Using the 120mm mortar means the base can command the entire valley. 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. Combat Outpost Keating was a small American military outpost in Nurestan Province, in Afghanistan. Afghan contractors were unable to keep the narrow mountain road in safe condition, and convoys were subject to constant ambush from the surrounding mountains that lined the route. Five languages and various dialects are spoken by these groups, rendering translators from other areas of Afghanistan useless. [7]:1238,1368,18191,407. U.S. soldiers reported that none of the Afghan soldiers held their ground. "[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 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. 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. Stoney Portis, an officer in the Army and a Ph.D. candidate at Duke University, is a guest contributor to the At War newsletter. [30] In the report released to the public, the U.S. Army concealed the names of the four disciplined officers. 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. They performed heroically and bravely.. Benjamin D. Keating (31 May 1979-26 November 2006) was a US Army Captain who served in the US 61st Cavalry Regiment during the Afghanistan War. [7]:803,945,11620, After marching into the proposed site for the Kamdesh provincial outpost, Captain Michael and Cherokee Company's second platoon were confronted by a large boulder in the middle of the site that made landing a helicopter in the PRT site impossible. October 03, 2019. American forces had already planned to pull out of the area as part of a plan to move forces to more densely populated areas, so closure of the base was imminent when the attack occurred. New roads would be the final stage, built and maintained by local contractors. He later set up the tactical satellite radio to coordinate air support and medevac. 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. -CBS Sunday Morning. The attack on COP Keating resulted in 8 Americans killed and 27 wounded while the Taliban suffered an estimated 150 killed. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. He assumed command of CO Keating following the death of Captain Robert Yllescas in a Taliban IED attack in December 2008, and he almost immediately acquired a negative reputation among his new command, who called him "Broward the Coward" for planning . For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The soldiers left so quickly that they didn't take all of the ammunition. Captain Broward is a fictional character likely based on Captain Melvin Porter, the officer who commanded COP Keating before it was attacked and was reprimanded for its lack of preparedness. While exploring the movie's historical accuracy, we confirmed that during the real-life Battle of Kamdesh, Taliban fighters got inside Outpost Keating. [39] The Netflix documentary series, Medal of Honor, includes an episode detailing the actions of Clinton Romesha and Ty Carter.[40]. Eventually, supporting aircraft scattered the attackers; while air support provided decisive results. Keating saw these programs as producing mixed results. The idea was to stop the insurgents' supply lines coming in from Pakistan. It was treacherous and subject to enemy ambush. I only heard of it being a thing last year, never actually looked up when it actually happened. 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. [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). JavaScript is disabled. 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 seems to be displayed rather accurately in the movie, at least with regard to how it's described in Tapper's book. The pick up zone for Able Troop 2nd Platoon was called PZ Reds, located on the side of an 8,000-foot mountain. 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. Died of his wounds after his leg was hit by a single gunshot wound. He decided that American soldiers' "battle rattle" war gear gave the impression of soulless killing machines. Meanwhile, Sgt. This is a lofty mountain range characterized by steep slopes of enormous granite boulders separated by fast moving rivers in deep narrow valleys. A United States Special Operations forces soldier on the Syria-Turkey border in September 2019. The movie details Keating's November 2006 death, which occurred when his truck fell from a clifftop road during a convoy run. Between each take, the director and actors paused and turned to Cordova, who offered feedback to make the scene match his memory. [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]. 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.". Some who fled even handed their weapons to Taliban fighters. Roller attended his next meeting with village leaders dressed in a T-shirt and shorts. "It is one of the most well-planned and carefully choreographed attacks in the history of the Afghan war," Tapper told NPR. The assassin was later found in Urmul and appeared to have the assistance of one of the Afghan day laborers at Camp Keating and the acquiescence of Urmul's elders. [23], Once inside, the attackers set fire to the base, burning down most of the barracks. For his gallantry, he was awarded the Silver Star Medal *, the U.S. Army's third highest award for valor. Then tragedy struck again. [2] A day after, on October 7, Taliban fighters were seen among the ruins of the outpost. "We're surrounded, and we're sitting in a bowl," Porter said on "Good Morning America" today. This page was last edited on 25 January 2023, at 06:49. Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha and Staff Sergeant Ty Carter were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the battle. Above their paygrade. Enemy forces controlled the landing zone, which prevented the wounded from being lifted out. On Oct. 3, 2009, the odds were against U.S. troops at Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistans Nuristan province, located just 10 miles from the Pakistan border. It seemed like the entire COP was burning [70 percent did].. He became the fourth surviving soldier from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts to be awarded the Medal of Honor due to courageous actions during the battle. Served with United States Army since 2008. 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. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [email protected]. His actions saved the lives of several soldiers, and he alone accomplished the work of four medical professionals without stopping for food or sleep, the battle narrative aptly concluded. 1.33 million dollars was budgeted for these projects. It's true that some of the Taliban fighters casually strolled through the camp, believing they had won. These bases were a key element of the American counterinsurgency strategy. The high mountains around the camp provided the perfect perches for Taliban snipers to pick off the soldiers. The basic approach to victory by the PRT involved three steps: Nicholson hoped the PRT would seed a process to be developed by the Nuristanis rather than imposed from the outside. Military commanders had already decided to close the base the previous summer, but delayed doing so because of other operations. The latest acronym for attackers used by the Americans was AAF, for anti-Afghan fighters. 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. Keating's November 26, 2006 death deeply affected his platoon, who wanted to honor his sacrifice and his selfless care for them. 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. The 53. In the movie, he dies almost immediately after landing at the bottom of the cliff. 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. 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. 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 U.S. evacuated the camp three days later. Outnumbered and outgunned, the soldiers fought. Extending control further along the river was expected to counter the AAF expansion and activity in the summer of 2007. 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. The letter stated: "At the present time for those who work and obey the American devils by taking contracts for building schools, road, and power plants: also those who work as police, district administrators, and commanders as well as sold-out mullahs who deny Allah's orders and holy war and deny the holy Quran: We are telling you that we are continuing our holy war in Allah's will Soon we will start our operations." [7]:31214,371, The shura began to falter by October 2008. As Cordova worked to stop the bleeding, five injured Afghan soldiers and another American who suffered a chest wound were brought in. "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. Leaving aside the wisdom of a fictional admiral cutting her CAG and most experienced pilot out of the loop while she plans a small craft evacuation, the US Army follows a doctrine known as Mission Command, which relies on the commander keeping their subordinates informed not just of their orders but the. Located along a riverbank in Kamdesh, Afghanistan, the base was surrounded by steep mountains. Yes. The Los Angeles gift shop Bunkado, at center with a fan on its sign, in the 1950s. 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. 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. This agreement did bring down the level of combat in the Kamdesh area. Villagers and clans who were left out of these projects were resentful, and quick to turn against the Americans. These factors resulted in an attractive target for enemy fighters," the report concluded. The outpost itself also needed to be accessible by road since most of the helicopters were being used in Iraq and were unavailable. On the day of our visit, the cast and crew were filming the scene when Mace finally arrives at the aid station. Quick reaction forces (QRF) from 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment did not reach the outpost until 7:00pm that day, while insurgents remained in parts of the outpost as late as 5:10pm. 8 killed 27 wounded[5] 4 killed 10 wounded. After dispensing with the enemy, QRF continued their descent and entered the outpost at approximately 7:00pm. 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. Such attacks are not news to men like Capt. Keating was killed in November 2006 when he volunteered for a dangerous mission to drive an army truck loaded with supplies up to the camp, along treacherous 200-foot cliffs. In the movie, a dog that some of the soldiers at the outpost are taking care of bites a visiting Kamdesh village elder. An officer also received administrative punishment for his role in a delayed artillery response to an ambush last September on a joint U.S.-Afghan patrol that left four Marines and nine Afghans dead. Clint Romesha, portrayed by Scott Eastwood in the film. Lieutenant Colonel Mike Howard, Squadron Commander, saw COIN as a process of providing three services: This would improve the local economy while providing improved communications with the central government and the rest of the nation. The 48N6 missiles of the S-400 (and why they were designed by flat-earthers), WI: Instead of a NATO pull-out, the bases/forces in Afghanistan are handed over to the UN Peacekeeping. American outpost in Nuristan, Afghanistan, List of post-Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipients, "Latest Medal of Honor brings COP Keating battle back into spotlight", "A Medal of Honor recipient's ongoing burden", "COP Keating battle begins, Medal of Honor nominee Romesha takes action", "This Netflix series will tell the stories of Medal of Honor recipients", "The Battle of Kamdesh, which netted two Medals of Honor, is coming to the big screen twice", "Sony Enlists Director Daniel Espinosa, George Clooney's Smokehouse For 'Red Platoon', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Combat_Outpost_Keating&oldid=1137949129, Military installations of the United States in Afghanistan, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 06:20. (The main aid station was too heavily damaged to remain in operation.). 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