Outnumbered More Than 10:1, Green Berets Take 'Em All Down

The Patriot Room ^ | December 14, 2008 | Bill Dupray

[Bill Dupray]

Oh, and by the way, they'll be receiving 10 Silver Stars for their trouble. From the Washington Post.

After jumping out of helicopters at daybreak onto jagged, ice-covered rocks and into water at an altitude of 10,000 feet, the 12-man Special Forces team scrambled up the steep mountainside toward its target -- an insurgent stronghold in northeast Afghanistan.

"Our plan," Capt. Kyle M. Walton recalled in an interview, "was to fight downhill."

But as the soldiers maneuvered toward a cluster of thick-walled mud buildings constructed layer upon layer about 1,000 feet farther up the mountain, insurgents quickly manned fighting positions, readying a barrage of fire for the exposed Green Berets.

A harrowing, nearly seven-hour battle unfolded on that mountainside in Afghanistan's Nuristan province on April 6, as Walton, his team and a few dozen Afghan commandos they had trained took fire from all directions. Outnumbered, the Green Berets fought on even after half of them were wounded -- four critically -- and managed to subdue an estimated 150 to 200 insurgents, according to interviews with several team members and official citations.

More . . .

[LiberConservative]

As Ford and Staff Sgt. John Wayne Walding returned fire, Walding was hit below his right knee. Ford turned and saw that the bullet “basically amputated his right leg right there on the battlefield.” Walding, of Groesbeck, Tex., recalled: “I literally grabbed my boot and put it in my crotch, then got the boot laces and tied it to my thigh, so it would not flop around. There was about two inches of meat holding my leg on.” He put on a tourniquet, watching the blood flow out the stump to see when it was tight enough. Then Walding tried to inject himself with morphine but accidentally used the wrong tip of the syringe and put the needle in this thumb, he later recalled. “My thumb felt great,” he said wryly, noting that throughout the incident he never lost consciousness. “My name is John Wayne,” he said.

Wow. Just wow.

[Bill Dupray]

That is just what John Wayne would have said, except he would have had both legs attached. John Wayne Walding is a real tough guy.

[DieHard the Hunter]

WOW!

That “John Wayne” guy was a real Character! Good on the Green Berets!

[gwilhelm56]

For many of us ... this type of story is NOT news, as we Know deep down inside, the GREATNESS of our Military.

For the REST of AMERICA... this story should be run EVERY HOUR, with the Notation “Attention you Unpatriotic, UnAmerican, Liberal SCumBAGS.. These Soldiers are fighting for you ... Whether you LIKE IT OR NOT!”

[Lancey Howard]

(( ping ))

[2ndDivisionVet]

Someone should prop Michael Moore's eyes open ala A Clockwork Orange and make hime watch these reports for six or eight months.

[flowerplough]

Lord bless these brave youngsters, but their plan was to fight downhill. The eaters of snakes must have been quite disappointed to find themselves taking fire from a cluster of thick-walled mud buildings about 1,000 feet farther up the mountain.

[Northern Yankee]

Great story.

[SkyDancer]

Yeah, esp. when the guy used his boot to tend to his wound ...
my kinda guy ....

[section9]

By the way, now that a Democrat is in office, war is good now.

It’s okay to report on the valor of our men. Hollywood will now start making real war movies.

The MSM disgusts me.

Best,

Chris

[rj45mis]

Liberal SCumBAGS.. These Soldiers are fighting for you ... Whether you LIKE IT OR NOT!”

Amen to that! I have a coworker that is a pampered brat (Obama campaigner) who, prior to the election, railed against the “pro war” Republicans that put her brother-in-law in Iraq. She doesn’t give a shit about his thoughts on the war on terror but only about how it makes her feel. These people truly aren’t worth the many deaths that have kept us free. I wish to God that we had some authority to ship this kind out of the good old USA. I’m sick to death of hearing these whiners think that peace can come by staying out of foreign affairs and singing kumbiyah(sp).

[SkyDancer]

I no longer watch TV news either national or local ... I get my news now on the Internet ...

[Doogle]

...sadly a story of unbelievable strenght and courage that will never be told in our socialist school systems,the MSM,or from the elitist hollywood pinheads.

[Kirkwood]

News from the internet is filtered and distorted by the same MSM.

I also noticed that the tone of MSM on the need for military force has changed since November.

[swatbuznik]

I also noticed that the tone of MSM on the need for military force has changed since November.

Because it's "their" military now.

[Locomotive Breath]

To borrow a bit, with a name like John Wayne it’s got to be good.

[2banana]

All emotions aside, it sounds like a poorly planned mission that almost wiped out the Americans. Was QRF a planned? Close air support? Evacuation plan? Or was it “we are the cowboys and the indians will run away when the shooting starts kind of plan...”

[dfwgator]

Now I’ve got this song in my head:

Fighting soldiers from the sky
Fearless men who jump and die
Men who mean just what they say
The brave men of the Green Beret

Chorus:
Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America’s best
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret

Trained to live off natures land
Trained in combat, hand-to-hand
Men who fight by night and day
Courage peak from the Green Berets

(Chorus) Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America’s best
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret

Back at home a young wife waits
Her Green Beret has met his fate
He has died for those oppressed
Leaving her his last request
“Put silver wings on my son’s chest
Make him one of America’s best
He’ll be a man they’ll test one day
Have him win the Green Beret”

(Chorus) Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America’s best
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret

[militant2]

Bless these lads! We know what our warriors can do!

Feel fortunate, liberal scum, that these boys fight to give you the freedom to be stupid.......in the name of liberty!!

Militant

[Woebama]

“My thumb felt great” . . . wow. What a guy!

[Melchior]

The tradition continues, thank God. Indeed, Special Forces is anathema to the girliemen and psychopaths we are turning out in this country by the millions. Such bravery is not something they like to acknowledge; it reminds them of their ingrown cowardice.

[xzins]

God has so greatly blessed America, and America simply hasn’t recognized it.

Biblically, this would be like David scorning his Mighty Men, his own SpecOps Department.

Even though I resent the gross partisanship, I notice that this is originally out of the Wash Post. I assume that means that since Democrats are in charge now that the media is permitted to report on the good things our troops are doing.

Out of partisanship or not, I’m glad the troops will finally be recognized.

However, if the objective is simply to pull out at some date certain, no matter the conditions on the ground, then we should recognize that every life lost is a wasted life.

We have no business expending lives on a mission we have zero intention of winning and that our political leadership considers a gross mistake.

[lilycicero]

I was just going to add, a Green Beret is the only way a man can get away with wearing a green beret.

[Girlene]

True, lily. I never thought about it, but you’re right! :-)

xzins, lancey, God bless them in their missions, regardless of the politics of the day.

[bigheadfred]

Thanks for the ping, Lancey. This is a Great account.

Back on election day I asked a couple of co-workers if they were going to vote. They both said why should we? I told them there were men and women at that very time fighting and dying so they could vote. It was lost on them. I am still more than disgusted.

[bigheadfred]

man wearing a green beret

And why would any man want to wear a beret unless they are a Green Beret?

[Lancey Howard]

I notice that this is originally out of the Wash Post. I assume that means that since Democrats are in charge now that the media is permitted to report on the good things our troops are doing.

That is correct, and it fits the usual pattern of the scumbag Democrat newsrooms.
Be prepared for a few (condescendingly) nice stories about Bush, as well.

[Lancey Howard]

All emotions aside, your question sounds like an insulting slap in the face.
Do you have a clue?

[4woodenboats]

Thanks for the ping, Lance. Good God, we have so much to give thanks for. Prayers for our wounded, especially John Wayne.(p)
Nice to see everyone in one place, with something major to celebrate.

[jazusamo]

Thanks for the ping, Lancey. What an outstanding group of men, prayers for them all.

[Grimmy]

Guessing from what’s in the article, but...

It sounds like the team ran up against a concentration of logistics and manpower that was gathered up for a hostile action of some large size in the not distant future.

I doubt there is any way in hell that the planners could have known it was there to the degree it was.

Also, since contact was well inside danger close from the jump, close air could only have been an option of last resort.

And last, but, imo, not least, the Afghan commandos didn’t run and did return fire at the hostiles.

A bad day for the team but no telling how many they saved by disrupting whatever purpose that gathering was preparing for.

Reminder: No matter how good a military is, no matter how stalwart a military’s fighting men are, no matter how well trained the war fighters are, sometimes, the enemy can always throw up a surprise or few.

[Lancey Howard]

Even routine Marine Corps sniper team missions require a patrol order (aka con ops) of about 40 pages (or the equivalent power point presentation). I’m certain that these Green Berets planned their mission based on the available intel.

FRegards,
LH

[lilycicero]

Indeed.

[RedRover]

Thanks, Lancey. One hell of a story about one hell of a bunch of Americans.

[Grimmy]

Btw, my comment wasn’t meant as rebuttal to anything you’d said. I was offering up what little perspective I could glean from reading the article.

You got the ping ‘cause I was responding to your ping. I’m lazy that way sometimes.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> To borrow a bit, with a name like John Wayne it’s got to be good.

Crikey, that Green Beret was one cool customer. I wonder if they were able to save his leg?

[DieHard the Hunter]

> And why would any man want to wear a beret unless they are a Green Beret?

Hey Fred, even us Foreigners know the answer to that one: some cretins like to wear green berets for STOLEN VALOR.

They will do the same thing with the sand-colored beret of the NZ SAS. Or the maroon beret of the Paras.

All that, plus a few spare badges and trinkets they buy off the e-Bay or from surplus shops, makes them “green berets” for the day. or “SAS” or “Paras”...

...then they get to swan around their local pubs, impressing themselves and the gullible. They will even forge papers “proving” who they are. Sometimes they will even apply for veteran’s benefits.

I guess these are “men” in the biological sense, in that they usually would have a (minute) set of wedding tackle ready for inspection. But they aren’t Men as this “John Wayne” Green Beret would understand the term.

[bigheadfred]

then they get to swan around their local pubs, impressing themselves

Somehow that just makes me sad.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> Somehow that just makes me sad.

It is sad, in a pathetic way. Then I remember that there are men who gave all to earn the Respect that these imposters are stealing, and it makes me mad.

[Locomotive Breath]

I hope so. Probably depends on how much was lost in the middle and how fast they got him to serious medical care. I hope they saved it. Regardless, doesn’t sound like it would slow him down much.

It’s funny, certain people would tell you that the heroic characters played by the movie-actor John Wayne were all unachievable stereotypes. John Wayne the soldier might beg to differ.

[Locomotive Breath]

In WWII there was a mocking description given to garrison troops on occupation duty who did that kind of stuff - garitroopers.

[Pistolshot]

No plan survives first contact. You can plan all you want and hope the conditions are right, but any little thing can go wrong. Someone sees them land, hears them moving, and alerts the rest of the force.

Close air support at 10,000ft+? Not many aircraft can fight at that altitude and in the terrain they were in.

You weren't there, and niether was I, but I'd refrain from Monday morning quarterbacking.

[SunkenCiv]

also:

10 Green Berets to Receive Silver Star for Afghan Battle
Washington Post | December 12, 2008 | Ann Scott Tyson
Posted on 12/12/2008 5:38:21 PM PST by neverdem
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2147946/posts

[SunkenCiv]

/bingo

one quibble — the MSM is only *acting* as if he’s in office.

[auntyfemenist]

okay the mental picture I got from that was: troops of liberals being shipped to the front lines with guitars and flowers to see if they can sing and nurture us to victory.

I am not surprised at this story, but I do have tears of pride in my eyes. Does anyone remember when some third world savage would not dare even consider throwing shoes at our president for fear of the wrath of our military? What happened to that?

[4woodenboats]

He was probably a stringer for the AP, so throwing stuff at leaders of the Free World is a prerequisite to employment.

Also, now the terrorists know how complacent the President's security detail is.

[SkyDancer]

Yeah, interesting how now the MSM is for fighting terrorists.
Makes ya wanna puke ....

[narses]

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