thedrifter
05-12-06, 11:27 AM
Troops rushed to rescue
Syracuse.com -
Friday, May 12, 2006
By Hart Seely
Staff writer
From everywhere, soldiers rushed to the crash site, ignoring the dangers. Air Force para-jumpers sought to plunge between the slopes, directly to the burning wreckage. Marines repelled down the sheer cliff. Comrades in the stricken unit simply refused to leave. A team of chaplains came.
Ten soldiers dead in the high ridges of Afghanistan.
"When the crash happened, we knew right away that it was pretty terrible," Maj. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, commander of the 10th Mountain Division, said Thursday. "For every one soldier that lay on the battlefield, there were literally a hundred trying to support the mission of recovering our fallen comrades."
Freakley spoke to reporters Thursday in a rare video-conference, as images were beamed from his Joint Task Force headquarters in Afghanistan to the U.S. Army's base at Fort Drum, near Watertown. Though planned for weeks, the conference occurred barely 24 hours after memorial services were held for the 10 U.S. soldiers killed May 5, when their helicopter crashed. It was the10th Mountain Division's worst day overseas since the war began.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Freakley declined to comment on that probe but stressed enemy fire was not a factor.
"The enemy had absolutely nothing to do with the mission," he said. "I want to assure you and reinforce to you: The helicopter was not engaged by or influenced by the enemy, whatsoever."
The 10th Mountain Division has 10,494 troops deployed in combat, the vast majority in Afghanistan, with about 3,500 in Iraq. Friday's crash claimed the Division's first casualties in Afghanistan since the 3rd Battalion arrived several months ago.
Freakley spoke proudly and emotionally of the way his troops reacted to the tragedy.
"While those 10 soldiers lay on the battlefield, the soldiers lived by the soldier creed, that 'I will never leave a fallen comrade,' " he said. "And you should know that literally hundreds, Marines in particular, soldiers, airmen and sailors did all that they could do, first, to prevent any further life loss, and secondly, to bring our fallen heroes off of the battlefield."
He said thousands of troops lined Bagram Airbase Wednesday to salute the fallen soldiers, as their flag-draped caskets were being sent home.
"We will ensure that these 10th Mountain soldiers are remembered, that their families are taken care of," he vowed. "And the best thing that we do for them is to press on."
Freakley spoke passionately about the losses. Early last week, he had visited Lt. Col. Joseph J. Fenty Jr. to commend his units for their work. But Wednesday, he had attended the service for Fenty and three Cavalry soldiers under his command.
"I would tell you that each of those soldiers was deeply loved by every soldier in that squadron," Freakley said, pausing occasionally to collect his emotions.
"There is a huge hole that is left in the squadron . . . but how are they doing? Last night while they mourned - openly mourned and grieved over the loss of their four comrades - they reassured me that I didn't need to worry about them and their ability to accomplish the mission. And trust me, I'm not worried about them at all. They're 10th Mountain troopers: They get it!"
Freakley said the helicopter mission was part of Operation Mountain Lion, a campaign launched in April to clear Taliban resistance in the mountainous northeastern border region. It also involves rebuilding war-torn communities. Freakley said more than 10,000 Afghani people have received medical care, and more than 100,000 pounds of food and supplies have been air-dropped into the area. He said 277 Taliban fighters have sworn to their tribes that they will lay down their weapons. Small but critical victories, he said.
"We are extending our reach into valleys and areas where we have not been before, and therefore the Taliban is trying to fight," Freakley said. "It's not so much that the Taliban is growing stronger, it is that we have weak and embryonic and beginning governmental structures, which are growing in capacity and have not fully extended their reach into these areas. . . .The Taliban is lashing out."
Ellie
Syracuse.com -
Friday, May 12, 2006
By Hart Seely
Staff writer
From everywhere, soldiers rushed to the crash site, ignoring the dangers. Air Force para-jumpers sought to plunge between the slopes, directly to the burning wreckage. Marines repelled down the sheer cliff. Comrades in the stricken unit simply refused to leave. A team of chaplains came.
Ten soldiers dead in the high ridges of Afghanistan.
"When the crash happened, we knew right away that it was pretty terrible," Maj. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, commander of the 10th Mountain Division, said Thursday. "For every one soldier that lay on the battlefield, there were literally a hundred trying to support the mission of recovering our fallen comrades."
Freakley spoke to reporters Thursday in a rare video-conference, as images were beamed from his Joint Task Force headquarters in Afghanistan to the U.S. Army's base at Fort Drum, near Watertown. Though planned for weeks, the conference occurred barely 24 hours after memorial services were held for the 10 U.S. soldiers killed May 5, when their helicopter crashed. It was the10th Mountain Division's worst day overseas since the war began.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Freakley declined to comment on that probe but stressed enemy fire was not a factor.
"The enemy had absolutely nothing to do with the mission," he said. "I want to assure you and reinforce to you: The helicopter was not engaged by or influenced by the enemy, whatsoever."
The 10th Mountain Division has 10,494 troops deployed in combat, the vast majority in Afghanistan, with about 3,500 in Iraq. Friday's crash claimed the Division's first casualties in Afghanistan since the 3rd Battalion arrived several months ago.
Freakley spoke proudly and emotionally of the way his troops reacted to the tragedy.
"While those 10 soldiers lay on the battlefield, the soldiers lived by the soldier creed, that 'I will never leave a fallen comrade,' " he said. "And you should know that literally hundreds, Marines in particular, soldiers, airmen and sailors did all that they could do, first, to prevent any further life loss, and secondly, to bring our fallen heroes off of the battlefield."
He said thousands of troops lined Bagram Airbase Wednesday to salute the fallen soldiers, as their flag-draped caskets were being sent home.
"We will ensure that these 10th Mountain soldiers are remembered, that their families are taken care of," he vowed. "And the best thing that we do for them is to press on."
Freakley spoke passionately about the losses. Early last week, he had visited Lt. Col. Joseph J. Fenty Jr. to commend his units for their work. But Wednesday, he had attended the service for Fenty and three Cavalry soldiers under his command.
"I would tell you that each of those soldiers was deeply loved by every soldier in that squadron," Freakley said, pausing occasionally to collect his emotions.
"There is a huge hole that is left in the squadron . . . but how are they doing? Last night while they mourned - openly mourned and grieved over the loss of their four comrades - they reassured me that I didn't need to worry about them and their ability to accomplish the mission. And trust me, I'm not worried about them at all. They're 10th Mountain troopers: They get it!"
Freakley said the helicopter mission was part of Operation Mountain Lion, a campaign launched in April to clear Taliban resistance in the mountainous northeastern border region. It also involves rebuilding war-torn communities. Freakley said more than 10,000 Afghani people have received medical care, and more than 100,000 pounds of food and supplies have been air-dropped into the area. He said 277 Taliban fighters have sworn to their tribes that they will lay down their weapons. Small but critical victories, he said.
"We are extending our reach into valleys and areas where we have not been before, and therefore the Taliban is trying to fight," Freakley said. "It's not so much that the Taliban is growing stronger, it is that we have weak and embryonic and beginning governmental structures, which are growing in capacity and have not fully extended their reach into these areas. . . .The Taliban is lashing out."
Ellie