Helmet Cam Captures U.S. Soldier Under Fire in Afghanistan

Looking Behind The Sightlines Of An American Soldier Under Taliban Fire -- Washington Post

The video would be viewed more than 23 million times, making it perhaps the most-watched footage of the Afghan war. It began last April when Pfc. Ted Daniels pressed the record button on his helmet camera.

The device captured what he could see: a rocky Afghan hillside dotted with shrubs and boulders, a small village and no place to hide.

It also recorded sound: The pop, pop, pop of gunfire, and then Daniels’s voice.

“Hey!” he yells. “I’m moving down!”

The 37-year-old soldier pauses for a second and steps into the Taliban barrage, hoping to draw fire away from his fellow soldiers. A bullet kicks up a cloud of dust inches from his right foot. Another strikes near his left.

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Update: Soldier Famous For YouTube Video Of Taliban Firefight Interviewed -- Stars and Stripes

My Comment: I posted on this story a little while back .... and yup .... the video is still riveting.

One Marine's Account Of Man-To-Man Combat In Afghanistan

Man-To-Man Combat Still Key To Military Strength -- USA Today

One Marine's savage battle with the enemy illustrates that victory in war often depends on the best warriors.

A few years back, Cliff Wooldridge was on a typical path for a young man growing up in a logging town in the Pacific Northwest.

He graduated from high school, went to a diesel-mechanic school and got a job fixing heavy machinery used to harvest timber. Except it didn't feel right.

"On TV, all you heard about was Marines in Iraq, and I wanted to be part of it," Wooldridge says.

In 2007, he walked into the Marine recruiter's office in Port Angeles, Wash. His request to the recruiter was simple: "I want to be the guy you see on TV kicking in doors."

Days later, he was on his way to boot camp and into the annals of Marine Corps history.

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My Comment: A riveting story .... read it all.

See What Happened On A US Marines Raid That Killed 20 Taliban Fighters

U.S. Marines exit a compound in Agha Ahmad in Afghanistan's Helmand province, Aug. 27, 2012. The Marines are assigned to Scout Sniper Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, Regimental Combat Team 6. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ed Galo

Stop Playing 'Modern Warfare' And See What A Real Marines Mission In Afghanistan Is Like -- Geoffrey Ingersoll, Business Insider

After completing two tours of duty as a Marine combat correspondent in Iraq, I traveled to Afghanistan as a civilian war correspondent in April 2012. The following story features a spur-of-the-moment mission that saw one Marine injured and more than 20 Taliban fighters killed.

I arrived in the middle of things, just after a hostile action on Afghan police headquarters. The word around camp was:

"Police Chief Wali Koka is officially tougher than Chuck Norris."

That was when the Marines found out that the Musaqelah District Police Chief would survive a gangland-style hit, which left him full of holes and down to one eye.

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My Comment: Kudos to the "on the ground" reporting that Geoffrey Ingersoll does .... reporting that is unfortunately becoming less as the draw-down from Afghanistan continues.

I Threw Myself On To An Exploding Grenade

I had perhaps four or five seconds until detonation, and I counted them down in my head.' Photograph: Mark Chilvers for the Guardian

Experience: I Threw Myself On To An Exploding Grenade -- The Guardian

'There was a pinging noise, familiar to anyone who's ever pulled the pin from a grenade. I had walked into a tripwire'

I joined the Royal Marines when I was 16 – I'd grown up wanting to be a soldier, to be part of an elite force. I'd served two tours of duty in Iraq before I was sent to Afghanistan, where the sense of ever-present danger – of actually being at war – was far more intense.

While there, I was involved in some of the fiercest fighting. But the one point when I thought, "This is it, I'm about to die", when there was no doubt in my mind, came in the early hours of 9 February 2008.

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My Comment: To be willing to sacrifice one's life for your fellow soldiers .... and to survive while doing it .... that makes this soldier special beyond all measure.

U.S. Soldiers On Afghanistan's 'Hamburger Hill'

Image from The Wall Street Journal

In One Moment in Afghanistan, Heroism and Heartbreak -- New York Times

Three years and three weeks ago. Dusk was falling fast on the Korengal Valley. We were crouched on a shrub-laden plateau some 8,000 feet up in the mountains. The soldiers were exhausted and cold. We’d been sleeping in ditches for five nights. Insurgents were everywhere.

We could hear those insurgents on the radios saying things like: “They are all the way on the end at the top sitting there.” Pfc. Michael Cunningham, a deadpan Texan, said, “That is so us.”

Actually, it was much of Battle Company of the 173d Airborne Brigade, which was spread across the mountains — First Platoon around Honcho Hill, watching over Second Platoon in a village below called Landigal. And the Taliban were itching to hit us again.

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My Comment: A riveting story. Read it all.

On The Ground Action Report From Afghanistan

CSgt McHugh scanning the horizon on a joint patrol into Taliban-held territory
Photo: HEEATHCLIFF O'MALLEY

Afghanistan: Entering The 'Axis Of Evil' -- The Telegraph

It was only after the sharp crack of rounds split the air left and right that the soldiers mentioned that we had entered the area they call the “Axis of Evil”

A long rattle of a machine gun was accompanied by the distinct thump of AK47 gunfire sending 100 bullets hissing through the air.

For a split second as I leapt into the inviting 5ft deep water-filled ditch to my right I wondered whether I was doing the right thing. Sometimes the Taliban opened fire knowing that troops would dive into the nearest cover where they had planted a pressure pad IED (improvised explosive device).

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My Comment: Just another day in paradise.

On The Ground Action Report From Afghanistan

Royal Marine Corporal Bradley Malone made it a double celebration as he received the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross from the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace yesterday for outstanding bravery in Afghanistan. He also proposed to his girlfriend Sacha Wilkinson – and she accepted.

Hero Soldier Who Led Bayonet Charge Against Taleban Wins Bravery Award -- Scotsman

THE attack was sudden and unexpected. Patrolling a notoriously dangerous area of Afghanistan, Bradley Malone and his fellow Royal Marines were caught in a fierce ambush by insurgents.

But, in a remarkable show of calm under extreme pressure, Corporal Malone led his unit in a devastating counter-attack that pitched his men into a close- combat assault.

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More Details On The Firefight At COP KEATING

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Amber Robinson via Flickr

From Op-For:

Here are the details of the Firefight at COP KEATING

It began at dawn on Saturday, October 3, 2009, at an isolated outpost in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban had been harassing the troopers at COP Keating for months, attacking them three or four times a week. Most attacks consisted of a few bursts of small arms fire and a lobbed mortar round or a single RPG; nothing like what the soldiers at Keating were about to experience.

Combat Outpost (COP) Keating had become a thorn in the enemy’s side. The American cavalry troopers of Bravo Troop, 3d Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment had occupied the small COP deep in the Afghan mountains for some time and the American soldiers had been trying to win over the local civilians. It appeared that the Americans were there to stay. So, the enemy launched a massive assault on the isolated American stronghold.

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Previous Post from The Best Defense/Foreign Policy Blog: The battle of COP Keating: an earwitness account

My Comment: Many braved men died that day. This is a riveting account. Kudos to Op-For for putting it together.

The Battle At Camp Keating. The Soldiers Speak

From The Mudville Gazette:

Video interviews with soldiers involved in the fight describing the battle:

Participating in this interview are:

Sgt. Jayson Souter
Chief Warrant Officer Ross Lewallen, Apache Pilot
Chief Warrant Officer Chad Bardwell, Apache Gunner
1st Lt. Cason Shrode, Fires Support Officer

Part two here.

Part three is here.

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More News On The Battle At Keating

Taliban commander involved in Nuristan attack thought killed -- Long War Journal
Is an Afghan Warlord who Received Billions in U.S. Aid Behind the Deadly Attack on the American Bases in Afghanistan? -- Gather
Taleban claim victory in Kamdesh after attack on US Camp Keating -- Times Online
The battle of COP Keating: an earwitness account -- Foreign Policy
Camp Keating That Was Attacked is Abandoned -- ABC News
The Beautiful, Deadly View From Camp Keating -- ABC News
Eery interviews with soldiers at FOB Keating weeks before Saturday's deadly attacks in Afghanistan -- Gather

On The Ground Action Report From Afghanistan

Soldiers have captured a Taliban commander believed to be responsible for buying and supplying IEDs in Sangin. (Brian Roberts)

Taliban 'Daisy Chain' Kingpin Captured In Afghanistan Dawn Raid -- Times Online

British troops in Helmand province are hitting back at the Taliban ‘daisy chain’ offensive.

The two point men failed to spot the booby trap hidden beneath the water as they waded along an irrigation canal. Then the shouting started.

“Get the f*** back now. We’ve gone over a tripwire,” bellowed Sergeant Lee Slater, the 17-stone section commander as he turned and splashed back towards the rest of his men. “We need to get the f*** out of here now.”

Pandemonium broke out as the soldiers clawed their way up a mudbank and out of the knee-high water. But just as they thought they had reached safety, one of the men spotted a second bomb 15 metres from the first.

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My Comment: One day .... many more to go.

An On The Ground Action Report From Afghanistan

At the barbers: the US marines shaving each other's heads at the Mian Poshtay camp.

US Marines Miss Out On Home Comforts In Helmand -- The Independent

Amid the maze of trenches and dug in positions, mortar barrels poke forth circled by sleeping bags encased in mosquito nets and camouflage ponchos offering shade from the searing heat of the day.

Nearby a few industrious troops have fashioned small huts out of wire, sacking and dried up reeds. The lop-sided sign on one reads Home Sweet Home. A hammock strung from two trees offers somewhere to rest away from the beating sun.

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My Comment: A view of American Marines through the eyes of a Brit.

An Action Report From The Ground In Afghanistan

Hat Tip: The Captain's Journal

On The Front Lines With The Marines In Helmand -- Captain's Journal

The Independent has an informative article on U.S. Marine Corps operations in Helmand. Much of it is reproduced below.

Battling through the dense, towering corn fields, the heavily armed US marines trudged through Taliban territory, every arduous step sinking into deep cloying mud. In the background, the thunder of artillery rounds boomed.

Suddenly, a burst of Pashtu emanated from the radio set monitoring Taliban chatter. “They say they have got eyes on. They are waiting on us,” translated one of the marines. “Can we ask them where they are?” another replied sardonically.

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My Comment: The Captain's Journal analysis at the end of this "action report" from the Independent is (as always) on the nose. Read it all.

On The Ground Action Report From Afganistan

Lt Adamson, who is single and comes from the Isle of Man, was moving between two eight man sections when a group of Taliban fighters attempted a flanking attack Photo: CHRIS SAVILLE/APEX

British Officer Wins Two Gallantry Awards For Fending Off Taliban Attack With Bayonet -- The Telegraph

A young British officer, Lieutenant James Adamson, who won two gallantry awards while serving in Afghanistan has told how he fended off an enemy attack by bayoneting a Taliban fighter to death.

Lieutenant James Adamson was awarded the Military Cross after killing two insurgents during close quarter combat in Helmand's notorious "Green Zone".

The 24-year-old officer, a member of the 5th battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, revealed that he shouted "have some of this" before shooting dead a gunman who had just emerged from a maize field.

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My Comment: This is face to face combat, and gives a feel of what some of British soldiers are going through in Afghanistan. I only wish that more American reporters would follow up on such stories with their American soldiers so that readers back home will have a clearer idea on what is happening in the battle zones of Afghanistan.

On The Ground Action Report From Afghanistan

US marines prepare their grenade launchers during a six-hour fire fight against Taliban insurgents, who are reported to have a permanent hold in 80 per cent of Afghanistan. 1ST LT KURT STAHL/US MARINE CORPS

On Helmand's Frontline With The US Marines -- The Independent

The heat, the sweat, the fear and the firefights: Terri Judd joins the 2nd Platoon as it clashes with the Taliban, dodging bullets and tangling with IEDs.

Battling through the dense, towering corn fields, the heavily armed US marines trudged through Taliban territory, every arduous step sinking into deep cloying mud. In the background, the thunder of artillery rounds boomed.

Suddenly, a burst of Pashtu emanated from the radio set monitoring Taliban chatter. "They say they have got eyes on. They are waiting on us," translated one of the marines. "Can we ask them where they are?" another replied sardonically.

Read more ....

My Comment: In the past month, McClatchy, AP, and the Independent are publishing "on the ground" action reports from Afghanistan. This is long overdue. Military bloggers like Michael Yon and web sites like Wired have reported stories of what is happening on the ground, but their audiences pale in comparison to what the big media outlets can do.

I think I can speak for a lot of readers when I state that we wish to have more news reports and eyewitness accounts of what is happening on the front lines in Afghanistan.