Not a Good Day to Die (67 page)

1.
Texas 14…ODA 594.
Each A-team in Afghanistan had two names. One was its three-digit team number, which tells someone familiar with the numbering system a lot about the team. The first digit refers to the team’s parent group, the second digit to the team’s company and battalion—there are three battalions in a group, and three companies in a battalion; for the purposes of the team numbering system, A Company, 1
^st
Battalion, is 1, A Company, 2
^nd
Battalion is 4, and so on—and the third digit to the team’s number within that company. Thus ODA 594 was the fourth team in C Company, 3
^rd
Battalion, 5
^th
Special Forces Group. The other name given to the team was its call sign or code name. This only lasted as long as the mission. In Afghanistan, many of the teams were given the prefix “Tiger.” But when the eleventh team went in, Dagger decided to change the prefix to “Texas,” to avoid anyone confusing a team called “Tiger 11” with “Tiger 1” in a broken radio transmission.

2.
“He was not interested…of moxy.”
Rosengard.

3.
The town into…in the 1990s.
Larry Goodson, a professor at the Army War College and one of the United States’ foremost experts on the Afghanistan; McHale.

4.
Like many…was combat.
Sources familiar with operations in the Gardez safe house. The description of the safe house is informed by photographs I have seen of it.

Chapter 7

1.
The bulky…moonlit landscape.
Source is someone present in Bagram the night that Blaber arrived.

2.
The first American troops…October 21.
“Special Forces OD Alpha-555,” by Lance M. Bacon,
Soldier of Fortune,
September 2003.

3.
Bullets had pockmarked…beside the runway.
My personal observations, February through April, 2002.

4.
In fact, many…dangerous enemies.
Task Force 11, JSOC, and other special operations sources;
Pitfalls of Technology: A Case Study of the Battle on Takur Ghar Mountain, Afghanistan,
by Col. Andrew N. Milani. An experienced special operations aviation officer, Milani conducted Joint Special Operations Command’s investigation into the Takur Ghar episode, which occurred March 4 during Anaconda. His extensive report is classified. However, while attending the Army War College, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in the 2002–2003 academic year, Milani drew heavily on his report to write his strategy research project (essentially a short thesis that all AWC students must write). He kept this paper unclassified by giving pseudonyms to the various Task Force 11 components. He referred to Task Force Blue, for instance, as Task Force SEAL, and AFO as Task Force RECCE. He also referred to Task Force 11 members only by their positions, ranks, and initials. During my research, I cross-referenced the Milani paper with interviews with CJTF Mountain staff and members of the special operations community.

5.
Established…a few dozen…
Delta Force,
by Col. Charlie A. Beckwith (ret.) and Donald Knox (New York: Avon Books, 2000).

6.
…almost 1,000…for the CIA.
Special operations sources.

7.
The first Delta squadron…Task Force Blue.
Special operations sources;
Pitfalls of Technology.

8.
Formed in 1980…from the ground up.
Brave Men, Dark Waters—The Untold Story of the Navy SEALs,
by Orr Kelly (New York: Pocket Books, 1993) pp. 208–236; retired Army special operator.

9.
It took a few years…Delta’s.
Retired Army special operator.

10.
Some of the bitterness…coming apart.”
Navy officer who has worked extensively with both Army and Navy special operations forces.

11.
Joint Special Operations Command…outright animosity.
Retired JSOC staff officer.

12.
Many strong…each organization.
Special operations sources.

13.
Nevertheless, JSOC…Army special ops source.
Special operations sources.

14.
But Dailey…for success.
Senior Army officer.

15.
Dailey applied…Gregory Trebon.
TF Sword source; other sources in the special operations community.

16.
Curiously…Air Force or joint staffs.
Trebon’s Air Force résumé; sources in the special operations community….
over 7,000 flight hours in fifty-five different military and civilian air frames.
Asked how Tebon amassed flight hours in so many different aircraft, Major Cynthia Teramae, his spokeswoman for his next command, Special Operations Command—Pacific, said, “It is common for a pilot who commands many different units to conduct familiarization flights in the different types of aircraft assigned to each unit in which he commands.”

17.
His specialty…Dailey’s boss.
Retired officer who served on the JSOC staff in the 1990s; a TF Sword officer; other special operations sources; senior Army officer.

18.
A barrel-chested man…warn visitors about.
I have shaken hands with Gary Harrell on numerous occasions, and on at least one was warned by one of his staff officers beforehand to beware the general’s grip. Mark Bowden made the same point in
Killing Pablo
(New York: Penguin Books, 2002, p. 149).

19.
He had spent all…between 1998 and 2000.
Harrell’s Army résumé.

20.
Harrell was no stranger…Aidid in Somalia.
Killing Pablo,
ps. 149, 150, 152, 153;
Black Hawk Down,
by Mark Bowden (Boston: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1999) passim.

21.
Despite his…“door-kickers”…
Edwards.

22.
Since July 2000…“fusion cell.”
Harrell.

23.
…that would take…back to Franks.
Edwards.

24.
The CENTCOM commander…could match.
Gray; Harrell; other CJTF Mountain, special operations, and intelligence sources; Edwards; I walked past the detention facility several times a day during my stint at Bagram.

25.
Nested inside Bowie…enemy territory.
Special operations sources.
Pitfalls of Technology.

26.
AFO was not…familiar with AFO.
Special operations sources.

27.
Although AFO was small…in the 1990s.
A source who served on the JSOC staff in the 1990s; other sources in the special operations community.

28.
Prior to taking…Bagram with TF Bowie.
Special operations sources.

29.
In briefings…positively shone.
CJTF Mountain sources; special operations sources; my own observations watching Dagger, Bowie, and TF 11 personnel in briefings at Bagram in the days leading up to Anaconda.

30.
But beneath…deploying into Afghanistan.
JSOC officer; other sources in the special operations community; Edwards; retired officer who served on JSOC staff in the 1990s; senior Army officer.

31.
Edwards, the deputy…operational control.”
Edwards.

32.
Some in TF 11…Afghanistan experience.”
Special operations sources….
rising to command B Squadron.
Because of the Rangers’ status as the Army’s most elite airborne infantry, officers command Ranger battalions only after successfully commanding another infantry battalion. Thomas was the first to follow a Delta squadron command with a Ranger battalion command. For Thomas, the opportunity to command and mold young infantrymen proved irresistible.

33.
TF Red had been…a waste.”
Special operations sources.

34.
This was the situation…Another former Ranger,
Special operations sources; CJTF Mountain sources; Special operations timeline—this ninety-nine-page document, a detailed account of many special operations activities related to Operation Anaconda compiled by some of the participants, was mailed anonymously to me. Henceforth it will be referred to as “special ops timeline.”

35.
Jimmy was in…movie-star good looks.
I met Jimmy very briefly in Bagram before Anaconda.

36.
A 10
^th
Mountain…
Serpico
.
CJTF Mountain staff officer.

37.
Indeed in some…Jimmy that guy.
Special operations sources; CJTF Mountain sources.

Chapter 8

1.
For a week…point in the war.
Source familiar with the meetings in the Ariana; special ops time line.

2.
Since mid-December…that region.
Edwards; Rich’s biographical background is from
Ghost Wars,
by Steve Coll (New York: The Penguin Press, 2004).

3.
Now, a month…highest priority.
Special ops timeline.

4.
“In no conversation…really did.”
Edwards.

5.
After receiving…assembling in Gardez.
Thomas; Southworth.

Chapter 9

1.
By January 20…U.S. allies.
Task Force Dagger source.

2.
By now…in the works.
Fletcher; another Task Force Dagger source.

3.
After studying…wants to do.”
Rosengard.

4.
Despite the evidence…all these Afghans.”
Rosengard; Fletcher.

5.
The second reason…understood it.
Rosengard.

Chapter 10

1.
At his Kuwait…varied wildly.
Mikolashek; Edwards.

2.
For a long time…around the valley.
Source in the special operations community.

3.
To Mikolashek…enemy in the Shahikot.
Mikolashek, Task Force Dagger sources; another source in the special operations community.