# 124 Soldiers from 3rd Group to be recognized



## Gypsy (Dec 5, 2008)

Much respect.

http://news.soc.mil/releases/News%20Archive/2008/December/081204-01.html

RELEASE NUMBER: 081204-01
DATE POSTED: DECEMBER 4, 2008

MEDIA ADVISORY:  3rd SFG (Airborne) Soldiers to Receive Valor Awards
U.S. Army Special Operation Command Public Affairs Office

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service, Dec. 4, 2008) – An award ceremony recognizing the valorous actions in Afghanistan and Iraq of 124 Soldiers from 3rd *Special Forces* Group (Airborne) based at Fort Bragg, N.C., will take place on Dec. 10 at 9:00 a.m. in the John F. Kennedy Auditorium adjacent to the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School building.

43 Soldiers from 3rd SFG (A) will receive the Bronze Star with Valor device, 42 Soldiers will receive the Purple Heart, and 39 Soldiers will receive the Army Commendation Medal with Valor device. 

The Valor device denotes those individuals who were awarded a decoration in recognition of a valorous act performed during direct combat with an enemy force.  It may also denote an accomplishment of a heroic nature in direct support of operations against an enemy force.

Col. Gus Benton II, 3rd *Special Forces* Group (Airborne) Commander will present the awards.

---

FOR THE MEDIA:  Media wishing to cover the ceremony must contact Maj. Emanuel L. Ortiz, 3rd SFG (A) Public Affairs Officer at               (910) 432-3044        or e-mail emanuel.ortizcruz@ahqb.soc.mil  Media should provide after-hours contact information, to include e-mail addresses, so we may keep you advised of any changes to the program schedule.

Members of the media who wish to cover the ceremony must register with the 3rd SFG (A) PAO by Dec. 9 before 1:00 p.m.  Please provide the number of news team members, video/still photographers, live trucks and other special equipment you plan to bring to the ceremony.  Media planning live coverage during or after the program must provide that information to the 3rd SFG (A) PAO when responding to this invitation.  Special needs or interview requests should be submitted at this time as well.

Media should meet representatives of 3rd SFG (A) PAO at 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at Stryker Golf Course on Bragg Boulevard.  The media convoy will depart Stryker no later than 8:00 a.m.  3rd SFG (A) PAO representatives will also escort live trucks in that convoy. 
--usasoc--


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## shortbrownguy (Dec 5, 2008)

A good friend of mine will be one of the recipients of the Silver Star. He lost one of his legs trying to save a team mate.


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## Gypsy (Dec 5, 2008)

SBG, hope your buddy is doing well.



There will be 19 (yes, folks...you read that correctly) Silver Stars awarded.


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## GSXRanger (Dec 6, 2008)

I have completed two combat tours with 3rd Group. One of my brothers is there now. 

I feel such homage to them, great bunch of guys there. I would wager to bet, that if you interviewed EVERY one of those warriors, they would be the most humble person you have spoken to.

Much respect to them all.


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## racing_kitty (Dec 6, 2008)

Nineteen Silver Stars.... that's amazing.  

To all those receiving awards, Outstanding job, gentlemen!


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## shortbrownguy (Dec 6, 2008)

Gypsy said:


> SBG, hope your buddy is doing well.
> 
> 
> 
> There will be 19 (yes, folks...you read that correctly) Silver Stars awarded.



Thank You.
As for his progress, he is doing well and is back to work:cool:.


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## LibraryLady (Dec 6, 2008)

Amazing men.  It's humbling to think they work so hard to keep us safe.

Thank you - each and every one of you guys.

LL


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## Gypsy (Dec 6, 2008)

shortbrownguy said:


> Thank You.
> As for his progress, he is doing well and is back to work:cool:.



Fantastic!


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## Scotth (Dec 9, 2008)

shortbrownguy said:


> Thank You.
> As for his progress, he is doing well and is back to work:cool:.


 
That great news.

To all the other hero, well done


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## HoosierAnnie (Dec 9, 2008)

With immense pride, Job Well Done, Gentlemen.  Once again proof that the US Military knows no equal.  Huzzah!!


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## Viper1 (Dec 10, 2008)

Amazing!! Congratulations!


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## Gypsy (Dec 11, 2008)

*19 Silver Stars to be awarded to 3rd SFG*

http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=312338

19 soldiers to receive Silver Star medals

Nineteen soldiers from 3rd Special Forces Group will receive the Silver Star medal next week for their actions in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Recipients will be Capts. Kyle M. Walton, Kent G. Solheim and Brandon Griffin; Master Sgts. Fredrick L. Davenport, Paul D. Fiesel and Scott Ford; Sgts. 1st Class Jacob E. Allison, Benjamin J. Konrad and Larry Hawks; Staff Sgts. Robert J. Hammons, Seth E. Howard, Ronald J. Shurer, John W. Walding, Luis Morales, Dillon Behr, David J. Sanders and Matthew O. Williams; Sgt. Gabriel A. Reynolds; and Spc. Michael D. Carter.

The Silver Star is the Army’s third highest award for combat valor.

The 2 p.m. ceremony on Dec. 12 will be in the John F. Kennedy Auditorium adjacent to the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School building on Fort Bragg. Lt. Gen. John F. Mulholland, the commanding general of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, will present the awards.


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## Ravage (Dec 12, 2008)

*Brutal Afghan fight earns soldiers 10 Silver Stars*







FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Capt. Kyle Walton remembers pressing himself into the jagged stones that covered the cliff in northeast Afghanistan.

Machine gun rounds and sniper fire ricocheted off the rocks. Two rounds slammed into his helmet, smashing his head into the ground. Nearby, three of his U.S. Army Special Forces comrades were gravely wounded. One grenade or a well-aimed bullet, Walton thought, could etch April 6, 2008 on his gravestone.

Walton and his team from the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group had been sent to kill or capture terrorists from a rugged valley that had never been penetrated by U.S. forces — or, they had been told, the Soviets before them.

He peered over the side of the cliff to the dry river bed 60 feet below and considered his options. Could he roll the wounded men off and then jump to safety? Would they survive the fall?

By the end of the six-hour battle deep within the Shok Valley, Walton would bear witness to heroics that on Friday would earn his team 10 Silver Stars, the most awarded for a single battle since the start of the war.

Walton, a Special Forces team leader, and his men described the battle in an interview with The Associated Press last week. Most seem unimpressed they've earned the Army's third-highest award for combat valor.

"This is the story about Americans fighting side-by-side with their Afghan counterparts refusing to quit," said Walton, of Carmel, Ind. "What awards come in the aftermath are not important to me."

The mission that sent three Special Forces teams and a company from the 201st Afghan Commando Battalion to the Shok Valley seemed imperiled from the outset.

Six massive CH-47 Chinook helicopters had deposited the men earlier that morning, banking through thick clouds as they entered the valley. The approaching U.S. soldiers watched enemy fighters racing to positions dug into the canyon walls and to sniper holes carved into stone houses perched at the top of the cliff.

Considered a sanctuary of the Hezeb Islami al Gulbadin terrorist group, the valley is far from any major American base.

It was impossible for the helicopters to land on the jagged rocks at the bottom of the valley. The Special Forces soldiers and commandos, each carrying more than 60 pounds of gear, dropped from 10 feet above the ground, landing among boulders or in a near-frozen stream.

With several Afghan commandos, Staff Sgt. John Walding and Staff Sgt. David Sanders led the way on a narrow path that zig-zagged up the cliff face to a nearby village where the terrorists were hiding.

Walton followed with two other soldiers and a 23-year-old Afghan interpreter who went by the name C.K., an orphan who dreamed of going to the United States.

Walding and Sanders were on the outskirts of the village when Staff Sgt. Luis Morales saw a group of armed men run along a nearby ridge. He fired. The surrounding mountains and buildings erupted in an ambush: The soldiers estimate that more than 200 fighters opened up with rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and AK-47s.

C.K. crumbled to the ground.

Walton and Spc. Michael Carter dove into a small cave. Staff Sgt. Dillon Behr couldn't fit so the Rock Island, Ill., native dropped to one knee and started firing. An F-15 made a strafing run to push back the fighters, but it wasn't enough.

Sanders radioed for close air support — an order that Walton had to verify because the enemy was so near that the same bombs could kill the Americans.

The nearest house exploded; the firing didn't stop. 

"Hit it again," Sanders said. 

For the rest of the battle, F-15 fighters and Apache helicopters attacked. 

Behr was hit next — a sniper's round passing through his leg. Morales knelt on Behr's hip to stop the bleeding and kept firing until he, too, was hit in the leg and ankle. 

Walton and Carter, a combat cameraman from Smithville, Texas, dragged the two wounded men to the cave. Gunfire had destroyed Carter's camera so Walton put him to work treating Morales who, in turn, kept treating Behr. 

Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer, a medic from Pullman, Wash., fought his way up the cliff to help. 

"Heard some guys got hit up here," he said as he reached the cave, pulling bandages and gear from his aid bag. 

Walton told Walding and Sanders to abandon the assault and meet on the cliff. The Americans and Afghan commandos pulled back as the Air Force continued to pound the village. 

Walding made it to the cliff when a bullet shattered his leg. He watched his foot and lower leg flop on the ground as Walton dragged him to the cliff edge. With every heartbeat, a stream of blood shot out of Walding's wound. Rolling on his back, the Groesbeck, Texas, native, asked for a tourniquet and cranked down until the bleeding stopped. 

The soldiers were trapped against the cliff. Walton was sure his men would be overrun. The narrow path was too exposed. He sent Sanders to find another way down. Sometimes free-climbing the rock face, the Huntsville, Ala., native found a steep path and made his way back up. Could the wounded make it out alive? Walton asked. 

"Yes, they'll survive," Sanders said. 

Down below, Staff Sgt. Seth E. Howard took his sniper rifle and started climbing with Staff Sgt. Matthew Williams. 

At the top, Howard used C.K.'s lifeless body for cover and started to shoot. He fired repeatedly, killing as many as 20 of their attackers, his comrades say. The enemy gunfire slowed. The Air Force bombing continued, providing cover. 

Morales was first down the cliff, clutching branches and rocks as he slid. Sanders, Carter and Williams went up to get Behr, then back up to rescue Walding. As Walton climbed down, a 2,000-pound bomb hit a nearby house. Another strike nearly blew Howard off the cliff. 

Helicopters swooped in to pick up the 15 wounded American and Afghan soldiers, as well as the rest of the teams. Bullets pinged off the helicopters. One hit a pilot. 

All the Americans survived. 

Months later, Walding wants back on the team even though he lost a leg. Morales walks with a cane. 

The raid, the soldiers say, proved there will be no safe haven in Afghanistan for terrorists. As for the medals, the soldiers see them as emblems of teamwork and brotherhood. Not valor. 

"When you go to help your buddy, you're not thinking, 'I am going to get a Silver Star for this,'" Walding said. "If you were there, there would not be a second guess on why."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081212/ap_on_re_us/ten_silver_stars_4


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## shortbrownguy (Dec 12, 2008)

John  Wayne and I went thru every phase of SFQC together. He is one of the most self-less pepole that I know. He is a true warrior, and a fucking stud. Most can only wish to be half the person that he is....


Ten Silver Stars for Afghan battle 
10 Special Forces soldiers honored for seven-hour firefight with insurgents
By Ann Scott Tyson

The Washington Post
updated 5:09 a.m. ET, Fri., Dec. 12, 2008


WASHINGTON - After jumping out of helicopters at daybreak onto jagged, ice-covered rocks and into water at an altitude of 10,000 feet, the 12-man Special Forces team scrambled up the steep mountainside toward its target — an insurgent stronghold in northeast Afghanistan.
"Our plan," Capt. Kyle M. Walton recalled in an interview, "was to fight downhill."
But as the soldiers maneuvered toward a cluster of thick-walled mud buildings constructed layer upon layer about 1,000 feet farther up the mountain, insurgents quickly manned fighting positions, readying a barrage of fire for the exposed Green Berets.
A harrowing, nearly seven-hour battle unfolded on that mountainside in Afghanistan's Nuristan province on April 6, as Walton, his team and a few dozen Afghan commandos they had trained took fire from all directions. Outnumbered, the Green Berets fought on even after half of them were wounded — four critically — and managed to subdue an estimated 150 to 200 insurgents, according to interviews with several team members and official citations.
Today, Walton and nine of his teammates from Operational Detachment Alpha 3336 of the 3rd Special Forces Group will receive the Silver Star for their heroism in that battle — the highest number of such awards given to the elite troops for a single engagement since the Vietnam War.
That chilly morning, Walton's mind was on his team's mission: to capture or kill several members of the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG) militant group in their stronghold, a village perched in Nuristan's Shok Valley that was accessible only by pack mule and so remote that Walton said he believed that no U.S. troops, or Soviet ones before them, had ever been there.
Element of surprise
But as the soldiers, each carrying 60 to 80 pounds of gear, scaled the mountain, they could already spot insurgents running to and fro, they said. As the soldiers drew closer, they saw that many of the mud buildings had holes in the foot-thick walls for snipers. The U.S. troops had maintained an element of surprise until their helicopters turned into the valley, but by now the insurgent leaders entrenched above knew they were the targets, and had alerted their fighters to rally.
Staff Sgt. Luis Morales of Fredericksburg was the first to see an armed insurgent and opened fire, killing him. But at that moment, the insurgents began blasting away at the American and Afghan troops with machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenades — shooting down on each of the U.S. positions from virtually all sides.
"All elements were pinned down from extremely heavy fire from the get-go," Walton said. "It was a coordinated attack." The insurgent Afghan fighters knew there was only one route up the valley and "were able to wait until we were in the most vulnerable position to initiate the ambush," said Staff Sgt. Seth E. Howard, the team weapons sergeant.
Almost immediately, exposed U.S. and Afghan troops were hit. An Afghan interpreter was killed, and Staff Sgt. Dillon Behr was shot in the hip.
"We were pretty much in the open, there were no trees to hide behind," said Morales, who with Walton pulled Behr back to their position. Morales cut open Behr's fatigues and applied pressure to his bleeding hip, even though Morales himself had been shot in the right thigh. A minute later, Morales was hit again, in the ankle, leaving him struggling to treat himself and his comrade, he said. Absent any cover, Walton moved the body of the dead Afghan interpreter to shield the wounded.
Rocket launcher
Farther down the hill in the streambed, Master Sgt. Scott Ford, the team sergeant, was firing an M203 grenade launcher at the fighting positions, he recalled. An Afghan commando fired rocket-propelled grenades at the windows from which they were taking fire, while Howard shot rounds from a rocket launcher and recoilless rifle.
Ford, of Athens, Ohio, then moved up the mountain amid withering fire to aid Walton at his command position. The ferocity of the attack surprised him, as rounds ricocheted nearby every time he stuck his head out from behind a rock. "Typically they run out of ammo or start to manage their ammo, but . . . they held a sustained rate of fire for about six hours," he said.
As Ford and Staff Sgt. John Wayne Walding returned fire, Walding was hit below his right knee. Ford turned and saw that the bullet "basically amputated his right leg right there on the battlefield."
Walding, of Groesbeck, Tex., recalled: "I literally grabbed my boot and put it in my crotch, then got the boot laces and tied it to my thigh, so it would not flop around. There was about two inches of meat holding my leg on." He put on a tourniquet, watching the blood flow out the stump to see when it was tight enough.
Morphine
Then Walding tried to inject himself with morphine but accidentally used the wrong tip of the syringe and put the needle in this thumb, he later recalled. "My thumb felt great," he said wryly, noting that throughout the incident he never lost consciousness. "My name is John Wayne," he said.
Soon afterward, a round hit Ford in the chest, knocking him back but not penetrating his body armor. A minute later, another bullet went through his left arm and shoulder, hitting the helmet of the medic, Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer, who was behind him treating Behr. An insurgent sniper was zeroing in on them.
Bleeding heavily from the arm, Ford put together a plan to begin removing the wounded, knowing they could hold out only for so long without being overrun. By this time, Air Force jets had begun dropping dozens of munitions on enemy positions precariously close to the Green Berets, including 2,000-pound bombs that fell within 350 yards.
"I was completely covered in a cloud of black smoke from the explosion," said Howard, and Behr was wounded in the intestine by a piece of shrapnel.
The evacuation plan, Ford said, was that "every time they dropped another bomb, we would move down another terrace until we basically leapfrogged down the mountain." Ford was able to move to lower ground after one bomb hit, but insurgent fire rained down again, pinning the soldiers left behind.
2,000-pound bomb 
"If we went that way, we would have all died," said Howard, who was hiding behind 12-inch-high rocks with bullets bouncing off about every 10 seconds. Insurgents again nearly overran the U.S. position, firing down from 25 yards away — so near that the Americans said they could hear their voices. Another 2,000-pound bomb dropped "danger close," Howard said, allowing the soldiers to get away.
Finally, after hours of fighting, the troops made their way down to the streambed, with those who could still walk carrying the wounded. A medical evacuation helicopter flew in, but the rotors were immediately hit by bullets, so the pilot hovered just long enough to allow the in-flight medic to jump off, then flew away.
A second helicopter came in but had to land in the middle of the icy, fast-moving stream. "It took two to three guys to carry each casualty through the river," Ford said. "It was a mad dash to the medevac." As they sat on the helicopter, it sustained several rounds of fire, and the pilot was grazed by a bullet.
By the time the battle ended, the Green Berets and the commandos had suffered 15 wounded and two killed, both Afghans, while an estimated 150 to 200 insurgents were dead, according to an official Army account of the battle. The Special Forces soldiers had nearly run out of ammunition, with each having one to two magazines left, Ford said.
"We should not have lived," said Walding, reflecting on the battle in a phone interview from Fort Bragg, N.C., where he and the nine others are to receive the Silver Stars today. Nine more Green Berets from the 3rd Special Forces Group will also receive Silver Stars for other battles. About 200 U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have received the Silver Star, the U.S. military's third-highest combat award.


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## Rabid Badger (Dec 12, 2008)

shortbrownguy said:


> John  Wayne and I went thru every phase of SFQC together. He is one of the most self-less pepole that I know. He is a true warrior, and a fucking stud. Most can only wish to be half the person that he is....
> 
> Ten Silver Stars for Afghan battle
> 10 Special Forces soldiers honored for seven-hour firefight with insurgents
> By Ann Scott Tyson



WOW!! Great read and congrats to our warrior medal recipients and thank you for your selfless service!! ;):)


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## shortbrownguy (Dec 12, 2008)

If anybody here on SS will be attending the ceremony, shoot me a PM.


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## Scotth (Dec 12, 2008)

Helluva story


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## HoosierAnnie (Dec 12, 2008)

Courage and bravery under fire hardly seems enough to say about these men.  My biggest hope is that I do them justice as I write.


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## Ravage (Dec 12, 2008)

*3rd SFG(A) honors 19 Soldiers with Silver Stars*

http://news.soc.mil/releases/News Archive/2008/December/081212-02.html

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service, Dec. 12, 2008) – In one of the largest awards ceremonies since the Vietnam-era, the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) awarded 19 Silver Star Medals, two Bronze Star Medals for Valor, two Army Commendation Medals for Valor and four Purple Hearts here at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Dec. 12.

Col. Gus Benton II, the commander of the 3rd SFG(A), said the men of the 3rd SFG(A) have distinguished themselves by taking the fight to the enemy and simply “doing what had to be done.”

“It is my distinct honor and privilege to celebrate the awarding of these medals to our intrepid warriors,” Benton said. “History will record and we will long remember their sacrifices.”

Addressing the standing-room-only crowd, Benton said that earlier this week the group had the honor of awarding 43 Bronze Stars for Valor and 39 Army Commendation Medals for Valor.

Prior to the awarding of the medals, vignettes narrated by members of the group explained the daring feats of the SF Soldiers. Each vignette told the story of the battles that occurred and the actions performed by each man receiving a medal. As each group of Soldiers received their medals, they were treated to a thunderous and ongoing standing ovation from the audience.

“As we have listened to these incredible tales, I am truly at a loss for words to do justice to what we have heard here,” said Lt. Gen. John F. Mulholland, commander of the U.S.  Army Special Operations Command, who presented the awards to the Soldiers. “Where do we get such men? There is no finer fighting man on the face of the earth than the American Soldier. And there is no finer American Soldier than our Green Berets.”

Mulholland said that many people wouldn’t believe the courage displayed by these men.
“If you saw what you heard today in a movie, you would shake your head and say, ‘that didn’t happen,’” Mulholland said. “But it does, every day.”

He explained that the majority of the firefights highlighted in the vignettes took place within ranges that would fit inside the auditorium. 

“You can’t imagine the intensity and the stress these men endured for hours and days on end,” he said.

Prior to taking command of USASOC, Mulholland was the commander of Special Operations Command Central, the command which has control over the forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

“As the commander responsible for the area, as the reports rolled in, I would shake my head in disbelief,” he said, speaking of the courage and persistence of the SF Soldiers.

“Alone and unafraid, working with their counterparts, they took on a tenacious and dedicated enemy in his homeland, in his own backyard. Imagine the Taliban commander thinking, ‘What the hell do I have to do to defeat these guys?’”

Mulholland said that he was “incredibly humbled” to stand and address the actions of his men, because their actions “speak volumes beyond what I can say.”

“Day-in and day-out, they are the unsung heroes, seeking no recognition,” he continued. “If you asked them, I’m sure they would say the other guy did it.”

Honored during the ceremony with Silver Star Medals were: 

The members assigned to ODA 3336 for valorous actions undertaken in Afghanistan onApril 6, 2008:

Capt. Kyle Walton (Carmel, Ind.)
Master Sgt. Scott Ford (Athens, Ohio)
Staff Sgt. Dillon Behr (Rock Island, Ill.)
Staff Sgt. Seth Howard (Kenne, N.H.)
Staff Sgt. Luis Morales (Fredricksburg, Va.)
Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer (Pullman, Wash.)
Staff Sgt. John Walding (Groesbeck, Texas)
Sgt. David Sanders (Huntsville, Ala.)
Sgt. Matthew Williams (Casper, Wyo.)
Spc. Michael Carter (Smithville, Texas)

The members assigned to ODA 3312 and 3214 for valorous actions undertaken in Afghanistan on Nov. 2, 2007:

Master Sgt. Frederick Davenport (San Diego, Calif.)
Staff Sgt. Robert Hammons (Hunstville, Ala.)
Sgt. 1st Class Jacob Allison (Livonia, N.Y.)
Sgt. 1st Class Paul Fiesel (La Porte, Texas)
For actions undertaken in Afghanistan on Nov. 10, 2007:
Sgt. Gabriel Reynolds (Oswego, Ore.)

For actions undertaken in Iraq on July 27, 2007:

Capt. Kent Solheim (Oregon City, Ore.)

For actions undertaken in Afghanistan on Aug. 26-Sept. 13, 2006:

Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Konrad (Winchester, Tenn.)

For actions undertaken in Afghanistan Aug. 7-9, 2005:

Capt. Brandon Griffin (Athens, Ga.)

For actions undertaken in Afghanistan July 25, 2005:

Sgt. 1st Class Larry Hawks (Bowling Green, Ky.)

Schurer, Fiesel, Allison and Reynolds each received additional awards during the ceremony.

The Silver Star Medal is awarded in recognition of a valorous act performed during combat operations while under direct fire from enemy forces. It may also denote an accomplishment of a heroic nature in direct support of operations against an enemy force.







> Lt. Gen. Mulholland, US Army Special Operations Command commanding general, pins the Silver Star on Staff Sgt. John Walding during a ceremony on 12 Dec. for his valorous actions in combat. He received the Silver Star with 18 other fellow Soldiers from 3rd Special Forces Group. (US Army Photo by Cherish Washington USASOC PAO)


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## Ravage (Dec 13, 2008)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWEsHyVA5cg"]YouTube - Special Forces Soldiers awarded Silver Stars[/ame]


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## Gypsy (Dec 13, 2008)

"Sir, you can take my leg but you can't take my heart and you can't take my soul."  Thanks Rav, I managed to miss any of the news reports.


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## Ravage (Dec 16, 2008)

*Fierce battle above Shok Valley earns Silver Stars*

http://news.soc.mil/releases/News Archive/2008/December/081216-01.html








> Members of Operational Detachment Alpha 3336 of the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) recon the remote Shok Valley of Afghanistan where they fought an almost seven-hour battle with terrorists in a remote mountainside village. (Photo by Sgt. David N. Gunn)



FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service, Dec. 16, 2008) -- There are no roads leading into the Shok Valley. A village which stands sentinel over the valley is home to one of the fiercest of the insurgent forces in Afghanistan - the Hezeb Islami al Gulbadin, or HIG.

On April 6, a daring raid into the stronghold by Afghan Commandos and their Special Forces counterparts tested the mettle of the Afghan forces and further forged the bond between them and their SF brothers.

On Dec. 12, Lt. Gen. John F. Mullholland, commander of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, pinned Silver Stars on the chests of 10 of the men involved in the raid and the ensuing six-and-a half-hour-firefight that saw more than 150 insurgents killed. 

It was the largest ceremony of its kind since the Vietnam era. But for the members of Team 3336 of the 3rd Special Forces Group, it was never about the medals.

When you ask them to use one word to describe April 6, their words pop, much like the gunfire that rained down on them. 

"A nightmare."

"Baptism by fire," said Staff Sgt. Daniel Plants, "it was my first firefight."

"Cliffhanger." 

More words followed as the team went back in their minds to that day. 

*The Mission*

The team was assigned to take out high-value targets within the HIG. The insurgent group was entrenched in the valley and was guarded by a number of highly-trained foreign fighters. The sheer number of weapons and amount of ammo used by the insurgents led the team to conclude that they had been stockpiling the weaponry within the fortress-like village since the Russian invasion of the country during the late '80s.

Accompanying the team that day was a group of Afghan Commandos.

"We have such a big rapport with the commandos we've trained," said Staff Sgt. Luis Morales, the team's intelligence sergeant. "They have such a loyalty to us. They try as hard to protect us as we try to protect ourselves."

"We eat, sleep and train with these commandos," said Capt. Kyle Walton, the detachment commander. "We die with them, too. These guys are close friends to us. At the outset of the attack, I lost my interpreter, and we were as close as anyone."

The interpreters hold a special place within the team. 

"They are just like a member of the team," said Morales. "One of our interpreters has seen as much combat as any of us. He has six years of combat experience. He's been with six SF teams and been in hundreds of firefights - but he doesn't get the six-month break. 

"With our tactical knowledge and their (the commandos) knowledge of the local populace, terrain and customs, we can truly become a force multiplier," said Walton. "That's what SF does. We bring things to the fight that they don't have, such as close air support and weaponry. But in the end, it's an Afghan fight, and we are part of it."

The commandos who accompanied the SF team on the mission have developed something of reputation throughout Afghanistan. 

"The Taliban calls them the wolves. When they hear the wolves are coming, they know they are in trouble. The commandos are pretty feared. Everywhere we go, they identify us with the commandos, and the fact that this group of insurgents was prepared to sit and fight us to the death was indicative of an enemy force you don't see every day," said Morales.

*One Way In*

"Eighty percent of the guys on the ground that day had been in firefights before," said Walton. "We feel fairly comfortable in a firefight anytime."

But that day was different. The team was going into the unknown. The Russians, during their 20-year occupation of the country, never made it into the Shok Valley. To date, no coalition troops had been there. This was a first. To get into the valley, the team had to fly. 

"I feel comfortable with my feet on a ground," said Morales. "I don't feel comfortable in the helicopter - we can't control what happens there. But on the ground, we have a plan, we go in and do it, and the rest falls into place. 

"We knew this was going to be a difficult mission. We expected there to be a number of insurgents because of the high-value targets we were after, but we really thought the terrain would be the greatest difficulty," explained Walton. 

That thought proved correct. As the helicopters settled over the valley, the pilots couldn't set the birds down, so the Soldiers had to jump about 10 feet off the bird. Many of them landed waist-deep in an icy river. With temperatures in the low 30s, the climate immediately began to take its toll. 

Then they faced a climb up the mountain.

Walton explained the idea was to go into the village unannounced, with the plan to take the fight to the insurgents in the village. "We didn't want to fight uphill," he said, adding that the village is at an altitude of 10,000 feet. 

The team decided to use switchbacks, which were actually terraced farm plots, as a means to get up to the village. The team divided up into three maneuver units, with members of the SF team paired up with about six commandos and their interpreters. 

The village itself is situated on a finger off the mountain. The team would have to head up a draw to the village.

"The buildings in the village are built one on top of the other, on top of a slope thousands of feet in the air," said Walton. "So we started the climb. The insurgents waited until the lead element was within a couple hundred meters of the compound before they initiated contact. As soon as the shooting started, we realized that they had their defensive positions dug in, and they were occupying buildings 360 degrees all around us." 

*The Fight*

As soon as the opening salvo was fired, the interpreter standing beside Walton in the command-and-control element was killed. Moments later, Staff Sgt. Dillon Behr was shot in the leg. Behr, a communications sergeant stayed in the fight and sustained another wound before he became unable to continue the fight.

"We knew we needed to regain the initiative, so we started initiating danger-close air runs," said Walton.

Staff Sgt. David Sanders was in the lead assault force. 

"I had approximately 10 Commandos with me, and we got into the village before we started receiving fire. We couldn't move any farther forward," he recalled. "Through the radio traffic, we heard some of the team had gotten shot, so we started trying to identify the buildings where the fire was coming from. We hoped to neutralize the threat."

Walton said Sanders was the first person he thought of who might be able to identify where the insurgents were. 

"I was standing next to the combat controller, and when we got to a place where we could talk, he called in close air support, and the F-15s rolled in immediately. I knew my guys were up there, and I know that when you call in danger close air, you are probably going to get injured or killed. I called back to Sanders and asked if he was too close. He said, 'Bring it anyway.' Bombs started exploding everywhere. When I called to see if he was still alive, all I could hear him saying was, 'Hit them again.' "

Walton said that it is rare to call in danger-close air even once during a firefight. Throughout the afternoon, the team called it 70 times. 

"We did take some casualties from the danger-close air," said Staff Sgt. Seth Howard. "A lot of the commandos got injured from falling debris. The bombs were throwing full trees and boulders at them - they were flying hundreds of meters.

At one point in the battle, when it looked as if the C2 element would be overrun, Sanders called for the bombing to come closer. 

"They dropped a 2,000 lb. bomb right on top of our position," said Walton. "Because of the elevation, the bomb blew upward rather than down. It just didn't seem like we had much of a decision. Our guys were wounded, and we couldn't go back the way we came."

"We knew we might get hurt, but we really didn't think about it," said Sanders.

"The insurgents were so dug in so well that even the close air support wasn't enough. It helped, but it was by no means a magic wand," said Howard. "You would think when the bombs start dropping they would stop shooting at you. That's the thought process, and you know it might kill you or somebody else, but when there are so many pieces of hot metal flying all around you constantly, you've got to let it go."

With bombings falling and heavy gunfire coming from every side, the team returned fire. Team members recall going through masses of ammo, in addition to the bombs that were dropped and the rounds the aircraft were firing.

The team's fire was controlled, though, according to Walton. 

"Cloud cover was coming in, and there was no certainty that we would be able to get out that night. So we didn't waste our ammo. We really didn't fire unless we had a shot or when we needed to lay suppressive fire to allow people to move."

The insurgents, likewise, were shooting in a controlled manner. The gunfire was heavy, sustained and accurate. Team members recall that even if the bullets weren't kicking up beside them or hitting them, they definitely heard them crack near them. Snipers were during heavy play in the engagement. 

*Three-story Implosion*

The only break in the battle was when a bomb was dropped on a three-story building. The building exploded outward. "Good guy or bad guy, you're going to stop when you see that," said Morales. "It reminded me of the videos from 9/11 - everything starts flushing at you, debris starts falling - and everything gets darker."

"I was totally in the cloud of black smoke. I couldn't see an inch in front of my face," said Howard.

Plants recalls hearing the call for fire and wanting to see where the bomb was going. 

"I was staring at it and saw the building go up," he said. "I remember looking up, and then all of this stuff starting coming down. All I could do was roll up tight and hug the cliff wall."

*Sniper Turns Tide*

The battle started to turn when Howard, a trained sniper, started picking the insurgents off. Howard was not in the lead element, and he had to fight his way up the mountain to come to the aid of his team. 

The fight was not easy. He and the team of commandos he led up the mountain were under intense insurgent fire. They were getting hit with rocket-propelled grenades, small arms and machine-gun fire. 

"We knew some of our guys were hurt and that we had to get to them," said Howard.

"We were pinned down," said Walton. "When the fire became so intense, we moved out onto a ledge against the cliff to protect our wounded. What turned the battle was Seth (Howard) and his element."

Howard directed the Afghan commandos to fire on insurgent position so that he could get into place with his sniper rifle and his recoiless rifle. 

"They had been hunting us, and now they were getting hunted, too," said Walton. "We had been trying to return fire, but we couldn't find them. They were firing in a very disciplined manner. They were not hanging out windows or running at us."

As Howard and his element engaged the enemy, Walton knew time was running out. Reports from the air said more insurgents were moving in their direction. Everyone on the team had sustained some sort of injury, four of them critical, and the commandos had their share of injuries, as well. 

"Everyone kept fighting, but there was a window closing on us," said Walton. "We knew we had to get out."

*One Way Out*

"Our higher command told us we had to get out of there," said Walton. "The weather conditions were closing in, and the window to be on the ground was rapidly closing. Most of the objective was gone at that point, but our casualties were mounting - we were in a mass-casualty scenario at that point - and they became our priority. We never thought of retreating. That was never an option."

"The weather was deciding factor," continued Howard. "When the weather rolled in we could be stuck there at least overnight, possibly for days. They couldn't fly in to get us, and we would have been stranded in completely hostile territory. That was not a plan for success, especially with the pilots observing another 200 insurgents moving in on us."

With their backs literally against a wall, and recognizing that they couldn't go down the same way they came up - the switchbacks they had climbed up were the primary focus of the insurgent fire - they began assessing another route for exfil.

*Final Cliff-hanger*

"We knew we couldn't go back the way we came, so our only option was going down the cliff," said Walton.

Had the team been healthy, that would have been a difficult scenario. But with the number of wounded and the fire raining down, it seemed impossible. But Walton knew he had to take the chance.

"We were completely pinned down. There was intense fire all around us. We couldn't leave the casualties. We were prepared to sit there and die with them, but we decided we were going to get them out of there," he said. 

Sanders made the first climb down the mountain by himself. When he climbed back up the sheer face of the cliff, Walton had one question, "Do you think we can make it down?"

Sanders' reply put the climb in perspective, "Does it matter if they have broken necks or backs?"

"My question was will they live," said Walton. With Sanders' assurance that they would live, the team began the treacherous climb.

Master Sgt. Scott Ford, the team sergeant, set up the medevac and organized the less seriously wounded to carry the more critically injured down. While organizing the commandos, Ford was shot in the chest plate by sniper fire. He immediately got to his feet and continued to lay down suppressive fire. One of the insurgent snipers had Ford in his sights, and he shot him in the upper left arm, nearly severing it. With a tourniquet around his arm, Ford climbed down the mountain and continued to organize the medevac.

Morales said that the team made its way down the cliff hanging onto branches and rocks. Near the bottom of the cliff, most made a 20-foot drop. I remember seeing John (Walding) carrying his leg down. (Walding's leg had been amputed by sniper fire.)" 

As the wounded made their way down the cliff, Howard, Walton and Spec. Michael Carter, a combat cameraman assigned to the unit, remained behind to lay down suppressive fire and retrieve equipment. 

"There were a lot of guns around where everybody had been shot," said Howard. "It kind of became an issue that there were too many guns up there, and we didn't want to leave them in enemy hands."

Carter ran through a hail of fire to retrieve guns and other equipment. His own cameras had been shot up during the initial hours of the battle. He gathered equipment and began throwing it off the cliff, while Howard continued to pick off enemy combatants. 

"The stars really aligned," said Walton. "Bullets were coming down from the side and behinds us, and we could hear guys yelling above us. An element that came to reinforce the team that was on the ground stepped out into the open and started firing and gave us the chance to get out. Seth was crazy enough to stay up there and cover us while we made the climb down."

Alone, with less than a magazine of ammunition left, Howard covered his team as they made their way down, and only after they were safe, did he leave the mountain. 

"We didn't go into this mission hoping to make history. For us, it was just a regular mission - just like the one we had done the week before. Our goal is never to get into a fight, we'd rather sit down and drink some chai," said Walton. "We were hoping this mission would be the same, but we got into a big fight, and some of us got hit while trying to save each other. That's what we do."

The team as a whole is looking forward to returning to Afghanistan to continue its mission with the commandos.

"We think we sent a pretty big message to the insurgents. We let them know that we could penetrate their comfort zone. We told them there's nowhere you are safe that we aren't willing to come in and go after you," concluded Walton.


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## Ravage (Apr 19, 2009)

The official DOD video:

[YOUTUBE]NY98wr1yRc8[/YOUTUBE]


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