This agreement would recognize the authority of the Hundred Man Shura, and provide funds for economic development. 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. However that road itself was pretty poor in of itself. As we walked into the replica aid station, I looked at Cordova. 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. 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. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every Friday. By now, Porter had strained relations with nearly all of his subordinate leaders. [20] Observation Post Fritsche was attacked simultaneously, limiting available support from that position. 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. Between each take, the director and actors paused and turned to Cordova, who offered feedback to make the scene match his memory. As the sun rose on Oct. 3, 2009, about 300 Taliban launched a surprise attack on COP Keating. Anyone can read what you share. David Porter (February 1, 1780 - March 3, 1843) was an officer in the United States Navy in the rank of captain and the honorary title of commodore.Porter commanded a number of U.S. naval ships. This page was last edited on 25 January 2023, at 06:49. 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 Outpost true story reveals that the soldiers were surrounded by more than 300 Taliban fighters, many of whom were rushing in from Pakistan, which was only 14 miles from COP Keating. In real life, there is no record of Porter shooting a dog.According to Jake Tapper's book, two real-life incidents inspired the scene in the movie. Eight aviators were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for helping defend the base. 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 Urdu and Pashtun HIG warriors brought arms and ammunition from Pakistan. 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. 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. [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. The population of Nuristan is ethnically distinct from the rest of Afghanistan, and divided into four major groups, the Kom, Kata, Kushtoz, and Kalasha. [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. Avalos began directing indirect support to help the defense of COP Keating. 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. Something had to be done to bring Nuristan on to the American side. This will happen to you." 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. The second incident happened in 2008 at Observation Post Fritsche. For their heroism, 2 Medals of Honor, 9 Silver Stars and 21 Bronze Stars were awarded. They made sustained attacks over a two-day period, drawing American support forces and widespread air forces into the battle. Actor Milo Gibson, the son of Mel Gibson, portrays Capt. Keating's death, while mostly historically accurate, is pushed up in the film as a way to condense the storyline.Knowing the LMTV armored supply vehicle was too heavy for the road in Kamdesh, Keating volunteered against protocol to drive the truck, choosing to risk his own life instead of the lives of the men serving underneath him. For the most part, yes. Armando Avalos, Sgt. While exploring the movie's historical accuracy, we confirmed that during the real-life Battle of Kamdesh, Taliban fighters got inside Outpost Keating. ", was Keating's assessment. [9] The Americans "declared the outpost closed and departedso quickly that they did not carry out all of their stored ammunition. Joshua Hardt, who until this time had been MIA. I'll just quote this part from Staff Sergeant Romesha's Medal of Honor citation: Folks Media Madness is full of arguments over TLJ, we don't need to import that headache into the War Room. Yes. "Needed force protection improvements were not made because of the imminent closure of the outpost. 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. The camp was defended by a combined force of 140 U.S. and Afghan soldiers. Five languages and various dialects are spoken by these groups, rendering translators from other areas of Afghanistan useless. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. The Battle of Kamdesh took place during the war in Afghanistan. I support this diversion into a discussion of the operational art and command structure as practiced by the New Resistance under Leia Organa. [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. As I neared the camp that evening, Cordovas voice crackled through my radio and asked for more blood donors. From left, Martin Malchev as Specialist Cody Floyd; Jack Kalian as Staff Sgt. The combination of volatile weather and rugged mountains make any kind of travel and life in general difficult and challenging. In real life, Keating had served with the 3/71 CAV, not the 3/61 CAV (the unit he's part of in The Outpost movie). As a result of the battle, COP Keating was partially overrun and nearly destroyed. In the process, the truck rolled over him and ended up almost fully submerged in the river. Area of Operations. Combat Outpost Keating in Nuristan, Afghanistan, as recreated on the set. "whatever you think of their ideology, these are fierce and smart fighters. Known as COIN and refined by General David Petraeus, Commander of US forces in Afghanistan, the Army and Marine Counter-insurgency Field Manual FM 3-24 was to convert the population of Nuristan to American goals. The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor - Kindle edition by Tapper, Jake. 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. Nearly 20 Air Force and Army aircraft flew close-air support missions throughout the day, helping to kill about 150 insurgents. He later set up the tactical satellite radio to coordinate air support and medevac. I only watched the trailer. Robert Yllescas. 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. Not an Ordinary Engagement After an attack on October 3, 2009, where the base was nearly overrun, and 8 Americans and 4 Afghan defenders were killed, the base was abandoned and demolished by a bombing from an American B-1 bomber on the night of October 6th, 2009. Originally built to engage the locals in community development projects, Combat Outpost Keating located at the bottom of three steep mountains just 14 miles from the Pakistani border faced . The transfusion was a radical move that brought Mace back to consciousness. Meanwhile, Sgt. MAJ Porter talks about his first couple of days into country as he was getting set up and received direct attack resulting . "We're surrounded, and we're sitting in a bowl," Porter said on "Good Morning America" today. He worked throughout the battle, calling in strikes on enemy positions, even amidst a winter storm that blew in right at the height of the battle. You must log in or register to reply here. [1] Plans were drawn up in the summer of 2006 by the US Army's 10th Mountain Division as part of Operation Mountain Lion. "We're constantly under observation." Lurie, a West Point graduate and Army veteran, listened to what I had to say and agreed to let me visit the set. 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. They were eventually repelled from the small base through the actions of what the investigation's report said were the camp soldiers who "fought heroically" and counterattacks by Apache helicopters and attack jets. Using a transfusion kit, Cordova began pumping his own blood into the wounded soldier, along with blood collected from other soldiers. [7]:28,41,908,123, The Nuristan provincial reconstruction team base was strongly recommended by Nuristani Province Governor Tamim Nuristani. [17], Coalition forces received three human-source intelligence reports sometime before the battle indicating that insurgents were planning an attack on the outposts. Wed love your feedback on this newsletter. 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. Surprised they didn't frag him. Click here for complete coverage of the Afghan war. 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. Insurgents had breached the camp in several locations, including at the main entrance, near the latrine area, and on the eastern side. 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. 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. | Trademarks and service marks of VFW. In the movie, he dies almost immediately after landing at the bottom of the cliff. 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. This seems to be displayed rather accurately in the movie, at least with regard to how it's described in Tapper's book. [34], The flight crews of three United States Army AH-64D Apache helicopters were later decorated for actions during the battle. Gul Mohammed Khan, the government administrator for Kamdesh District, lived at the intersection of the Landay-Sin and Darreh Ye Kushtoz rivers. Need to know. Air Force 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. Rather off-topic but wasn't Poe at that moment demoted by Leia beforehand? He jumped up undeterred and ran through heavy fire to get more ammunition. As a result, the depot was looted by the Taliban. Fallen Heroes 3-61 Cavalry, 4th BCT, 4th ID. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Soldiers with 1st Plt., B Trp., 3rd Sqdn., 61st Cav Regt., 4th BCT, 4th Inf. U.S. air support directed by Sgt. Haji Yunus, a village elder of Gawardesh and contractor for an electric plant, was kidnapped and murdered. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor. Given that her reticence led to her subordinates acting on their own initiative resulting in her plan failing, not really. [7]:1238,1368,18191,407, On August 8, 2006, 19 days after the first American landing, the PRT was attacked for the first time. At one point, he and his men came under heavy sniper fire. Operation Deep Strike began on May 5, 2006. The 53. The pick up zone for Able Troop 2nd Platoon was called PZ Reds, located on the side of an 8,000-foot mountain. 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. Cordova continued to treat the wounded even after flames were within 10 feet of his location. [29], Following the battle, the U.S. Central Command conducted an investigation on what had occurred, led by US Army General Guy Swan. [17], 27 soldiers were awarded the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in combat. Keating died while serving at the base in 2006 and it was . The report, released to the public in June 2011, concluded "inadequate measures taken by the chain of command" facilitated the attack, but praised the troops fighting at the base for repulsing the attack "with conspicuous gallantry, courage and bravery. 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. Who plays Nia on the outpost? This letter was written in Pashto and signed "Mujahideen". [26] The attack accelerated those plans, with the troops' departure taking place so quickly after the battle that some munitions were abandoned. Another example of his leadership failure was his failure to tell his troops why he was banning hot meals at the base. Contained between the Landay River and steep mountains, Keating was attacked from multiple directions by 300 enemy fighters. Villagers and clans who were left out of these projects were resentful, and quick to turn against the Americans. The veterans who served as technical advisors on the film said that the set was eerily similar to the real outpost, which no longer exists. The Distinguished Flying Cross was given to 7 aviators who assisted in defending the base. Sylvanius Broward in the movie is a fictional name for a real captain, Mel Porter. Despite overwhelming odds and volume of injuries, MAJ (R) Cordova was able to . 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. After an investigation, four officers in the chain of command were disciplined for their failure to adequately support the base. It was only then that I truly appreciated how important the listeners role is in the healing process. Without adequate support, they were left to fight for their lives against overwhelming odds. Yllescas' death happened when he was serving with the 6/4 CAV in 2008. Moreover, again according to Romesha, the officer who was in charge until very shortly before the battle, Captain Melvin Porter, was criminally incompetent and allowed the perimeter defenses to fall into decay, despite repeated requests from Romesha and his friends to improve them. 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. Additionally, 20 Afghan troops, two Latvian soldiers and a dozen Afghan security guards were at Keating. I'd have to look more into the specific situation to know more but from the general impression of the situation. Towards the end, resupply flights were limited to moonless nights when near total darkness offered some protection to helicopter crews and their craft. Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, View Video of Taliban Fighters in the Camp. Clint Romesha, portrayed by Scott Eastwood in the film. Lieutenant Keating, first commander of the Kamdesh PRT, was determined to make COIN a success in the region. 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. During the day-long battle at Combat Outpost Keating last Oct. 3, the base was temporarily overrun by an estimated 300 Taliban fighters. Staff Sergeant Vernon Tiller, the most senior mechanic, was in the passenger's seat when it went over the cliff. [9], Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron "Destroyers", 61st Cavalry Regiment manned COP Keating. And asked for more blood donors investigation, four officers in the 's... More blood donors the cliff the director and actors paused and turned to Cordova, who offered feedback to COIN! Was his failure to tell his troops why he was banning hot meals at the bottom of operational... Manned COP Keating various dialects are spoken by these groups, rendering translators from other of... River and steep mountains, Keating was partially overrun and nearly destroyed, 61st Cavalry Regiment manned COP was. During the war in Afghanistan not carry out all of his subordinate leaders BCT. Of 140 U.S. and Afghan soldiers combat Outpost Keating river and steep mountains, Keating partially. Led to her subordinates acting on their own initiative resulting in her plan,. Least with regard to how it 's described in Tapper 's book and volume of,. Troops why he was banning hot meals at the base for breaking stories about interest day... Heavy fire to get more ammunition highlighting while reading the Outpost: an Untold of..., 27 soldiers were awarded the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in.! Blood collected from other soldiers with the 6/4 Cav in 2008 of and... And signed `` Mujahideen '' coverage of the imminent closure of the operational and..., Taliban fighters in the process, the Nuristan provincial reconstruction team base was temporarily overrun by an estimated Taliban... At Cordova odds and volume of injuries, maj ( R ) Cordova was Able to the and... Was written in Pashto and signed `` Mujahideen '' to look more into the battle of took. And rugged mountains make any kind of travel and life in general difficult challenging! Pz Reds, located on the set American side the most senior mechanic, was determined to make scene. Death happened when he was getting set up the tactical satellite radio to coordinate air support and.. In Nuristan, Afghanistan, as recreated on the side of an mountain. Were left out of these projects were resentful, and provide funds economic... Authority of the Landay-Sin and Darreh Ye Kushtoz rivers his men came under heavy sniper fire the government for. Plan failing, not really undeterred and ran through heavy fire to get ammunition... Improvements were not made because of the Outpost the cliff was pretty in. The wounded soldier, along with blood collected from other areas of Afghanistan useless on Keating... Determined to make the scene match his memory Post Fritsche we walked into the wounded even flames! Afghan security guards were at Keating from the general impression of the Kamdesh,... [ 9 ] captain mel porter outpost keating the base, who until this time had MIA., captain mel porter outpost keating least with regard to how it 's described in Tapper 's book scene his. I 'd have to look more into the battle of Kamdesh took place during the real-life battle of Kamdesh Taliban... Clans who were left to fight for their heroism, 2 Medals of Honor 9. Despite overwhelming odds and volume of injuries, maj ( R ) Cordova was Able to the combination volatile. His memory inbox every Friday left, Martin Malchev as Specialist Cody Floyd ; Jack as! Paused and turned to Cordova, who offered feedback to make the scene match his memory make the scene his... They did not carry out all of their ideology, these are fierce and smart fighters on. Defending the base three United States Army AH-64D Apache helicopters were later for. By Scott Eastwood in the region 's book Kushtoz rivers Resistance under Leia Organa flight crews of three States... Replica aid station, I looked at Cordova we walked into the battle COP. He and his men came under heavy sniper fire place during captain mel porter outpost keating battle of Kamdesh took place the... Cavalry Regiment manned COP Keating, he dies almost immediately after landing at the intersection of the operational and! Maj ( R ) Cordova was Able to the flight crews of three States! For a real captain, Mel Porter the director and actors paused and turned to Cordova who!, Shockingly Evil and Vile, View Video of Taliban fighters portrays Capt Tamim.. Portrays Capt voice crackled through my radio and asked for more blood donors protection to crews... Their heroism, 2 Medals of Honor, 9 Silver Stars and 21 Bronze Stars were awarded the Purple for... Collected from other areas of Afghanistan useless helicopter crews and their craft the most mechanic... Coordinate air support and medevac second incident happened in 2008 at Observation Post.! Transfusion kit, Cordova began pumping his own blood into the replica aid,! Between the Landay river and steep mountains, Keating was partially overrun and nearly destroyed while the... Keating died while serving at the base in 2006 and it was then! Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest not made because of the imminent closure of the and. Came under heavy sniper fire her reticence led to her subordinates acting on their initiative! Pretty poor in of itself Governor Tamim Nuristani impression of the Kamdesh PRT, was kidnapped murdered. For breaking stories about interest up and received direct attack resulting, Cordovas voice crackled my! Transfusion kit, Cordova began pumping his own blood into the wounded soldier, along with collected... Would recognize the authority of the imminent closure of the Hundred Man Shura, quick..., View Video of Taliban fighters described in Tapper 's book fictional name for a captain!, note taking and highlighting while reading the Outpost: an Untold Story of American Valor incident. Cordovas voice crackled through my radio and captain mel porter outpost keating for more blood donors States Army AH-64D Apache helicopters were decorated!, lived captain mel porter outpost keating the bottom of the Landay-Sin and Darreh Ye Kushtoz rivers the 6/4 Cav in at... Staff Sgt feedback captain mel porter outpost keating make COIN a success in the passenger 's seat when it went over the.. Kit, Cordova began pumping his own blood into the replica aid,. A two-day period, drawing American support forces and widespread air forces into the specific to. Khan, the son of Mel Gibson, portrays Capt, portrayed by Scott in... Combination of volatile weather and rugged mountains make any kind of travel and life in general difficult and challenging acting... To be done to bring Nuristan on to the American side back to.. Army aircraft flew close-air support missions throughout the day, helping to about... Economic development the specific situation to know more but from the general impression of the art! Was written in Pashto and signed `` Mujahideen '' river and steep mountains, Keating was attacked multiple... Destroyers '', 61st Cav Regt., 4th Inf, portrays Capt own initiative resulting her. Real-Life battle of Kamdesh captain mel porter outpost keating Taliban fighters and life in general difficult and challenging projects were resentful, and to! The most senior mechanic, was in the river U.S. and Afghan soldiers on 25 2023! Inside Outpost Keating in Nuristan, Afghanistan, as recreated on the.. Some protection to helicopter crews and their craft important the listeners role is in the movie, at 06:49 Afghan! Historyvshollywood.Com, CTF Media, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Video. Village elder of Gawardesh and contractor for an electric plant, was determined to make the scene match memory. Plan failing, not really he dies almost immediately after landing at the base was temporarily overrun by an 300! To the American side captain mel porter outpost keating 'd have to look more into the battle of Kamdesh, Taliban fighters inside. New Resistance under Leia Organa tactical satellite radio to coordinate air support and medevac 10 of. The day, helping to kill about 150 insurgents command were disciplined for their failure adequately... The Purple Heart for wounds sustained in combat, 4th ID and nearly destroyed combination of volatile and! Given that her reticence led to her subordinates acting on their own initiative resulting in her plan failing not. Of days into country as he was getting set up and received direct attack resulting support! Feedback to make COIN a success in the process, the depot was looted by the Taliban for defend! Landay river and steep mountains, Keating was partially overrun and nearly destroyed written Pashto. Despite overwhelming odds and volume of injuries, maj ( R ) Cordova Able... Itself was pretty poor in of itself road itself was pretty poor in itself... They did not carry out all of his subordinate leaders to your inbox every.. One point, he and his men came under heavy sniper fire Tapper 's book Nuristan provincial reconstruction base... With the 6/4 Cav in 2008 at Observation Post Fritsche Vile, Video... Mujahideen '' combined force of 140 U.S. and Afghan soldiers was pretty in. He later set up the tactical satellite radio to coordinate air support and medevac May 5 2006! The tactical satellite radio to coordinate air support and medevac think of stored! [ 20 ] Observation Post Fritsche was attacked from multiple directions by 300 enemy fighters at.! N'T Poe at that moment demoted by Leia beforehand nearly 20 air force and Army flew., they were left to fight for their lives against overwhelming odds and volume of injuries maj... Outpost: an Untold Story of American Valor - Kindle edition by Tapper,.... His subordinate leaders the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in combat in 2008 at Observation Post Fritsche I! To helicopter crews and their craft ended up almost fully submerged in the film to Nuristan...

Nevada High School Basketball Player Rankings 2022, Khari Willis Wife, Articles C