The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor

by Jake Tapper

  Why, then, did the camp remain where it was? One reason was that the commander who stopped using the roads for resupply, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Kolenda, led an effective force in the region. Although he and his lieutenants discussed moving the outpost up the mountain to a more secure location—as Observation Post Fritsche was; no one was killed there either on October 3, 2009, or before—Kolenda ultimately ruled that the relocation would have rendered his men more vulnerable than they already were. Perhaps that was a fair judgment at that juncture, given the command with which 1-91 Cav controlled its area of operations, but for a different unit, at a different time, under different leadership, the ruling could be second-guessed.

  So why did the successful efforts of the 1-91 Cav ultimately prove so ephemeral? In part because, as is true of politics anywhere in the world, the tides of history in Nuristan were turned by individual leaders—men such as Fazal Ahad, who was killed in 2007; Lieutenant Colonel Kolenda and Captain Joey Hutto, who left Afghanistan in 2008; and Captain Rob Yllescas, who was killed later that same year. The vacuum Ahad left behind took time to be filled. Yllescas was never truly replaced; however hard Pecha may have worked, his predecessor’s assassination had an impact on the way he led. It also, and perhaps even more significantly, drove a larger wedge between the troops of 6-4 Cav and the citizens of the surrounding area. As one Kamdesh resident told me in November 2011, Kamdeshis always felt stuck between the Americans and the insurgents; the one thing they knew for sure was that the latter would be there long after the former were gone.

  And here, Lieutenant Colonel Brown’s question becomes salient: Where was the Afghan government in all of this? Why didn’t it at least try to fill the shoes of Ahad, the Hundred-Man Shura, Kolenda, Hutto, or Yllescas? And if there really was no Afghan capable of assuming a leadership role in Nuristan, then was America always destined to fail there, no matter how many Rob Yllescases were sacrificed at the altar of counterinsurgency?

  All that I can tell you with certitude is that the men and women of 3-71 Cav, the 1-91 Cav, 6-4 Cav, and especially 3-61 Cav deserved better. They are heroes, and they have my appreciation and eternal gratitude. I wish they had a command structure and a civilian leadership that were always worthy of their efforts.

  —Jake Tapper

  July 2012

  Acknowledgments

  [TK 2 Pages]

  About the Author

  Jake Tapper is the senior White House correspondent for ABC News. He is the author of Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, daughter, and son.

  ALSO BY JAKE TAPPER

  Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency

  Body Slam: The Jesse Ventura Story

  Glossary and Military Terms

  Operational Units of the U.S. Army:

  • Field Army (comprising three to five corps)

  • Corps (two to five divisions)

  • Division (four brigades, or approximately ten thousand to eighteen thousand soldiers)

  • Battalion or Squadron (three to five companies, or five hundred to six hundred soldiers)

  • Company or (for Cavalry) Troop (three to four platoons, or one hundred to two hundred soldiers)

  • Platoon (three to four squads, or sixteen to forty soldiers)

  • Squad (four to ten soldiers)

  OFFICERS:

  • General (four or five stars)

  • Lieutenant General (three stars)

  • Major General (two stars)

  • Brigadier General (one star)

  • Colonel

  • Lieutenant Colonel

  • Major

  • Captain

  • First Lieutenant

  • Second Lieutenant

  NONCOMMISSIONED:

  • Sergeant Major of the Army

  • Command Sergeant Major or Sergeant Major

  • First Sergeant or Master Sergeant

  • Sergeant First Class

  • Staff Sergeant

  • Sergeant

  • Corporal or Specialist

  • Private First Class

  • Private E-2

  • Private

  1-32 Infantry— The 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, is part of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division. The unit served in Regional Command East in 2006–2007 and again in 2009–2010.

  1-91 Cav— The 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment (Airborne), is a light airborne reconnaissance squadron based out of Schweinfurt, Germany, and part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, based out of Italy. Bulldog Troop was assigned to Combat Outpost Keating from 2007 to 2008.

  3-61 Cav— The 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, is part of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based out of Fort Carson, Colorado. Black Knight Troop was assigned to Combat Outpost Keating in 2009.

  3-71 Cav— The 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, is part of the 10th Mountain Division, based out of Fort Drum, New York. Able Troop was assigned to Combat Outpost Keating (then known as PRT Kamdesh or Combat Outpost Kamdesh) in 2006, after Barbarian and Cherokee Troops had helped establish the outpost.

  6-4 Cav— The 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, is part of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, and was at the time based out of Fort Hood, Texas. Blackfoot Troop was assigned to Combat Outpost Keating in 2008.

  10th Mountain Division— a light infantry division of the U.S. Army designed for quick deployment and harsh conditions, based out of Fort Drum, New York, and assigned to Regional Command East in 2006–2007.

  A-10 Warthog— A single-seat straight-wing jet aircraft with superior maneuverability at low speeds and low altitudes, designed specifically to provide close air support for troops on the ground. The Army says Warthogs are primarily used for the cannon on the front, but the aircraft has the ability to be outfitted with precision munitions.

  Afghan Border Police (ABP)— a division of the Afghan National Police that is responsible for securing the country’s more than thirty-four hundred miles of borders as well as its airports, and also for overseeing immigration. As of 2009, the ABP boasted some twelve thousand troops.

  Afghan National Army (ANA)— the primary military branch of the Afghan government, supervised by the Ministry of Defense in Kabul. Training ANA soldiers has been one of the greatest challenges of the war for the coalition, and statistics regarding precise troop strength and ability have proved to be extremely unreliable. As of 2009, there were roughly ninety thousand ANA soldiers.

  Afghan National Police (ANP)— the national police force of the Afghan government, supervised by the Ministry of Interior in Kabul. As of 2009, there were approximately ninety-three thousand Afghan police.

  Al Qaeda— a global network of Muslim extremists that uses terrorist tactics to try to defeat countries and governments that its leaders consider to be evil. Al Qaeda leaders, in particular Osama bin Laden, planned the 9/11 attacks on the United States while living in Afghanistan.

  Apache— The four-blade, two-rotor, two-engine Boeing AF-64 Apache helicopter is the U.S. Army’s primary attack helicopter and has been compared to a “flying tank.” It is typically armed with a 30-millimeter M230 chain gun, Hellfire missiles, and Hydra rockets and manned by a two-person crew consisting of a pilot and a copilot/gunner.

  AT-4— a recoilless antitank weapon that fires 84-millimeter grenades.

  B-1— The Boeing B-1 long-range heavy bomber airplane has a wingspan of 137 feet extended forward, is 146 feet long and 34 feet high, and can fly at speeds of more than nine hundred miles per hour. A B-1 can carry dozens of five-hundred- and two-thousand-pound bombs, Quick Strike naval mines, cluster munitions, joint air-to-surface standoff missiles, and other weapons. The B-1 requires a four-person crew consisting of an aircraft commander, a copilot, and two weapon systems officers.

  B-2— The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, aka the Stealth Bomber, has a wingspan of 172 feet and is 69 feet long and 17 feet high. The B-2 can travel at high subson
ic speeds while carrying either conventional or nuclear weapons. It requires a two-pilot crew.

  bandah— a small shack, typically used by sheep- and goat-herders and consisting of a crude stone shelter for the herder and a separate pen for his animal.

  Black Hawk— The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a utility transport helicopter designed to move a fully equipped eleven-person infantry squad under most weather conditions. It requires a crew of four—two pilots and two crew chiefs—and carries two 7.62-millimeter machine guns.

  CAS— “close air support,” describing helicopter or plane support for ground troops in contact with hostile forces.

  Chinook— The Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter is a big twin-engine chopper with two rotors. Generally used to transport ground forces, supplies, ammunition, and other cargo, it is large enough to carry two Humvees. Two pilots and an observer can sit in the cockpit—flying a Chinook requires a pilot, copilot, and another crew member—while the main cabin can hold thirty-three troops in full gear. A Chinook can accommodate three machine guns and has a triple hook system under its belly to carry large external loads. Its normal cruising speed is 149 miles per hour, but it can travel as fast as 184 miles per hour.

  Claymore— An M18 Claymore antipersonnel mine measures roughly 8.5 inches wide by 3.25 inches high by 1.5 inches thick and weighs 3.5 pounds. When triggered, the C-4 explosive will propel seven hundred steel balls in the direction clearly indicated on the casing by the words “FRONT TOWARD ENEMY.”

  Combat Outpost Kamu— the name of Combat Outpost Lowell until 2007.

  Combat Outpost Lowell— the outpost established in 2007 near the hamlet of Kamu, east of Combat Outpost Keating, before it was renamed in honor of Private First Class Jacob Lowell.

  counterinsurgency— An effort to quell a rebellion or insurgency, the tactic of counterinsurgency (or “COIN”) as applied in Afghanistan is based on separating the insurgency from the general population through a two-pronged approach: defeating the enemy militarily while at the same time winning over the rest of the population with a taste of some of the tangible results—schools, government, infrastructure—to be reaped from an alliance with the United States and the Afghan government.

  Dushka— a Russian-made heavy antiaircraft machine gun, belt-fed and mounted on a tripod. The name is elaborated from the acronym DShK, for “Degtyarev Shpagina Krupnokaliberny.” Vasily Alekseyevich Degtyaryov and Georgi Shpagin designed the weapon; Krupnokaliberny means “large-caliber.” In Russian, the word dushka means “sweetie.”

  embedded tactical trainer, (ETT)— a trainer of Afghan troops who lives and works alongside his trainees.

  F-15— a highly maneuverable tactical jet fighter armed with a 20-millimeter, six-barrel cannon with 940 rounds of ammunition, heat-seeking, short-range air-to-air missiles, and advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles. With a wingspan of 42.8 feet, the F-15 is 63.8 feet long and 18.5 feet high and can fly at speeds up to 1,875 miles per hour. The F-15A and F-15C require just one pilot; the F-15B, F-15D, and F-15E require two.

  Forward Operating Base Bostick— the name of Forward Operating Base Naray from 2008 on. The base, located near Naray in northern Kunar Province, has served as squadron headquarters for troops in the area since 2006. Before that, it was used primarily by Army Special Forces.

  Forward Operating Base Fenty— the name of Jalalabad Airfield from 2007 on, named in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Fenty.

  Forward Operating Base Naray— the name of Forward Operating Base Bostick before it was renamed in honor of Captain Tom Bostick, who was killed in 2007.

  HESCO— a wire mesh container with a thick fabric liner that can be filled with dirt and joined with others to form a portable, easily constructed barrier.

  HIG— Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin, an Afghan political party/insurgency founded in the 1970s by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Many of the insurgents in Kamdesh District were affiliated with HIG.

  Humvee— a “high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle” (HMMWV), a four wheel drive vehicle used by the military.

  IED—an “improvised explosive device,” or homemade bomb, often used by insurgents to target U.S. vehicles.

  Jalalabad Airfield— a U.S. base in the city of Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province, adjacent to the Pakistan border. It was renamed Forward Operating Base Fenty in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Fenty, who was killed in 2006.

  Jingle truck— an ornately decorated truck, covered with chimes and paintings, usually belonging to a local private contractor; so named because of the sound made by the decorations.

  Kom— the preeminent ethnic group in Kamdesh District.

  Kushtozis— an ethnic group in Kamdesh District that has had a longstanding history of feuding with its rival community, the Kom.

  LMTV— a “light medium tactical vehicle,” a large military truck that can carry more than two tons of cargo.

  LRAS— a “long-range advance scout” surveillance system, an expensive device that allows thermal-optical surveillance at a range of up to fifteen miles.

  M16— a gas-operated, magazine-fed assault rifle that weighs slightly more than 7.0 pounds and measures 39.5 inches long.

  M203— a single-shot, pump-action (sliding barrel) grenade launcher, measuring 39.0 inches long and weighing 3.5 pounds when loaded with 40-millimeter grenades.

  M240— a belt-fed, air-cooled, gas-operated, fully automatic machine gun measuring 49.0 inches long and weighing 27.6 pounds, capable of firing as many as two hundred rounds per minute in ten- to thirteen-round bursts.

  M249— A lightweight, gas-operated, one-man portable automatic weapon measuring just over 40.0 inches long and weighing 16.5 pounds, the M249 is also called a SAW—short for “squad automatic weapon”—and can fire up to 750 rounds per minute. Two M249s are issued to each infantry squad.

  M4— A gas-operated, magazine-fed, shoulder-fired rifle weighing more than 6.0 pounds and measuring almost 30.0 inches long, the M4 can fire up to 950 rounds per minute and is semiautomatic, firing in three-round bursts. A variant model, the M4A1, is fully automatic.

  Mawlawi— an honorific title bestowed upon high-ranking Islamic scholars.

  Mark 19, or MK19— A belt-fed automatic grenade launcher that shoots 40-millimeter grenade cartridges and is designed not to overheat even after prolonged firing, the Mark 19 is over 43.0 inches long and weighs 78.0 pounds without its tripod. Because of its size, the Mark 19 is often mounted on a Humvee.

  medevac— short for “medical evacuation,” the term used to denote the helicopter ambulance that rescues wounded soldiers in the field.

  MICH ranger headset— the modular integrated communication helmet (MICH) ranger communication system is a microphone/sound-transmission setup that enables communication even amid extremely noisy conditions such as intense combat.

  mIRC— an Internet relay chat (IRC) client for Microsoft Windows, much like Instant Messenger, used by the military (and others) for instant communications.

  mortar— an explosive projectile fired indirectly from a cannon, or tube. Mortars can be used to fire at targets that are both out of sight and far away—for example, over mountains.

  MRE— a “meal ready to eat,” a single unit of basic rations provided to troops by the U.S. military.

  mullah— an Islamic clergyman or leader of a mosque.

  mujahideen— literally meaning “Muslims who strive in the path of God,” the Arabic term has come to mean “holy warriors,” a catchall for Islamist insurgents or fighters. In Afghanistan in the 1980s, the Mujahideen comprised a number of loosely affiliated insurgent groups fighting the Communist Afghan government and the occupying USSR troops. In modern-day Afghanistan, many insurgent groups refer to themselves by this word, and some U.S. troops use it, or its short form muj, to refer to them as well.

  Observation Post Warheit— the name of Observation Post Fritsche until the name was changed in the Winter of 2007–2008 in honor of Staff Sergeant Ryan Fritsche.

  Observation Post Fritsche—
the observation post established to watch over Combat Outpost Keating, sitting on the mountain to the south of the outpost, near Upper Kamdesh.

  PRT— a “Provincial Reconstruction Team,” typically made up of representatives of the U.S. military, foreign service officers, and experts on construction, who work together on development in those areas of a country where stability is most urgently needed. PRTs have played a key role in counterinsurgency programs.

  QRF— a “quick reaction force,” an armed team prepared, on short notice, to support another unit on a mission and in need of assistance.

  Regional Command East— one of the territories of Afghanistan as divided up by the United States and coalition forces. In 2006, RC-East comprised ten provinces together covering some 27,000 square miles (an area roughly the size of North Carolina) and sharing 600 linear miles of border with Pakistan. That soon expanded to fourteen provinces—Bamyan, Ghazni, Kapisa, Khowst, Kunar, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Paktika, Paktiya, Panjshayr, Parwan, and Wardak—covering 43,000 square miles (about the size of Ohio) and sharing 450 miles of border with Pakistan.

  RPG— a “rocket-propelled grenade,” an explosive warhead affixed to a rocket shot from a shoulder-fired weapon.

  SAW— see M249

  shura— a consultation with village elders, or leaders, that is an important element of governance in majority Muslim countries.

  Sked— a hard plastic stretcher used for carrying dead or wounded troops. Troops commonly refer to the stretcher by the name of the company that makes it, “Skedco.”