A year later COP Keating would be the location for the fateful October 2009 Battle of Kamdesh for . For their heroism, 2 Medals of Honor, 9 Silver Stars and 21 Bronze Stars were awarded. Extending control further along the river was expected to counter the AAF expansion and activity in the summer of 2007. Combat. Christopher Cordova, the squadrons physician assistant, was manning the aid station where there was no power. The latest acronym for attackers used by the Americans was AAF, for anti-Afghan fighters. It looked just like our outpost on the day of the battle. These valley and road intersections combined with the political leadership in the area inspired the positioning of the Nuristan PRT. 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. This agreement did bring down the level of combat in the Kamdesh area. You are using an out of date browser. Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Army.When the battle ended after more than 12 hours, eight U.S. soldiers were killed and another 22 wounded. 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. This strategy depended upon extending government control by building and maintaining provincial reconstruction team bases. 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. 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. [1] Plans were drawn up in the summer of 2006 by the US Army's 10th Mountain Division as part of Operation Mountain Lion. "[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 is one of the most well-planned and carefully choreographed attacks in the history of the Afghan war," Tapper told NPR. [37], Staff Sergeant Ty Carter (then Specialist) was also awarded the Medal of Honor for his courage during the battle. 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. He saw service in the First Barbary War, the War of 1812 and in the West Indies.On July 2, 1812, Porter hoisted the banner "Free trade and sailors' rights" as captain of USS Essex. They were commanded by Captain Tom Bostick. The growling soon escalated into outright hostility, which deeply frightened the boy. 3-71 Cavalry conducted many successful combat missions in the area surrounding the camp and repelled various attacks on the base. On Oct. 3, 2009, Keating was the site of the second costliest U.S. firefight of the Afghanistan War. Without air support, I dont think we would have made it, considering the number against us and the area we were in, McMurtrey said. During the first minutes of battle, mortar rounds hit the main generator, cutting power to most of the camp. Served with United States Army since 2008. Above their paygrade. Fallen Heroes 3-61 Cavalry, 4th BCT, 4th ID. 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. The Nuristanis had resisted Islam as late as the year 1895 and before that had been considered a Hindu nation (Islamic invaders called them "Kaffir" or heathen) with a long tradition of violently resisting outsiders and their beliefs. Actor Milo Gibson, the son of Mel Gibson, portrays Capt. In the process, the truck rolled over him and ended up almost fully submerged in the river. On his way, he stopped to offer first aid to wounded troops. [20] Observation Post Fritsche was attacked simultaneously, limiting available support from that position. Harder, from Minnesota, just 29, was in charge of a small team of soldiers at the combat outpost, COP Keating. -The Outpost book. A recreated Red Platoon barracks bunk bed. This was a re-deployment from the Cowkay and Korangal Valleys to Kamdesh. [2] A day after, on October 7, Taliban fighters were seen among the ruins of the outpost. The soldiers heard over the radio, "Enemy in the wire The enemy is inside the camp." The PRT site resembled the bottom of a funnel. The attacks size and urgency may have had something to do with the US Soldier Bounty issued by the Ruskies. 37 soldiers were awarded the Army Commendation Medal with "V" device for valor. The other two mountains that surrounded the actual outpost were inserted with CGI. The Battle of Kamdesh took place during the war in Afghanistan. A press release issued by the NATO military command in Afghanistan said Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the senior U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, had taken "appropriate action" against the officers after reviewing the report. 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. U.S. air support directed by Sgt. While this is indeed alarmingly frequent, the movie makes it seem like the attacks are happening daily. He began building a consensus of village elders in support of the Afghan government. 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. 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. As soon as they left, the insurgents would come back.. Without adequate support, they were left to fight for their lives against overwhelming odds. Many of the Afghan National Army members there in support of the coalition troops fled. Contained between the Landay River and steep mountains, Keating was attacked from multiple directions by 300 enemy fighters. I only heard of it being a thing last year, never actually looked up when it actually happened. 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. [38], The battle of Kamdesh is documented in the 2017 book Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor by Clinton Romesha, a former United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle for Combat Outpost Keating in Nuristan, Afghanistan. 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. They should had just followed their fucking orders. Urdu and Pashtun HIG warriors brought arms and ammunition from Pakistan. Encased in armor, helmets, and weapons, Americans appeared to be looking for a fight. We were all crushed when, later that night, we found out that Mace succumbed to his wounds while undergoing surgery. Clint Romesha, portrayed by Scott Eastwood in the film. Everything was so realistic that had the cameras not been there I would have thought my mind was playing tricks on me. In 2006, HIG was actively resisting the Afghan government. Plans were drawn up in the summer of 2006 by the US Army's 10th Mountain Division as part of Operation Mountain Lion. The combination of volatile weather and rugged mountains make any kind of travel and life in general difficult and challenging. Combat Outpost Keating was a small American military outpost in Nurestan Province, in Afghanistan. [8] The Coalition forces withdrew from the base shortly after the battle. 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. [7]:334,501,92,98. Their checkpoints[11] and "taxes" was used to finance AAF operations. 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. Once we got overhead the target, the biggest thing that struck me was how much of Keating was on fire. Lardner, Richard (Associated Press), "Command Failures". Furthermore, Camp Keating's location, surrounded by mountains on three sides, exposed helicopters and the outpost's garrison to insurgent fire. The soldiers left so quickly that they didn't take all of the ammunition. Melvin Porter of the Fourth Infantry Division, as Keating has been furiously and repeatedly attacked since it opened in 2006. While exploring the movie's historical accuracy, we confirmed that during the real-life Battle of Kamdesh, Taliban fighters got inside Outpost Keating. . A base at the bottom of a valley surrounded by hills which are. Rob Yllescas of Nebraska, in "The Outpost," which tells the story of real-life combat events from the War in Afghanistan. Keating died while serving at the base in 2006 and it was . The Allies stopped using the Kamdesh-Naray road. 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. Youre reading this weeks At War newsletter. [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. Daniel Rodriguez, who took part in the real-life Battle of Kamdesh, portrays himself in the movie. 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. They did their jobs, and Im here because of what they did, but air support was definitely a must.. Despite some condensing with regard to the timeline and a fictional character or two (Pfc. 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