Dakota Meyer: Into the Fire

0620 — Villagers join attack.

0625 — Shadow reports to TOC that the ANA (Askars) are under fire from the north, east, and south—eight to ten enemy positions with rocket-propelled grenades, PKM machine guns, and mortars deployed in a horseshoe around Ganjigal village. (Note: battle captain [senior watch officer] was located in southwest corner of TOC, could not hear radio transmissions, and relied on others to tell him what was said.)

0625 — Command Group in wash falling back toward the west.

0630 — Maj. Williams and Maj. Talib request help; Talib calls Afghan battalion commander via cell phone.

0630 — TOC orders Dog to move forward; platoon leader complains he has no grid for link-up or LOA.

0633 — Will Swenson throws grenade and kills three insurgents in ANA gear.

0634 — TOC requests CCA via Task Force Pale Horse 7-17 ops center; again, this creates hesitation because it is out of the normal request pattern, but 4/4 Brigade Ops Center intervenes and backs up 1-32 request.

0635 — Shadow reports Dog platoon breaking down its TCP (traffic control point) to move to support.

0635 — Command Group forced to fall farther back; reporter does not move with the group.

0639 — Splash white phosphorus four rounds from 120mm mortars to east of village, too far away to provide concealment for Team Monti.

0639 — TOC denies any more artillery support, citing garbled communication, lack of situational awareness on part of Shadow, and incomplete fire mission procedures; no more arty fired until 1615 of that same day.

0644 — Swenson sends his initials for polar fire mission—denied; Capt. Ray Kaplan doing same.

0650-0700 — Westbrook hit; Garza and reporter, who has rejoined the group, help him; Garza concussed; Afghan interpreter killed; Williams nicked; Swenson applies first aid to Westbrook.

0655 — Fabayo and Swenson continue to cover short retreat sprints over dirt furrows; Lt. Rhula shot in groin/upper thigh.

0700 — TOC battle captain asks Tech Sgt. Matzke, a JTAC, what CAS is available, but tells Matzke not to open air TIC.

0702 — Last comm with Team Monti.

0703 — Swenson alerts Shadow he will send nine-line helo medevac for Westbrook.

0707 — Shadow relays Swenson’s request to TOC.

0709 — Dog platoon reports its limit of advance to TOC.

0710 — CCA approved by Task Force Mountain Warrior (brigade level).

0710 — Shadow takes fire from the south, calls for immediate suppression fire mission 957 493 1 kilometer to their rear on higher ground.

0715 — Swenson alerted that helos are inbound.

0720 — Werth/Hooker investigation: Team Monti estimated as “likely dead” by this time.

0720 — Shadow fire mission request is posted in TOC.

0721 — A-Bad PTDS (blimp cameras) reports muzzle flashes at 983 511.

0723 — Two Kiowas test-fire their guns into Kunar River as they approach Ganjigal.

0725 — Dog platoon ASV (30,000-pound Army security vehicle) has slipped off road; platoon leader leaves Meyer, returns to trail to CCP, and calls for a wrecker to come forward from Camp Joyce.

0730 — A-Bad PTDS reports enemy at 983 511.

0730 — Swenson (Highlander 5) directs Kiowas that provide covering fire as Command Group pulls back.

0738 — Chosin TOC receives nine-line medevac request for two wounded in action (WIA).

0739 — Dog platoon reports limit of advance at 969 519.

0740 — Fabayo sees Rodriguez-Chavez and Meyer pull in front of Command Group to provide suppressive fire.

0745 — Command Group is out of the wash, away from direct fire.

0745-0845 — Pale Horse delivers ten close combat attacks (CCAs).

0746 — Pale Horse (Kiowas) make contact with Meyer.

0746 — TOC does not respond to Kiowas on Common Air-to-Ground (CAG) net; Pale Horse decides to take his directions from Highlander 5 (Swenson) and Fox 3-3 (Meyer).

0747 — Senior officer in TOC talks directly to neither Shadow 4 nor Dog platoon, although both are in direct voice communications with TOC.

0748 — Shadow repeats request for air medevac at 953 518—one U.S. (Westbrook) and one ANA.

0749 — Shadow again requests medevac.

0750 — Dog platoon reports ASV rolled over twice and landed on its wheels at 954 518; no injuries.

0755 — Dog platoon reports green on all personnel.

0800 — SWT 1 (Kiowas) breaks station over Meyer to escort medevac.

0800 — Capt. Richardson takes over as watch officer in ops center, but is junior to battalion commanding officer (XO) and S-3, who are both in TOC.

0800 — Swenson puts out air panels at CCP; Fabayo does the same.

0810 — Shadow no longer taking fire.

0810 — Dog platoon reports mass casualty situation—six killed in action (KIA), ten WIA; sets up mass casualty evacuation point.

0812 — Rodriguez-Chavez and Meyer are swarmed inside wash by about ten enemy.

0822 — Blackhawk lands under fire to evacuate critically wounded Sgt. Westbrook.

0824 — Pale Horse Kiowas leave to refuel at A-Bad.

0830 — Swenson and Fabayo drive into wash as Meyer and Rodriguez-Chavez drive out.

0830-0910 — Swenson, Fabayo, Meyer, Rodriguez-Chavez, and Hafez make repeated short runs into wash, picking up dead and wounded.

0833 — Dog platoon reports soldier has rib and pelvic pains from rollover of ASV.

0838 — Three wounded Askars arrive at Joyce in a Ranger.

0845-1135 — Two Kiowas continuously on station along the wash; expend 1,800 rounds of .50-cal and fifteen HE rockets.

0845 — No U.S. quick reaction force (QRF) has departed Joyce; XO later said he didn’t keep a QRF on alert.

0846 — Afghan Army at Joyce dispatches a QRF.

0848 — From Asmar, 12 kilometers north, Afghan Border Police dispatch a QRF.

0856 — Dog platoon ASV self-recovered.

0900 — Col. George, brigade commander, departs Jalalabad Air Base, picks up Afghan 2nd Brigade commander, Col. Asval.

0905 — Three more Askar wounded sent by Ranger to Joyce.

0910 — Rodriguez-Chavez and group drive to ORP and get a truck with a working machine gun.

0910 — Swenson asks Dog platoon to help him; platoon leader responds that he has three times asked TOC to send a wrecker and Humvees, and has been told to remain in place.

0911 — Swenson curses platoon leader.

0915 — Meyer talks with Garza and Williams at CCP.

0921 — Dog reports indirect fire being walked toward their position near CCP and so are moving back.

0928 — Dog reports four U.S. advisors and an Afghan squad are missing.

0930 — Tech Sgt. Matzke on own initiative calls 4/4 Brigade TOC to request an air TIC to receive fixed-wing air support.

0930 — Williams, Garza, and reporter leave for Camp Joyce.

0935 — Pale Horse (Silano) orders Meyer not to walk alone back into wash; Meyer halts, with Pale Horse hovering above him.

0937 — Another platoon from Dog and a platoon from Alpha/Attack Co. start toward Ganjigal Valley.

0938 — Swenson, Rodriguez-Chavez, Hafez, and Fabayo drive from ORP to CCP, pick up Meyer, and drive back into wash, with Pale Horse Kiowas in extremely close support (fifteen feet over their heads).

0945 — Swenson and Meyer work with Kiowas to spot and retrieve Askars, who are placed in Afghan vehicles.

0948 — Two F15Es are on station (Dude 01) but refuse to drop bombs because they cannot identify targets.

0955 — Col. George (TF Mountain Warrior) and Col. Asval (ANA brigade commander) arrive TOC at Joyce; neither proceeds forward to battlefield.

1000 — Afghan Army QRF arrives Ganjigal and follows Swenson/Meyer Humvee up wash; no U.S. forces follow.

1005 — U.S. Attack and Dog platoons link up but stay off the battlefield.