captain mel porter outpost keating

Gul Mohammed Khan, the government administrator for Kamdesh District, lived at the intersection of the Landay-Sin and Darreh Ye Kushtoz rivers. [7]:229,256,26380[12], The Battle of Saret Koheh made good on the threats of the "Night Letter". Who plays Nia on the outpost? On October 28, the commander of COP Keating, Captain Robert J. Yllescas, was severely wounded in a targeted assassination attempt with a remotely detonated IED less than 400 meters from the outposthe later died from his wounds on December 1. During this battle Taliban members outnumbered US forces in a staggering 5 to 1 ratio and was considered one of the bloodiest battle of the War. The attack was the bloodiest battle for US forces since the Battle of Wanat in July 2008, which occurred 20 miles (32 km) away from Kamdesh. The landing zone was placed on the other side of the river on a rocky peninsula jutting into the river near Urmul. Yes. Quick reaction forces (QRF) from 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment did not reach the outpost until 7:00pm that day, while insurgents remained in parts of the outpost as late as 5:10pm. The Los Angeles gift shop Bunkado, at center with a fan on its sign, in the 1950s. Why would the U.S. military put an outpost at the base of three Afghan mountains that were teeming with Taliban fighters who were eager to kill U.S. soldiers? As the sun rose on Oct. 3, 2009, about 300 Taliban launched a surprise attack on COP Keating. For their heroism, 2 Medals of Honor, 9 Silver Stars and 21 Bronze Stars were awarded. Unconfirmed footage reportedly shows a short segment from a November 2008 battle at Combat Outpost (COP) Keating, in which ISAF troops attempt to defend the stupidly-placed position from an enemy that holds the high ground on all sides. [7]:363383[13], COP Keating became increasingly isolated in the summer of 2009. Lieutenant Keating, first commander of the Kamdesh PRT, was determined to make COIN a success in the region. The movie does take liberty with the way it portrays previous commanders of the outpost, 1st Lt. Ben Keating and Capt. It also said the commanders had become "desensitized" to reports of imminent large scale attacks because previous warnings had turned out to be on a much smaller scale. Ty M. Carter pauses during a patrol outside Combat Outpost Keating, Afghanistan, where he was deployed with the 61st Cavalry Regiment in 2009. As Cordova worked to stop the bleeding, five injured Afghan soldiers and another American who suffered a chest wound were brought in. Haji Yunus, a village elder of Gawardesh and contractor for an electric plant, was kidnapped and murdered. The report found that a "mindset of imminent closure" led the unit to not improve the outpost's defenses despite intelligence reports that warned of a possible attack by "a large enemy force.". [7]:28,41,908,123, The Nuristan provincial reconstruction team base was strongly recommended by Nuristani Province Governor Tamim Nuristani. Defense officials confirm that three other Army officers face disciplinary action for their role in the attack on the military outpost in Wanat in July, 2008 that led to nine dead U.S. soldiers and 27 wounded. The 13-hour battle to re-take Combat Outpost Keating from an assault by 300 Taliban fighters on Oct. 3, 2009, was a team effort. He was the last commander of Combat Outpost Keating. Christopher Cordova, the squadrons physician assistant, was manning the aid station where there was no power. His actions saved the lives of several soldiers, and he alone accomplished the work of four medical professionals without stopping for food or sleep, the battle narrative aptly concluded. Within moments of entry, members of the QRF discovered and confirmed the death of Sgt. He became the fourth surviving soldier from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts to be awarded the Medal of Honor due to courageous actions during the battle. Captain Broward is a fictional character likely based on Captain Melvin Porter, the officer who commanded COP Keating before it was attacked and was reprimanded for its lack of preparedness. Despite overwhelming odds and volume of injuries, MAJ (R) Cordova was able to . As soon as they left, the insurgents would come back.. [14] At the time, Afghan national forces were supervised and trained by members of the Latvian Operational Mentor Liaison Teams. [30] In the report released to the public, the U.S. Army concealed the names of the four disciplined officers. [6], The films The Outpost and Red Platoon are based on the events that occurred in the Battle of Kamdesh. ", was Keating's assessment. [7][8] The former of which is based on the book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by journalist Jake Tapper. 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. He discussed their common values as leaders of families and communities working toward a better future. Mace survived long enough to be evacuated to a nearby medical facility. 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. . Died of his wounds after his leg was hit by a single gunshot wound. [8] Coalition forces responded with small arms fire, mortars, and by the afternoon, helicopters, heavy artillery, and airstrikes. [31] 3 soldiers were awarded the Bronze Star Medal, and 18 others the Bronze Star Medal with "V" device for valor. It took place while First Lieutenant Kaine Meshkin (not in the film) was leading a patrol to Observation Post Fritsche. He assumed command of CO Keating following the death of Captain Robert Yllescas in a Taliban IED attack in December 2008, and he almost immediately acquired a negative reputation among his new command, who called him "Broward the Coward" for planning . Using a transfusion kit, Cordova began pumping his own blood into the wounded soldier, along with blood collected from other soldiers. It involved a small force of 54 U.S. soldiers (Bravo Troop 3-61), in addition to their Afghan and Latvian allies, at the remote Combat Outpost Keating in northeastern Afghanistan near the town of Kamdesh. For his gallantry, he was awarded the Silver Star Medal *, the U.S. Army's third highest award for valor. It was one of many reasons Cordova was later awarded the Silver Star. 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. Rather off-topic but wasn't Poe at that moment demoted by Leia beforehand? [7]:21530, The closeness of the action, and coordinated fire from both sides of the valley indicated that the attackers in this ambush were different from the groups that had been using sporadic, long range, harassing fire. I reached out to the films director, Rod Lurie, to vent my concerns. [9], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}352523N 711944E / 35.4231N 71.3289E / 35.4231; 71.3289 (Location of Combat Outpost Keating). Keating's November 26, 2006 death deeply affected his platoon, who wanted to honor his sacrifice and his selfless care for them. [7]:1238,1368,18191,407, From August 8 to November 25 of 2006, strenuous efforts were made to supply and expand the PRT by supply convoys using the Landay-Sin valley road from Naray FOB. In real life, Keating had served with the 3/71 CAV, not the 3/61 CAV (the unit he's part of in The Outpost movie). Yllescas' death happened when he was serving with the 6/4 CAV in 2008. Leaving aside the wisdom of a fictional admiral cutting her CAG and most experienced pilot out of the loop while she plans a small craft evacuation, the US Army follows a doctrine known as Mission Command, which relies on the commander keeping their subordinates informed not just of their orders but the. The soldiers heard over the radio, "Enemy in the wire The enemy is inside the camp." [7]:803,945,11620, While attempting the pickup, a Chinook transport helicopter crashed in the darkness at 10:09 PM when the rear rotor hit a tree, and the helicopter slid down the slope and over a cliff, exploding in flames and killing all the crew and passengers. Ground resupply became almost impossible due to the area's limited roads and the threat of insurgent attacks. Tears were streaming down his face. The military's failure to close Combat Outpost Keating earlier likely contributed to the Battle of Kamdesh, which resulted in eight U.S. soldiers losing their lives, while 27 others were left wounded. Actor Milo Gibson, the son of Mel Gibson, portrays Capt. Not exactly, but in researching The Outpost's historical accuracy, we learned that a similar incident happened the year prior, in 2008, involving more than just one dog. Combat Outpost Keating in Nuristan, Afghanistan, as recreated on the set. 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 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. 1.33 million dollars was budgeted for these projects. The growling soon escalated into outright hostility, which deeply frightened the boy. The Battle of Kamdesh took place during the war in Afghanistan. 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. I witnessed the making of The Outpost, a film about the day my unit fought off 300 Taliban fighters who tried to overrun our camp in Afghanistan. [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]. During the highly risky convoy, the road collapsed under the weight of Keating's vehicle. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. [17], Coalition forces received three human-source intelligence reports sometime before the battle indicating that insurgents were planning an attack on the outposts. Keating's story was in the news again earlier this year; he was portrayed in the movie "The Outpost," which tells the story of one of the bloodiest battles in the war in Afghanistan. Such administrative punishments are seen as career-enders if they are made a part of a permanent personnel file. [The airspace above] Keating was packed full of jets, so we knew this was not an ordinary engagement, Kulish told Air Force Magazine. The report concluded that it was the lack of adequate defenses that made Keating "an attractive target" for the Taliban. [7]:1238,1368,18191,407, Combined with difficult conditions for air supply, and little support from the local population, supply to what was renamed Camp Keating on November 26, 2006, was wholly inadequate. Melvin Porter of the Fourth Infantry Division, as Keating has been furiously and repeatedly attacked since it opened in 2006. The movie is based on the 2012 nonfiction book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by CNN's Jake Tapper. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/03/magazine/the-outpost-afghanistan-movie.html. Please email thoughts and suggestions to atwar@nytimes.com. Outnumbered and outgunned, the soldiers fought. He began building a consensus of village elders in support of the Afghan government. Director Rod Lurie is himself a West Point graduate and an Army veteran. Lieutenant Colonel Mike Howard, Squadron Commander, saw COIN as a process of providing three services: This would improve the local economy while providing improved communications with the central government and the rest of the nation. Additionally, 20 Afghan troops, two Latvian soldiers and a dozen Afghan security guards were at Keating. The outpost itself also needed to be accessible by road since most of the helicopters were being used in Iraq and were unavailable. Located near the border with Pakistan in the Afghan province of Nuristan, COP Keating was the scene of a coordinated attack by as many as 300 Taliban fighters who stormed the exposed base. Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, View Video of Taliban Fighters in the Camp. The combination of volatile weather and rugged mountains make any kind of travel and life in general difficult and challenging. In the end, we gaveThe Outpost movie a Historical Accuracy Score of 8.5/10. Nicholson and officers of his command believed that much of the flow of weapons and troops from Pakistan could be stopped at Kamdesh. JavaScript is disabled. Once we got overhead the target, the biggest thing that struck me was how much of Keating was on fire. But the courage of the Americans who fought there will never be forgotten. Because the reports had not been verified by other intelligence sources, such as electronic intelligence, the reports were discounted. The rock could not be demolished without raining fragments into the town of Urmul across the Landay-Sin river. Again, it was later noted that many of Porter's decisions were sound. The punishments reflect a recent trend in Afghanistan to hold military commanders accountable for battlefield failures. A commander who has no trust for or from his subordinates, keeps them in the dark, and fails to make the intent of his orders clear is making it harder for everyone else to do their jobs and jeopardizing mission success. 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 first of these would be "Operation Mountain II", an effort to extend a series of observation posts west to control the villages between COP Keating and the Afghan village of Saret Koheh. In 2006, HIG was actively resisting the Afghan government. Formalized as "The Commitment of Mutual Support" the agreement also provided the Shura would provide local security in return for an end to uninvited American military searches of local towns and mosques. When Cordova and I arrived on set, both of us were astounded. As a result of the battle, COP Keating was partially overrun and nearly destroyed. Aaron Dove, pilot and weapon systems officer of one of the F-15E aircraft coordinating close air support, were also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Robert Yllescas. Those guys were amazing. 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. The following day, insurgents kidnapped and murdered Fazal Ahad, an elder from Badmuk who was attempting to end the Kom/Kata tribal disagreements by arranging a meeting in Kamdesh. 8 killed 27 wounded[5] 4 killed 10 wounded. [39] The Netflix documentary series, Medal of Honor, includes an episode detailing the actions of Clinton Romesha and Ty Carter.[40]. Combat Outpost Keating was a small American military outpost in Nurestan Province, in Afghanistan. Killed by a single gunshot wound to the face while in the base mortar pit. [34], The flight crews of three United States Army AH-64D Apache helicopters were later decorated for actions during the battle. American troops in Nuristan found themselves directly in opposition to the HIG forces. Does this give anyone else flashbacks to he purple hair admiral in The Last Jedi? Many of the Afghan troops, however, were a different story. Troops", "Outnumbered and With Taliban Overrunning the Base, Clinton Romesha Was Awarded MoH at the Battle of Kamdesh", "4th ID Soldier awarded Distinguished Service Cross", "Army vet honored with Distinguished Service Cross for combat heroics in Afghanistan", "Pilots receive Distinguished Flying Cross for valor", "Airmen honored by college for heroism in Afghanistan", "Army veteran Clinton Romesha receives Medal of Honor for Afghan fight", "Obama awards Ty Carter Medal of Honor for Afghan battle", "US soldiers hold back Taliban attack on COP Keating", COP Keating Report at DefenseTech.org: After Action Report, before and after photos, maps, analysis, Executive Summary - AR 15-6 Investigation re: Complex Attack on COP Keating - 3 Oct 09, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Kamdesh&oldid=1135532495, Served with United States Army since 2003 and Participated in, Killed by a single gunshot wound in the head, Served with United States Army since 2004 and Participated in, Killed by multiple gunshot wounds in the head and body, Served with United States Army since 2006 and Participated in, Served with United States Army since 2005. On Oct. 3, 2009, Keating was the site of the second costliest U.S. firefight of the Afghanistan War. 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. For the most part, yes. [7]:334,501,92,98. Rob Yllescas of Nebraska, in "The Outpost," which tells the story of real-life combat events from the War in Afghanistan. Hutto had worked for years on COIN campaigns in Central America. Captain Bostick was killed by a rocket propelled grenade. 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. Enemy in the region Honor, 9 Silver Stars and 21 Bronze Stars were awarded Latvian soldiers and another who! Side of the Americans who fought there will never be forgotten furiously repeatedly! 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