Div. Soldiers Dead in Bold Attack in Afghanistan", Attack on Afghan outposts kills 8 soldiers, "U.S. ignored warnings before deadly Afghan attack", "U.S. Military Faults Leaders in Attack on Base", "Courage at Keating: 2 Medals of Honor, 1 DSC, 8 Silver Stars for standout B Troop", "Army releases report on battle at Combat Outpost Keating battle", "Afghan insurgents pushed into U.S. base, official says", "Strategic Plans Spawned Bitter End for a Lonely Outpost", "Defense.gov News Release: DoD Identifies Army Casualties", "Defense.gov News Release: DoD Identifies Army Casualty", "Insurgents breached U.S. outpost in battle", The Gazette: Mom works to help Carson soldiers honor battle bonds, "They 'weren't going to get beat that day' the Medal of Honor recipients who held COP Keating against all odds", "US premiere of film about Battle of COP Keating and Latvian soldiers | Aizsardzbas ministrija", Latvijas Televzija: Videofilma "Afganistna. Then tragedy struck again. [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. 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. 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. That was our troopers advantage up there. As soon as they left, the insurgents would come back.. The movie details Keating's November 2006 death, which occurred when his truck fell from a clifftop road during a convoy run. Nine soldiers were awarded the Silver Star for valor. Between each take, the director and actors paused and turned to Cordova, who offered feedback to make the scene match his memory. Melvin Porter of the Fourth Infantry Division, as Keating has been furiously and repeatedly attacked since it opened in 2006. "But it is very difficult for us when people who weren't there and weren't involved, question the decision of leadership in a fight, but sometimes it is also necessary.". [5] The U.S. military estimated that 150 Taliban insurgents were also killed as a result of repulsing the assault. -CBS Sunday Morning. Aaron Dove, pilot and weapon systems officer of one of the F-15E aircraft coordinating close air support, were also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. 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. 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. Omar was the top Taliban leader, but U.S. Intelligence stated that HIG had done the killing, crediting Omar to instil more fear due to Omar's greater reputation. [7]:12930 1345,156. Zorias Yunger), most of what unfolds in the movie is largely accurate. 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. 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. Nearly 20 Air Force and Army aircraft flew close-air support missions throughout the day, helping to kill about 150 insurgents. "Needed force protection improvements were not made because of the imminent closure of the outpost. Capt. Click here for complete coverage of the Afghan war. A United States Special Operations forces soldier on the Syria-Turkey border in. Tiller was also thrown from the truck but his injuries weren't nearly as severe. To a man, they all felt they had an obligation to help out in those areas where they saw Portar as failing, but upon hearing their recommendations, the captain consistently told them, point blank, that he was the commander, not them. Stoney Portis, an officer in the Army and a Ph.D. candidate at Duke University, is a guest contributor to the At War newsletter. 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. The battle is also the main focal point of the 2020 film The Outpost, which was in-turn based on the book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by Jake Tapper. These troops were ambushed on the Naray-Kamdesh road and shot up badly enough to prevent their arrival in Kamdesh. American troops in Nuristan found themselves directly in opposition to the HIG forces. Like in the movie, the quick reaction force (QRF) coming down the mountain to help were shocked by the firey devastation. The American forces were too outnumbered to survive sustained combat. The camp was defended by a combined force of 140 U.S. and Afghan soldiers. Resistance in Nuristan revolved around a specific group of Islamic fighters known as Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin or HIG. "We're constantly under observation." The soldiers heard over the radio, "Enemy in the wire The enemy is inside the camp." -The New Yorker, "On average, we'd get hit three to four times a week," says Sgt. The U.S. evacuated the camp three days later. 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. As we walked into the replica aid station, I looked at Cordova. -The Outpost book. 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. [7]:334,501,92,98. Clint Romesha and Ty Carter, portrayed by Scott Eastwood and Caleb Landry Jones, were not present when Benjamin Keating died. [1] Plans were drawn up in the summer of 2006 by the US Army's 10th Mountain Division as part of Operation Mountain Lion. [8] Coalition forces responded with small arms fire, mortars, and by the afternoon, helicopters, heavy artillery, and airstrikes. On Oct. 3, while Cordova was in the aid station keeping Mace alive, I was fighting to get back with a company of reinforcements. 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. Chris Cordova with actors who portrayed him and medics under his command. He died when his truck fell off the cliff, and the outpost was later named Combat Outpost Keating in his honor. 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. 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. Who plays Nia on the outpost? Something had to be done to bring Nuristan on to the American side. 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. What if there was a country in place of the Bay of Biscay? Justin Gallegos' Silver Star was later upgraded to a Distinguished Service Cross. [10][27][28], On October 5 and 6, Coalition troops conducted operations in the area in an attempt to locate and destroy the Taliban forces responsible for the attack on the outposts. Follow-up attacks attempted by Taliban forces were subsequently thwarted by U.S. Area of Operations. Of the 53 U.S. soldiers who fought in the Battle of Kamdesh at Outpost Keating, 45 survived, 8 lost their lives, and 27 were wounded. 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. ", Yes. It was one of many reasons Cordova was later awarded the Silver Star. Given that her reticence led to her subordinates acting on their own initiative resulting in her plan failing, not really. Combat Outpost Keating was a small American military outpost in Nurestan Province, in Afghanistan. While en route the Platoon encountered a planned ambush on the side of the mountain resulting in three confirmed enemy KIA at approximately 6:00pm. The latest acronym for attackers used by the Americans was AAF, for anti-Afghan fighters. [32] Staff Sgt. As with Captain Benjamin Keating, the movie pushes both of their deaths to 2009 and fictionally depicts both men as being part of the 3/61 CAV (3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment). Clint Romesha, portrayed by Scott Eastwood in the film. [7]:327328 The nearest attack helicopters were located in Jalalabad, a thirty-minute flight away. JavaScript is disabled. Defense officials confirm that two senior officers who oversaw the forces at COP Keating have received administrative punishments that could impact their careers. It was treacherous and subject to enemy ambush. 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. In the end, as part of an effort by General Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, such remote outposts were closed so that more troops could be used to protect civilians in populated areas. At one point, the insurgents even controlled the ammunition supply point. Combat. Combat Outpost Keating is best known as the setting of the Battle of Kamdesh which occurred on October 3rd, 2009.. After an attack on October 3, 2009, where the base was nearly . 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. The outpost was renamed Camp Keating in December 2006 (not in 2009). |. By allowing soldiers to tell their story, by hearing their story, you are also part of the healing. It's true that some of the Taliban fighters casually strolled through the camp, believing they had won. [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). 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. This page was last edited on 25 January 2023, at 06:49. Sgt. As seen in the movie, the road in Kamdesh collapsed underneath the truck, throwing Keating from the vehicle as it rolled over a cliff, sending both himself and the truck down toward the Landay-Sin River. As Cordova worked to stop the bleeding, five injured Afghan soldiers and another American who suffered a chest wound were brought in. Contained between the Landay River and steep mountains, Keating was attacked from multiple directions by 300 enemy fighters. Rob Yllescas of Nebraska, in "The Outpost," which tells the story of real-life combat events from the War in Afghanistan. This letter was written in Pashto and signed "Mujahideen". The Outpost real story confirms that COP Keating was evacuated two days after the battle. Other veterans also acted in the movie, including Henry Hughes. 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. The difference there being the writers seemingly supporting her reticence to explain anything. In 2006, HIG was actively resisting the Afghan government. Cordovas care raised the morale of every soldier in the aid station, and word quickly spread across the outpost, the battle narrative stated. Years later, I still feel guilty for not getting there until nightfall, even if the circumstances were out of my control. [29], Following the battle, the U.S. Central Command conducted an investigation on what had occurred, led by US Army General Guy Swan. [7][8] The former of which is based on the book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by journalist Jake Tapper. 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. Among these U.S. troops were men of great mettle. 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. 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