Article

2008-12-12 Afghanistan

Quiet professionals earn Silver Stars for Afghan battle.

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Posted by Besoeker 2008-12-12 08:15|| || Front Page|| [6 views ] Top

#1 AN interview with one of these fine men was the lead story on last night's NBC 10 o'clock tv news here in the Seattle area. Even beat out the usually breathless stormwatch video orgy whenever the thought of a snowflake appears in the forecast.

It was actually spin free. Hat is off to these heros.

Posted by USN, Ret. 2008-12-12 09:50|| 2008-12-12 09:50|| Front Page Top

#2 Wow. And one of the guys has the 1st & middle names of "John Wayne". In a more rational world, John Ford would already be on the phone telling the writing staff to get a script cranked up...

Posted by Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) 2008-12-12 10:06|| 2008-12-12 10:06|| Front Page Top

#3 Wow! Ten silver stars. Who said our country has no future? These are the men, like our forefathers before us who came out of WW2, these men will bring America to a new horizon.

Posted by Art">Art 2008-12-12 10:18|| 2008-12-12 10:18|| Front Page Top

Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2008-12-12 10:20|| 2008-12-12 10:20|| Front Page Top

#5 Who said our country has no future? These are the men, like our forefathers before us who came out of WW2, these men will bring America to a new horizon.

Hopefully, there is something left to lead when they get back.

Posted by DarthVader 2008-12-12 10:22|| 2008-12-12 10:22|| Front Page Top

#6 I'm not sure how much of our future will be left if this sort of engagement is held up as a model. It sounds like they managed to assault a superior force in a commanding position, and only called in air support after getting the hell kicked out of them. Also, the description makes it sound like a really fucked-up extraction, not a successful assault. Who counted those two hundred enemy dead, or is this Westmoreland-style bodycount used to cover an epic fuckup?

First off, Green Berets aren't stormtroopers. The fact that twelve of them were assaulting a dug-in mountain redoubt means a massive screw-up from the word go. Those "commandos" they were fighting with? That was probably whatever portion of the native force they're *supposed* to be training. Green Berets exist to create locally raised, armed native military units. They aren't US Army Rangers, or Delta Force, or even Marine Recon. Their force-multiplication operates by creating allied militaries in places where they weren't before hand, not in being the biggest balls hanging on the battle-field. And if they were training local forces by leading them into an uphill open-field slaughter-pen, then by damn they're doing it wrong.

Posted by Mitch H.">Mitch H. 2008-12-12 10:37|| http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/]">[http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/] 2008-12-12 10:37|| Front Page Top

#7 Mitch:

If "kill or capture" (prisoner snatch) was indeed the OPORD, then it was, as you are probably aware, a Direct Action (DA) mission which is completely within the scope and capabilities profile of these soldiers.

mission: to capture or kill several members of the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG) militant group in their stronghold, a village perched in Nuristan's Shok Valley that was accessible only by pack mule

Posted by Besoeker 2008-12-12 10:50|| 2008-12-12 10:50|| Front Page Top

#8 Mitch,
Put down your history of Viet Nam and give credit where credit is due.
Whether it was bad tactics, a massively screwed up extraction or just bad judgement by a field commander, VALOR IS VALOR, bravery is bravery and extrordinary courage in extreme situations deserves recognition.
When I was in the Army, we all joked when we saw a silver star on someone that they had probably really F***ed up somewhere and lived to tell about it.
I've got one of those somewhere.....classified citation, Laos, 1972.....but I am not a hero compared to these guys.

Posted by James Carville 2008-12-12 10:52|| 2008-12-12 10:52|| Front Page Top

#9 About Mitch's comments

In Clancy's book it is made well clear that Green Berets are not rambo-like commandos. One of the requisites is learning the local languages since they are supposed to do intelligence gathering, militia training, turn hearts and minds and other non military tasks. That means that while Green Berets military traiing is very demanding (between other things in order to be respected by the people they are supposed to train) their martial skills are inferior to those of "pure" commandos if any, because all of this time spent studying spanish, arabic or pashto is not spent at teh gym or at the firing range.

Posted by JFM">JFM 2008-12-12 11:46|| 2008-12-12 11:46|| Front Page Top

#10 In a proper world these guys would be on a coast to coast war bond tour to inspire the folks back home and demonstrate the support for the men out front.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-12-12 11:49|| 2008-12-12 11:49|| Front Page Top

#11 Kops can be a bitch. (first military use of the term kommando)

Posted by Besoeker 2008-12-12 11:55|| 2008-12-12 11:55|| Front Page Top

#12 Why was there anything left of that town? They should have called in two or three B-1's and flattened the place since it is clearly and enemy position. It should be eliminated.

Posted by remoteman 2008-12-12 13:07|| 2008-12-12 13:07|| Front Page Top

#13 Napalm is still used by the US Armed Forces, yes?

On would think such an outpost would be the sort of place Napalm would be effective after the US troops were clear.

Posted by Lagom 2008-12-12 13:39|| 2008-12-12 13:39|| Front Page Top

#14 I've worked with several Green Beret units, from the 8th Special Forces in Panama, the 2nd Special Forces in Vietnam, and the 10th Special Forces Group in Germany. Their missions cover a wide range of activities, from "snatch and grab" to nuisance attacks to medical aid missions to general combat to deep penetration raids. They're assigned a mission, they prepare for it, and they execute it. When they get back to their base camp, they're given a new mission. They're good guys to have at your back, and even better in front. I'm always happy to acknowledge they're far better warriors than this broken-down old airman. Huuuaaahh, guys, and a job well done.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2008-12-12 16:29|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2008-12-12 16:29|| Front Page Top

#15 10 grp (When they were in Bad Tolz) and 19 grp.

Napalm the ridge and ville sound about right. If its that loaded with baddies, take it out.

Posted by OldSpook 2008-12-12 21:07|| 2008-12-12 21:07|| Front Page Top

#16 The brother of one of these guys is my son's youth hockey coach.

We are all very proud!

Posted by JDB 2008-12-12 23:32|| 2008-12-12 23:32|| Front Page Top

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