2d Medal of Honor for Battle of Kamdesh
In an August 26, 2013, ceremony at the White House, President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Ty Michael Carter for his bravery above and beyond the call of duty during the October 3, 2009, Battle of Kamdesh in Afghanistan. Carter, who before joining the Army in 2008 served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1998-2002, is the second Soldier to receive America’s highest valor award for the Kamdesh battle. Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha received the medal February 11, 2013, for his heroism in the fighting. (See Dispatches, July 2013 ACG.)
In one of the fiercest engagements in Operation Enduring Freedom, the battle at Combat Outpost (COP) Keating, near Kamdesh in Nuristan province, Afghanistan, pitted fewer than 60 U.S. Army defenders against at least 300 Taliban attackers armed with small arms, heavy machine guns and rocket propelled grenades. During the almost 12-hour battle, the isolated outpost was nearly overrun, while eight U.S. Soldiers and four Afghan National Army members were killed and 22 Americans, including Carter, were wounded. Meanwhile, an estimated 150 Taliban insurgents were killed in the encounter. Although control of COP Keating was held, U.S. forces abandoned the dangerously exposed outpost two days later.
Shortly after the Taliban’s surprise attack began, then-Specialist Carter – a member of B Troop, 3d Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division – risked his life by sprinting through heavy fire to retrieve desperately needed ammunition, aid wounded comrades, and engage insurgents who had penetrated the outpost’s defenses. Carter described the hail of enemy bullets as being so heavy “it looked like it was raining.” He added that at one point, when he and two other Soldiers were cut off from the platoon and pinned down inside a disabled Humvee by insurgents firing from a dozen different positions, the enemy fire was so intense that the vehicle “was rocking back and forth” and he “could hear the ‘tinking’ of rounds hitting the armor.”
Although attack helicopters arrived to provide aerial firepower to COP Keating’s defense, the Taliban positions in the surrounding rugged hills proved difficult to engage effectively. The enemy fire hardly abated and the insurgents overran much of the outpost. With ammunition running low, Carter dashed through the barrage to another Humvee, where he found enough rounds to continue returning fire.
Carrying a badly wounded comrade, Carter, who was also injured, eventually was able to rejoin his platoon fighting desperately on the other side of the outpost. Then, in the midst of a raging fire ignited by enemy rounds, he once again braved a hail of bullets to cut down a burning tree threatening to engulf the unit aid station.
Referring to the Medal of Honor, Carter said, “I really don’t want people to see this as ‘You deserve this.’ It’s what happens when Soldiers come together who are cornered. They fight to the death for each other. I did what everybody else would have done.”
– Some of the information for this article is from a story by Elizabeth M. Collins at army.mil.
Marine’s Vietnam War Heroism Recognized
Former U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Gary L. Hill, who completed his military service in 1969, received the Silver Star, the nation’s third-highest award, during a June 7, 2013, ceremony at the Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Retired General Charles C. Krulak, former commandant of the Marine Corps, presented the medal to Hill for his outstanding combat leadership in May 1967 during the Vietnam War while serving as a rifleman in 3d Battalion, 3d Marine Regiment.
During the battle for “Hill 881 South” near Khe Sanh, South Vietnam, Hill’s platoon commander was killed just after the Marines were directed to assault the heavily defended North Vietnamese Army (NVA) position. Hill rallied and led his fire team forward to protect their dangerously exposed right flank, explaining at the award ceremony that “the Marine Corps raises everybody to be a leader if they need to be.”
Although Hill and his Marines had three M16 rifles, they were not fully operational at the same time – they kept jamming. Hill therefore directed his men to set up an “assembly line” to fix each weapon and then pass it to him to shoot at the NVA. However, the enemy soldiers got so close that there was no time to go through this process. Instead, said Hill, “I hit one [enemy] in the head with an M16 … like I was swinging a golf club at his head. … It knocked him kind of woozy. The only thing about that battle is I would have rather had my M14. It’s much heavier. … If I hit him with that … his head would have been crushed.”
Hill then bounded to an enemy trench line and singlehandedly killed three NVA defenders. Next, he ordered his men to provide suppressive fire as he maneuvered to locate an NVA sniper. Once the sniper was exposed, Hill and his team killed him.
The fighting during the April-May 1967 Battle of Hill 881 – a collection of ridges and saddles heavily fortified by the NVA – was costly for both sides: 155 Marines were killed and 455 were wounded, while the NVA suffered 948 killed and 652 wounded or missing.
Referring to the Silver Star ceremony, Hill said, “It’s one of the happiest days I’ve had since before the Marine Corps because it puts to bed [the battle of Hill] 881. I’m just thrilled that I can have somebody like General Krulak present the award.”
– From a story by Raymond Lott, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
U.S. Navy Corpsman Risks Life to Save Others
On May 3, 2013, Petty Officer 1st Class Benny Flores of Guam, a U.S. Navy corpsman with Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, was awarded the Silver Star for his selfless, heroic actions on April 28, 2012, while serving with Regional Command Southwest providing medical support on a mission to Zaranj, Nimroz province, Afghanistan.
Although Nimroz province normally is a quiet sector – there had been no insurgent attacks in that region of Afghanistan near the Iranian border for four years – it suddenly turned deadly that day in April 2012. While traveling down the highway in a convoy of unarmored Afghan Uniformed Police (AUP) pickup trucks, Flores’ truck was hit by a suicide bomber, sending shrapnel into the thin-skinned vehicle. Flores’ actions after the initial shock of the attack exemplified what Navy corpsmen represent: keeping others alive despite great personal risk.
“I had about five to 10 seconds of blurriness because I was right next to the blast,” Flores recalled. “And right after that, I saw my arm [was] hit and I knew what was going on and I went to go check on the other Marines that were wounded.” In spite of bloody shrapnel injuries to his arms and neck, Flores grabbed his medical bag and started to render aid to the Marines and AUP officer who were injured.
After the initial blast, the convoy was ambushed by enemy gunfire. Flores ran through intense small arms fire as the Marines laid down covering fire. He ultimately risked his life four times to come to the aid of the wounded. “My first thought after the blast was to go through the basic steps to take care of the Marines,” he said. “Check all the massive bleeding and their airways, just the basic things they teach us. My main concern was just making sure they were all okay and that nothing too crazy or too serious had happened to them.”
Because of Flores’ selfless actions that day, the lives of several Marines and their Afghan partner were saved.
– From a story by Marine Corporal Mark Garcia.
The Missing
All casualties of war are tragic, but one casualty category – missing in action – is particularly agonizing for families and friends of any service member whose fate or final resting place remains unknown. According to Department of Defense figures, 83,396 U.S. military personnel from all service branches remain missing in action (MIA) for the period from the beginning of World War II through recent conflicts (1941-2013). A breakdown by war/conflict is World War II (1941-45) – 73,661; Korean War (1950-53) – 7,911; Vietnam War (1960-73) – 1,645; Cold War (1946-91) – 172; and Iraq and other recent conflicts (2003-present) – seven.
Over 70 percent of the nearly 74,000 World War II MIA were U.S. Navy Sailors (32,568) whose ships went down and U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) air crewmen (20,383) whose planes crashed in unknown or inaccessible locations. The latter includes the popular Big Band leader Glenn Miller (Major, USAAF), whose plane disappeared over the English Channel December 15, 1944.
A large number of Korean War MIA went missing during fighting in the territory of North Korea – or died while being held there as prisoners of war. The November 1950 Chinese intervention on behalf of North Korea forced U.S.-U.N. forces to retreat, thereby preventing search-recovery efforts.
“Patton” Model 1913 Cavalry Saber
U.S. Army Soldiers used swords and sabers to supplement firearms for 142 years before the bladed weapons suddenly became obsolete during World War I. Influenced by European designs, American mounted troops from the Revolutionary War through the Spanish-American War used combat swords and sabers with wide-edged, curved “cutting-style” blades for slashing an opponent. However, there existed in mounted combat an age-old controversy between those who advocated cutting with the weapon’s edge and those who favored thrusting with the point.
After graduating from West Point in 1909, Second Lieutenant George S. Patton Jr. closely examined the “cut vs. thrust” controversy. Patton’s studies in France with “master of arms” Charles Cléry, fencing instructor at the Saumur cavalry school, resulted in the young American officer developing a new U.S. cavalry combat doctrine that called for using a longer, straight saber for thrusting attacks with the point instead of slashing attacks with the blade’s curved cutting edge. Patton argued, “Many of our possible opponents are using the long straight sword and the point in the charge. To come against this with our present sabers and position of charge would be suicidal.”
To implement this new “thrust attack” doctrine, Patton designed the Model 1913 Cavalry Saber. The saber’s double-edged blade was divided into the forte (the 18 inches nearest the hilt), the point, and the rest of the blade. The front edge and half of the back edge were sharpened to facilitate withdrawal from a body and, on rare occasions, to cut. The hilt consisted of a large guard to protect the hand, a grip for holding the weapon, and a pommel at the base of the grip, used for striking the enemy in close fighting.
In executing the mounted cavalry charge with the point, the trooper leaned well down on and slightly to the left of the horse’s neck, with the saber and arm fully extended and the back of the hand turned slightly left to achieve maximum reach. According to Patton, “He rides at a man to kill him, and if he misses, he goes on to another, moving in straight lines with the intent of running his opponent through.”
Springfield Armory manufactured over 35,000 “Patton” sabers from 1913-18. All were stamped “SA,” with the ordnance stamp (flaming bomb) and date on one side of the ricasso while the other side was stamped with “US” and the serial number. An additional 93,000 sabers were contracted to the firm of Landers, Frary and Clark in 1917-18.
Model 1913 Cavalry Saber Serial Number 1 is a centerpiece of the Core Collection held by the Collections Branch, U.S. Army Center of Military History at Fort Belvoir, Va. It measures 42 inches in overall length, 6.5 inches in height, 5 inches in width, and weighs 2.75 pounds. The double-edged straight blade has a single blood groove and a black plastic hilt with large hand guard. The scabbard is canvas-covered wood with a metal throat and drag.
While the “Patton” Model 1913 may be considered the U.S. Army’s most effective combat saber, the mounted cavalry charge was quickly made obsolete by the devastating firepower of machine guns and artillery during World War I. Subsequent U.S. Army sword models were purely ceremonial.
– Submitted by Colonel (Ret.) Robert Dalessandro and Dieter Stenger, Curator, U.S. Army Center of Military History.
For information about the National Museum of the U.S. Army, slated to open in 2015, visit armyhistory.org.
ACG at VFW National Convention
Rob Wilkins (left), Weider History Group Director of Audience Development/Military Ambassador, presents a copy of the July 2013 issue of Armchair General to John Hamilton, outgoing Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander in Chief, during the July 20-24, 2013, VFW annual convention in Louisville, Ky. Copies of the July 2013 issue, featuring a 10 Questions interview with Hamilton, were distributed to convention attendees.
ACG in Minsk, Belarus
It isn’t often a video game company gets to celebrate a 15th birthday, but when it does you can expect an enormous party. It’s fitting then that Wargaming.net, known for massively multiplayer titles World of Tanks and World of Warplanes, celebrated 15 years in style in its hometown of Minsk, Belarus. Despite the complex travel requirements to visit this former Soviet republic, Armchair General was on the guest list.
The party was held at “Stalin’s Line,” a place that can only be described as part banquet center and part military museum. The facility boasts dozens of pieces of military hardware including tanks, aircraft and even an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Built as a tribute to the World War II defenders of Minsk, it was absolutely the perfect place for a company known for games packed with soldiers, tanks and planes to celebrate this milestone.
Not content with static fixtures, the party included a host of activities for the several thousand people in attendance. Care for some archery? Want to ride a tank? Fancy a high-speed aerobatic airshow? A map of the grounds and a timetable were essential party favors. The evening was capped with endless food and drink, several musical acts including The Offspring, fireworks, a laser show, and a mock tank battle.
It wasn’t all partying, however, as Wargaming.net capitalized on having over a hundred international journalists present by holding a press conference at the National Library of Belarus. CEO Victor Kislyi used the opportunity to share the history of the company, announce expansions and new products, and look ahead.
Finally, Armchair General was treated to a tour of Minsk, including a stop at Victory Square, an impressive monument to those who fought in World War II. Minsk was devastated in the war and endured decades of Soviet rule, but its people seemed friendly and forward-looking. The success of this native high-tech game company speaks volumes about how far they’ve come since those dark days. For that we can all celebrate.
– By Brian King, Weider History Group Director of Internet Operations. Visit armchairgeneral.com to read Brian’s extended article accompanied by dozens of photos taken on his Minsk trip.
On the Web
ACG armchairgeneral.com, is a great place to electronically “hang out” while ’s popular website, waiting for the publication of the magazine’s next issue. Its many features include fascinating articles on military history subjects, past and present; game, book and DVD reviews and news; an extensive list of links to other military history-themed websites; numerous discussion forums on history and games; a place to purchase ACG back issues; and one to subscribe to the magazine.
The website also features a poll that allows visitors to cast their votes on various military history-related questions. In fact, the results often help ACG editors when they are considering subjects for future magazine articles by indicating which topics draw the greatest reader interest.
For example, a recent ACG website poll asked, “Which of these World War II counterattacks do you most enjoy reading about?” Here’s how the voting on that question turned out: Battle of the Bulge (December 1944-January 1945) – 39 percent; Stalingrad, Operation Uranus (November 1942) – 23 percent; Third Battle of Kharkov (February-March 1943) – 17 percent; Moscow (December 1941-January 1942) – 12 percent; Second Battle of El Alamein (October-November 1942) – 10 percent.
Originally published in the January 2014 issue of Armchair General.
