CommunityEditor
04-13-2009, 08:30 PM
Just days before the end of a punishing 15-month tour in some of Afghanistan’s toughest terrain, soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment faced their deadliest battle yet.
On July 13, 2008, about 45 Americans and 24 Afghan soldiers battled up to 200 enemy fighters determined to overrun the newly established Vehicle Patrol Base Kahler and Observation Post Top Side, nestled in the village of Wanat in the Waygul Valley of Konar province.
When the fighting stopped, nine paratroopers were dead and 27 were wounded.
For their actions on that day, 11 soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry, of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy, received Silver Stars, the third highest award for valor. An additional 17 received Bronze Star Medals with V device and 25 received Army Commendation Medals with V device.
On March 30, two of the Silver Star recipients, Capt. Matt Myer and Sgt. Michael Denton, were honored at Fort Benning, Ga., where both are now assigned.
“For most soldiers in the Army, it’s very humbling to get an award like this,” Myer said. “It’s hard to get an individual award for a team effort. I want to highlight the guys who gave the ultimate price. There’s no award you can give them that’s worthy of that.”
Myer, who was the commander of the battalion’s C Company, now leads C Company, 6th Ranger Training Battalion at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
“It’s very difficult to explain the complexities of what happened [that day],” Myer said. “I think the biggest thing with a lot of battles is ... you’re in a very difficult situation, where it seems to be insurmountable odds, it’s the commitment of the paratroopers who are there, their commitment, their valor ... despite terrible loss.”
Early morning attack
The attack began shortly after 4 a.m. July 13, just five days after the soldiers began building the patrol base and OP.
Heavy machine gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades tore through the soldiers’ positions.
Col. Bill Ostlund, who was the battalion commander at the time, was in the tactical operations center at Camp Blessing, about eight kilometers south of Wanat.
“Matt [Myer] very calmly said ‘We’re under contact, under heavy fire, and we have four [soldiers killed in action],’” Ostlund, who is now the deputy commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment, told Army Times. “It was very obvious that they were in heavy contact based on the RPG and machine gun fire we could hear in the background.”
The battle would last about four hours, according to the narrative accompanying Myer’s Silver Star.
During that time, Myer “fearlessly led the defense of the [vehicle patrol base],” according to the narrative. “Under attack on all sides by a numerically superior force, Captain Myer’s skillful employment of artillery, mortars, [close combat attack], [close air support] and direct fire and his own example of unwavering personal courage ensured that each time the enemy force attempted to overrun the VPB, they were defeated and forced to retreat.”
As the enemy attacked, some of them only five to 10 meters away from the patrol base, they saved their heaviest fire for the OP. In the first 15 to 20 minutes, all nine paratroopers at the OP were killed or injured.
The Americans responded with direct fire as well as indirect fire, launching the first of 96 rounds of 155mm mortars. Commanders called in B-1 Lancer bombers, and F-15E Strike Eagle and A-10 Thunderbolt II fighters that began dropping the first of 38 precision-guided bombs on enemy targets. Also on hand were AH-64 Apache helicopters that fired rockets, missiles and 30mm cannons on the enemy.
During the battle, Denton, who was at the patrol base’s traffic control point when the fighting started, and three or four other soldiers ran to the observation post to help their comrades.
Denton was wounded when the soldiers came under fire from enemy RPGs and hand grenades on their way to the OP. Despite his injuries, Denton provided first aid to a fellow soldier before standing up, finding another weapon and continuing to fight.
When he got to the OP, Denton moved around to find additional ammunition and weapons for his fellow soldiers to use. Once more reinforcements arrived at the OP, Denton began to tear down a sandbag wall in order to get his wounded comrades to a medevac helicopter.
‘An audacious move’
“That right there is what we call uncommon valor,” Myer said about Denton, who is now assigned to the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Benning. “Someone who’s in immediate danger, who’s hurt pretty badly, he still assaulted up there and was defending where they needed him most.”
Myer moved from the patrol base to the OP under enemy fire, according to the narrative for his award.
“Not satisfied that he sufficiently understood the situation at the OP to best direct the fight, Captain Myer then began an audacious move up to the OP himself,” the narrative states.
When he got there, Myer began to organize the remaining able-bodied paratroopers to continue their attack on the enemy.
“When the paratroopers at the OP pointed out an enemy grenade that had been thrown into the OP but that had not exploded, Captain Myer fearlessly picked up the grenade himself and threw it back out of the OP and away from his men,” according to the narrative.
Myer returned to the patrol base and continued to direct the battle from there, and he guided helicopters in to evacuate the wounded.
“Captain Myer’s steadfast leadership and calm direction of the battle singularly enabled the battalion to bring the full force of all available enablers to bear on the determined enemy formation, allowing the outnumbered group of American paratroopers to decisively defeat a much larger enemy force fighting from advantageous terrain,” according to the narrative.
Denton was not available for an interview.
An unchangeable bond
Myer said his company suffered deep losses on the day of the battle.
“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about them, that I don’t think about their families,” he said.
“There’s an unchangeable bond that I have with all the soldiers ... and that’s what’s really important to me. The ribbons, the valor awards and all that, that doesn’t mean much compared to our bond with one another.”
Ostlund said he is proud of his soldiers.
“People know we worked in very rugged, austere and undeveloped conditions,” he said. “And we operated in there. We didn’t just go there to survive. The thing that forever will impress and bother me at the same time is these guys were in month 14. They knew they were supposed to be pulled out of the field in about a week after a very tough and long tour. They exceeded every expectation.”
His experience in Afghanistan showed him the uniqueness of each of his soldiers, Ostlund said.
“The one thing I learned in Afghanistan and will stick with me forever was the uniqueness of life,” he said. “Every single person is very unique and America should be damned glad that we have these unique people standing up and doing our business.”
Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2009/04/army_silverstars_041209w/
On July 13, 2008, about 45 Americans and 24 Afghan soldiers battled up to 200 enemy fighters determined to overrun the newly established Vehicle Patrol Base Kahler and Observation Post Top Side, nestled in the village of Wanat in the Waygul Valley of Konar province.
When the fighting stopped, nine paratroopers were dead and 27 were wounded.
For their actions on that day, 11 soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry, of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy, received Silver Stars, the third highest award for valor. An additional 17 received Bronze Star Medals with V device and 25 received Army Commendation Medals with V device.
On March 30, two of the Silver Star recipients, Capt. Matt Myer and Sgt. Michael Denton, were honored at Fort Benning, Ga., where both are now assigned.
“For most soldiers in the Army, it’s very humbling to get an award like this,” Myer said. “It’s hard to get an individual award for a team effort. I want to highlight the guys who gave the ultimate price. There’s no award you can give them that’s worthy of that.”
Myer, who was the commander of the battalion’s C Company, now leads C Company, 6th Ranger Training Battalion at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
“It’s very difficult to explain the complexities of what happened [that day],” Myer said. “I think the biggest thing with a lot of battles is ... you’re in a very difficult situation, where it seems to be insurmountable odds, it’s the commitment of the paratroopers who are there, their commitment, their valor ... despite terrible loss.”
Early morning attack
The attack began shortly after 4 a.m. July 13, just five days after the soldiers began building the patrol base and OP.
Heavy machine gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades tore through the soldiers’ positions.
Col. Bill Ostlund, who was the battalion commander at the time, was in the tactical operations center at Camp Blessing, about eight kilometers south of Wanat.
“Matt [Myer] very calmly said ‘We’re under contact, under heavy fire, and we have four [soldiers killed in action],’” Ostlund, who is now the deputy commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment, told Army Times. “It was very obvious that they were in heavy contact based on the RPG and machine gun fire we could hear in the background.”
The battle would last about four hours, according to the narrative accompanying Myer’s Silver Star.
During that time, Myer “fearlessly led the defense of the [vehicle patrol base],” according to the narrative. “Under attack on all sides by a numerically superior force, Captain Myer’s skillful employment of artillery, mortars, [close combat attack], [close air support] and direct fire and his own example of unwavering personal courage ensured that each time the enemy force attempted to overrun the VPB, they were defeated and forced to retreat.”
As the enemy attacked, some of them only five to 10 meters away from the patrol base, they saved their heaviest fire for the OP. In the first 15 to 20 minutes, all nine paratroopers at the OP were killed or injured.
The Americans responded with direct fire as well as indirect fire, launching the first of 96 rounds of 155mm mortars. Commanders called in B-1 Lancer bombers, and F-15E Strike Eagle and A-10 Thunderbolt II fighters that began dropping the first of 38 precision-guided bombs on enemy targets. Also on hand were AH-64 Apache helicopters that fired rockets, missiles and 30mm cannons on the enemy.
During the battle, Denton, who was at the patrol base’s traffic control point when the fighting started, and three or four other soldiers ran to the observation post to help their comrades.
Denton was wounded when the soldiers came under fire from enemy RPGs and hand grenades on their way to the OP. Despite his injuries, Denton provided first aid to a fellow soldier before standing up, finding another weapon and continuing to fight.
When he got to the OP, Denton moved around to find additional ammunition and weapons for his fellow soldiers to use. Once more reinforcements arrived at the OP, Denton began to tear down a sandbag wall in order to get his wounded comrades to a medevac helicopter.
‘An audacious move’
“That right there is what we call uncommon valor,” Myer said about Denton, who is now assigned to the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Benning. “Someone who’s in immediate danger, who’s hurt pretty badly, he still assaulted up there and was defending where they needed him most.”
Myer moved from the patrol base to the OP under enemy fire, according to the narrative for his award.
“Not satisfied that he sufficiently understood the situation at the OP to best direct the fight, Captain Myer then began an audacious move up to the OP himself,” the narrative states.
When he got there, Myer began to organize the remaining able-bodied paratroopers to continue their attack on the enemy.
“When the paratroopers at the OP pointed out an enemy grenade that had been thrown into the OP but that had not exploded, Captain Myer fearlessly picked up the grenade himself and threw it back out of the OP and away from his men,” according to the narrative.
Myer returned to the patrol base and continued to direct the battle from there, and he guided helicopters in to evacuate the wounded.
“Captain Myer’s steadfast leadership and calm direction of the battle singularly enabled the battalion to bring the full force of all available enablers to bear on the determined enemy formation, allowing the outnumbered group of American paratroopers to decisively defeat a much larger enemy force fighting from advantageous terrain,” according to the narrative.
Denton was not available for an interview.
An unchangeable bond
Myer said his company suffered deep losses on the day of the battle.
“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about them, that I don’t think about their families,” he said.
“There’s an unchangeable bond that I have with all the soldiers ... and that’s what’s really important to me. The ribbons, the valor awards and all that, that doesn’t mean much compared to our bond with one another.”
Ostlund said he is proud of his soldiers.
“People know we worked in very rugged, austere and undeveloped conditions,” he said. “And we operated in there. We didn’t just go there to survive. The thing that forever will impress and bother me at the same time is these guys were in month 14. They knew they were supposed to be pulled out of the field in about a week after a very tough and long tour. They exceeded every expectation.”
His experience in Afghanistan showed him the uniqueness of each of his soldiers, Ostlund said.
“The one thing I learned in Afghanistan and will stick with me forever was the uniqueness of life,” he said. “Every single person is very unique and America should be damned glad that we have these unique people standing up and doing our business.”
Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2009/04/army_silverstars_041209w/