American Heroes in Special Operations Page 5

  When it was all said and done, the fierce firefight at Takur Ghar was but one part of Operation Anaconda. The fight raged for twelve days and cost more than one hundred American lives. Taliban and al-Qaeda losses were estimated to be nearly eight hundred fighters.

  To keep the pressure on Taliban and al-Qaeda elements taking refuge in the mountainous regions along the AF-PAK border, Operation Mountain Lion was initiated in May. By then, a handful of Afghan National Army units were partnered with Green Berets in an effort to clear the enemy from areas around Gardeyz and Khowst. For U.S. Special Forces personnel it was “back to the future”—a return to their classic mission of mentoring indigenous forces to fight for their own country.

  AF-PAK border

  The operation was characterized by coalition forces fanning out across the mountainous region in dozens of small patrols—challenging any enemy in the area: Come out and fight.

  During one such engagement, a U.S.-Afghan unit came under heavy machine gun fire in a remote area near the border with Pakistan.

  The Special Operators responded with quick and decisive action, killing one enemy fighter and driving off the rest, but suffered two friendly casualties in the process. One of them was an Afghan soldier, the other Green Beret Staff Sergeant Gene Vance, a ten-year veteran of the Special Forces who canceled his honeymoon to make the Afghan deployment with his brothers-in-arms. Vance was trained to speak Farsi, and his skills as a linguist and Intel officer made him highly valuable to his comrades in arms.

  A quiet man, Vance was a citizen-soldier, a member of the 19th Special Forces Group of the West Virginia National guard, one of only two reserve Special Forces units. He’d been decorated for valor once already in 1993, though the details of that medal are still classified. Vance’s death in combat marked the first time a guardsman was killed in direct action since Vietnam, and the first time a West Virginia guardsman was killed since World War II.

  A memorial service for the thirty-eight-year-old Vance was held in Morgantown, West Virginia, on Memorial Day 2002 and more than 750 of his friends and neighbors attended. Today, the Special Operations compound at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan, is named Camp Vance in his honor.

  Staff Sgt Gene Vance

  REMEMBERING FALLEN SOLDIERS

  The Special Forces Memorial Statue, “Bronze Bruce,” stands watch over the USASOC Memorial Plaza outside the command’s headquarters building at Fort Bragg. Originally built in 1969, the statue was moved to the plaza from the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School in 1994. He faces the USASOC Memorial Wall, which displays the names of more than a thousand Army SOF heroes killed in action since the Vietnam War.

  In addition to public memorials, fallen soldiers are honored with services and plaques at bases around the world.

  Above: 7th Special Forces Green Berets pray over the memorial of a fallen comrade.

  Below: plaque in honor of fallen crew members from Operation Enduring Freedom

  U.S. NAVY SEAL CREED

  In times of war or uncertainty there is a special breed of warrior ready to answer our nation’s call. A common man with uncommon desire to succeed.

  Forged by adversity, he stands alongside America’s finest special operations forces to serve his country, the American people, and protect their way of life.

  I am that man.

  My Trident is a symbol of honor and heritage. Bestowed upon me by the heroes that have gone before, it embodies the trust of those I have sworn to protect. By wearing the Trident I accept the responsibility of my chosen profession and way of life. It is a privilege that I must earn every day.

  My loyalty to Country and Team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others before my own.

  I serve with honor on and off the battlefield. The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from other men.

  Uncompromising integrity is my standard. My character and honor are steadfast. My word is my bond.

  We expect to lead and be led. In the absence of orders I will take charge, lead my teammates and accomplish the mission. I lead by example in all situations.

  I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight.

  We demand discipline. We expect innovation. The lives of my teammates and the success of our mission depend on me—my technical skill, tactical proficiency, and attention to detail. My training is never complete.

  We train for war and fight to win. I stand ready to bring the full spectrum of combat power to bear in order to achieve my mission and the goals established by my country. The execution of my duties will be swift and violent when required yet guided by the very principles that I serve to defend.

  Brave men have fought and died building the proud tradition and feared reputation that I am bound to uphold. In the worst of conditions, the legacy of my teammates steadies my resolve and silently guides my every deed.

  I will not fail.

  SPECIAL WARFARE COMBATANT-CRAFT CREWMEN

  When it comes to Naval Special Operators, the SEALS normally get most of the press. But there’s another, lesser known component of the Naval Special Warfare Command—a much smaller group of men who are known as SWCCCs, or “Swicks.”

  Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen follow a selection and training pipeline similar to the SEALs but with a few important specialties. They learn to operate high-tech, state-of-the-art small boats in environments that are too restrictive for large naval vessels. This includes rivers, lakes, and places where even crocodiles fear to tread.

  Thirty weeks of initial training at Coronado, California, augmented by the full gamut of Special Operations schools makes these men masters at riverine warfare, covert insertion, extraction, and reconnaissance. They have participated in every major military conflict since the Vietnam War and can often be found fighting alongside their SEAL brethren today in places like the Philippines and even Colombia, where in 1996, six SWCCC’s took on a force of about 150 FARC rebels in a three-day gun battle—and won. After it was all over, the boat team had killed more than forty rebels and sustained only one friendly casualty.

  Some people call them the Navy’s best kept secret, because they are rarely mentioned in the media. But the men of SWCCC like it that way, because in their business, being unseen and unheard is the mark of a true professional.

  Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen assigned to Special Boat Team 22 (SBT-22) conduct live-fire immediate action drills at the riverine training range at Fort Knox. SBT-22 operates the Special Operations craft-riverine and is the only U.S. Special Operations Command dedicated to operating in the riverine environment.

  THE NEW ENEMY:

  SADDAM HUSSEIN

  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 locat
ions 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 casualti
es.

  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.