Not a Good Day to Die (69 page)

10.
Shortly…war was over.”
Burns.

11.
As they would…auspicious start.
Gray; Bello, in a briefing he and Ziemba delivered at the Senior Fire Support Conference at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, October 3, 2002. I attended the briefing, hereafter referred to as “Bello at Sill,” or “Ziemba at Sill.”

12.
…“the culminating point”…
Lockwood.

13.
The draft plan…counterparts’ requests.
Wille.

14.
…D-Day…
Although the general public tends to associate the phrase
D-Day
with the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944,
D-Day
is actually the term used in every U.S. military plan for the day on which an operation is to commence. The
D
stands for
day
. Similarly, the hour at which an operation kicks off is known as “H-Hour.”

15.
Nor did it help…in country.
Gray.

16.
…about eight modular olive drab tents…
Gray.

17.
The TOC soon…adventure.”
Bello at Sill.

18.
The Mountain staff…“ad-hocracy.”
Bello at Sill.

19.
“There were a lot…he added.
Lockwood.

20.
The common…two communities.
Gray; my personal observations at Bagram.

21.
Despite…previous jobs.
Bello; Hagenbeck, Wille.

22.
The most obvious…knew he did.”
Wiercinski.

23.
But it was the Ranger…leader that he was.”
Larsen; Wiercinski; Wille; Rosengard; Blaber; Grippe.

24.
Then Hagenbeck…doing,” Wille said.
Gray; Hagenbeck; Wille.

25.
To reduce…from Hagenbeck’s headquarters.
Gray.

26.
But there was only…pheasants.”
Sources in the Mountain TOC; TF 11 officer in Masirah.

27.
(Despite the…in the Shahikot,
Bello; Briley; Wille; TF 11 source.

28.
…the very presence…cadre of guards.
Bello.

29.
This added…Harrell said.)
Lockwood; Harrell; numerous conversations I had with officers in the run-up to Anaconda.

30.
Blaber installed…raising his voice.
Sources in the Mountain TOC; TF 11 officer in Masirah.

31.
The first Mountain…occurred February 17.
Wille; Nocks; Hagenbeck; Gray.

32.
Hagenbeck was briefed…aside for Anaconda.
Bishop; Gray; Larsen; Nocks; Rosengard.

33.
(Mikolashek, however…forces,’” he said.)
Mikolashek.

34.
Finally, the leaders…(CJTF) Mountain.
Rosengard; Hagenbeck; Gray.

Chapter 17

1.
Pete Blaber had…otherwise have taken.
Special operations sources….
handpicked these men…
The core of an AFO force was usually drawn from Delta’s operational support troop, a unit trained to infiltrate cities under cover (sometimes using female operators posing as girlfriends or wives of male operators, because couples attract less suspicion than single males or groups of men), but the AFO commander also had the option of drawing personnel from Delta’s three reconnaissance and surveillance troops.

2.
Blaber envisioned…between them.
Task Force 11 source.

3.
Juliet was the larger…peer, anywhere.”
Task Force 11 sources; special ops time line….
nickname “Speedy.”
A Delta operator’s nickname functions as an internal call sign….
“SF baby,”…
This was the name given to soldiers who joined Special Forces straight out of high school, instead of from another part of the Army. The Army ended the program, but revived it soon after Anaconda because of the high demand for Special Forces troops.

4.
Juliet had the northern…mountain streams.
Special ops time line;
The Bear Went Over the Mountain; Afghan Guerrilla Warfare
, p. 171.

5.
Twenty-five years…entire operation.)
Special ops time line; special operations source.

6.
The first phase…Task Force Orange.
Special ops time line; other special ops sources; http://www.specwarnet.com/americas/isa.htm.

7.
Once again…operations in the Shahikot.
Special ops time line; other special ops sources. The description of the Sate Kandow is from
Afghan Guerrilla Warfare,
p. 167.

8.
On February 20…upon the Shahikot.
Special ops time line; other special ops sources….
headlights off using night-vision goggles…
AFO’s pickup trucks had infrared headlights that could be seen using the night-vision goggles, but the operators rarely turned them on because they would have been visible to an enemy equipped with similar night-vision equipment.

9.
The Shahikot’s terrain…and the finger.
Ziemba at Sill.

10.
From the Whale…the bag.”
TF Dagger source.

11.
Juliet spotted…gathering in the Shahikot.
Special ops time line; other special ops sources; Thomas.

12.
This support…resources.”
Rosengard.

13.
In a briefing…lifesaver.
Blaber.

14.
As night fell…time to start planning.
Special ops time line; other special ops sources.

Chapter 18

1.
What this plan…
Lincoln.
CJTF Mountain slide briefing.

2.
The plan envisaged…operation,’” Wille said.
Gray; Wille; Bishop.

3.
Central to the plan…contingent at Gardez.
Briley; special ops source.

4.
Locals usually…operation, however.)
Briley; Wille; Ziemba at Sill.

5.
As to the…experience.)
Briley; Ziemba at Sill.

6.
The planners…might use.
Hagenbeck.

7.
Their biggest…later were low.
Ziemba at Sill; special ops source; rock drills I attended in the final days before Anaconda.

8.
Of greater threat…Hagenbeck acknowledged.
Hagenbeck.

9.
The Rakkasans and Zia’s…air defense threats.
Ziemba at Sill; rock drills I attended; Rosengard.

10.
Worries over…fierce resistance.”
Hagenbeck.

11.
(Rosengard…RPGs.
Rosengard.

12.
Ziemba’s prediction…Ziemba said.
Ziemba at Sill.

13.
Like other…doubt the intel.”
Hagenbeck.

14.
To help with…snatch him.)
TF 11 sources; Wille.

15.
Undeterred…“Goody.”
Blaber; special ops time line.

16.
No sooner…into the Upper Shahikot.
Rosengard; Wille; Haas; other special ops source.

17.
From the moment…them,” Wille said.
Rosengard; Wille; Larsen; Wiercinski.

18.
But, the Rakkasans…Wiercinski and Larsen.
Larsen; Wiercinski; Hagenbeck; Wille.

19.
Wiercinski also…to escape?”
Wiercinski; Larsen; Wille; Rosengard; Mountain staff officer; my observations of meetings and rehearsals I attended.

20.
Matters came…fuming mad.”
Mountain staff officer; Antenori; two other SF soldiers reported hearing Mulholland make similar comments at other times.

21.
It appeared…Antenori said.
Special ops sources….
Delta staff officer…
Many Delta staff officers are on short tours from elsewhere in the special ops community. These officers serve only at the headquarters and do not go through Delta’s operator training course required for service in the assault or reconnaissance and surveillance troops.

22.
(Not all…could get.”)
Bentley; Lundy.

23.
With Wiercinski…Lower Shahikot.)
Hagenbeck; another source in the Mountain TOC.

24.
That the Mountain…back door.”
Mountain officer; Wiercinski; Rosengard; other special ops source.

25.
While the Dagger…into the Fishhook.
Wiercinski; Bello; Hagenbeck; Bentley.

26.
This plan reflected…be there.”
Bentley; Bello; Wille; Rosengard.

27.
The inclusion…meetings, he said.
Gray; Wille; a source on the Mountain staff.

28.
The Mountain commander…good enough?”
Hagenbeck; Gray; Wille.

Chapter 19

1.
Amidst all…supporting artillery.
Dr. Richard Stewart, U.S. Army Center of Military History. The arguments made by senior officers in the Pacific to support their decision not to deploy artillery to Papua foreshadowed those made during the war in Afghanistan. “The artillery in this theater flies,” one senior general told a subordinate in the Pacific, according the to official Army history of the campaign,
Victory in Papua,
by Samuel Milner, p. 135.