BlackFive

In the comments to this post on the recent fight in Afghanistan, MaryAnn notes this Stars & Stripes article that provides a lot more detail on the incident.

For instance, it was not a permanent base -- meaning not a COP, PB, or FOB. It was a vehicle patrol base, set up as part of a reconnaissance mission, and temporary in nature. It was not overrun. It was not abandoned as there was nothing there to abandon.

For me, the money quote in the article is:

"If there’s no combat outpost to abandon, there’s no position to abandon," he said. "It’s a bunch of vehicles like we do on patrol anywhere and we hold up for a night and pick up any tactical positions that we have with vehicle patrol bases.

"We do that routinely.... We’re always doing that when go out and stay in an area for longer then a few hours, and that’s what it is. So there is nothing to abandon. There was no structures, there was no COP or FOB or anything like that to even abandon. So, from the get-go, that is just [expletive], and it’s not right."

He also didn’t like the media’s characterization that his men were "overrun."

"As far as I know, and I know a lot, it was not overrun in any shape, manner or form," an emotional Preysler said. "It was close combat to be sure — hand grenade range. The enemy never got into the main position. As a matter of fact, it was, I think, the bravery of our soldiers reinforcing the hard-pressed observation post, or OP, that turned the tide to defeat the enemy attack."

Go read the entire article, and find out yet more about the heroism of those troops, and what is not being said in the media.

LW