[rumble] In Today's episode Byron recounts The Battle of Shewan: August 8, 2008 Thirty Marines bravely fought back waves of Taliban fighters for over eight hours of vicious close-quarters combat, suffering hour after hour of withering enemy fire and countless volleys of RPG, mortar, and rocket fire. One by one, their crew served weapons ran dry as the battle raged on until the last remaining magazines were re-distributed, and the thirty men conducted a devastating counterattack against the numerically superior and entrenched Taliban force that collapsed their left flank and sparked a panic amongst the enemy.
These Reconnaissance Marines fought past the point of exhaustion to continue their relentless assault until the Taliban were driven from the battlefield, leaving the city littered with spent casings, scarred buildings, and the broken bodies of the enemy. No Americans were killed during the fighting.
Byron Owen started his Marine Corps career in the infantry, before transitioning to the intelligence field, then later cyber. He commanded multiple units during this time, including 1st Force Reconnaissance Company, Cyberspace Warfare Task Group 2, and 3d Radio Battalion. Byron is also the founder and editor in chief of Key Terrain Cyber, a professional journal dedicated to the study of information warfare. He is a Silver Star, Bronze Star, and triple Purple Heart recipient.
The battle was in/near Shewan village, Bala Buluk district (also spelt Bala Baluk and Bala Balouk), Farah province.
In a comment at the time, gorb wrote:
The insurgents were dug-in around Sewan.
A shout rang out," One Marine is worth 10 insurgents!"
Ten insurgents were sent over the hill; gunfire; no one returned.
A second shout, "One Marine is worth 100 insurgents!"
One hundred insurgents went over the hill; gunfire; no one returned.
A third shout, "One Marine is worth 1000 insurgents!"
A thousand insurgents went over the hill; gunfire, mortars, etc..
One wounded man crawled back to the insurgent leader, "ItÂ’s a trap! There are two Marines!"
Then he died. [I added that! :-) ]
Other Rantburg articles on the story in the immediate aftermath:
9/3/2008: Soddy al Qaeda big turban killed in Afghan clash - LWJ (two paragraphs at the end)
12/7/2008: A Sniper is the Centerpiece in an Eight-Hour Firefight
12/12/2008: 20 Shots, 20 Kills - Marines Prevailed in a Day of Battle
Wikipedia article here. |
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