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
Is there anything else on the list they need? My son is sitting in Kuwait right now but I have boxes of stuff I can send. Give me a list with a name and address and I can get it out tomorrow. I was wanting to do something and didn’t know who to contact.