Kamdesh, which resulted in eight U.S. soldiers losing their lives, while 27 others were left wounded. In the wake of the attack, several soldiers based at COP Keating told ABC News that they did not know the attack was as large as it was because they received enemy fire with such frequency. 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. [7][8] The former of which is based on the book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by journalist Jake Tapper. 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. The high mountains around the camp provided the perfect perches for Taliban snipers to pick off the soldiers. [7]:803,945,11620, While attempting the pickup, a Chinook transport helicopter crashed in the darkness at 10:09 PM when the rear rotor hit a tree, and the helicopter slid down the slope and over a cliff, exploding in flames and killing all the crew and passengers. Eventually, supporting aircraft scattered the attackers; while air support provided decisive results. For their heroism, 2 Medals of Honor, 9 Silver Stars and 21 Bronze Stars were awarded. Robert Yllescas. Daniel Rodriguez, who took part in the real-life Battle of Kamdesh, portrays himself in the movie. A recreated Red Platoon barracks bunk bed. Once we got overhead the target, the biggest thing that struck me was how much of Keating was on fire. COP Keating, which was established in the summer of 2006, was put in the valley for the simple reason that it's where the roads are. 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. It could not be seen or supported with indirect fire due to the multi-level and complicated terrain. The Los Angeles gift shop Bunkado, at center with a fan on its sign, in the 1950s. The difference there being the writers seemingly supporting her reticence to explain anything. 8 killed 27 wounded[5] 4 killed 10 wounded. [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. He jumped up undeterred and ran through heavy fire to get more ammunition. After an investigation, four officers in the chain of command were disciplined for their failure to adequately support the base. The outpost was renamed Camp Keating in December 2006 (not in 2009). Sgt. From left, Martin Malchev as Specialist Cody Floyd; Jack Kalian as Staff Sgt. But he was ineffective in actually making the men understand why/how he came to certain decisions. Regrouping there, they pushed out teams to retake much of the outpost. Like in the film, Sgt. 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 Soviets had to contend with a rebel group known as the Dawlet of eastern Nuristan. "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. Stoney Portis, an officer in the Army and a Ph.D. candidate at Duke University, is a guest contributor to the At War newsletter. [7]:28,41,908,123, The Kamdesh village and most of Nuristan is located in the Hindu Kush. By all quantifiable metrics, my unit won the fight, but at a devastating cost: Eight soldiers died, 22 were wounded and our camp burned to the ground. 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. Even some of the dialogue is taken word for word from real life. [29], Following the battle, the U.S. Central Command conducted an investigation on what had occurred, led by US Army General Guy Swan. Furthermore, Camp Keating's location, surrounded by mountains on three sides, exposed helicopters and the outpost's garrison to insurgent fire. 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. At one point, he and his men came under heavy sniper fire. Clint Romesha, portrayed by Scott Eastwood in the film. 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. Two days before the attack, I was en route to a mountaintop observation post when the helicopter I was flying in was hit by enemy fire. I'd have to look more into the specific situation to know more but from the general impression of the situation. 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. The outpost itself also needed to be accessible by road since most of the helicopters were being used in Iraq and were unavailable. Harder, from Minnesota, just 29, was in charge of a small team of soldiers at the combat outpost, COP Keating. Many of the Afghan troops, however, were a different story. (Multiple explosions near the ammo supply set off a series of fires at the post.). This seems to be displayed rather accurately in the movie, at least with regard to how it's described in Tapper's book. This series of meetings over two days involved more than 800 representatives of the people of Nuristan, and had the goal of bringing order and economic development to the region. Or invite someone to subscribe through this link. [17], 27 soldiers were awarded the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in combat. 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. The attacks size and urgency may have had something to do with the US Soldier Bounty issued by the Ruskies. 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. The movie does a good job of capturing the nerve-racking tension of being posted at Combat Outpost Keating. The entire Outpost Keating was recreated. 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. 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. The camp burned into the night and some of the building walls fell to the ground. I have my own war stories from that day, but watching one of my best friends relive his on set was the closest I could come to fully understanding his heartache and pain. The transfusion was a radical move that brought Mace back to consciousness. [10], OP Fritsche was established to provide overwatch for COP Keating and was manned by a mix of US and Afghan national forces. The pick up zone for Able Troop 2nd Platoon was called PZ Reds, located on the side of an 8,000-foot mountain. Staff Sergeant Vernon Tiller, the most senior mechanic, was in the passenger's seat when it went over the cliff. Tiller was also thrown from the truck but his injuries weren't nearly as severe. It was adapted for the screen by Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy (Patriots Day and The Fighter). In Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming, Jonathan Shay calls this form of catharsis the communalization of grief, in which trauma survivors tell their stories and listeners can listen, believe and remember. This is when the circle of healing is complete. 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. "It is one of the most well-planned and carefully choreographed attacks in the history of the Afghan war," Tapper told NPR. 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. 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. 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. [7]:31214,371, The shura began to falter by October 2008. Unlike Donahue, Nicholson was a supporter of COIN in addition to seeing Kamdesh as a decisive control point. Mace survived long enough to be evacuated to a nearby medical facility. Despite the efforts of two Latvian military advisors, First Sergeant Jnis Lais and Corporal Mrti Dboli,[21] who tried to convince the Afghan National Army forces not to flee,[22] the Afghan defenders quickly broke and ran. On his way, he stopped to offer first aid to wounded troops. [9], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}352523N 711944E / 35.4231N 71.3289E / 35.4231; 71.3289 (Location of Combat Outpost Keating). So first and foremost: The movie is based off the book of the same name. Four U.S. Army officers were reprimanded for "inadequate measures taken by the chain of command." He was awarded the medal on 26 August 2013. This letter was written in Pashto and signed "Mujahideen". As we walked into the replica aid station, I looked at Cordova. Lieutenant Keating, first commander of the Kamdesh PRT, was determined to make COIN a success in the region. [3] Romesha was critical of the choice of site for the base, describing it as "like being in a fishbowl or fighting from the bottom of a paper cup. "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. 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. In the year that followed the agreement, ANA and American deaths dropped from thirty to three. However, Army 1st Lt. Benjamin Keating's death actually happened three years earlier, in 2006, not 2009. -CBS Sunday Morning. Read more from At War here or follow us on Twitter. [2] A day after, on October 7, Taliban fighters were seen among the ruins of the outpost. Rather off-topic but wasn't Poe at that moment demoted by Leia beforehand? U.S. air support directed by Sgt. According to army records, the Taliban commander of the attack on Keating, Abdul Rahman Mustaghni, was killed by the following drone strike along with thirteen other insurgents. But I never told the story from my own perspective. However that road itself was pretty poor in of itself. The Allies stopped using the Kamdesh-Naray road. This strategy depended upon extending government control by building and maintaining provincial reconstruction team bases. "The little bastards keep shooting at us every day. The camp was defended by a combined force of 140 U.S. and Afghan soldiers. That doesnt mean anything should be taken from the guys on the ground. 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. Justin Gallegos' Silver Star was later upgraded to a Distinguished Service Cross. These factors resulted in an attractive target for enemy fighters," the report concluded. The 53. Located near the border with Pakistan in the Afghan province of Nuristan, COP Keating was the scene of a coordinated attack by as many as 300 Taliban fighters who stormed the exposed base. It took place while First Lieutenant Kaine Meshkin (not in the film) was leading a patrol to Observation Post Fritsche. 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. As a result of the battle, COP Keating was partially overrun and nearly destroyed. The rock could not be demolished without raining fragments into the town of Urmul across the Landay-Sin river. In response to this, the local Afghan officials sent more government troops into the area. 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? In the end, we gaveThe Outpost movie a Historical Accuracy Score of 8.5/10. The first effort was made by First Lieutenant Dave Roller. 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. I am almost 100% certain it was deliberately placed in a shitty location to goad locals into attacking the base, allowing the US to attack the enemy directly. Several of the surviving soldiers were technical advisors on the film, including Medal of Honor recipient Ty Carter, who is played by Caleb Landry Jones. [1] Plans were drawn up in the summer of 2006 by the US Army's 10th Mountain Division as part of Operation Mountain Lion. [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. [7]:229,256,26380[12], The Battle of Saret Koheh made good on the threats of the "Night Letter". 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