Victory Point - Ed Darack [2]
Intent on thwarting the operations of a ruthless Islamic fundamentalist operator who had indirect ties to the highest echelons of regional and global extremist networks—including al-Qaeda and the remnants of the Taliban—the battalion struck out with their first large-scale mission soon after arriving in eastern Afghanistan: Operation Red Wings. Employing Navy SEALs and a number of other non-Marine Corps assets, Red Wings spiraled into disaster just hours after a Naval Special Operations team inserted high on the slopes of Sawtalo Sar for the opening phase of the operation and fell prey to a horrific ambush. Virtually shut out of both the planning and execution of the rescue mission to save the ill-fated team because of Special Operations Command rules, the Marines stood on the sidelines, frustrated and helpless, as an Army Special Operations Chinook helicopter, loaded with eight Navy and eight Army Special Operations personnel, sped toward Sawtalo Sar, only to be shot down by an expertly placed rocket-propelled grenade—the impact of which killed all on board as the girthy Chinook fell onto the rugged mountain, exploding in a roiling fireball. The leader of the target cell, who called himself Mullah Ismail, but who was born Ahmad Shah, immediately claimed victory over the American “infidels.” Islamic extremists throughout the globe hailed Shah, who was now responsible for the greatest one-day loss of United States Special Operations Forces personnel in the history of Special Operations Command—as well as the single greatest loss of American troops in the American war in Afghanistan.
Weeks later, after the dust had settled from Red Wings and the Marines had pored over intelligence reports and developed several blueprints for operations, the battalion unleashed Operation Whalers; this time, the ground component would consist only of Marines and attached Afghan National Army soldiers. Almost completely forgotten in the global war on terror, and virtually unrecognized by even Marine Corps historians, Whalers unfolded as a masterpiece of light infantry operations: indefatigable Marine grunts relentlessly executing a brilliant plan of action—a plan of action that would bring about the overwhelming defeat of Ahmad Shah’s small army.
Victory Point details this amazing chapter of Marine Corps history—a history clouded by incomplete and inaccurate media reports and overshadowed by the special operations tragedies. The drama that unfolded in Afghanistan’s Sawtalo Sar region in the summer of 2005 includes some of the most dramatic events in the history of warfare: the U.S. Marine Corps, undeniably the military organization best suited for this merciless environment, ensnared and ultimately destroyed a tireless and deadly enemy who was quickly rising in power and prominence. In telling this story, Victory Point also sheds light on the Marine Corps ethos and their centuries-honed approach to fighting, on the incredible difficulties of waging a war in the Hindu Kush, and on the challenges of working in a “joint” environment, where Marines must rely on assets of other branches of the U.S. military. But most of all, this book chronicles Marines doing what Marines do best: winning the fight, and winning it their way.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
The events of Operations Red Wings and Whalers represent some of the most harrowing in the history of modern warfare, exemplifying the very limits of human endurance, struggle, and the spirit of survival and triumph in one of the world’s most fearsome environments. Despite the importance of these missions in the Global War on Terror, however, details of most aspects of Red Wings and Whalers remain shrouded in misreporting and rank nonreporting. With the exception of a few citations (most notably an article in the Marine Corps Gazette in December 2006), media reports have not even referenced Operation Red Wings as a Marine Corps operation, focusing