10th Mtn. Div. Shows its Mettle In Operation Mountain Resolve ~ Part One

Defend America ^ | Nov. 17, 2003 | Sgt. Greg Heath

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

10th Mountain Division soldiers stand by as a CH-47 Chinook helicopter delivers supplies during Operation Mountain Resolve. The operation, which began on Nov. 7, is currently taking place in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar and Nuristan Provinces. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Greg Heath, 4th Public Affairs Detachment
Part One
10th Mtn. Div. Shows its Mettle In Operation Mountain Resolve
By U.S. Army Sgt. Greg Heath / 4th Public Affairs Detachment
NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division lived up to their namesake, braving treacherous terrain and weather to accomplish their initial ground mission during the launch of the Coalition Joint Task Force 180’s latest strike in the war on terrorism, Operation Mountain Resolve. Elements of 10th Mountain Division’s Warrior Brigade, led by Company B, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry, air assaulted into farm fields on the outskirts of Namgalam Village in the eastern Afghan province of Nuristan shortly after nightfall Nov. 6. Upon landing they immediately began their mountainous trek that would ultimately end six days and more than 20 kilometers later on a mountaintop after reaching their objective, a suspected Anti Coalition Militant stronghold. During the first three nights the large 10th Mountain Division force traveled along the mountainsides of the Darrahe Waygal valley along the Fawerikhwar River. Coalition forces had received information about ACM activity all throughout the valley, said Co. B Commander Capt. Toby Moore, and it was their job to disrupt any ACM operations and deny them sanctuary in a province that coalition forces hadn’t been in since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom. As they moved through the valley, the foot soldiers were protected from the sky by AH-64 Apache helicopters and A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft providing 24-hour close air support. For 10th Mountain Division, this was one of the largest operations in terms of military assets available since arriving in Afghanistan in early August, according to Moore. Along with the close air support, the Warrior Brigade infantry units were augmented with assets from numerous job specialties, including Field Artillery, Civil Affairs, Military Police, Psychological Operations, Combat Camera and a Forward Treatment Team, to name a few.	“Normally when we deploy we have very limited attachments, but this time what we had was pretty impressive,” said Co. B 1st Sgt. Carl Ashmead. With all of the attachments able to help out on the mission, the infantry units were more able to save infantrymen for the fight, according to Ashmead. During the first days of the mission, soldiers from Co. A, 2-22nd Inf. Bn. found and destroyed weapons, ammunition and explosives they found while searching through Namgalam village. By the fourth day, the Warrior Brigade soldiers had traveled more than 20 kilometers over rocky mountainsides and even moved through a river at one point. Although during the trek they didn’t come into contact with ACM forces, they had finally come within view of the mountain where the objective was located. According to Moore, although the soldiers didn’t come into contact with ACM forces during their movement, the soldiers deserve more credit for the arduous trek than just moving 20 kilometers lends credit to. “We traveled straight-line distance of 20 kilometers, but we ended up walking probably close to 52 kilometers total,” Moore said, adding, “This was very successful for us. This terrain is very rigorous and unforgiving … these (soldiers) were tired, it was cold and raining and they marched over 50 kilometers and didn’t complain … We’re showing the ACMs that there is no place that they can hide because we’ll find them.”

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division lived up to their namesake, braving treacherous terrain and weather to accomplish their initial ground mission during the launch of the Coalition Joint Task Force 180’s latest strike in the war on terrorism, Operation Mountain Resolve.

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Godspeed.
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If you want on or off my Pro-Coalition ping list, please Freepmail me. Warning: it is a high volume ping list on good days. (Most days are good days).

[BenLurkin]

Bump!

[Jacquerie]

The professionalism, courage, endurance and dedication of our troops gives this old vet a lump in his throat. Yes, Godspeed to our brave men.

[mark502inf]

Since the end of the Cold War, 10th Mountain Division has been on more operational commitments than any other unit in the Army, Air Force, Navy, or Marines. Somalia, Haiti, multiple times to the Balkans in both Kosovo and Bosnia, multiple times to JTF-Bravo in Honduras, multiple times to the MFO in the Sinai, multiple times supporting JTF-6 on the Mexican border, this is their second time to Afghanistan, and they have part of the Division in Djibouti and in Iraq. Not to mention various civil support missions ranging from Hurricane Andrew relief to cleaning up after ice storms in upstate New York.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

That's funny. One of my brother-in-law's is in the 10th Mountain (he's a chopper pilot) and he's supposedly in Iraq. Did they split the division up?

[mark502inf]

Yes they did. Some of the 10th Mountain aviation is supporting units in Iraq that do not have their own divisional level helicopter units.

[facedown]

Godspeed.

Indeed.

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[AdA$tra]

Are you saying that there is a war in Afghanistan too?

[radu]

“We traveled straight-line distance of 20 kilometers, but we ended up walking probably close to 52 kilometers total,” Moore said, adding, “This was very successful for us. This terrain is very rigorous and unforgiving … these (soldiers) were tired, it was cold and raining and they marched over 50 kilometers and didn’t complain … We’re showing the ACMs that there is no place that they can hide because we’ll find them.”

Godspeed, indeed.

[blackie]

Our fighting heros ~ Bump!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thanks!

[tssmmoore]

Thank you for posting that! That article is about my husband and it is nice to see people appreciate what he is doing!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

I am so glad you stopped by. Please thank your husband. We are very proud of the work he is doing in Afghanistan. Thank you, too!

Freeper Calpernia gave us a chance to leave your 10th Mountain 'guys' a holiday message. Please pass it on, with love and appreciation from Freepers:

8 10th Mountain Division - United States Army in Afghanistan ~ American Legion Lufkin, TX | 11/03 | Connie Wells

[Ahban]

52 klicks in one day! In full gear! YIkes.

[McGavin999]

These guys are incredible. I don't know why the media keeps calling it the forgotten war, I sure haven't forgotten it.

[armymarinemom]

Godspeed to them. I find the lack of news coming out of there frustrating. How can one get more news out of that neck of the woods. I get bad reporting out of Iraq and none out of Afghanistan. ARrrrrrghhh

[Future Snake Eater]

Since the end of the Cold War, 10th Mountain Division has been on more operational commitments than any other unit in the Army, Air Force, Navy, or Marines.

Rumor has it that this high op-tempo is because they really want to justify a standard light infantry leg unit in this era of Airborne, Special Forces, and light armor. Who knows if it's true?

[Calvin Locke]

I thought it was going to be about how well they survived the anti-US, anti-defense US Senators' visit.