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GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan – During his recent visit to Afghanistan, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter made a trip to Forward Operating Base Ghazni, Sept. 15, 2013, to recognize a brave group of soldiers from three countries for their role in the defense of the FOB during a recent attack. Among them were two Illinois National Guardsmen embedded with Task Force White Eagle, the Polish contingent in Regional Command East.
Carter was visiting FOBs throughout the country and meeting with senior leaders to discuss the U.S. retrograde progress.
Carter, accompanied by U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, commander, International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces - Afghanistan, presented U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Lester Edwards, of Mechanicsburg, Ill., and U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Clemens, of Burbank, Ill., the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for valor and the Army Commendation Medal with “V” device for valor, respectively, for their actions during the Taliban attack on FOB Ghazni, Aug. 28.
In an earlier meeting Sept. 1, 2013, on FOB Ghazni with Polish Army Brig. Gen. Marek Sokolowski, commander of Task Force White Eagle, and Afghan National Army Lt. Col. Amer Mahmood, deputy commander of 3rd Brigade, 203rd ANA Corps, Dunford told the leaders, “This is a battle of wills; those with the strongest wills, will win.” Speaking to the ANA leadership present, he added, “Looking at the faces around this table, I can see who has the strongest will, and who will prevail.”
"It is a proud day for all of us, but I am especially proud of the unity of effort displayed by Polish, U.S., and Afghan Forces in the defeat of the Taliban aggressors,” said U.S. Army Col. Christopher Lawson, of Chatham, Ill., deputy U.S. commander of Task Force White Eagle.
"The Illinois National Guard and the Republic of Poland have had an exceptional 20 year partnership and service together for the last 10 years in combat and to watch these brave men from our two countries be honored for their heroic actions, side by side, is a moment I will never forget," Lawson continued.
Carter also presented awards to three soldiers from the Polish army for their actions during the attack. 2nd Lt. Karol Cierpica was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device while Lt. Col. Krzystof Slomski and 1st Lt.Tomasz Sobanski were both awarded the U.S. Army Commendation Medal with “V” device.
A grateful U.S. Navy Cmdr. Jason Hoffman, officer in charge of Task Force Copperhead, said, "There is no doubt in my mind that if not for the quick thinking and decisive action of the Polish and U.S. forces who responded first, our compound would have been breached and would have resulted in numerous deaths and injuries.”
The Taliban planned to use multiple vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, numerous suicide bombers, and an arsenal of direct and indirect fire weapons including machine guns, rockets, and rocket-propelled grenades on FOB Ghazni in an attempt to gain access to the FOB and cause as many coalition casualties as possible.
Lawson recounted the first phase of the attack saying, "They were able to initially breach the east perimeter with a truck laden with several thousand pounds of homemade explosives and initiate the first phase of indirect fire, but the rest was a nightmare for the Taliban."
“At the same time, the attack on the east was happening, an attack was stymied on the west side by a group of Polish snipers placed earlier in the week to over watch the historic sites for indirect fire at the FOB,” continued Lawson. The small sniper team was able to delay a larger force armed with RPGs, suicide vests, and another VBIED until the Polish quick reaction force could get to their location.
Polish, U.S. and Afghan forces engaged enemy targets and interdicted reinforcements and decisively defeated a force estimated to be more than 50, with 24 enemies killed in action. Afghan National Army Brig. Gen Ahmad Zia Yaftali, commander of the 203rd ANA Corps, stated he was surprised by the size of the attack, “I haven't seen an attack like this in Ghazni. This was one of the most resourced and coordinated attacks in southern Afghanistan,” he said.
Sokolowski said, "I am proud of my soldiers, this includes my Illinois soldiers. We did our job; we fight together, we work together and we recover as one."
Sokolowski was referring to the base recovery efforts immediately after the attack. U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Buttram, Task Force White Eagle contracting and retrograde noncommissioned officer, of Byron, Ill., worked with Polish and U.S. forces through the night, under the threat of being attacked again, to repair the breach in the perimeter wall. Additionally, U.S. Army Capt. Tristan Myers, Task Force White Eagle U.S. battle captain, of Chatham, Ill., worked with his Polish partners in the Tactical Operations Center to coordinate air weapons teams, medical helicopter evacuation of the wounded and emplacement of quick reaction forces to render the base secure and safe.
Sokolowski had firsthand knowledge of the strength of this partnership because he was in the middle of the fight accompanied by Edwards, Clemens, and numerous Polish and U.S. personnel that defeated the initial suicide bombers who entered though the breach. He also recognized the strength of the Afghan National Security Forces who responded to the attack.
"We were very proud to help our friends in their time of need,” said ANA Lt. Col. Amer Mahmood. “It is our turn to run and stand in front of the enemy guns and take the bullet; we have a duty to protect our friends who have given us so much."
Mahmood went on to say that the enemy knows the Afghan National Army is a different force than it used to be. “We have proven that we can react quickly, with force and without aid. This is because of the training and dedication of our international partners and friends.”
Lawson spoke about the team’s Afghanistan experience saying, “This has been a challenging and rewarding deployment for all of us. The Illinois Army National Guard should be proud of the bonds and achievements these Soldiers have cultivated with their partners,” referring to both the Polish and Afghans.
| Date Taken: | 09.15.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 09.24.2013 11:00 |
| Story ID: | 114160 |
| Location: | AF |
| Hometown: | BURBANK, IL, US |
| Hometown: | MECHANICSBURG, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 2,410 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Illinois Guardsmen key in Taliban defeat at FOB Ghazni; awarded medals of valor from US deputy secretary of defense, by SFC Bryan Spreitzer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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