By the time Operation Mountain Lion commenced in the mountains of Afghanistan, SOCOM was already preparing contingency plans for operations in Iraq. Reports from U.S. and European intelligence services indicated that despite United Nations sanctions, Saddam Hussein was buying or building nuclear, chemical, and perhaps even biological weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
Well before any U.S. forces were issued warning orders for deployment, military and intelligence planners began identifying possible WMD laboratories and key infrastructure inside Iraq. The final list of “must protect” sites included power plants, oil facilities, airfields, and bridges that would have to be seized intact before Saddam could destroy them. Among the strategic locations assigned to SOCOM planners: the Ramadi Highway Bridge and the Haditha Dam—both on the Euphrates River.
The Haditha Dam was especially important. The road atop the concrete structure was designed to carry armored vehicles and the massive turbines inside generated almost a third of Iraq’s electrical power. Even more important, the dam was holding back more than eight cubic kilometers of water—enough to inundate the Euphrates Valley with a flood of biblical proportions.
Turbine room at Haditha Dam
SOCOM planners estimated Saddam had positioned at least six thousand Iraq troops—including heavy armor, artillery, and anti-aircraft batteries—within twenty miles of the dam. Mobile surface-to-air missiles (MSNPADs) deployed around the site rendered a parachute assault by airborne troops suicidal. The objective—more than two hundred miles from the Jordanian border—was deemed “too far from friendlies” for an assault by helicopter.
THE BATTLE FOR RAMADI BRIDGE AND HADITHA DAM
WESTERN IRAQI AIRBASE
Operation Iraqi Freedom began on 19 March with twenty-four hours of nonstop air and missile strikes against Saddam’s air defenses and command and control facilities. Even before U.S. armored and mechanized units began pushing northward from Kuwait toward Baghdad, Special Operations units were already on the ground.
From a secret base on the Jordanian border, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-West (CJSOTF-W) launched teams to capture key airfields in Al Anbar Province and take out ballistic missile sites capable of launching attacks against Kuwait, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. CJSOTF-W was comprised of U.S., British, and Australian Special Operations units, the largest of which was the 3rd Battalion of the elite 75th Ranger Regiment.
By 29 March the Rangers had already made two combat parachute jumps to seize Iraqi airfields designated as H1 and H2 and conducted several helo-borne raids on suspected WMD sites. The seizure of H1 provided their commander, Colonel John Mulholland, with a staging base within range of the Ramadi Bridge and Haditha Dam.
Lt Gen John Mulholland, now commander of USASOC
Bravo Company of the 3rd Ranger Battalion had already seen its share of combat. Only a month after the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in 2001, they deployed to Afghanistan. They came home in January 2002 and went right back the following June for a second four-month combat tour. The lessons they learned under fire in Afghanistan were already proving valuable in the fight to liberate Iraq.
Captain David Doyle had been the Battalion Air Operations Officer before assuming command of B 3/75 just prior to its second deployment to Afghanistan. Before daylight on March 29, he pushed his company out to a small dirt airstrip near H1.
Rangers work in darkness whenever possible, taking full advantage of sophisticated thermal and infrared night-vision systems to give them an edge over the enemy. During the day they would often “hole up,” covering their specially modified “Ground Mobility Vehicles,” beneath camouflage to rest, refit, and prepare before their next operation. When B 3/75 departed H1, their orders were to hold at the dirt airstrip and be prepared to support another SOF unit. In accord with established procedures, they carried ammunition and supplies for seventy-two hours.
But war is never predictable. They would not see H1 again for almost two weeks.
Shortly after they arrived at the airstrip, Captain Doyle received a coded data Flag Order from then LTC Mulholland alerting him to a change in the mission. B 3/75 was now directed to seize the Haditha Dam complex, about thirty kilometers from his current location. Doyle’s company was reinforced with a platoon from C Co 3/75, two sniper teams, and a small contingent of headquarters personnel including a Physician’s Assistant and an Air Force Combat Controller, to call in air support. The FRAGO ended with the words: “hold until relieved.”
The Ranger Captain had to immediately devise how to seize one of the most heavily guarded targets in Iraq and hold it against a force that conceivably outnumbered his 154 Rangers by more than thirty-to-one. Four hours after receiving the FRAGO from Mulholland, Doyle had a plan, albeit a very simple one.
The dam was code named “Objective Lynx.” Approaching from the west, Doyle’s small force would simply drive straight up the access road and seize control of it before the Iraqis could muster their defenses. The most challenging part was the sheer size of the objective. Nearly two hundred feet tall and over six miles long, the dam’s structure included a nine-story administration building, miles of tunnels inside the dam, a huge power plant, and dozens of other concrete buildings scattered around the site.
Just after dark the company mounted its GMVs and moved out toward the objective. Along the way one of the vehicles broke a steering box, but by borrowing parts from three other vehicles they had it back on the road in less than half an hour.
Ground Mobility Vehicle
Ranger sniper
The only obstacle they encountered when they reached the dam was a high chain-link fence, which was easily breached by the lead GMV. Once inside the perimeter, the platoons split up and raced to strategic points throughout the dam complex. Charlie Company’s 3rd Platoon followed the road to the power plant at the bottom of the dam while 2nd Platoon drove across the top of the structure to set up a position on the far side. 1st Platoon and the command element would take and hold the southwest portion.
Initially there was no resistance. The Rangers captured several guards and civilian employees working at the structure without a shot being fired. The men from Charlie Company were first to take contact from a few Iraqis holed up inside a building near the foot of the dam. The Rangers engaged with .50 caliber machine guns mounted on their GMVs, quickly eliminating the threat.
Across the dam, 1st Lieutenant Graham White, a twenty-three-year-old West Point graduate, had one of the toughest parts of the mission. His Bravo Co. 2nd Platoon had to seize and secure the far side of the dam and clear the massive nine-story administration building of any opposition.
View from a guard shack at Haditha Dam
Leaving half his platoon with SFC Jeffrey Duncan, White entered the administration building with fewer than two dozen Rangers. Using night-vision goggles and weapon-mounted lights as they began to clear the dark corridors. Every door was locked, so they began by attaching breaching charges to them and blowing each door while a squad of men stood back, ready to enter with weapons high once the charge blew. Most of the rooms were unoccupied but there were hundreds of rooms and the team quickly ran out of breaching charges. They used shotguns to blow the locks off the doors until that ammo too was exhausted.
Forced to improvise, some of the Rangers claim they succeeded by tossing one another against the doors like battering rams. “That’s appropriate,” said one Ranger veteran. “Our motto is ‘Sua Sponte,’ Latin for ‘of our own accord.’ We do what it takes to get to the job done.”
The task took hours and when they finished, all of them were exhausted. They had, however, captured twenty-five civilian engineers and workers who were corralled for their own safety.
SFC Duncan, meanwhile, directed his two squads to take up blocking positions on top of the dam. They were soon engaged by an Iraqi Army unit and began receiving small arms and RPG fire from the river bank. Duncan directed one of his sniper teams to engage the enemy. The Ranger’s first round went through the RPG gunner and hit a propane tank, which exploded, killing two more enemy soldiers. Three kills with one shot.
Duncan was then ordered to push his team northwest to the far side of the dam. As they mounted up, they were joined by the Battalion Command Sergeant Major, Alfred Birch. Birch was a living legend in the Regiment, having participated in every major combat operation since he joined the military in 1977, which was before most of the Rangers he oversaw were born.
Just minutes after the section moved out, driving across the causeway to the northwest, they encountered a truckload of armed Iraqi soldiers. A firefight broke out, lasting almost an hour and resulting in a truckload of dead and wounded Iraqis but no American casualties.
During the duel, three Iraqi soldiers fell over the side of the dam and down a steep embankment. CSM Birch joined Duncan in scaling down, under fire, to rescue two of the wounded Iraqis. Though one of the enemy soldiers rescued by the CSM and Duncan expired of his wounds, Ranger medics saved the other’s life—and provided a vivid example of how quickly well-trained Americans can shift from lethal action to compassion in the midst of battle.
Ranger training is tough and realistic, because it has to be.
Down at the power plant, code named “Objective Cobalt,” 3rd Platoon of Charlie Company fared slightly worse. Upon approaching the cluster of buildings at the base of the dam, they began taking fire and the platoon leader ordered them to pull back so they could put a support element in place before commencing an assault. In the process, one GMV with four Rangers took a wrong turn and drove up to a building full of Iraqi soldiers, who proceeded to open fire. The GMV driver punched the accelerator and raced out of the killing zone. Rangers watching the engagement from the top of the dam were certain there had to be several dead and wounded Americans inside the lightly armored vehicle.
As it turned out, the GMV was the only serious casualty. It was riddled with bullets and its block ruined. The driver was hit in the foot by a ricochet, and the Ranger manning the gun took several rounds in the ceramic plate on his body armor. He was sore afterward, but otherwise unharmed. The other two men inside miraculously escaped injury. With the vehicle bleeding out oil and engine coolant, the Rangers moved it into an over-watch position before it quit so they could make use of its top-mounted weapon system.
The buildings the GMV mistakenly approached turned out to be the command-and-control center for Iraqi forces in the area. Inside was a large armory with stockpiles of weapons, ammunition, and communications gear. The Iraqis occupying the buildings refused to surrender and the U.S. force was too small to root them out so the Rangers called in air strikes to eliminate the threat the position posed to their mission.
In front of the dam was a stretch of wide-open desert initially appeared to be devoid of any threat. But at dawn the Rangers discovered the area was crisscrossed with trench lines and bunkers, from which the Iraqis staged multiple attacks in the coming days.
On the morning of 1 April, 1st and 2nd Platoons were in the process of fortifying their positions on the southwest end of the dam when Iraqi machine guns began raking the front of the dam. Mortar rounds and RPGs soon followed, raining down among the Rangers as they dove into their fighting positions and returned fire.
Rangers firing the M3 Carl Gustav recoiless rifle
The Iraqis followed up with human wave attacks against C Company at the base of the dam. Fifteen to twenty Iraqi soldiers at a time would charge their positions, only to be cut down by accurate rifle fire, 120-mm mortars and Army attack helicopters. These gunfights went on for the entire day, leaving the weary Rangers no time for rest.
During one of these engagements, a Ranger observed a puff of smoke from an island too far out in Lake Haditha to engage with small arms. Concluding that he had discovered an Iraqi mortar position, he alerted his squad leader who brought up a Javelin anti-tank missile. The gunner crouched down atop the dam, lined up the island in his sights and fired. The missile exited the tube, ignited, and detonated on the target with a muffled explosion. To make sure the position wouldn’t be reoccupied, the Rangers hit the island with multiple air strikes.
The Ranger in the foreground is armed with an MK-48 Mod belt-fed machine gun.
Though enemy attacks continued throughout the day accompanied by intensified artillery and mortar bombardments, Captain Doyle was able to evacuate his casualties and Iraqi detainees. The helicopters also brought in ammunition, water, food, and more medical supplies—but no replacements or reinforcements.
When his Rangers noticed a man in a kayak near the dam they were ordered to try and capture the individual. Two well-aimed shots from a .50 caliber sent the kayak to the bottom and the man, unhurt, was apprehended by a Ranger fire team. He was found to be carrying drawings of the dam and the Ranger positions on and around it.
It was becoming very apparent the enemy was preparing a major counter-offensive to retake the dam complex. The Rangers would soon be pressed to the limits of their endurance.
The real fight began on 2 April. Hundreds of artillery rounds began to fall all around and inside their perimeter. Huge explosions rocked the dam as Iraqi 155-mm artillery unloaded on them from multiple positions. Human wave attacks continued sporadically, but most of the Rangers had nothing to shoot at, and the feeling of helplessness intensified as indirect fire screamed in and exploded around them. It continued day and night for the next seventy-two hours. They had already been on the move and in combat nearly nonstop for two straight weeks. Now, a steady rain of exploding steel meant these men who had already gone without rest for more than thirty hours would be unable to do so until the bombardment stopped.
Warfare of this sort is horrific. Hunkered down, unable to shoot back, every man begins to wonder where the next incoming high explosive round is going to detonate.
For three days straight the Rangers endured the barrage, forcing themselves to stay alert for the enemy and wishing for a way to fight back. Their only recourse, air strikes called in by their USAF JTAC on enemy gun positions were often too far away to observe their effect.
Incredibly there were few American casualties inflicted by the bombardment. Several Rangers were wounded by shrapnel, but none were killed. One Ranger who was there said, “We really gauged the passing of time by the consumption of our ammunition.” In the end only four of them had to be evacuated due to wounds or injury. The remaining 150 men held their ground for ten days and nights against everything the Iraqi army threw at them. During the operation, they, and the air strikes they call in are credited with killing nearly three hundred enemy soldiers and destroying two dozen mortar positions, thirty tanks, twenty-eight artillery pieces, and almost as many anti-aircraft sites.
The only American KIAs during the operation came at a blocking point several miles from the dam. The circumstances of how they were killed indicate the nature of the enemy American troops faced in Iraq.
Captain Russell Rippetoe, a Ranger Forward Air Controller, and his team were tasked with setting up a blocking position on a highway south of the Haditha Dam. The twenty-seven-year-old Colorado native, and son of a two-tour Ranger veteran of Vietnam, Rippetoe knew from his training and earlier experience in Afghanistan exactly how to call in air strikes on any approaching Iraqi units.
Captain Russell Rippetoe (wearing ball cap)
With him at the blocking position were SSG Nino Livaudais, the father of two, with a pregnant wife at home; SPC Chad Thibodeau, also with a pregnant wife at home; and SPC Ryan Long—a fourth-generation soldier from Delaware. All of them were combat-hardened by two previous deployments to Afghanistan.
Charged with the responsibility of interdicting an attack from the south against the Rangers at the dam, they prepared fighting positions beside the road and began stopping vehicles, searching for weapons and enemy fighters.
Initially, all went as planned. But on 3 April, an SUV carrying several people, including two women approached their position. One of the women, apparently pregnant and obviously in distress, got out of the vehicle. All five Rangers at the checkpoint started to go to her aid, but Captain Rippetoe ordered them back and approached her himself.
He had almost reached the vehicle when it detonated. Packed with explosives, the SUV erupted in a cloud of fire and flying steel, instantly killing Rippetoe, Livaudais, and Long. Chad Thibodeau was knocked unconscious and suffered multiple shrapnel wounds.
Around his neck Captain Rippetoe wore a small medallion called a “shield of strength” next to his dog tags. On it was inscribed a verse from the book of Joshua 1:9: “I will be strong and courageous. I will not be terrified, or discouraged, for the Lord my God is with me wherever I go.” Tags like it have been worn throughout the war zone by tens of thousands of American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Guardsmen, and Marines.
A week later Captain Russell Rippetoe was interred beside other American heroes at Arlington National Cemetery, becoming the first casualty of the Iraq War to be buried there. At his funeral, many spoke of the bigger-than-life warrior with an even bigger heart.
His father, Lt Col Joe Rippetoe, is convinced it was his son’s big heart that got him killed. But he also believes that a big heart is something of which to be very proud.
COURAGE: A COMMON VIRTUE
The battle for Haditha Dam saw so much Ranger gallantry, the entire unit was given a Valorous Unit Award. Though the Ranger Regiment is notoriously stingy in handing out personal decorations, four of those who took part in the mission were awarded the Silver Star, twenty-seven others received the Bronze Star for valor, and seventy-one Rangers were presented with Army Commendation Medals, for their actions over ten days of intense combat.
For their courage and sacrifice, Captain Rippetoe, Specialist Livaudais, and Specialist Long were posthumously awarded Bronze Stars with “V” device for valor.
Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of the Rangers.
Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster, and fight harder than any other soldier.
Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong, and morally straight, and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one hundred percent and then some.
Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.
Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.
Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission though I be the lone survivor.
Rangers Lead the Way!
Duration: Sixty-one days
Course Type: Leadership
Mission/Objective: Conduct Ranger, Reconnaissance, and Surveillance leader courses to further develop the combat arms related functional skills of officer and enlisted volunteers who are eligible for assignment to units whose primary mission is to engage in the close combat, direct fire battle. Rangers.
Two months carrying a forty-pound rucksack with very little to eat, even less sleep, being graded on everything. That’s Ranger school in a nutshell.
Named for the Army’s fabled experts in small unit infantry tactics, Ranger school is not a Special Operations course, per se. It is the Army’s premiere leadership course, open to combat arms volunteers from both the officer and enlisted corps. Only forty percent of those who enter will pin the Ranger tab on their shoulder two months later.
Located at Fort Benning, Georgia, the 4th Ranger Training Battalion exists to train Ranger students to lead small unit operations in close combat. The Benning or “Crawl” phase of Ranger School is twenty-one days long. It is designed to develop the military skills, physical and mental endurance, and the confidence a soldier must possess in order to successfully motivate men in the heat of battle. This is accomplished through a process of stress inoculation meant to simulate the strain of combat, but since they can’t actually shoot at the students, pressure is applied by forcing them to operate under field conditions where there is never enough food, sleep, or time to get the job done. Ranger students are given a variety of challenges in the initial phase of training designed to weed out those whose physical or mental conditioning are lacking. These include physical testing, hours of training in the hand-to-hand pit, a swim test, land navigation, and the obstacle course.
The mountain phase is also twenty-one days long and is overseen by the 5th Ranger Training Battalion, Dahlonega, Georgia. During this phase students learn knot tying, rope bridges, and assault climbing skills. They also perform nightly patrols through the north Georgia mountains on reconnaissance, ambush missions, and raids.
Combat patrol missions are directed against a conventionally equipped threat force in a low intensity conflict scenario. These patrol missions are conducted both day and night over a four-day squad field training exercise (FTX) and a platoon five-day FTX that includes long distance patrols through rugged mountain terrain, vehicle ambushes, river crossings, and raids on simulated mortar or communications sites. During these missions the Ranger student may be selected to lead tired, hungry, physically expended students to accomplish yet another combat patrol mission at any time. All patrols are student-led and must be accomplished under the watchful eyes of their Ranger instructors. Most students will also participate in a parachute jump.
At the conclusion of the mountain phase, the students move by bus or parachute assault into the final (Florida) phase of Ranger training, conducted at Camp Rudder, near Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
The swamp phase is seventeen days long. Each student trains an average of eighteen to twenty hours each day, with more patrolling, as well as small boat tactics, river crossings, and road marches, all while under the threat of enemy attack by soldiers of the 6th Ranger Training Battalion.
The Florida Phase ramps up the stress with progressive, realistic operations that stretch each student more than he ever thought possible. The ten-day FTX is a fast paced, extremely challenging exercise in which the students are required to prove their ability to apply small unit tactics they have learned throughout the course.
At the end of the course, those who have successfully completed all three phases return to Fort Benning to stand in front of Victory pond and have their loved ones pin the coveted Ranger tab on their shoulders. It is always a proud moment, as fewer than one percent of all soldiers ever earn the right to join the brotherhood who call themselves “Ranger.”
HUNTING PARTIES
SHKIN, AFGHANISTAN
The border region along Pakistan’s Federally Administrated Tribal Areas has long been one of the most dangerous places in the world. By Autumn 2003, the Operating Base at Shkin was similiar to the closest target at a carnival shooting gallery—everyone liked shooting at it. Foreign fighters aligned with al-Qaeda and Taliban supporters hiding just across the border in Pakistan frequently slipped across into Afghanistan at night to attack the nearest American outpost.
The base, manned by U.S. Special Operations Forces, an Afghan commando force, and a contingent of the 10th Mountain Division, also included members of the CIA’s super-secret Special Activities Division. One of them, William “Chief” Carlson, had done just about everything a Special Operator could do. A member of the Montana Blackfoot Nation, he began his Army career as an enlisted soldier in the 75th Ranger regiment and went on to become a Green Beret. From there he was selected for Delta Force, where he served out the remainder of his twenty-year Army career. Retirement didn’t suit him, so Carlson signed on as a contractor with the CIA, where his dark complexion and résumé guaranteed he would be deployed to Afghanistan almost immediately.
William "Chief" Carlson
Though Chief Carlson had a reputation as “one of the toughest of the tough,” all who knew him well admired his steadfast loyalty and sincere friendship. His wife, Cherri, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, cared for and raised their two sons during Chief’s long absences.
Another operator on the team at Shkin, Christopher Glenn Mueller, followed a different path into the ranks of the CIA. Overcoming asthma and a learning disability in high school prepared him for the challenges after graduation, when he enlisted in the Navy. Because of injuries in training, it took him three tries to make it through the rigorous SEAL selection process. Normally, a man is washed out of the program after being “recycled” twice. But Mueller’s instructors admired his tenacity and he finally became a SEAL.
Chris Mueller
Chris Mueller in Iraq
He spent four years with SEAL Team Five, deploying around the world for training and real-world missions. Enticed to apply for a position with the CIA’s Special Activities Division, Mueller left the Navy to attend UC San Diego to get the required college degree. Sheepskin and glowing transcript in hand, he joined the CIA as a paramilitary officer. His first overseas deployment was in support of operations in Iraq, where he spent nearly a year. After that he was sent to Afghanistan, where he linked up with Chief Carlson.
Both CIA operators were friends with Mark Donald, a highly trained SEAL medical officer and a key member of the small team at Shkin. Dark haired and intense, the wiry Latino’s career path was also unique. Mark grew up in New Mexico, where he excelled in athletics but struggled with academics. Though his mother hailed from Matamoros, Mexico, his parents were fiercely American—a trait that rubbed off on their sons. During his senior year, Mark was impressed by the Marine recruiters who visited his high school. Deciding he wanted their self-confidence and bearing, Mark enlisted after graduation, though not yet eighteen. In the Marine Corps, he found the self-discipline he sought—and he put it to work in the area he was weakest—academics. After long hours of study, he applied for an inter-service transfer to become a Navy Corpsman and was immediately recruited into SEAL training. After nearly a decade as a SEAL he received a commission in the Navy Medical Corps as a Physician’s Assistant.
The small group of operators at the Shkin Base was close-knit and team members would often stay up late into the night debating politics, history, or the likelihood that they would succeed in their primary mission: tracking down Osama bin Laden, target #1 on the Americans’ “kill or capture” list.
All those in this very selective, highly secret unit had faced danger before. So when they were handed the mission of heading out of the base to follow up on some new intelligence, they went loaded for bear. They all knew they were about to kick a hornet’s nest.
Accompanied by a detachment of Afghan commandos mounted in Humvees, trucks, SUVs, and Toyota Hilux pickups, the team drove out the gates of the base before sunup. To call the route they took into the hills a road is a gross overstatement. This part of Afghanistan doesn’t have roads. The dusty track they followed was better suited for, and well used by, the local goat herds.
On mission before daylight
As the convoy bumped and wound its way into the mountains, rocky peaks loomed on either side and stone outcroppings closed in tight. Tactically they were sitting ducks and though nobody liked it, neither could they do much about it. Just behind the lead vehicle—a Toyota Hilux carrying Afghan soldiers—Chief piloted a soft-sided Humvee with “Doc” Donald riding shotgun.
Three hours after leaving the base, the mountain path literally exploded around them.
An RPG streaking from above detonated just inches from the second vehicle occupied by Chief Carlson, Doc Donald, and two of their teammates. A direct hit would have killed all inside but the near miss was enough to throw the Humvee upward and spray shrapnel into the vehicle, filling the cab with smoke and all but disabling it.
A heavy machine gun opened up from a ridgeline off to the left. Through the cracked windshield, it appeared another RPG turned the Hilux truck full of Afghan soldiers ahead of them into a smoldering wreck.
Ground assault convoy
Ignoring the blistering fire, Chief quickly turned hard to shield Mark and the others inside from the worst of it, putting them as close as possible to a ditch running beside the path and up against a hill that would provide cover.
Mark Donald looked over at his teammate. “Bailout, Chief?”
Carlson nodded and shouted over the din, “The vehicle’s down. Go. Go!”
They were the last words Mark would hear Chief say.
By positioning the vehicle to provide as much cover as possible for his teammates, the rugged former Delta operator fully exposed himself to the enemy fire. Mark and the others rolled out and tried to engage the enemy, but even with the rear of the vehicle affording some protection, rounds were impacting all around them. As a bullet tore gear from Mark’s harness, he could see others around him still fighting, though blood was soaking through their uniforms where bullets and shrapnel found flesh.
In the seconds it took for Chief to maneuver the vehicle to the side of the path, the enemy above found their range and zeroed in on Carlson with a deadly volley. He was cut down before he could exit the vehicle.
For the surviving team members, there wasn’t time to grieve. With the volume of fire still increasing all around them, they tried to escape the kill zone by laying down a base of fire while screaming at their Afghan counterparts to do the same.
Though already wounded in his right arm, Doc Donald was still able to move thanks to copious amounts of adrenaline coursing through his veins. In the chaos he realized they would have to break out of the ambush and link up with the rest of the column, from which they were now separated by a wall of flying lead and shrapnel. To rescue the wounded still trapped in the kill zone, they would have to get the Afghan soldiers still able to fight to lay down a base of covering fire long enough for him to drag the wounded to safety.
Danger close
Shouts and vigorous arm gestures finally got the Afghan commandos on the same sheet of music. Braving the rounds aimed at him, Mark dashed to the nearest wounded, grabbed the man’s harness and dragged him back to the shelter of some rocks. Then he did it a second time, moving as swiftly as his own wounds and heavy gear would allow.
Twice more he ran from cover up to the lead vehicle to treat wounded Afghan commandos and coordinate with others still able to pull a trigger, directing the fight as best he could. More than once he had to dive for cover to avoid a blast of gunfire directed his way, pressing himself into a depression less than a foot deep and feeling somewhat amazed at how small a man can get when properly motivated.
Incoming fire increased and became more accurate as the al-Qaeda fighters above maneuvered to close in on them. Though he concluded they would soon have to retreat or be overrun, Mark conferred with his teammates and they decided abandoning Chief’s body and several other gravely wounded men was not an option. They would stand and fight together, and if need be, die together.
Then suddenly the hail of incoming fire stopped. Unbeknownst to Mark Donald and the others trapped in the kill zone, the rest of the troops further back in the column dismounted and moved uphill on the enemy flank. Well-aimed volleys of fire visited swift retribution on the closest of the al-Qaeda attackers.
While the desperate battle raged on the mountain east of the Shkin Base, Chris Mueller was briefing a 10th Mountain Division quick reaction force (QRF). He reluctantly agreed to stay behind for just such a mission if the need arose. As the soldiers sprinted to their vehicles, shrugging on body armor while they ran, Mueller estimated it would take at least half an hour to reach his embattled mates.
Back at the ambush site, Doc Donald searched the terrain for a suitable casualty collection point. There were still people shooting at them, but it seemed the enemy was a little less enthusiastic after seeing their first string wiped out. Still, he estimated the al-Qaeda or Taliban or both, would soon have reinforcements en route.
Aware that their current location was too exposed and certain their reprieve would likely be short-lived, Doc Donald organized some of the Afghan soldiers to lay down a barrage of suppressive fire. Then, on his signal, they piled themselves and the wounded into two, still operational Toyota trucks.
Mark sprinted to the driver’s door of the lead vehicle, jerked it open, and threw himself inside. He started the engine, popped the clutch and the truck took off like a rodeo pony, heading for a bend in the path that would put them in defilade from direct enemy fire.
Afghan commando
Somehow, they made it without further casualties and for a short time, it seemed the battle might be over. For the next half hour or so, Doc Donald hustled from one group of men to another, distributing ammunition and water, feeling more tired than ever before in his life as the adrenaline subsided and blood from his own wounds continued to seep into his clothing. Focused on treating those with the most serious injuries, he made a grim discovery: nearly every man was hit by either bullets or shrapnel.
The arrival of Chris Mueller and the QRF provided a brief respite for Doc Donald as 10th Mountain Division medics pitched in to help treat the wounded. While the U.S. soldiers took up positions along the shallow perimeter, Mark briefed Chris and the infantry platoon commander on what happened and what he expected. Though the enemy fire finally ceased, Donald told them to anticipate a running gun battle as they headed back to the base at Shkin.
As he told Chris of Chief Carlson’s heroism and how he died, Mark could tell Mueller was deeply troubled by the loss of their friend. Chris and Doc Donald talked alone for a few minutes and then Mueller departed to join a team of his Afghan commandos whom would serve as a point element for the 10th Mountain Div troops scouting the road ahead.
They were barely out of sight beyond the next wadi when the sound of gunfire echoed through the canyon again. As he raced to a vantage point, Doc Donald’s heart sank. Chris and his advance team were taking fire from hidden snipers as another band of al-Qaeda fighters moved in to press the attack.
Now it was time for the rescued to become the rescuer.
Casualty evacuation
With his reserves of adrenaline all but spent, the SEAL Doc wearily picked up his rifle and headed toward the gunfight. Just as he did, he saw Chris dash from a covered position to help a wounded Afghan commando. Suddenly, an unseen enemy opened fire from Chris’s right rear and Mark saw him fall—hard—then roll and try to keep fighting. Mark and a group of American and Afghan soldiers moved as quickly as possible, but by the time he made it to Mueller’s side, it was obvious there was nothing he could do. Chris Mueller, like Chief Carlson just hours before, lost their lives trying to save the lives of others. Doc Donald lost two of his brothers in one fight and no amount of medical expertise was going to change that.
What followed next were periods of intense fire interrupted by brief moments of silence as air support arrived overhead. Al-Qaeda fighters, drawn by the sound of battle tried to close in for the kill. Attack helicopters and A-10 Thunderbolts, directed by radio rolled in with rocket pods and nose-mounted cannons blazing. Despite heavy losses from the aerial firepower, the enemy pressed so close that several times the pilots were reluctant to fire—fearful of hitting “friendlies.”
When the sun began dropping toward the horizon, American helicopters swooped in to evacuate the most urgent casualties. As al-Qaeda fire slackened, the battered CIA team, Afghan commandos, and the 10th Mountain QRF seized the opportunity to break out. They made it safely back to the base under the cover of close air support.
At the end of the battle, only one man on the team was unscathed and two were dead. Everyone else, including Doc Donald, was wounded. The bullet and shrapnel holes in his body armor and equipment told the story: It simply wasn’t his day to die.
Today, in a quiet spot at the CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, a wall of honor bears a star for every CIA employee who lost his or her life in the service to our country. There, among so many other heroes, are stars bearing the names of Chris Mueller and Chief Carlson.
CIA Memorial wall
In relation to what they gave, a simple star seems far too little, but according to those who knew them best and whose lives have been touched by their sacrifice, those understated stars are fitting, since both were the kind of men who said, “It’s not about me.”
Doc Mark Donald, eventually retired, feeling compelled to serve in a different capacity. Today he is an advocate for wounded veterans around the country. With Mark’s help, one of Chief’s two sons, Shayne Carlson, embarked on an expedition to skateboard across the United States to raise awareness for wounded warriors.
AGENCY SEAL MEDALLION:
CHRISTOPHER G. MUELLER
Christopher G. Mueller is posthumously awarded the AGENCY SEAL MEDALLION in recognition of his outstanding performance and courage in the face of hazardous and unpredictable conditions, personal courage under enemy fire, and making the ultimate sacrifice for his nation on 25 October 2003. Mr. Mueller displayed great valor in the face of the enemy, exposing himself to render aid to a wounded comrade. His selfless action under fire was undertaken knowing that it could cost him his life. Mr. Mueller’s service and contributions in the war against terrorism were instrumental in defeating al-Qaeda forces and achieving America’s goals of peace, justice, and stability. His actions and his performance were in the finest traditions of the Agency. Mr. Mueller’s contributions to the national security and, in particular, to the mission of this organization reflect credit upon him, his institution, and the Federal service.
Chris Mueller’s last free-fall jump
NAVY CROSS:
LIEUTENANT MARK L. DONALD
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant Mark L. Donald, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism as Medical Officer assigned to a Joint Operational Unit conducting combat operations against al-Qaeda and Taliban enemy forces in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, in October 2003. Lieutenant Donald was part of a multi-vehicle mounted patrol ambushed by extremely heavy fire from rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. When two rocket-propelled grenades exploded immediately in front of his vehicle, Lieutenant Donald exited the vehicle and began returning fire. While under heavy and continuous machine gun fire he pulled the wounded Afghan commander to relative safety behind the vehicle’s engine block. He left his position, completely exposing himself to the small arms fire, and pulled a wounded American trapped behind the steering wheel to cover behind the vehicle. He covered the wounded with his own body while returning fire and providing care. In the process, multiple bullets passed through his clothing and equipment. Identifying wounded Afghan personnel in the two lead vehicles, Lieutenant Donald moved to their aid under heavy fire and began medical treatment. After treating the wounded, he took charge of an Afghan squad in disarray, deployed them to break the ambush, and continued to treat numerous critically injured personnel, while arranging for their prompt medical evacuation. That afternoon, while sweeping an area of earlier action, a U.S./Afghan element was ambushed by a platoon-sized enemy force near Lieutenant Donald’s position. Knowing personnel were gravely wounded, Lieutenant Donald without hesitation and with complete disregard for his own safety ran two hundred meters between opposing forces exposing him to withering and continuous heavy machine gun and small arms fire to render medical treatment to two wounded personnel, one Afghan and one American. He placed himself between the casualties and the extremely heavy enemy fire now directed at him and began emergency medical treatment. Still under intense enemy fire, wounded by shrapnel, and knowingly within dangerously close range of attacking U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter rockets, he organized the surviving Afghan soldiers and led a two-hundred-meter fighting withdrawal to friendly positions. Lieutenant Donald coordinated the medical evacuation of wounded soldiers and withdrew overland back to base before treating his own wounds. By his heroic display of decisive and tenacious leadership, unyielding courage in the face of constant enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, Lieutenant Donald reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
