Not a Good Day to Die
Page 59
3.The demonstrated value…down,” he recalled. Peterson; Ashline.
4.After the Takur…be pulled out. Special ops time line; other special ops sources.
5.Juliet Team left…leave the Shahikot. Special ops time line; other special ops sources; my personal observations (I flew out of the Shahikot on the same helicopter as Juliet Team).
6.There remained…and waited.” Larsen.
7.Encouraged by…finest,” Rosengard said. Rosengard; Haas; other special ops sources.
8.Afghan forces finally…something to see.” Haas.
9.Unfortunately…executive officer, said. Larsen.
10.Meanwhile, Blaber…enemy corpses. Blaber.
11.Blaber and his men…But where? Blaber; special ops time line.
12.Many never…body parts. My conversations with U.S. generals, and personal observations. I walked on patrol down Ginger Pass with 4-31 Infantry on March 18.
13.A better estimate…as died there. Special ops sources.
14.On March 13…hosts poorly. Special ops time line; Blaber; other special ops sources.
15.The only enemy…security forces. Mikolashek; Hagenbeck; “Al Qaida’s Uzbek Bodyguards,” by Owais Tohid, The Christian Science Monitor, September 28, 2004; Blaber; special ops time line; other special ops sources.
16.No intelligence…in 2004. Special ops time line; other special ops sources.
17.But for AFO…found succor. Special ops source.
INTERVIEWEES
The following individuals were interviewed on-the-record during the research for this book:
HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
Army Secretary Tom White
General John Keane
U.S. ARMY FORCES COMMAND
General John Hendrix
Major General Julian Burns
COALITION FORCES LAND COMPONENT COMMAND
Lieutenant General Paul Mikolashek
Major General Warren Edwards
Colonel Michael Longoria
Lieutenant Colonel Craig Bishop
Lieutenant Colonel Andy Nocks
Major Ignacio Perez
COALITION FORCES AIR COMPONENT COMMAND
Brigadier General John Corley
Colonel Larry Stutzriem
101STAIRBORNE DIVISION (AIR ASSAULT)
Major General Richard Cody
TASK FORCE MOUNTAIN
Major General Franklin “Buster” Hagenbeck
Brigadier General Gary Harrell
Colonel Becky Halstead
Lieutenant Colonel Chris Bentley
Lieutenant Colonel Jasey Briley
Lieutenant Colonel Pete Dagnes
Lieutenant Colonel David Gray
Lieutenant Colonel Mike Lundy
Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Smith
Lieutenant Colonel Kat Stone
Major Lou Bello
Major Ed Burke
Major Pete Donnelly
Major Bryan Hilferty
Major Jonathan Lockwood
Major Paul Wille
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Thomas Baxter
TASK FORCE RAKKASAN
Colonel Frank Wiercinski
Lieutenant Colonel Jim Larsen
Major Michael Gibler
Major Sherrie Bosley
Major Dennis Yates
Captain Eric Haupt
Captain Paul Murray
Command Sergeant Major Iuniasolua Savusa
2-187 Infantry (Headquarters)
Lieutenant Colonel Charles “Chip” Preysler
Chaplain (Captain) Mike Shellman
1st Lieutenant Glen Helberg
1st Lieutenant Matty Lowen
1st Lieutenant Justin Overbaugh
Command Sergeant Major Mark Nielsen
Staff Sergeant Marc Richard
Sergeant Jim Jorgensen
A/2-187
Captain Kevin Butler
1st Sergeant Jonathan Blossom
Sergeant Corey Daniel
Corporal Jared Cave
Corporal Jason Fisher
Specialist Justin Celano
Specialist Jeremy Gaul
Specialist Justin Musella
Specialist Tim Ouditt
Private First Class Joseph Borgia
Private First Class Daniel Cunningham
Private 2 Robert Garcia
Private First Class Steven Moisan
C/2-187
Captain Frank Baltazar
Sergeant First Class Anthony Koch
Sergeant First Class Kelly Jack Luman
Staff Sergeant Chris Harry
Sergeant David Dedo
Sergeant Scotty Mendenhall
Sergeant Henry Schmitz
Sergeant John Tucker
Specialist Dan Chapman
Specialist Matthew Edwards
Private First Class Joseph Gallagher
Private First Class Pablo Quirindongo
Private First Class Jason Wilson
Private 2 Jason Bird
1-187 Infantry
Lieutenant Colonel Ron Corkran
Major Paul Sarat
Captain Robert Kuth
Sergeant First Class Chuck Nye
1-87 Infantry (Headquarters)
Lieutenant Colonel Paul LaCamera
Major Jay Hall
Captain Adam McLaughlin
Command Sergeant Major Frank Grippe
Sergeant First Class Robert Healy
Sergeant First Class Michael Peterson
Sergeant Jorge Alcaraz
Sergeant Ryan Brown
Sergeant Raul Lopez
Specialist Jason Gonzalez
Specialist James Patterson
Private First Class Jason Ashline
A/1-87
Captain Roger Crombie
1st Lieutenant Anthony Passero
Private Eric Estrada
C/1-87
Captain Nelson Kraft
Staff Sergeant Robert Brault
Staff Sergeant Randel Perez
Staff Sergeant Andrzej Ropel
Sergeant Jerry Higley
Specialist Thomas Beers
Specialist Eddie (Antonio) Rivera
Senior Airman Stephen Achey
Private First Class Kyle McGovern
C/4-31 Infantry
Captain Glenn Kozelka
1st Lieutenant Benjamin Croom
Staff Sergeant Steven Johnson
Sergeant Corey Reed
Sergeant Michael Angelo Rodriguez
Sergeant Ioasa Tavae
Specialist Jarrod Taylor
Private 2 Max Coryell
TF TALON 7-101 Aviation
Lieutenant Colonel Jim Marye
Captain Eric Moore
1st Lieutenant Justin Aaronson
1st Lieutenant Nicholas Meister
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Loyd “Blayne” Anderson
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brett Blair
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jeffrey Fichter
Staff Sergeant Denny Daughtry
Staff Sergeant Charles Kidd
Staff Sergeant Mark Stanley
Sergeant Todd Boehm
Sergeant Carl Moore
Sergeant Eddie Wahl
Specialist Jess Morgan
Private First Class Bo Blankenship
3-101 Aviation
Captain Joey Herman
Captain Bill Ryan
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jim Hardy
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Rich Chenault
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Keith Hurley
Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Hamilton
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Stanley Pebsworth
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Emanuel Pierre
Staff Sergeant Chad Bardwell
B/159 Aviation
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Scott Beslin
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle Evarts
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ken Gunter
Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Quinlan
Staff Sergeant Torino DeGuzman
<
br /> Staff Sergeant Timothy Johnson
Sergeant Michael Cillo
Sergeant Christopher Tichenor
2NDBRIGADE, 10THMOUNTAIN DIVISION
Colonel Kevin Wilkerson
4-31 Infantry
Lieutenant Colonel Steve Townsend
Captain Christopher Johnson
Captain Joseph “Sepp” Scanlin1
st Lieutenant Andrew Exum
Command Sergeant Major Daniel Wood
Sergeant First Class Matthew MacClellan
Sergeant First Class Ray Montoya
Specialist Carl McCauley
Private First Class Joshua Mackay
Private 2 Albert Buentello
Private 2 David Gahris
Private 2 David Vasquez
TASK FORCE 11 Advance Force Operations
Lieutenant Colonel Pete Blaber
Task Force Brown
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Don _____
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Al ____
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Greg _____
Sergeant First Class Cory ____
Task Force Red
Captain Nathan Self
Staff Sergeant Arin Canon
TASK FORCE DAGGER
Lieutenant Colonel Louis Bochain
Lieutenant Colonel Chris Haas
Lieutenant Colonel Mark Rosengard
Major D. J. Turner
Captain Tim Fletcher
Captain Matthew McHale
Captain Glenn Thomas
Sergeant First Class John Southworth
TASK FORCE K-BAR
Sergeant First Class Frank Antenori
TASK FORCE 64
Technical Sergeant Jim Hotaling
274THForward Surgical Team (Airborne)
Doctor (Lieutenant Colonel) George Peoples
Doctor (Major) Bob Craig
Doctor (Major) Brian Burlingame
Doctor (Major) Tad Gerlinger
Captain Herman Allison
Captain Paula Lastoria
Captain Paul Maholtz
Sergeant Joe Civitello
Sergeant Marty Contreras
Sergeant Jamison Gaddy
15THReconnaissance Detachment
Major Matt Weingast
U.S. ARMY CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY
Dr. Richard Stewart
U.S. ARMY CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION COMMAND
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Danny Thomas
13THMarine Expeditionary Unit Cobras
Lieutenant Colonel Gregg Sturdevant
Major Shane Stover
Captain Chad Comunale
Captain Chris Roe
919THSPECIAL OPERATIONS WING
Major Perry Panos
OTHERS
Jon Anderson
Major Richard Coe
Ahmed Rashid
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS
Afghan Guerrilla Warfare—In the Words of the Mujahideen Fighters, by Ali Ahmad Jalali and Lester W. Grau, published 2001 by MBI Publishing Company (originally published as The Other Side of the Mountain by the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Development Command).
Afghanistan’s Endless War, by Larry Goodson, published 2001 by the University of Washington Press.
The Bear Went Over the Mountain—Soviet Combat Tactics in Afghanistan, by Lester W. Grau, published 1998 by Frank Cass.
Black Hawk Down, by Mark Bowden, published 1999 by Atlantic Monthly Press.
Brave Men, Dark Waters—The Untold Story of the Navy SEALs, by Orr Kelly, published 1993 by Pocket Books.
Delta Force, by Colonel Charlie A. Beckwith (Ret.) and Donald Knox, published 2000 by Avon Books (originally published in 1983).
Ghost Wars, by Steve Coll, published 2004 by The Penguin Press.
Inside Delta Force, by Eric L. Haney, published 2003 by Dell (first published in hardcover in 2002 by Delacorte Press).
Jihad—The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia, by Ahmed Rashid, published in 2003 by Penguin (first published in the United States in 2002 by Yale University Press.)
Killing Pablo, by Mark Bowden, published 2002 by Penguin Books.
The Mission, by Dana Priest, published 2003 by W.W. Norton and Company, Inc.
Stumbling Bear—Soviet Military Performance in Afghanistan, by Scott R. McMichael, published 1991 by Brassey’s.
Taliban, by Ahmed Rashid, published 2001 by Yale University Press.
Weapons and Tactics of the Soviet Army, by David C. Isby, published 1988 by Jane’s Publishing Company Limited.
NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICAL ARTICLES
“The ‘Revolution in Military Affairs’ has an Enemy: Politics,” by Michael Catanzaro, published October 1, 2001, in The American Enterprise.
“The War’s Bloodiest Battle,” by Sean D. Naylor, published 18 March, 2002, in Army Times.
“Intel Take From Enemy at Shah-e-Kot Great, MIs say,” by Sean D. Naylor, published 25 March, 2002, in Army Times.
“In Shah-e-Kot, Apaches Save the Day—And Their Reputations,” by Sean D. Naylor, published 25 March, 2002, in Army Times.
“Anaconda Winds Down,” by Sean D. Naylor, published 25 March, 2002, in Army Times.
“Deadly Find,” by Sean D. Naylor, published 1 April, 2002, in Army Times.
“In Search of Casualties,” by Sean D. Naylor, published 15 April, 2002, in Army Times.
“What We Learned from Anaconda,” by Sean D. Naylor, published 29 July, 2002, in Army Times.
“Pentagon Faces Transformation,” by Tom Bowman, published March 13, 2001, in The Baltimore Sun.
“Al Qaida’s Uzbek Bodyguards,” by Owais Tohid, published September 28, 2004, in The Christian Science Monitor.
“Wolfowitz: More Resources, Better Management Keys to Defense Transformation,” by Hunter Keeter, published August 9, 2001, in Defense Daily.
“Left In Dark For Most Anaconda Planning, Air Force Opens New Probe,” by Elaine Grossman, published October 3, 2002, in Inside The Pentagon.
“Losing the Peace?” by Michael Massing, published May 13, 2002, in The Nation.
“A Different War—Is the Army Becoming Irrelevant?” by Peter J. Boyer, published July 1, 2002, in The New Yorker.
“Special Forces OD Alpha-555,” by Lance M. Bacon, published September 2003 in Soldier of Fortune.
“The Infiltrator: Ali Mohamed Served in the U.S. Army—and Bin Laden’s Circle,” by Peter Waldman, published November 26, 2001, in The Wall Street Journal.
“Bravery and Breakdowns in a Ridgetop Battle,” by Bradley Graham, published May 24, 2002, in The Washington Post.
“A Wintry Ordeal at 10,000 Feet,” by Bradley Graham, published May 25, 2002, in The Washington Post.
“U.S. Concludes Bin Laden Escaped at Tora Bora Fight,” by Barton Gellman and Thomas E. Ricks, published April 17, 2002 in The Washington Post.
OFFICIAL U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS AND DOCUMENTS
Afghanistan and the Future of Warfare: Implications for Army and Defense Policy, by Stephen Biddle, published November 2002 by the Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
“Ali Mohamed: The Defendant Who Did Not Go to Trial,” by Judy Aita, published May 16, 2003, by U.S. Department of State International Information Programs; accessed on the Internet at http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/af/security/a1051502.htm.
The Army of Excellence—the Development of the 1980s Army, by John L. Romjue, published 1993 by Office of the Command Historian, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.
“Afghanistan—Fire Support for Operation Anaconda,” by Robert H. McElroy, published September-October 2002 in Field Artillery.
COMACC Sight Picture—Joint Air-Ground Operations (a December 2002 press release from the U.S. Air Force’s Air Combat Command).
Emerging Lessons, Insights and Observations—Operation Enduring Freedom, published 2002 by the Center for Army Lessons Learned, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
“Enduring Freedom: An Air Force Combat Controller’s Experience,” briefing
by Technical Sergeant James Hotaling, September 2002. Text accessed at http://www.afa.org/media/scripts/afsoc.pdf.
“Lessons Learned From A Light Infantry Company During Operation Anaconda,” by Captain Nelson G. Kraft, published Summer 2002 in Infantry, the official magazine of the U.S. Army Infantry Center and School, Fort Benning, Georgia.
Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad—Army Field Manual 7-8, published by the U.S. Army.
Information Operations—Army Field Manual 100-6, published by the U.S. Army.
“Investigation Report for Suspected Friendly Fire Incident Involving AC-130 Spectre Gunship and U.S./Afghan Forces Near Gardez, On or About 02 March 02.” The Central Command investigation; redacted version released November 2002 and obtained via the Freedom of Information Act.
JSOTF-N Command Briefing, a PowerPoint slide briefing produced by Task Force Dagger.
“SIGINT Marines Help Fight War on Terrorism in Afghanistan,” Intelligence Community Newsletter, published February 2003 by Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence Department.
“Texas14 Monogram of Activities in Support of Operation Enduring Freedom (12 October 2001–26 March 2002),” an unpublished paper by Captain Glenn Thomas.
“10th Mountain Division Observations—Operation Enduring Freedom.”
“The Milani Report,” by Colonel Andrew N. Milani, the official U.S. Special Operations Command chronology of the Takur Ghar battle, released to me in heavily redacted form.
“Operation Anaconda,” briefing by Lieutenant Colonel Pete Blaber, given to many different military audiences.
“Operation Anaconda” CJTF Mountain Command Briefing.
“Operation Anaconda—CJTF Mountain C2 Plans,” a briefing by Major Francesca Ziemba.
Operation Anaconda: Command and Confusion in Joint Warfare, an unpublished paper by Major Mark Davis, June 2004.
Operation Anaconda—Lessons for Joint Operations, by Richard L. Kugler, Michael Baranick and Hans Binnendijk, published September 2003 by National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
Operations—Army Field Manual 3-0, published by the U.S. Army.
Pitfalls of Technology: A Case Study of the Battle on Takur Ghar Mountain, Afghanistan, an unpublished paper by Colonel Andrew N. Milani.
“Special Operations Forces in Operation Anaconda, 1-14 March 2002,” a briefing by Dr. Richard Stewart, U.S. Army Center of Military History.
“TF 1-187 IN AAR: Operation Anaconda,” unpublished “Memorandum for the Commander” dated March 21, 2002.
10thMountain Division (Light Infantry)—Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan, Joint
Center for Lessons Learned Final Report, published June 6, 2003, by Joint Forces Command.
Victory in Papua, by Samuel Milner, published 1957 by the Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the [U.S.] Army