captain mel porter outpost keating

Died of his wounds after his legs were hit by RPG shrapnel. The Shapleigh native volunteered to drive an Army truck loaded with supplies along a treacherous 200-foot cliff at night . 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. Such attacks are not news to men like Capt. 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. Martina Skokova. Youre reading this weeks At War newsletter. The Battle of Kamdesh took place during the war in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Sgt. This agreement did bring down the level of combat in the Kamdesh area. Anyone can read what you share. The camp was originally constructed to be a PRT (i.e., Provincial Reconstruction Team), called PRT Kamdesh, but due to extremely high levels of fighting in the area it remained a fire base instead of a PRT. Was the mortars limited supplies or an ROE thing? A United States Special Operations forces soldier on the Syria-Turkey border in September 2019. [29], Following the battle, the U.S. Central Command conducted an investigation on what had occurred, led by US Army General Guy Swan. They expanded the perimeter all the way back to the entry control point and to the buildings on the western edge of the outpost, which became their final fighting position. 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. A recreated Red Platoon barracks bunk bed. These resources were limited by the fact that only 5,000 American troops were available to occupy a rugged area the size of Virginia that had little infrastructure. A common misconception is that the Taliban are primitive fighters who lack the necessary skills to be effective in battle. Christopher Cordova, the squadrons physician assistant, was manning the aid station where there was no power. 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. The Outpost real story confirms that rocket-propelled grenades and mortars caused the camp to catch fire. 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. Extending control further along the river was expected to counter the AAF expansion and activity in the summer of 2007. Contained between the Landay River and steep mountains, Keating was attacked from multiple directions by 300 enemy fighters. It was this delay that proved fatal to some of the troops stationed at COP Keating. Shane Courville; Cordova; George Arvidson as Cordova. Died of his wounds after his leg was hit by a single gunshot wound. [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. Area of Operations. These factors resulted in an attractive target for enemy fighters," the report concluded. Capt. Let's get back on topic please. [23], Once inside, the attackers set fire to the base, burning down most of the barracks. Thomas Rasmussen fought back and was knocked off his feet by a rocket-propelled grenade. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. [39] The Netflix documentary series, Medal of Honor, includes an episode detailing the actions of Clinton Romesha and Ty Carter.[40]. 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. [35] Capt. Sylvanius Broward in the movie is a fictional name for a real captain, Mel Porter. The soldiers left so quickly that they didn't take all of the ammunition. The logistical location of the outpost, which was located deep in a valley surrounded by three steep mountains, put the soldiers at an enormous disadvantage. Over the years, I have learned that sharing the experience allowed many of us to put our emotions into words. 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. Yes. Relief had been slowed in reaching COP Keating due to a lack of available aircraft and density of terrain. What if there was a country in place of the Bay of Biscay? On Oct. 3, 2009, a force of about 50 Americans faced down as many as 400 enemy fighters intent on overrunning COP Keating in eastern Afghanistan. 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. Clint Romesha and Ty Carter, portrayed by Scott Eastwood and Caleb Landry Jones, were not present when Benjamin Keating died. Defense officials confirm that two senior officers who oversaw the forces at COP Keating have received administrative punishments that could impact their careers. For the most part, yes. Nearly 20 Air Force and Army aircraft flew close-air support missions throughout the day, helping to kill about 150 insurgents. [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. It seemed like the entire COP was burning [70 percent did].. Sgt. [5][7]:53141 Observation Post ("OP") Fritsche was attacked simultaneously, limiting available support from that position. The idea was to stop the insurgents' supply lines coming in from Pakistan. [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. Joshua Hardt, who until this time had been MIA. In the end, we gaveThe Outpost movie a Historical Accuracy Score of 8.5/10. [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 camp was defended by a combined force of 140 U.S. and Afghan soldiers. The fighting at COP Keating, which is also known as the Battle of Kamdesh, involved an attack by over 400 insurgents against the combat outpost, which was slated to be dismantled. The PRT site resembled the bottom of a funnel. Porter had already done two tours in Iraq and even before he was deployed to COP Keating, his superior officer Lieutenant Colonel Brad Brown and the men of his company thought he was "spent". In real life, there is no record of Porter shooting a dog.According to Jake Tapper's book, two real-life incidents inspired the scene in the movie. An officer also received administrative punishment for his role in a delayed artillery response to an ambush last September on a joint U.S.-Afghan patrol that left four Marines and nine Afghans dead. Located along a riverbank in Kamdesh, Afghanistan, the base was surrounded by steep mountains. Enemy forces controlled the landing zone, which prevented the wounded from being lifted out. On the whole the AAF was a broader based and more formidable force in 2007 than before the American invasion, and represented a significant escalation. The basic approach to victory by the PRT involved three steps: Nicholson hoped the PRT would seed a process to be developed by the Nuristanis rather than imposed from the outside. 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. Everything was so realistic that had the cameras not been there I would have thought my mind was playing tricks on me. An additional 4 Afghan allied fighters also died. Jake Tapper, author of the bookThe Outpost, wondered the same thing when he embarked on his research. 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. Constant ambushes and firefights along the road to Naray did little to relieve Keating's doubts. This seems to be displayed rather accurately in the movie, at least with regard to how it's described in Tapper's book. Yllescas' death happened when he was serving with the 6/4 CAV in 2008. 3-71 Cavalry conducted many successful combat missions in the area surrounding the camp and repelled various attacks on the base. [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. [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. So if you see the film when it comes out over the Fourth of July weekend, know that you are not just watching a war movie. 1st Class Jonathan Hill rallied his 3rd Platoon troops in a counterattack, despite his multiple shrapnel wounds. Captain Benjamin Keating Born: May 31, 1979 Birthplace: Sanford, Maine, USA Death: November 26, 2006, Kamdesh, Afghanistan (injuries suffered when vehicle turned over) Milo Gibson Born: November 16, 1990 Birthplace: Australia Captain Robert Yllescas Born: October 7, 1977 Birthplace: Guatemala City, Guatemala The brigade was busy guarding another village, and numerous other resources had been consumed looking for Bowe Bergdahl, a U.S. soldier who was held captive by the Taliban after he deserted his post on June 30, 2009. Despite the efforts of two Latvian military advisors, First Sergeant Jnis Lais and Corporal Mrti Dboli,[21] who tried to convince the Afghan National Army forces not to flee,[22] the Afghan defenders quickly broke and ran. [36], On 11 February 2013, President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha, a survivor of the battle. An after-action report stated that within less than a few minutes of fighting, the Afghan soldiers serving at Keating, as well as the Afghan security guards, had fled their positions, allowing the enemy to quickly overrun the post. (Multiple explosions near the ammo supply set off a series of fires at the post.). 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. Unlike the movie, The Outpost true story reveals that Keating was not alone in the truck. Between each take, the director and actors paused and turned to Cordova, who offered feedback to make the scene match his memory. The entire Outpost Keating was recreated. Who plays Nia on the outpost? 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. Combat Outpost Keating was a small American military outpost in Nurestan Province, in Afghanistan. He died in a vehicular accident in 2006, and Combat Outpost Keating, the site of the 2009 Battle of Kamdesh, was named in his honor. By all quantifiable metrics, my unit won the fight, but at a devastating cost: Eight soldiers died, 22 were wounded and our camp burned to the ground. The combination of volatile weather and rugged mountains make any kind of travel and life in general difficult and challenging. Combat Outpost Keating in Nuristan, Afghanistan, as recreated on the set. According to one account, Hill without hesitation picked up a Latvian sniper rifle and eliminated the target at a distance of over 300 meters., 1st Lt. Andrew Bundermann, de facto ground commander, worked to slow the fire in the operations center and salvage equipment. . Yllescas's charismatic relations with the Shura had supported the transition from 1-91 Cavalry to 6th Squadron, and the Shura's influence and collaboration with ISAF forces declined from this point. 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