The battle of kamdesh would be one of the costliest battles for the americans of the entire afghanistan conflict as it saw an american outpost partially overrun after an attack by over 300 taliban fighters. The battle for cop keating has come to illustrate the war in afghanistan, where the mission is often as misunderstood by the american public as. You might not know this, but you cannot fold them in a pdf, which makes it impossible to look at them. Thirtythree hundred years ago, below the sundrenched walls of kadesh, the egyptian and hittite empires fought for control of the land now known as syria in the first battle about which modern man has detailed contemporary accounts. Perspectives on the battle of wanat rand corporation. The attack was the bloodiest battle for us forces since the battle of wanat in july 2008, which occurred 20 miles 32 km away from. According to soldiers who called the outpost home, being at keating was like being in a fishbowl or fighting from the bottom of a paper cup. Romesha will be awarded the medal of honor at the white house on feb. An untold story of american valor is a 4 star story of a small corner of the afghanistan war that claimed so many fine young men. Valor awards generated from battle of kamdesh on oct.
The taliban vowed to attack such efforts as part of a campaign to discredit the afghan government. Battle of kadesh, 1275 bc, major battle between the egyptians under ramses ii and the hittites under muwatallis, in syria, southwest of. The battle for cop keating has come to illustrate the war in afghanistan, where the mission is often as misunderstood by the american public as the remote corner of the planet where its occurred. Cut off from any support, 60 american soldiers defended against an attacking force of more than 300 enemies. The battle of kadesh is a battle that occurred nearly three thousand years ago and helped shape the strategic position of the hittite empire. Battle of kamdesh military wiki fandom military wikia. The battle of kamdesh, which netted two medals of honor. The battle of wanat study 12 november focus at the u.
The battalion commander traveled to kamdesh to meet. The fighting at cop keating, which is also known as the battle of kamdesh, involved an attack by over 400 insurgents against the combat outpost, which was slated to be dismantled. The attack was the bloodiest battle for us forces since the battle of wanat in july 2008, which occurred 20 miles 32 km away from kamdesh. Jonathan brostrom, and the attack on cop keating in kamdesh. Pitts, who received the medal of honor for his actions during the battle of wanat. Opposing ramses was the army of muwatalli ii which was encamped near kadesh. Ceremonial axes have also been found in burial contexts, often made of metal hafted to a wooden shaft. The battle of kamdesh, which netted two medals of honor, is coming. Afghan civil war, angloafghan wars, soviet war in afghanistan. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from wikipedia or other free sources online. What happened at firebase mary ann the night of march 2728, 1971, was, according to the author of this riveting account, the u. The battle of kamdesh took place during the war in afghanistan 2001present. On october 3rd, 2009, taliban forces attacked combat outpost keating near kamdesh, afghanistan.
The attack on cop keating resulted in eight americans killed. The battle began saturday morning, when insurgents stormed the two american base camps in the kamdesh district of nuristan province, pounding them with guns and. The attack resulted in multiple isaf personnel casualties and. The battle of wanat took place due to a number of tactical mistakes by the u. Battle of kamdesh, ana soldiers hid under their beds or looted the american. Basically, a battle narrative, the book is thorough and unflinching. Afghanistan blends theory and practice in an effort to adapt to war in. The contingent of 49 united states and 24 afghan national army soldiers valiantly defended their small outpost. Armys standard infantry weapon repeatedly overheated and jammed during a bloody 2008 battle in afghanistan. The attack was the bloodiest battle for us forces since.
The outpost was manned by 54 american personnel from b troop, 3rd squadron, 61st cavalry regiment, who faced greater than seventoone odds in the battle. General petraeus, commander of us forces in afghanistan, the army and marine counterinsurgency field manual fm 324 would convert the. In one of the worlds largest chariot battles, fought beside the orontes river, pharaoh ramses ii sought to wrest syria from the hittites and recapture the hittiteheld city. A direct descendant of the vietnam warera m16, the more compact m4 is. The study focuses on the july, 2008, battle in afghanistans waigal valley during which nine american soldiers died and 27 were wounded defending their. The remains of a building at cop keating smolder after the insurgent attack. What marine recruits go through in boot camp earning the title making marines on parris island duration. The local police chief was also captured by the attackers and executed, said maj. On that day, the men of company c, 2d battalion, 503d parachute infantry regiment, endured four hours of intense close quarters combat and mounting casualties. For the first 100 generations of its recorded history, the kingdom of egypt had been very. In a new book, the cnn anchor tells the story of combat outpost keating.
Both movies revolve around cop keating, a fishbowl of a base at the bottom of three mountains in nuristan province, built in 2006 to help stem. An untold story of american valor paperback october 22, 20. The battle of kamdesh took place during the war in afghanistan. Though isolated and significantly outnumbered, the american forces were able to rely on their resilience and. It occurred on october 3, 2009, when a force of 300 taliban assaulted the american combat outpost cop keating near the town of kamdesh of nuristan province in eastern afghanistan. Both films will culminate in the battle of kamdesh, which took place oct. The strategic studies institute ssi is part of the u. Combat outpost cop keating, originally established as a base for a provincial reconstruction. After battle of kamdesh, more coin diana west home. The axe has a long history in egyptian warfare and iconography, used in the battle of kadesh and various other contests. The battle of kadesh was fought around 1274 bc between the two leading empires of the age, these being the egyptian empire of north eastern africa and the hittite empire to its north. David brostrom, a retired army colonel, said there are a lot of lessons to be learned from the battle in wanat that killed his son, 1st lt. The battle of kadesh or battle of qadesh took place between the forces of the new kingdom of egypt under ramesses ii and the hittite empire under muwatalli ii at the city of kadesh on the orontes river, just upstream of lake homs near the modern lebanonsyria border the battle is generally dated to 1274 bc from the egyptian chronology, and is the earliest battle in recorded history for. Bloody battle at cop keating soldier of fortune magazine.
The washington times reported last week on the reported failure of the m4 carbine during the fierce firefight in wanat, during which the taliban nearly overran an army outpost. The strategic lessons unlearned from vietnam, iraq, and afghanistan. The battle of kamdesh a true story of american valor. The site is located about 15 miles 24 km southwest of homs. River valley outside kamdesh, afghanistan, where the battle of kamdesh occurred, an assault that loosely serves as the basis for part of john renehans novel, the valley. The battle took place on a remote hilltop in quang tin province during the latter days of vietnamization, when open defiance of orders was common among gis. At the time of the battle of kadesh, muwatalli ii was king.
Battle of kamdesh, a 2009 battle 20 miles from wanat, the bloodiest battle for u. While were on the subject of books, an interesting novel i read earlier this year is the valley by john renehan. The contemporary history on the battle of wanat is a study written by the combat studies institute at fort leavenworth, kan. The taliban and sadiq had long competed for the allegiance of fighters in kamdesh, and the u. When the daylong battle was over, eight american soldiers were dead and over 20 wounded in the relentless attack on combat outpost keating. An assault by 300 taliban fighters resulted in eight americans killed and 22 wounded, and prompt withdrawal from nearly destroyed base. Kamdesh literally means place of the kom, as it is the unofficial capital for the kom tribe. Within kamdesh today a visitor can identify each of the original clans identified by sir george scott robertson in the 1890s when he visited the area outlined in his book the kafirs of the hindu kush. Posts tagged battle of kamdesh army vet receiving medal of honor for afghan fight. Kadesh is mentioned for the first time in egyptian sources when thutmose iii 14791426 bce defeated a syrian insurrection under the leadership of the prince of kadesh at megiddo in. Nato says around 100 insurgents were killed in the battle. Army releases report on battle at combat outpost keating.
Sadiq wanted to allow longstalled development projects to resume. Deadly attack on remote posts highlights afghan risks. A true story of american valor is a compelling minutebyminute retelling of the battle of keating, that took place during the afghan war, october 3, 2009. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. In an effort to deceive ramses, he planted two nomads in the path of the egyptian advance with false information regarding the armys location and shifted his camp behind the city to east. Combat action in afghanistan, 2008 army university press. The illfated american military base was in a remote afghan valley, and.
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