How a few good ‘Bastards’ from the Army National Guard helped secure the Kabul airport

Task & Purpose ^ | Sept 15, 2021 | CAPT. CHARLIE ANDERSON

[budj]

It was mid-July when the 1st Combined Arms Battalion of the 194th Armor Regiment first sent soldiers to the Afghan capital in Kabul. Back in Kuwait Task Force 1-194, better known as ‘Task Force Bastard,’ was planning for contingencies if things went south at the embassy and airport, to include over-the-horizon support to aid in a Noncombatant Evacuation Operation (NEO). Together with our counterparts at 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division we wanted to get the lay of the land. So signal officer Capt. Vince Struble, plans officer Capt. Andrew Hanson, and Charlie Company 1st Sgt. Christopher O’Shea went to Hamid Karzai International Airport. With the exception of a stray rocket attack by ISIS-Khorasan, Chris, Drew and Vince had a relatively uneventful week. The State Department seemed content with embassy operations, Kabul appeared relatively peaceful, and the Turkish coffees they enjoyed made it seem like they were on a temperate vacation from Task Force Bastard in the desert.

[budj]

Long article; the story of a Minnesota Nat'l Guard unit at the airport in Kabul, told by one who was there.

God bless our military; keep them safe.

If you're in Minnesota and you meet one of these guys, buy 'em a beer.

[Bearshouse]

Excerpt:
While some Taliban actions outside the gate directed towards civilians or their posture towards us would’ve warranted deadly use of force under previous conditions, our restraint was necessary in order to make certain that we could get as many people into the airport as possible and get them out. Some of us had friends and fellow soldiers that had perished in the wars of Afghanistan and Iraq. Through gritted teeth, the Bastards held to their honor and distinguished themselves for their restraint while experiencing the memory of so many fallen brethren.

[Bearshouse]

Excerpt 2":
One of our soldiers was a refugee himself. His parents had fled Vietnam. He broke down as he saw in these Afghan families his own family and his own story. With tears in his eyes, he realized what they had done, what they had sacrificed, for him. His hope? He hoped the kids that were boarding the planes to safe havens would grow up like he did – happy and healthy –and that they would never have to do the job he was doing.

[agere_contra]

Terrific Bastards, thank you for posting.

[GreyFriar]

An excellent read. The 194th Armd Rgt is descended from the 194th Tank Battalion that was deployed and fought on Luzon & Bataan in 1941-42. Note this is NOT the same as the 194th Armd Bde, which was the school brigade at Ft. Knox when we were younger.

Thanks to BudJ for posting it.