Retired Sarge
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18 years ago today, I was at work when the terrorist attacks occurred. We saw the news footage and knew we would be deployed soon. (I was almost 35 years old, a TSgt and was coming up on 14 years of service.)
We spent the next few weeks spinning up our aircrew on desert survival, combat survival and E&E procedures, getting our mobility bins inspected. 30 days after 911 we were enroute to our deployed location, with me being the deployed Aircrew Life Support NCOIC. Upon arrival we spent the next 3 days getting all our survival equipment configured and survival radios programmed. We were now part of Task Force Sword under Joint Special Operations Task Force-South. Then on the evening of 19 Oct 2001, 4 of our MC-130E aircraft launched for "Hit Night" the targets being Objective Rhino and Gecko.
Copied from wiki.
Objective Rhino and Gecko
"On the night of October 19, 2001, 200 Rangers from the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, parachuted from 4 Lockheed MC-130 aircraft onto "Objective Rhino", a landing strip south of Kandahar, covered by AC-130 gunships. Before the Rangers dropped, the site was softened up by B-2 Spirit stealth bombers. The Rangers met almost no resistance, except for a solitary Taliban fighter who was quickly killed, securing the objective. A small Taliban force mounted in pick up trucks that attempted to investigate was spotted and destroyed by the AC-130s. The Rangers provided security while a FARP (Forward Arming and Refuelling Point) was established using fuel bladders from MC-130s; the mission paved the way for the later use of the airstrip by the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit as FOB Rhino, who would be among the first conventional forces to set foot in Afghanistan. No casualties were suffered in the operation itself (two Rangers received minor injuries in the jump itself), though two Rangers assigned to a CSAR element supporting the mission were killed when their MH-60L helicopter crashed at Objective Honda in Pakistan, a temporary staging site used by a company of Rangers from 3/75. The Helicopter crashed due to a brownout.
At the same time, a squadron of Delta Force operatives supported by Rangers from Task Force Sword conducted an operation outside of Kandahar at a location known as Objective Gecko – its target was Mullah Omar, who was suspected to be at his summer retreat in the hills above Kandahar. Four MH-47E helicopters took off from the USS Kitty Hawk (which was serving as an SOF base) in the Indian Ocean carrying 91 soldiers. The assault teams were drawn from Delta, while teams from the Rangers secured the perimeter and manned blocking positions. Before the soldiers were inserted, the target area was softened up by preparatory fire from AC-130s and MH-60L Direct Action Penetrators. The assaulters met no resistance on target and there was no sign of the Taliban leader, so they switched to exploiting the target location for any intelligence, while their helicopters landed at Rhino to refuel at the newly established FARP. As the teams prepared to extract, a sizable Taliban force approached the compound and engaged the US force with small arms fire and RPG's The Delta Force operators and Rangers engaged the insurgents and a heavy firefight developed. An attached Combat Controller directed fire from the orbiting AC-130s and DAPs, allowing the assault force to break contact and withdraw to an emergency Helicopter Landing Zone (HLZ). One of the MH-47Es lost a wheel assembly after striking the compound wall in the scramble to extract the ground force. Some 30 Taliban fighters were killed in the firefight; there were no US soldiers killed, but 12 Delta operators were wounded.; Delta's plans to leave a stay-behind reconnaissance team in the area were aborted by the Taliban response."
Please take a moment to reflect on and remember those who died that day, and all those that gave their lives extracting our nation's revenge on those who wished harm upon us. I recall when the remains of the two young Rangers were loaded up for the final trip home. Everyone on the parking apron was at attention and saluting. Two young lives ended before they could really live.
May God continue to bless this nation, her citizens and the men and women (Military, First Responders) who fight for and protect her. And may we never have to experience another 9-11.
I've have since retired and miss being in, but the torch had been passed to a younger generation. I wish them all the best, I stand behind them and support them, and yes at times I wish I was with them down range again.
My ugly mug second from the left.
We spent the next few weeks spinning up our aircrew on desert survival, combat survival and E&E procedures, getting our mobility bins inspected. 30 days after 911 we were enroute to our deployed location, with me being the deployed Aircrew Life Support NCOIC. Upon arrival we spent the next 3 days getting all our survival equipment configured and survival radios programmed. We were now part of Task Force Sword under Joint Special Operations Task Force-South. Then on the evening of 19 Oct 2001, 4 of our MC-130E aircraft launched for "Hit Night" the targets being Objective Rhino and Gecko.
Copied from wiki.
Objective Rhino and Gecko
"On the night of October 19, 2001, 200 Rangers from the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, parachuted from 4 Lockheed MC-130 aircraft onto "Objective Rhino", a landing strip south of Kandahar, covered by AC-130 gunships. Before the Rangers dropped, the site was softened up by B-2 Spirit stealth bombers. The Rangers met almost no resistance, except for a solitary Taliban fighter who was quickly killed, securing the objective. A small Taliban force mounted in pick up trucks that attempted to investigate was spotted and destroyed by the AC-130s. The Rangers provided security while a FARP (Forward Arming and Refuelling Point) was established using fuel bladders from MC-130s; the mission paved the way for the later use of the airstrip by the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit as FOB Rhino, who would be among the first conventional forces to set foot in Afghanistan. No casualties were suffered in the operation itself (two Rangers received minor injuries in the jump itself), though two Rangers assigned to a CSAR element supporting the mission were killed when their MH-60L helicopter crashed at Objective Honda in Pakistan, a temporary staging site used by a company of Rangers from 3/75. The Helicopter crashed due to a brownout.
At the same time, a squadron of Delta Force operatives supported by Rangers from Task Force Sword conducted an operation outside of Kandahar at a location known as Objective Gecko – its target was Mullah Omar, who was suspected to be at his summer retreat in the hills above Kandahar. Four MH-47E helicopters took off from the USS Kitty Hawk (which was serving as an SOF base) in the Indian Ocean carrying 91 soldiers. The assault teams were drawn from Delta, while teams from the Rangers secured the perimeter and manned blocking positions. Before the soldiers were inserted, the target area was softened up by preparatory fire from AC-130s and MH-60L Direct Action Penetrators. The assaulters met no resistance on target and there was no sign of the Taliban leader, so they switched to exploiting the target location for any intelligence, while their helicopters landed at Rhino to refuel at the newly established FARP. As the teams prepared to extract, a sizable Taliban force approached the compound and engaged the US force with small arms fire and RPG's The Delta Force operators and Rangers engaged the insurgents and a heavy firefight developed. An attached Combat Controller directed fire from the orbiting AC-130s and DAPs, allowing the assault force to break contact and withdraw to an emergency Helicopter Landing Zone (HLZ). One of the MH-47Es lost a wheel assembly after striking the compound wall in the scramble to extract the ground force. Some 30 Taliban fighters were killed in the firefight; there were no US soldiers killed, but 12 Delta operators were wounded.; Delta's plans to leave a stay-behind reconnaissance team in the area were aborted by the Taliban response."
Please take a moment to reflect on and remember those who died that day, and all those that gave their lives extracting our nation's revenge on those who wished harm upon us. I recall when the remains of the two young Rangers were loaded up for the final trip home. Everyone on the parking apron was at attention and saluting. Two young lives ended before they could really live.
May God continue to bless this nation, her citizens and the men and women (Military, First Responders) who fight for and protect her. And may we never have to experience another 9-11.
I've have since retired and miss being in, but the torch had been passed to a younger generation. I wish them all the best, I stand behind them and support them, and yes at times I wish I was with them down range again.
My ugly mug second from the left.
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