THE SEARCH: Army troops set up camp after a patrol in Kunar on July 1 From the Magazine | Dispatch Posted on 07/13/2005 1:44:15 AM PDT by ChristianDefender
THE SEARCH: Army troops set up camp after a patrol in Kunar on July 1 From the Magazine | Dispatch
A crackle in the brush. That's the sound the Afghan herder recalls hearing as he walked alone through a pine forest last month. When he looked up, he saw an American commando, his legs and shoulder bloodied. The commando pointed his gun at the Afghan. "Maybe he thought I was a Taliban," says the shepherd, Gulab. "I remembered hearing that if an American sticks up his thumb, it is a friendly gesture. So that's what I did." To make sure the message was clear, Gulab lifted his tunic to show the American he wasn't hiding a weapon. He then propped up the wounded commando, and together the pair hobbled down the steep mountain trail to Sabari-Minah, a cluster of adobe-and-wood homes--crossing, for the time being, to safety.
What Gulab did not know is that the commando he encountered was part of a team of Navy SEALs that had been missing for four days after being ambushed by Taliban insurgents during a reconnaissance mission in northeastern Afghanistan. An initial search mission to find the missing SEALs ended in disaster on June 28, when a Chinook helicopter carrying 16 service members was shot down over Kunar province, killing everyone aboard, in one of the deadliest attacks so far on U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Since then, the bodies of two of the missing SEALs have been recovered; another is still classified as missing, though the Taliban claims he was captured and beheaded.
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
My gratitude to the shepherd..
What an intelligent man!
Or do all the Afghanis in that area have a lot of 'street smarts' out of necessity?
I hope there is a way to reward this guy without getting him killed by unfriendlies.
Remarkable story, I'm concerned that we should be reading this man's name and village. I hope we are able to protect him. Thank goodness he found and took care of one of our best.
Afghani people should be judged on thier merits, not by the government that once ruled them. I wish them well in their developing democracy.
This is a Time magazine report. I'm afraid the kind Afghan is screwed.
Praying for his protection. Stupid to have listed his name and town.
Great post. Thanks.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.