It was adapted for the screen by Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy (Patriots Day and The Fighter). Basically, the air support was leaving and coming back. The growling soon escalated into outright hostility, which deeply frightened the boy. "Needed force protection improvements were not made because of the imminent closure of the outpost. As we walked into the replica aid station, I looked at Cordova. "[5], On November 9, 2018, the Netflix series Medal of Honor featured two separate episodes for both Romesha and Carter's personal accounts of the events that took place at COP Keating during the Battle of Kamdesh. This separation of the landing zone, and the fact that the site was surrounded by mountains on three sides made the site unappealing because of the difficulty of mounting an effective defense. This includes Scott Eastwood's character, Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha, telling the men, "We're taking this bitch back," after the camp is partially overrun by Taliban fighters. Several days after the battle, U.S. aircraft bombed the location in an effort to destroy any munitions that remained. It was this delay that proved fatal to some of the troops stationed at COP Keating. [5] The U.S. military estimated that 150 Taliban insurgents were also killed as a result of repulsing the assault. Benjamin D. Keating was born in Sanford, Maine on 31 May 1979, and he served as Chair of the Young Republicans at the . [8] In addition, Afghan national forces manned checkpoints and roadblocks at various locations around the area. On Oct. 3, 2009, the odds were against U.S. troops at Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistans Nuristan province, located just 10 miles from the Pakistan border. I'll just quote this part from Staff Sergeant Romesha's Medal of Honor citation: Folks Media Madness is full of arguments over TLJ, we don't need to import that headache into the War Room. Over the years, I have learned that sharing the experience allowed many of us to put our emotions into words. Director Rod Lurie is himself a West Point graduate and an Army veteran. "But it is very difficult for us when people who weren't there and weren't involved, question the decision of leadership in a fight, but sometimes it is also necessary.". The Taliban surprised the outpost with mortar fire and a massive infantry assault which partly overran and nearly destroyed COP Keating, and, while the Americans and their allies held off several Taliban attacks on the base in the bloodiest battle in Afghanistan since the 2008 Battle of Wanat, the outpost was shut down shortly after and its depot Clint Romesha, portrayed by Scott Eastwood in the film. Benjamin D. Keating (31 May 1979-26 November 2006) was a US Army Captain who served in the US 61st Cavalry Regiment during the Afghanistan War. The veterans who served as technical advisors on the film said that the set was eerily similar to the real outpost, which no longer exists. Here's what else we covered in this week's newsletter. Combat Outpost Keating in Nuristan, Afghanistan, as recreated on the set. Combat. [38], The battle of Kamdesh is documented in the 2017 book Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor by Clinton Romesha, a former United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle for Combat Outpost Keating in Nuristan, Afghanistan. Captain Sylvanius Broward (Kwame Patterson), whom the men refer to as "Broward the Coward," shoots the dog to appease the elder and calm the situation. He was managing care for five Americans and seven Afghans, treating gunshot wounds, head injuries, shrapnel wounds, chest and abdominal wounds, eye injuries and broken legs, all in a makeshift station. prosthetic makeup effects technician: Millennium FX. [8] Coalition forces responded with small arms fire, mortars, and by the afternoon, helicopters, heavy artillery, and airstrikes. It's at least the third time officers were disciplined after soldiers' deaths. If they shoot from the hills, US troops can shoot at them without fear of hitting civilians in town, and it makes an enticing target. Anthony Parker. [17], Coalition forces received three human-source intelligence reports sometime before the battle indicating that insurgents were planning an attack on the outposts. An additional 4 Afghan allied fighters also died. "It is one of the most well-planned and carefully choreographed attacks in the history of the Afghan war," Tapper told NPR. Captain Matthew Kaplan, CW3 Ross Lewallen, CW3 Randy Huff, CW2 Gary Wingert, CW2 Chad Bardwell, and CW2 Chris Wright were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for conducting close combat attacks on the Taliban during the battle. Extending control further along the river was expected to counter the AAF expansion and activity in the summer of 2007. The combination of volatile weather and rugged mountains make any kind of travel and life in general difficult and challenging. By allowing soldiers to tell their story, by hearing their story, you are also part of the healing. Robert Yllescas. When it came to infiltration from Pakistan, and setting ambushes, HIG was regarded as the most skillful. Of the 53 U.S. soldiers who fought in the Battle of Kamdesh at Outpost Keating, 45 survived, 8 lost their lives, and 27 were wounded. Using a transfusion kit, Cordova began pumping his own blood into the wounded soldier, along with blood collected from other soldiers. Lurie, a West Point graduate and Army veteran, listened to what I had to say and agreed to let me visit the set. Staff Sergeant Vernon Tiller, the most senior mechanic, was in the passenger's seat when it went over the cliff. I'd have to look more into the specific situation to know more but from the general impression of the situation. The attack was the bloodiest battle for US forces since the Battle of Wanat in July 2008, which occurred 20 miles (32km) away from Kamdesh. They made sustained attacks over a two-day period, drawing American support forces and widespread air forces into the battle. [19] At 6:00 a.m, the fighters opened fire from all sides of the outpost with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades,[10] immediately putting the Americans' mortar pit out of action. Shot in the head by a Taliban sniper after being wounded by RPG fire. Need to know. Melvin Porter of the Fourth Infantry Division, as Keating has been furiously and repeatedly attacked since it opened in 2006. Despite some condensing with regard to the timeline and a fictional character or two (Pfc. A press release issued by the NATO military command in Afghanistan said Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the senior U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, had taken "appropriate action" against the officers after reviewing the report. Loss of life was inevitable and the government. [7]:1238,1368,18191,407, On August 8, 2006, 19 days after the first American landing, the PRT was attacked for the first time. The report concluded that it was the lack of adequate defenses that made Keating "an attractive target" for the Taliban. However, Army 1st Lt. Benjamin Keating's death actually happened three years earlier, in 2006, not 2009. Meanwhile, Sgt. October 03, 2019. The outpost was manned by 54 American personnel from B Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, who faced greater than seven-to-one odds in the battle. The camp burned into the night and some of the building walls fell to the ground. These valley and road intersections combined with the political leadership in the area inspired the positioning of the Nuristan PRT. Several of the surviving soldiers were technical advisors on the film, including Medal of Honor recipient Ty Carter, who is played by Caleb Landry Jones. [23], Once inside, the attackers set fire to the base, burning down most of the barracks. Keating's death, while mostly historically accurate, is pushed up in the film as a way to condense the storyline.Knowing the LMTV armored supply vehicle was too heavy for the road in Kamdesh, Keating volunteered against protocol to drive the truck, choosing to risk his own life instead of the lives of the men serving underneath him. Urdu and Pashtun HIG warriors brought arms and ammunition from Pakistan. Keating died while serving at the base in 2006 and it was . The PRT site resembled the bottom of a funnel. The smaller U.S. force ultimately beat back the attack after a fierce hours-long battle where Apache helicopters, that raced to assist the besieged soldiers, made all the difference. Captain Bostick was killed by a rocket propelled grenade. Keating's November 26, 2006 death deeply affected his platoon, who wanted to honor his sacrifice and his selfless care for them. Many of the Afghan troops, however, were a different story. The bounty was a thing back then? The first soldier to arrive had profuse bleeding from the skull. Much of this is the result of the real-life Battle of Kamdesh veterans who were involved in the film, both as technical advisors and actors. As it became obvious that COP Keating was too isolated, indefensible, and impossible to supply, plans were made to close it beginning in December 2008. Skola karalauk", "COP Keating Investigation Findings Released", "Afghan, US troops kill 40 militants in east", "Camp Keating Officers Disciplined for Attack That Killed 8 U.S. Second, the search for Bowe Bergdahl, in June 2009, had used up so many resources none were available to address the base's unsuitable location. The wounded Americans condition immediately improved after the first unit of blood, as did the spirits of all those in the aid station. You are using an out of date browser. [7]:1238,1368,18191,407, Despite recommendations not to drive the large supply vehicle, First Lieutenant Ben Keating took the wheel while returning an armored supply truck to the Naray FOB. And he was becoming disillusioned with the possibility of what he thought. Provide clean water by installing gravity fed pipelines. "We're constantly under observation." On Oct. 3, 2009, Keating was the site of the second costliest U.S. firefight of the Afghanistan War. Once we got overhead the target, the biggest thing that struck me was how much of Keating was on fire. ", was Keating's assessment. Clint Romesha rallied his fellow soldiers by telling them, "We're taking this bitch back. On his way, he stopped to offer first aid to wounded troops. He was the last commander of Combat Outpost Keating. [7]:28,41,908,123, The area had not been occupied by any conventional US forces prior to 3-71 Cavalry's takeover, although Special Operations forces operated in the area on a very limited basis. I highly recommend picking up a copy as it goes into far far greater detail about the history and events leading up and during the battle. It could not be seen or supported with indirect fire due to the multi-level and complicated terrain. You must log in or register to reply here. As Cordova worked to stop the bleeding, five injured Afghan soldiers and another American who suffered a chest wound were brought in. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/03/magazine/the-outpost-afghanistan-movie.html. However, author Jake Tapper says that this is entirely untrue. The report said the heroic action of American and Afghan soldiers contributed to a "severe tactical defeat for the Taliban" that resulted in as many as 150 Taliban fighters being killed. 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