THE BATTLE FOR TAKUR GUAR
USAACE
SSG Patrick M. Roach
15UK1N1
17-002
SFC Maradol
“Silent Professional” is a term often used when referencing the Special Operations community. It means do not brag about what you have done or where you have been because secrecy is your only real ally. Every night since the World Trade Center towers fell, there have been Soldiers overseas taking the fight to those responsible. Night after night, these nameless warriors have been planning and conducting covert operations in hostile areas all over the world without fail. The only time the public hears about one of these elite units is usually when something has gone not according to plan. One thing that always holds true is in war, nothing …show more content…
forces in Afghanistan known as TF Mountain were the brains behind a large-scale operation code-named Operation Anaconda. Special Operations Forces had been tracking large enemy movements in and around the Shah-e-Kot Valley. Operation Anaconda’s basic concept of operation was to set blocking position on the eastern end of the valley and push from the west, forcing the enemy straight into those blocking positions. To aid in the Operation, SOF reconnaissance teams were to set up observation posts to report on enemy movements and direct close air support. The point that provided the best tactical advantage for the reconnaissance teams was a 10,000 ft. snowcapped mountain named Takur Ghar. Unfortunately, al Qaeda also knew its tactical importance, had already heavily fortified, and concealed machine gun positions to protect that …show more content…
The first chinook to insert their team, call sign Razor 03, had to change their landing area at the last minute due to B-52 bombing runs forcing them to switch their landing zone to the peak of the Takur Ghar itself instead of the offset LZ initially briefed. With a lack of surveillance on this new LZ, the current enemy presence was unknown. While on approach to land, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) struck the right side of Razor 03 while machine gun fire was ripping through the airframe. As the 160th pilots struggled to regain control of the helicopter, Petty Officer Neil Roberts who was a member of the elite SEAL team, was untethered and slipped off the open ramp of the Chinook tossing him 10 feet onto the snowy ground below. The pilots although not able to land on the mountain were able to maneuver the Chinook away from the blistering fire and crash land 7 miles away. Leaving Neil Roberts alone on the al Qaeda fortified mountain peak under intense
USAACE
SSG Patrick M. Roach
15UK1N1
17-002
SFC Maradol
“Silent Professional” is a term often used when referencing the Special Operations community. It means do not brag about what you have done or where you have been because secrecy is your only real ally. Every night since the World Trade Center towers fell, there have been Soldiers overseas taking the fight to those responsible. Night after night, these nameless warriors have been planning and conducting covert operations in hostile areas all over the world without fail. The only time the public hears about one of these elite units is usually when something has gone not according to plan. One thing that always holds true is in war, nothing …show more content…
forces in Afghanistan known as TF Mountain were the brains behind a large-scale operation code-named Operation Anaconda. Special Operations Forces had been tracking large enemy movements in and around the Shah-e-Kot Valley. Operation Anaconda’s basic concept of operation was to set blocking position on the eastern end of the valley and push from the west, forcing the enemy straight into those blocking positions. To aid in the Operation, SOF reconnaissance teams were to set up observation posts to report on enemy movements and direct close air support. The point that provided the best tactical advantage for the reconnaissance teams was a 10,000 ft. snowcapped mountain named Takur Ghar. Unfortunately, al Qaeda also knew its tactical importance, had already heavily fortified, and concealed machine gun positions to protect that …show more content…
The first chinook to insert their team, call sign Razor 03, had to change their landing area at the last minute due to B-52 bombing runs forcing them to switch their landing zone to the peak of the Takur Ghar itself instead of the offset LZ initially briefed. With a lack of surveillance on this new LZ, the current enemy presence was unknown. While on approach to land, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) struck the right side of Razor 03 while machine gun fire was ripping through the airframe. As the 160th pilots struggled to regain control of the helicopter, Petty Officer Neil Roberts who was a member of the elite SEAL team, was untethered and slipped off the open ramp of the Chinook tossing him 10 feet onto the snowy ground below. The pilots although not able to land on the mountain were able to maneuver the Chinook away from the blistering fire and crash land 7 miles away. Leaving Neil Roberts alone on the al Qaeda fortified mountain peak under intense