I know there is a ton going on in the world right now, but I wanted to take a minute to remind you all of a horrible day eleven years ago tomorrow. I'm posting this now so it doesn't get lost in the weekend.
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1) 11 YEARS AGO tomorrow morning: the deadliest day for the US in 2009, the Battle of Combat Outpost Keating.
COP Keating was at the bottom of three steep mountains just 14 miles from the Pakistan border. This gives you an idea of how vulnerable it was:
2/ Some of you know this because you've seen @TheOutpostMovie or read @THEOUTPOSTbook, but in case you haven't:
COP Keating was built in 2006 to work with the local populace, to convince them to reject the Taliban.
Here’s some early footage of the COP:
3/ In a fishbowl, surrounded by three steep mountains, the men of COP Keating -- 3-71 CAV, 1-91 CAV, 6-4 CAV, 3-61 CAV -- were constantly attacked, starting in 2006 when the COP was built.
4/ Dawn, 11 years ago Saturday morning.
53 US troops were surrounded by up to 400 insurgents, all of whom had the high ground.
5/ SGT Eric Harder recalls how the day began.
6/ PFC Chris Jones: "I woke up, there was a boom."
7/ Eight US soldiers were killed that day, and every one of them died trying to help or save their brothers in arms.
The first was Pfc. Kevin Christopher Thomson, who ran out to man his station in the mortar pit.
That's him on the left with @DanielRod_83
8/ Sgt. Joshua John Kirk, considered the bravest of the brave, ran to return fire. He was also killed.
9/ As the men of Blue Platoon ran out of their barracks to resupply the Red Platoon troops standing guard, Spc. Michael Patrick Scusa was killed.
10/ Sgt. Justin Gallegos (on the right) ran to help re-supply a soldier standing guard in a truck.
11) So did Sgt. Vernon Martin
12) So did Spc. Stephan Lee Mace
13) But those three, as well as Sgt Ty Carter and Sgt Brad Larson, got stuck in the truck.
The incoming enemy fire was relentless.
Back at a barracks, Sgt. Josh Hardt volunteered to get in a truck to try to save them.
14) So did Spc. Christopher T. Griffin (below) and Private Ed Faulkner Jr.
Both Hardt and Griffin were killed trying to save the lives of the 5 soldiers stuck in the Humvee.
15) By now the insurgents were inside the camp. “Enemy in the wire!” one soldier yelled.
Sgt. Clint Romesha organized his men. They were going to take the camp back. His heroism that day was so incredible, he was later awarded the Medal of Honor.
16) Inside the truck, Gallegos, Martin, and Mace made a break for it while Carter and Larson provided cover. But there were too many insurgents.
Martin was killed.
Gallegos was killed too trying to bring a very wounded Mace back to the Humvee.
17) Posthumously awarded the Silver Star, Gallegos had his medal upgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross in 2018. His son Mac accepted it.
18) Sgt. Ty Carter's heroic efforts to save Mace, trapped outside the truck and severely wounded, earned him a Medal of Honor as well -- the first time since Vietnam that 2 living servicemembers were awarded the MOH for the same battle.
Mace did not ultimately survive.
19) A subsequent Army investigation concluded that COP Keating "was tactically indefensible,” as President Obama later noted. "But that's what these soldiers were asked to do, defend the indefensible."
20) Not even one year after the battle, Faulkner -- who had been discharged for his struggles with addiction, and who suffered from horrific Post Traumatic Stress -- O.D.'ed and died.
21) If you want to learn more, you can read @TheOutpostBook, Romesha's book RED PLATOON, or @DanielRod_83's book RISE; you can watch @TheOutpostMovie or the NETFLIX MOH series. Either way thank you for taking time to learn about these men.
May their memories be a blessing.
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