The Outpost An Untold Story Of American Valor Part 43

Chris Kolenda, Leaders.h.i.+p: The Warrior's Art Leaders.h.i.+p: The Warrior's Art (Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Army War College Foundation Press, 2001). (Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Army War College Foundation Press, 2001).

The activities at Camp Kamu were described in interviews with Newsom, Faulkenberry, and Baird.

The discussion of what insurgents were called was informed by numerous interviews with troops who didn't want to be quoted using terms that their commanders would deem inappropriate.

Information about Ryan Fritsche came from interviews with his mother, Volitta Fritsche, as well as with Hutto. Another resource was Volitta's book, Why Ryan?, Why Ryan?, self-published in 2009. self-published in 2009.

Information about the interactions between Fritsche and Wilson was taken from interviews with Wilson.

Chapter 17: "Bulldog-Six, Where Are You?"

Accounts of the battle of Saret Koleh were provided by Roller, Newsom, Faulkenberry, Fortner, Wilson, Barnes, Baker, Morrow, Hutto, Kolenda, Sultan, Johnson, and Springer.

The account of events at FOB Naray was drawn from interviews with Hutto and Doneski.

The story of Fritsche's family's hearing the news of his death came from Volitta Fritsche and her book.

Information about the recovery operation came from interviews with Preysler, Ostlund, Hutto, Wilson, Morrow, Newsom, and Roller.

Chapter 18: Balloons

Information about Hutto came from an interview with him.

Information about Faulkenberry's recovery was provided in interviews with him and his wife, Sarah Faulkenberry.

Kolenda's decision to reduce the number of road missions was recounted in an interview with him.

Information about operations at the outpost during this period was gleaned from interviews with Hutto, Newsom, and Roller.

Information about Chris Pfeifer's wound and treatment came from interviews with his wife, Karen, Baker, and Newsom.

Information about training to become a medic was shared by Donald Parsons of the Department of Combat Medic Training at Fort Sam Houston.

Information about life at OP Warheit was taken from an interview with Roller.

Information about the meeting at Parun came from interviews with Paparo and Katz.

Kutto and Colenda's reaching the conclusion that the Americans were in the midst of an insurrection was related in interviews with both men.

Information about the August 2007 Ranch House attack was taken from interviews with Preysler and Ostlund. Additional information came from two investigations into the later Wanat incident that referenced the Ranch House: the Army's official "AR 15-6 Investigation Findings and Recommendations into the Incident at Wanat, August 13, 2008," and a second study by the staff of the U.S. Army Combat Studies Inst.i.tute, ent.i.tled Wanat: Combat Action in Afghanistan, 2008 Wanat: Combat Action in Afghanistan, 2008 (Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Inst.i.tute Press, 2010). Other details were taken from the Army public-affairs story "Sky Soldier Awarded Distinguished Service Cross," written by Staff Sergeant Brandon Aird, September 17, 2008, and from Keith Rogers, "Soldier's Courage Reigns Despite Being Outnumbered and Enemy within Meters," (Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Inst.i.tute Press, 2010). Other details were taken from the Army public-affairs story "Sky Soldier Awarded Distinguished Service Cross," written by Staff Sergeant Brandon Aird, September 17, 2008, and from Keith Rogers, "Soldier's Courage Reigns Despite Being Outnumbered and Enemy within Meters," Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas Review-Journal, July 4, 2010. July 4, 2010.

Dealings with locals were described in interviews with Roller, Hutto, Ingbretsen, Briley, and others.

Events at the September 6, 2007, shura were recounted in an ISAF memo obtained by the author.

A description of ghee was provided by Strand.

Marc.u.m expressed his thoughts during an interview.

Information about Chris Pfeifer's final days was taken from interviews with his wife. Karen, Sarah and John Faulkenberry, and Baird.

Chapter 19: If You're the Enemy, Please Stand Up

Dealings with locals were described in interviews with Newsom, Roller, Hutto, and Kolenda, as well as in ISAF memos obtained by the author.

Information about the Mandigal shura was gleaned from interviews with Ingbretsen and Hutto.

Disagreements among brigade officers were recounted in interviews with Preysler, Kolenda, Ostlund, and other, anonymous individuals.

Disagreements between Hughes and Roller were described by the two men (who are now friends) as well as by Newsom and Johnson.

Information about the shots fired at the outpost, and Hutto's investigation into their source, was shared by Hutto in an interview.

Winter at Observation Post Fritsche was described by Marc.u.m in an interview.

Information about the ambush at Gawardesh was provided by Cusick and Kolenda, as well as in the U.S. Army's narrative for the posthumous Medal of Honor awarded to Miller.

Information about Shabbaz was taken from ISAF memos obtained by the author and from an interview with Hutto.

Cusick and other Special Forces soldiers who preferred to remain anonymous described in interviews their conflict with Kolenda, and Kolenda offered his take on it, too. The plans for an "Operation Commando Justice" were detailed in an ISAF memo obtained by the author and also discussed on background by military officers and troops. Preysler and Kolenda weighed in on the mission's being scrubbed. Votel's comment when I recounted the events as they'd been related to me was, "This could have happened, but frankly I do not recall. I do know I would not have done something deliberate like that to the CJSOTF"Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force"since we had a very good relations.h.i.+p and had supported a number of their operations in Kunar and Nuristan with helicopters and other resources. This was probably a function of priorities if anything."

Hutto, Roller, and Kolenda provided information about the PowerPoint presentation.

Hutto and Kolenda shared information about the shuras. Memos obtained by the author also contained details about the Hundred-Man Shura.

Karzai's statement "The Taliban are not strong" was taken from C. J. Chivers, "Karzai Cites Taliban s.h.i.+ft to Terror Attacks," New York Times, New York Times, June 20, 2007. June 20, 2007.

The attacks on the outpost were described by Kolenda, Hutto, Newsom, Roller, Hughes, Marc.u.m, Briley, and others who were there, as well as in memos obtained by the author.

Chapter 20: "We Will Go to Kamdesh Next"

The attacks on the outpost were described by Kolenda, Hutto, Newsom, Roller, Hughes, Marc.u.m, Briley, and others who were there, as well as in memos obtained by the author.

The incident involving Laman was recalled in interviews with Laman, Briley, and Roller.

The incident involving Marc.u.m was described by him in an interview.

Hutto and Roller provided information about Cali.

Kolenda's comments about Bostick on the occasion of the renaming ceremony were included in Staff Sergeant Brandon Aird's Army public-affairs story "Afghanistan Base Renamed in Honor of Commander Who Died in Combat," July 11, 2008.

Information about the attack on Wanat came from interviews with Ostlund, Kennedy, and Queck, as well as several other sources: the Army's official "AR 15-6 Investigation Findings and Recommendations into the Incident at Wanat, August 13, 2008"; a study by the staff of the U.S. Army Combat Studies Inst.i.tute, Wanat: Combat Action in Afghanistan, 2008 Wanat: Combat Action in Afghanistan, 2008 (Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Inst.i.tute Press, 2010); and the first draft of the latter, U.S. Army Combat Studies Inst.i.tute doc.u.ment. Other resources included Greg Jaffe, "The Battle of Wanat," (Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Inst.i.tute Press, 2010); and the first draft of the latter, U.S. Army Combat Studies Inst.i.tute doc.u.ment. Other resources included Greg Jaffe, "The Battle of Wanat," Was.h.i.+ngton Post, Was.h.i.+ngton Post, October 4, 2009, and Mark Bowden, "Echoes from a Distant Battlefield," October 4, 2009, and Mark Bowden, "Echoes from a Distant Battlefield," Vanity Fair Vanity Fair, December 2011.

Information about 6-4 Cav's coming into Afghanistan was taken from interviews with Spiszer, Markert, and Nelson.

In interviews, Kolenda and Hutto described their farewell.

David Roller's email home was provided by him.

Chapter 21: Chess with No Rules

Biographical information about Rob Yllescas came from interviews with his widow, Dena, who also shared many of his emails and pictures home.

Details about Yllescas at the outpost were provided by Mazzocchi, Meshkin, Safulko, Tucker, Briley, Victorino, and others.

Details about various attacks on the outpost were offered by Mazzocchi, Meshkin, Safulko, Tucker, Briley, Victorino, and others.

Biographical information about Meshkin was taken from interviews with him.

Biographical information about Mazzocchi came from interviews with him.

The meeting with Abdul Rahman was described by Meshkin and also covered in a memo obtained by the author.

Briley related his thoughts in an interview.

Casualty information came from an ISAF memo obtained by the author.

Biographical information about Safulko was provided in interviews with him.

The incident involving Franklin was decscribed by Meshkin.

Chapter 22: After He Finished Was.h.i.+ng the Blood Off

Information about the October 13, 2008, shura was taken from an ISAF memo obtained by the author.

Information about the October 25, 2008, attack was provided in interviews with Mazzocchi, Tucker, Safulko, Meshkin, and Briley.

Information about the attack on Yllescas came from interviews with Tucker, Briley, Safulko, Mazzocchi, Walker, and Victorino.

Information about Yllescas's early medical treatment was furnished by Brewer and Cuda.

Information about the medevac that was sent to get Yllescas came from Spiszer, Markert, and Nelson.

Mazzocchi's interaction with the local man whose wife was wounded was described by Mazzocchi in an interview.

Information about Amin s.h.i.+r came from an interview with Walker. Information regarding his current location was provided by Victorino.

Dena Yllescas described in several interviews how she learned of her husband's injury. She also contemporaneously expressed many of her thoughts and feelings in her blog at http://yllescasfamily.blogspot.com.

Mazzocchi's conversation with Commander Jawed was recalled by Mazzocchi in an interview.

The shura meeting was described in interviews with Meshkin, Mazzocchi, and Tucker.

Information about Pecha's a.s.signment to the outpost was provided by Pecha in interviews.

Markert's feelings were expressed in interviews with the author and also relayed in a contemporaneous email to a fellow officer.

President Bush's bedside visit was described by Dena Yllescas; information was shared with his office. Bush's jog with Christian Bagge was reported in Richard Benedetto, "Amputee Iraq Vet Fulfills Wish, Jogs with Bush," USA Today, USA Today, June 27, 2006. June 27, 2006.

Chapter 23: What Was Wrong with Kaine Meshkin

The November 2008 attacks on the outpost were described by Pecha, Meshkin, Mazzocchi, Safulko, and Tucker in interviews.

Information about Rob Yllescas's medical treatment was provided by his widow, Dena, in interviews and in her blog at http://yllescasfamily.blogspot.com.

The excerpt from "You Save Me" by Kenny Chesney, written by Brett James and Troy Verges, from Chesney's 2005 alb.u.m The Road and the Radio, The Road and the Radio, is used by permission. is used by permission.

The description of the craniotomy procedure was based on information from the Web site for the Mayfield Clinic for the Brain & Spine, http://www.mayfieldclinic.com/PE-Craniotomy.htm, and was reviewed by Ron Warnick, M.D., and Mary Haverbusch, R.N.

In interviews, Mazzocchi, Safulko, and Pecha shared information about the plans for the outpost after Yllescas's death.

Meshkin recalled his response to Yllescas's death in interviews. His interactions with Dena Yllescas were described by both of them.

Information about the plans made by George and Brown was offered by both men in interviews.

Brown's outreach to Kolenda and Pecha was recalled in interviews by all three men.

The attack statistics were provided in an ISAF memo obtained by the author.