ENDNOTES

Preface

  1. As with numerous place-names in Afghanistan, Kunar is also spelled Konar. For the purpose of the book I will use Kunar throughout.

  2. Nathan Longworth, email to author, May 13, 2013.

  3. Gary Parsons, interview with author, May 17, 2013.

  4. Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms (New York: Scribner, 2012).

Surrounded by Talent

  1. General Order 5 in its entirety read:

“The 101st Airborne Division, which was activated on August 16, 1942, at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, has no history, but a rendezvous with destiny. Like the early American pioneers whose invincible courage was the foundation stone of this nation, we have broken with the past and its traditions in order to establish our claim to the future.

“Due to the nature of our armament and the tactics in which we shall perfect ourselves, we shall be called upon to carry out operations of far-reaching military importance and we shall habitually go into action when the need is immediate and extreme. Let me call your attention to the fact that our badge is the great American eagle. This is a fitting emblem for a division that will crush its enemies by falling upon them like a thunderbolt from the skies.

“The history we shall make, the record of high achievement we hope to write in the annals of the American Army and the American people, depends wholly and completely on the men of this division. Each individual, each officer and each enlisted man, must therefore regard himself as a necessary part of a complex and powerful instrument for the overcoming of the enemies of the nation. Each, in his own job, must realize that he is not only a means, but an indispensable means for obtaining the goal of victory. It is, therefore, not too much to say that the future itself, in whose molding we expect to have our share, is in the hands of the soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division.” Lee, W.C., General Order 5 (Camp Claiborne, LA)

Pre-Deployment Site Survey

  1. The TOC serves as the battalion’s primary command and control hub (information management center), assisting the battalion commander in synchronizing operations. It is the location in the battalion where the majority of planning, staff coordination, plan execution, receiving/disseminating information, and monitoring of key events occur. Since writing this book the term “TOC” has been replaced by “command post.”

  2. Lester W. Grau, ed. The Bear Went Over the Mountain: Soviet Combat Tactics in Afghanistan (Washington, DC: National Defense University Press, 1996).

  3. Ibid., 177.

Wanat

  1. “Wanat: Combat Action in Afghanistan, 2008.” (Ft. Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2010), 45.

  2. The events that took place at Wanat came from my notes, taken in the TF Out Front TOC and countless days spent talking with Chris McKaig.

A Cavalry State of Mind

  1. A guidon is a small flag. The guidon is carried by a select solider who is always located with the commander. Wherever the commander is, so goes the guidon. The guidon is used to rally the troopers in battle. It represents their unity. Different colors represent the different branches of service. The cavalry guidon is red and white.

Counterinsurgency

  1. Thomas H. Johnson and M. Chris Mason. “No Sign until the Burst of Fire: Understanding the Pakistan-Afghanistan Frontier.” International Security, Vol. 32, 61. 2008

  2. Ibid., 59.

  3. G. R. Gleig. Sale’s Brigade in Afghanistan, with an account of the Seizure and Defense of Jellalabad. (London: John Murray, Albermarle Street, 1846), 5.

  4. Ibid., 11.

  5. Johnson and Mason. “No Sign until the Burst of Fire: Understanding the Pakistan-Afghanistan Frontier,” 59.

Korengal—Learning the Hard Way

  1. Matthew D. McNeal, email to author, February 26, 2013.

  2. Kendall Clarke, in discussion with author, April 24, 2013.

Cowboys and Indians

  1. The information about Jillian Wisniewski was gathered between 2008 and 2015, but I conducted a formal interview via email on April 20, 2014.

  2. The information about Jay Karvaski’s life and experiences was gathered over several years, although a formal interview occurred on April 20, 2014. Jay Karvaski and I served together for over five years. He was my intelligence noncommissioned officer in charge of TF Pale Horse, and he was my brigade noncommissioned officer of charge when I commanded TF Thunder. We spent two years together in RC-East.

Bari Ali

  1. Azad Ebrahimzadeh, email to author, June 6, 2014.

  2. Russell Klika, email to author, May 18, 2014.

  3. Ibid.

  4. Ibid.

  5. Azad Ebrahimzadeh, telephone interview with the author, March 20, 2014.

  6. Klika, email, May 18, 2014.

Mountain Warrior

  1. Rodney Dycus, email to author, April 17, 2014.

The Plan Begins to Unravel

  1. It is a great tradition in the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment to memorize the history of the regiment. A tribute to General Scott’s words is used in the regimental accolade. When the regiment forms up, the regimental commander posts himself at the front of the formation and yells to the regiment, “Prepare for the regimental accolade.”

The troopers reply, “Prepare to sound off,” in unison.

Commander: “Brave Rifles.”

Troopers: “Veterans.”

Commander: “Blood and steel.”

Troopers: “AI-EE-YAH!”

  2. Greg Jaffe, “Gen. McChrystal, New Afghanistan Commander, Will Review Troop Placements,” The Washington Post, June 16, 2009.

  3. Mark O’Donnell, email to author, May 2, 2014.

  4. Ibid.

  5. Ibid.

  6. Michael Harrison, “Operation Mountain Fire: The Assault of Barg-e Matal” (unpublished manuscript, July 12, 2010), Microsoft Word file.

  7. Mark O’Donnell, email to author, May 3, 2014.

  8. Harrison, “Operation Mountain Fire: The Assault of Barg-e Matal.”

  9. O’Donnell, email to author, May 2, 2014.

10. O’Donnell, email to author, May 3, 2014.

11. Ibid.

12. Ibid.

13. Michael Harrison, email to author, June 5, 2014.

14. Chad B, multiple emails and discussions with the author throughout the spring of 2013; Michael Harrison, “Operation Mountain Fire: The Assault of Barg-e Matal.”

The Watapur

  1. Roosevelt, Theodore, The Rough Riders. (New York: The Library of America, 2004), 18.

  2. Note on sources: This chapter was written based on my own personal recollections, notes, sworn statements of participants, and multiple interviews and emails with those involved.

  3. Charles L. Folk, email to author, February 22, 2013.

  4. Chad Marzec, email to author, April 24, 2013.

  5. Asadabad was approximately an eight-minute flight from the Watapur Valley. Asadabad, also FOB Wright, was our FARP and central hub for everything in the Kunar and Pech. We had four arming and refueling points established on large cement pads. Abad was also home to a forward surgical team.

  6. Chad Marzec, email to author, April 24, 2013. Chad Marzec would later be shot through the ankle in an almost identical situation in the Watapur. He was evacuated from Afghanistan to later fully recover and continue service.

  7. Scott Hill, Scott Stradley, emails to the author, May 2–3, 2014.

  8. “A DART is comprised of select personnel who perform assessment, repairs, and recovery of downed aircraft. This team is equipped, trained, and rehearsed to accomplish aircraft recovery in various environments and conditions.” Field Manual (FM) 3-04.513/Aircraft Recovery Operations. (Washington, DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army, 21 July, 2008), 1–2.

  9. Sergeant First Class Ventura wanted the Kiowas to conduct Close Combat Attacks (CCA). “CCA is defined as a coordinated attack by Army aircraft against targets that are in close proximity to friendly forces. During CCA, the ARC/SWT engages enemy units with direct fires that impact near friendly forces. Targets may range from tens of meters to a few thousand meters from friendly forces.” Field Manual (FM) 3-04.126, Attack Reconnaissance Helicopter Operations (Washington, DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army, 16 February, 2007), 3–59.

10. SSG Emmett William Spraktes with Victoria M. Newman, Selfish Prayer: How California National Guard DUSTOFF Changed the Face of Army Medevac amid Chaos, Carnage and Politics of War. (North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform), 2013.

11. Emmett Spraktes, email to author, June 11, 2014.

12. Spraktes with Newman, Selfish Prayer, 200.

13. Spraktes, email to author, June 11, 2014.

14. Ibid.

15. Ibid.

16. The account of Emmett Spraktes’s actions on the ground and the entire Dustoff 2-4 crew came from multiple sources: Scott H. Stradley, sworn statement, July 18, 2009; Ryan E. Neal, sworn statement, July 19, 2009; Brandon Erdmann, “Watapur Recollections,” email to the author, February 27, 2013; multiple emails and telephone conversations with Emmett Spraktes, Brian Pearl, and Henriques Ventura.

17. Joseph McCarthy, email to author, February 24, 2013; Jean-Jacques Murphy, in discussion with the author, March 12, 2013.

18. The account of the speedball resupply was taken from my field notes and multiple emails and telephone conversations with Jean-Jacques Murphy, Joseph McCarthy, and Raymond Andrel.

19. Roosevelt, The Rough Riders, 18.

20. Ibid., 19–20.

Ganjgal and Shuryak

  1. The conversation between Ryan Neal’s team and Will Swenson came from Ryan’s statement immediately following the battle and my interviews with him.

  2. Ibid.

  3. Ibid.

  4. The medevac pilot-in-command shared this with me and other pilots after the battle.

  5. Jerry Wood, email to author, March 31, 2014.

  6. Michael Woodhouse, in conversation with the author.

  7. Patrick Benson, email to author, March 21, 2014.

  8. Carrie Stead, email to author, May 23, 2014.

  9. Ibid.

10. Ibid.

11. Ibid.

Getting Out of Nuristan

  1. Colonel Brad Brown was very helpful in recalling the specifics of this battle. We corresponded via email numerous times to ensure the accuracy of the event.

  2. Brendan McCriskin, email to author, March 28, 2014.

  3. Ibid.

COP Keating

  1. Clint Romesha, telephone conversation with author, April 1, 2015.

  2. Ibid.

  3. Brendan McCriskin, email to author, April 18, 2014.

COP Lowell

  1. Juan Carlos Hernandez, email to author, June 4, 2014.

  2. Ibid.

Bittersweet Goodbye

  1. Jillian Wisniewski, email to author, May 29, 2014.

  2. Ibid.

  3. Ibid.