[17], Coalition forces received three human-source intelligence reports sometime before the battle indicating that insurgents were planning an attack on the outposts. Email us at atwar@nytimes.com. [7]:12930 1345,156. Nearly 20 Air Force and Army aircraft flew close-air support missions throughout the day, helping to kill about 150 insurgents. | Trademarks and service marks of VFW. [2] Two Americans, Staff Sergeants Clinton L. Romesha and (then Specialist) Ty Carter were awarded the Medal of Honor for their role in defending the base.[3]. Several days after the battle, U.S. aircraft bombed the location in an effort to destroy any munitions that remained. After Keating's death, a "Night Letter" appeared on the door of the Upper Kamdesh mosque on April 29, 2007. David Porter (February 1, 1780 - March 3, 1843) was an officer in the United States Navy in the rank of captain and the honorary title of commodore.Porter commanded a number of U.S. naval ships. Unlike Donahue, Nicholson was a supporter of COIN in addition to seeing Kamdesh as a decisive control point. U.S. air support directed by Sgt. They were commanded by Captain Tom Bostick. [9] The Americans "declared the outpost closed and departedso quickly that they did not carry out all of their stored ammunition. Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Army.When the battle ended after more than 12 hours, eight U.S. soldiers were killed and another 22 wounded. For the most part, yes. "We're surrounded, and we're sitting in a bowl," Porter said on "Good Morning America" today. At 6 a.m., Oct. 3, 2009, Combat Outpost Keating in Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, came under complex attack by an enemy force estimated at 300 fighters. Insurgents had breached the camp in several locations, including at the main entrance, near the latrine area, and on the eastern side. It looked just like our outpost on the day of the battle. But the courage of the Americans who fought there will never be forgotten. For their heroism, 2 Medals of Honor, 9 Silver Stars and 21 Bronze Stars were awarded. Soldiers Dead in Bold Attack in Afghanistan", Attack on Afghan outposts kills 8 soldiers, "U.S. ignored warnings before deadly Afghan attack", "U.S. Military Faults Leaders in Attack on Base", "Courage at Keating: 2 Medals of Honor, 1 DSC, 8 Silver Stars for standout B Troop", "Army releases report on battle at Combat Outpost Keating battle", "Afghan insurgents pushed into U.S. base, official says", "Strategic Plans Spawned Bitter End for a Lonely Outpost", "Defense.gov News Release: DoD Identifies Army Casualties", "Defense.gov News Release: DoD Identifies Army Casualty", "Insurgents breached U.S. outpost in battle", The Gazette: Mom works to help Carson soldiers honor battle bonds, "They 'weren't going to get beat that day' the Medal of Honor recipients who held COP Keating against all odds", "US premiere of film about Battle of COP Keating and Latvian soldiers | Aizsardzbas ministrija", Latvijas Televzija: Videofilma "Afganistna. Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha and Staff Sergeant Ty Carter were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the battle. The Distinguished Flying Cross was given to 7 aviators who assisted in defending the base. "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.". Sylvanius Broward in the movie is a fictional name for a real captain, Mel Porter. On his way, he stopped to offer first aid to wounded troops. Christopher Cordova, the squadrons physician assistant, was manning the aid station where there was no power. So first and foremost: The movie is based off the book of the same name. The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor - Kindle edition by Tapper, Jake. The climate of the area has hot summers, a monsoon season in the summer, and cold winters of ice and snow extending down into the valleys. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The Outpost true story reveals that the soldiers were surrounded by more than 300 Taliban fighters, many of whom were rushing in from Pakistan, which was only 14 miles from COP Keating. 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. ' The Outpost ' is a 2020 war drama which tells the story of 53 US soldiers who battled some 400 enemy insurgents in north-eastern Afghanistan, during Operation Enduring Freedom. Nicholson and officers of his command believed that much of the flow of weapons and troops from Pakistan could be stopped at Kamdesh. To avoid damaging the trust they had established with the Afghans, Cali and another semi-hostile dog named Willie Pete were shot by Staff Sergeant Ian Boone and another soldier. Ty M. Carter pauses during a patrol outside Combat Outpost Keating, Afghanistan, where he was deployed with the 61st Cavalry Regiment in 2009. This agreement did bring down the level of combat in the Kamdesh area. -CBS Sunday Morning. A bus carrying employees of an Afghan television station was bombed in Kabul on May 30. are assisting Somali soldiers fighting Al Shabab, and by a health care system that utterly failed him, The case has irritated U.S. relations with a crucial military ally. He was the last commander of Combat Outpost Keating. It took place while First Lieutenant Kaine Meshkin (not in the film) was leading a patrol to Observation Post Fritsche. This page was last edited on 25 January 2023, at 06:49. The Los Angeles gift shop Bunkado, at center with a fan on its sign, in the 1950s. AAF would disguise themselves in ANA uniforms and set up fake checkpoints to extract taxes and tolls from local contractors, and allied themselves with smugglers transporting illegal timber and gems into Pakistan. [31] 3 soldiers were awarded the Bronze Star Medal, and 18 others the Bronze Star Medal with "V" device for valor. Defense officials confirm that two senior officers who oversaw the forces at COP Keating have received administrative punishments that could impact their careers. [7]:31214,371, The shura began to falter by October 2008. It was this delay that proved fatal to some of the troops stationed at COP Keating. American forces formed a thinly held and poorly supplied picket line from Naray to Kamdesh along the river. Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, View Video of Taliban Fighters in the Camp. Without adequate support, they were left to fight for their lives against overwhelming odds. They should had just followed their fucking orders. Military commanders had already decided to close the base the previous summer, but delayed doing so because of other operations. Or invite someone to subscribe through this link. Sgt. . As they filmed one take after another, Cordova clenched his jaw and swallowed back tears, reliving the most traumatic day of his life. Fallen Heroes 3-61 Cavalry, 4th BCT, 4th ID. Eight aviators were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for helping defend the base. It occurred on October 3, 2009, when a force of 400 Taliban assaulted the American Combat Outpost ("COP") Keating near the town of Kamdesh in Nuristan Province in eastern Afghanistan. [15], The Allies planned to close COP Keating by August 2009, but the move was delayed because of other military operations in a nearby district. [10][27][28], On October 5 and 6, Coalition troops conducted operations in the area in an attempt to locate and destroy the Taliban forces responsible for the attack on the outposts. The punishments reflect a recent trend in Afghanistan to hold military commanders accountable for battlefield failures. The movie does take liberty with the way it portrays previous commanders of the outpost, 1st Lt. Ben Keating and Capt. (Multiple explosions near the ammo supply set off a series of fires at the post.). A dog named Cali growled at the eldest son of an Afghan Security Guard, who would often come to the post with his father. American outpost in Nuristan, Afghanistan, List of post-Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipients, "Latest Medal of Honor brings COP Keating battle back into spotlight", "A Medal of Honor recipient's ongoing burden", "COP Keating battle begins, Medal of Honor nominee Romesha takes action", "This Netflix series will tell the stories of Medal of Honor recipients", "The Battle of Kamdesh, which netted two Medals of Honor, is coming to the big screen twice", "Sony Enlists Director Daniel Espinosa, George Clooney's Smokehouse For 'Red Platoon', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Combat_Outpost_Keating&oldid=1137949129, Military installations of the United States in Afghanistan, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 06:20. [5][10] Two USAF F-15E fighter bombers circled overhead, led by Captains Mike Polidor and Aaron Dove and their wingmen, 1st Lt. Justin Pavoni and Captain Ryan Bone, for almost eight hours, helping coordinate airstrikes by 19 other aircraft. In response to this, the local Afghan officials sent more government troops into the area. [2] A day after, on October 7, Taliban fighters were seen among the ruins of the outpost. [5][7]:53141 Observation Post ("OP") Fritsche was attacked simultaneously, limiting available support from that position. Understandable discrepancies emerge when a book that covers four years at a remote mountain outpost is compressed into a two-hour production, but the film unquestionably captures the essence of the soldiers sacrifices, as well as the love we feel and the sorrow we share. During the first minutes of battle, mortar rounds hit the main generator, cutting power to most of the camp. . [The airspace above] Keating was packed full of jets, so we knew this was not an ordinary engagement, Kulish told Air Force Magazine. He jumped up undeterred and ran through heavy fire to get more ammunition. As the sun rose on Oct. 3, 2009, about 300 Taliban launched a surprise attack on COP Keating. This series of meetings over two days involved more than 800 representatives of the people of Nuristan, and had the goal of bringing order and economic development to the region. [26] The attack accelerated those plans, with the troops' departure taking place so quickly after the battle that some munitions were abandoned. [24], The insurgents began to retreat later in the day. Area of Operations. Cordovas care raised the morale of every soldier in the aid station, and word quickly spread across the outpost, the battle narrative stated. Clint Romesha rallied his fellow soldiers by telling them, "We're taking this bitch back. Clint Romesha, portrayed by Scott Eastwood in the film. Furthermore, Camp Keating's location, surrounded by mountains on three sides, exposed helicopters and the outpost's garrison to insurgent fire. He wanted to avoid risking the lives of his men while traveling on an unstable road subject to ambush with an overweight vehicle. AAF forces involved fit the pattern of the improved force, in that they were uniformed and equipped as Afghan Army and police forces, with the latest weapons and radios issued to government Afghan forces, along with ski masks. Using the 120mm mortar means the base can command the entire valley. Martina Skokova. Many of the Afghan troops, however, were a different story. American troops in Nuristan found themselves directly in opposition to the HIG forces. The initiating ISAF forces of 1-91 Cavalry had returned home, replaced by 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. They professed a Salafi version of Islam, and were hostile to any political rivals. 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