Posted on 10/08/2009 5:58:02 PM PDT by Joiseydude
The pilot of an Apache gunship, who flew to the rescue of U.S. soldiers nearly overrun at a remote outpost in Afghanistan last weekend, told ABC News today that he had "never seen that large of a force" attacking coalition troops in Afghanistan.
By the time Warrant Officer Ross Lewellen and Warrant Officer Chad Bardwell arrived over the embattled outpost, dubbed Camp Keating, it was in flames and dozens of insurgents could be seen on the camp's perimeter.
When the battle was over and the fire extinguished, many who survived had nothing left "except the clothes off their backs and the weapons in their hands," one soldier told ABC News.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
But I don't think we use them anymore -- someone might get hurt.
ARC-LIGHT ARC-BRITE!!!
Too bad! If it keeps just one soldier alive....drop the napalm.....
“Col. Coleman, Capt. McDaniel has a message for you - Tabasco!”
South Vietnam was 62,000 square miles. Afghanistan is four times as big at 252,000 square miles, much of which is extremely mountainous and challenges even modern warplanes. That is, the enemy on high peaks know the helos must fly in a certain valley to come to support a besieged forward operating base.
Think abou the number of troops and warplanes we had in VN, at 62,000 square miles, compared to a much smaller number in Afghanistan, at 252,000 square miles.
Those combat support aircraft are spread mighty thin, and flying times are long.
For combat casualties, this is BAD. It’s like being shot in West Texas, and being medevaced to Houston for treatment, via a slow helicopter. In Iraq, from wounding to hospital is measured in minutes, in Afghanistan, it may be HOURS.
Folks need to understand the geography of Afhanistan.
Great video!
parsy
Did you see the location of the camp???
At the base of a steep mountain. Awful!!
The Taliban could toss rocks from above.
Pic at the link.
An elegant rejoiner to the assertion violence “never solved anything”.
Soon the Taliban will be the Afghan government complements of 0.
Just a thought.
L
I recall the heavy foliage in the jungles and tunneling were offered up as reasons for the high American death tolls.
Now, a barren rocky wasteland called Afghanistan is proving too much to keep our troops safe?
Where are the drones? The satellite photos? The spotters?
...or am I watching too many movies?
....the Taliban is starting to get it together now...just like the Communists did in VietNam...I expect even larger co-ordinated attacks in the future....it’s worth remembering that towards the end of the Russian involvement, they had whole battalions being ambushed...it takes considerable military capability to do that.
Seesh, am I eligible for the draft, AGAIN? I feel like I fell into a worm hole.
5.56mm
People might be shocked at what happens over the next 60 days as the US MILITARY asserts its power.
These soldiers were set up in the bottom of a bowl - with steep wooded hills close in on sides...for the enemy, like shooting fish in a barrel.
It was so remote, and dangerous, their supplies (they had no running water, no way to get in and out except on ‘ducks in a shooting gallery’ goat paths - supplies dropped several foot hours away, meaning to get them necessitated going outside the wire - and humping everything back on their backs - all the while, exposed.
The “base”, additionally, was located between a village and a mosque - both off limits to fire upon, even if taking fire from.
THey fought through the day, it appears, with NO air support? - as it was deemed to ‘risky’ - so they died and were wounded and while under fire, gave and administered blood to their woundedr buddies...and waited, and waited for help.
When help finally came, the KIA and the WIA were heloed out - but the remaining (56) ‘stayed to fight on.” I say BULL. Fight on with WHAT? The base had been burned - everything was lost except the clothes on their backs and the rifles in their hands. Anyone want to hazard a guess as to how many of those guns, ammo wise, went ‘black”?
I suspicion they were given no choice but to stay behind as, I suspicion again, there was either no more available helos to take them out for hours later and/or it was now daylight again and ‘too dangerous’ for rescue.
Can you imagine what they went through, seeing their buddies fall, one by one by one...
and then, when they finally get some help (I suspicion they got NO air cover for many hours into the fight - as, it seems, heretofore, that once air cover comes in and starts pounding the mountainsides, the taliban disburse rapidly = \\and then, after the KIA and MIA are effaced out, they are left until such time as helos and rescue were finally allowed.
Bottom line, the 56 survivors of a hell they should never have been in a position to have had to go through, did get out - with everything they owned destroyed, except, as reported, the clothes on their backs and guns in their hands.
All personal belongings were destroyed. They lost everything. But the army is attempting to get them new uniforms. Hip hip - puke
They needed everything from underclothes, all personal hygiene supplies, cold weather gear - remember, they are in the high Hindu Kush mts. = some of the most severe winter weather on earth - and no comfy barracks, etc., - They needed heavy wool socks, wool helmet liners, balaclavas, gloves, long johns, , fleece blankets, etc etc...and they lost their iPods, DVDs, and other little things that helped keep them sane.
That's a lotta stuff to replace quickly for 56 soldiers.
And with what they hear from back stateside, they didn't feel that confident that anyone knew or cared.
(This little firebase, how and where it was set up, was not the only one - it's been par for the course in the Nuristan
and Kunar right along...for years.)
Guess what - within 3 days of flurry - everything on the list has been raised and is one the way.
WE KNOW. WE CARE.
WE need to tell the slackers in DC to get off their ignorant duffs - we will not let this continue
When did the communists ever “get it together” in Nam?
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