As a result, Michael’s next duty station was Bahrain. However, he knew that Bahrain was only a temporary stop. There would be subsequent antiterrorist missions to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dubai, Jordan, and Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan, which had been a member of the former Soviet Union, bordered Afghanistan. Knowing that he might soon be under fire in one of the world’s hot zones, he discouraged further questions at the reunion by reminding everyone that this was a St. Patrick’s Day family celebration, to which everyone raised their glasses and cheered.
On March 31, 2005—Easter Sunday—Dan took Michael to LaGuardia Airport, where he departed for what would be his final deployment. Michael had asked his father to take him to the airport so they could discuss investment options Michael wanted to pursue. Learning that Michael was departing on a discount airline to Hawaii, Dan insisted that his son call or text-message both him and Michael’s mother when he arrived back in Hawaii.
As promised, when he arrived in Hawaii, he text-messaged his mother, “Momma, home safe and sound. Mike.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Afghanistan—Home of al-Qaeda
This is their land and they know every inch of it. So when you’re out there and you come across them, or more likely, they come across you, don’t freak out or nothing, don’t be calling back for a QRF for an extraction. Just assess the situation and go on with the mission.
—BEN SAUERS, interview with author, October 9, 2008
Afghanistan: An Overview
Afghanistan is a landlocked country located approximately in the center of Asia. Bordered by Pakistan in the south and east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the far northeast, it is a culturally mixed nation that serves as a crossroads to the east and the west. What is now Afghanistan was conquered by Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), one of the most successful military commanders of all time, who had conquered much of the civilized world by 331 BC.
Afghanistan has a continental climate, with very hot summers and bitterly cold winters. It is the site of frequent earthquakes, although these are isolated mainly to the northeast in the Hindu Kush range.
The Taliban, under the leadership of Mullah Mohammed Omar, came to power in Afghanistan in 1998, controlling nearly 90 percent of the country. Once in power they established one of the most oppressive regimes ever established. There were widespread abductions of women and forced prostitution, as well as reports of stonings and lashings for those who refused. Women were barred from attending schools or working outside the home and could only be seen in public fully robed from head to toe. Warlords in the north used property destruction, rape, and murder to discourage displaced Pashtuns from reclaiming their homes, and child labor and human trafficking were common outside Kabul. The Taliban’s human rights violations placed them in direct conflict with the world community. A more important consideration from the U.S. policy perspective, however, was the Taliban’s role in hosting Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda terrorist network. Bin Laden’s fanatics bombed U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on August 7, 1998, killing more than 225 people.
Despite an ultimatum from the United States, the Taliban refused to surrender bin Laden, who was bankrolling their regime. Increased sanctions by the United Nations in 1999, as well as the revocation of Afghanistan’s seat at the UN, were also ineffective. The country’s increasing international isolation only seemed to embolden the oppressive Taliban, who retaliated against their own people, resulting in mass starvation and over a million refugees who fled into neighboring Pakistan and Iran and other countries ill-equipped to handle the influx.
It was not until the Taliban bombed two monumental sixth-century statues of the Bamyan Buddhas, one nearly two hundred feet high and the other more than half that size, carved out of a mountain in Afghanistan, that there was international outrage. While the international hand-wringing regarding what to do about the Taliban and bin Laden continued, another sinister plot was in its final stages of planning.
Afghanistan in the Wake of the 9/11 Attacks
Even before the fires had been extinguished and the final toll of the dead counted, President George W. Bush demanded that the Taliban surrender bin Laden for his role in the terrorist attacks on American soil. Again the Taliban thumbed its nose at the world.
On October 7, 2001, the United States, leading a small coalition of international forces, unleashed an attack so devastating as to be unprecedented in that part of the world. American forces located and identified many of bin Laden’s al-Qaeda camps and destroyed them, along with much of the military infrastructure of the Taliban, in one of the largest bombing campaigns in modern warfare. During this campaign, American air units utilized the BLU-82B/C-130, known as the Daisy Cutter. Twelve feet long and nearly four feet wide, this high-altitude 15,000-pound conventional bomb had to be delivered from the huge MC-130 aircraft, as it was too heavy for the bomb racks on other aircraft. The extensive bombing campaign resulted in bin Laden and the remaining Taliban leadership fleeing into the mountains of neighboring Pakistan. Although bin Laden was in exile, al-Qaeda , with Taliban support, continued its terrorist killings of foreign aid workers and kidnapping of foreign construction workers.
SEALs operated with members of the U.S. Army’s 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (SFO[D]), or Delta Force, as part of Task Force 11 in hunting down members of the Taliban government and al-Qaeda leadership. In January 2002 a simple twelve-hour planned intelligence-gathering mission turned into a nine-day bonanza of exploration and destruction. Nearly a million pounds of ammunition and equipment was found in an extensive network of seventy caves and tunnels in a narrow valley at Zhawar Kili, in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border.
Naval Special Warfare Reorganization
Prior to January 2004, twelve SEAL platoons were deployed in various theaters of operation around the globe at any given time. Due to the Global War on Terror, at the beginning of 2004 there was a dramatic need for increased SEAL deployments, necessitating a major realignment of the available resources of both the East Coast and West Coast teams. As a result of the reorganization, a SEAL team now consisted of four platoons instead of the previous six, and commanders were seeking maximum utilization of the two SDVTs with their highly skilled reconnaissance capabilities to augment the efforts of the other SEAL teams.
The day before Easter in 2005, Michael had met with his cousin Kelly at his mother’s home before leaving to visit friends before his all-too-short leave was gone. As Kelly and Maureen walked Michael to the door, his cousin gave him a hug and kiss, saying, “See ya later.” Michael just smiled and said, “Yeah, I like that. See ya later.”
In the spring of 2005, SDVT-1, Michael’s unit, had a 2.0 global commitment, meaning that two of its platoons were committed at any one time: one in Pacific Command (PACOM), and the other in Central Command (CENTCOM). The platoon in Pacific Command stayed at SDVT-1’s home base in Hawaii on an oncall basis for six months; then, if nothing else required its attention, it deployed to Central Command.
As a result of this policy, ninety-six hours after he had left New York, Lieutenant Michael Murphy and his SDVT-1 teammates had deployed to Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, located in Manama, as part of Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT). They were assigned to NSW Group Two (NSWG-2). NAVCENT shared a commander and its headquarters with the Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which was responsible for naval forces in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the coastal waters off the Horn of Africa as far south as Kenya.
From Bahrain Michael and his teammates were scheduled to go to Qatar, Dubai, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for Joint /Combined Exchange Training (JCET) in each country. While the JCETs were to assist foreign nationals in their own antiterrorism efforts, most of the exercises ended up being foreign internal defense missions.
SDVT-1 was led by Lieutenant Seth Dunn, who served as the task unit commander, and Li
eutenant Mark Hernandez, who acted as the platoon commander. Having been promoted to the rank of lieutenant in January, Michael Murphy now served as the assistant officer in charge (AOIC).
There is no substitute for combat experience for special operations forces. Although his platoon already had scheduled missions to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Dubai, and Jordan, Lieutenant Dunn attempted to get it pushed forward and deployed into both the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of operation. Dunn’s SEAL platoon had been conducting predeployment work-ups designed for both Iraq and Afghanistan for the past eighteen grueling months and were in prime operational condition. While not looking for war, all the men were anxious to put their months of intense training to the best possible use and wanted to get their guns in the fight.
After extended conversations with Captain Paul Pfeifer, the NSW commander in Bahrain, Lieutenant Dunn became aware that a new operations officer was needed for SEAL Team Seven in Iraq. Dunn immediately volunteered, hoping that from that position it would be easier to get his men assigned to SEAL Team Seven. His request for reassignment was granted. With Dunn now reassigned, Lieutenant Mark Hernandez assumed command. Lieutenant Michael Murphy remained the assistant officer in charge. Hernandez strongly lobbied Pfeifer into accepting the idea that by splitting his platoon into squads, the unit could “cover down” all of its assignments and still deploy into Iraq.
During the operational planning discussions between Hernandez and Murphy, Commander Kent Paro and Lieutenant Commander Erik Kristensen’s priority request for additional SEALs was received by Captain Pfeifer in Bahrain. At a quickly called meeting, Pfeifer informed Hernandez and Murphy that one-half of their platoon was to prepare for deployment to Afghanistan in seventy-two hours.
For a variety of operational reasons, Hernandez and Murphy decided that Senior Chief Petty Officer Dan Healy (referred to as Senior Chief), Petty Officer Second Class Shane Patton, Petty Officer Second Class James Suh, Petty Officer Second Class Matthew Axelson, and Petty Officer First Class Marcus Luttrell would deploy to Afghanistan, with Hernandez as the officer in charge (OIC). Murphy would deploy with the rest of the platoon and cover down on the JCETs. Twenty-four hours before departure, Pfeifer informed Hernandez that if he indeed wanted to show that his platoon could cover down all of the missions for which he had so strongly lobbied, the “senior officer in charge will have to prove that”—meaning that Hernandez would have to remain in Bahrain and deploy on the JCETs and Murphy would deploy to Afghanistan. As Murphy’s squad prepared to leave for Afghanistan, Hernandez’s squad prepared for deployment to Qatar, then the United Arab Emirates. It was agreed that after Hernandez returned from the UAE the two squads would “switch out,” thereby giving the entire platoon live combat experience.
With plans in place, the entire platoon pushed forward and deployed to Qatar. Here, they had a few hours to say their last good-byes, although the mood was upbeat. Knowing all were headed into combat, Senior Chief Healy insisted that each man “pack their stuff ” in case the worst happened, so the responsibility would not be left to their remaining teammates. With their “stuff packed,” Murphy’s squad left for Afghanistan and Hernandez’s squad readied for its missions.
April 26, 2005, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan
Lieutenant Murphy and his SEALs landed at Bagram Airfield, located high in the mountains of Parwan province, seven miles southeast of the city of Charikar and twenty-seven miles north of Kabul. They settled into their B-hut, a forty-foot-by-fifteen-foot semipermanent wooden eight-man structure at Camp Ouellette. After they dropped off their duffel bags, they headed over to the chow hall, then went back to their B-hut for several hours of needed sleep. Prior to their formal orientation briefing, there was an informal gathering of several of those getting ready to depart and Murphy and his five teammates. During this gathering, a very frank and open discussion ensued regarding the terrain and the local goat herders. Murphy and the other new arrivals were told, “Look, these goat herders are everywhere. This is their land and they know every inch of it. So when you’re out there and you come across them, or more likely, they come across you, don’t freak out or nothing, don’t be calling back for a QRF for an extraction. Just assess the situation and go on with the mission.”
General Orientation Briefing
The formal briefing was conducted in the Operations Area and included several members of SEAL Team Eight, including Commander Paro, Lieutenant Commander Kristensen, and Petty Officer Second Class Ben Sauers. Representing the new arrivals were Lieutenant Murphy, Senior Chief Healy, and Petty Officer First Class Luttrell. Murphy’s unit was assigned to SEAL Team Ten, under Kristensen’s command. Kristensen, the son of Rear Admiral Edward Kristensen (ret.), was well known within the SEAL community as a disciplined and highly competent leader. Due to the closeness of the SEAL community, the men were all familiar with each other, their reputations in the teams having preceded them. During the briefing, members of SEAL Team Eight described the terrain, the locals, and the obstacles to be managed. Because of the rugged terrain, many of the missions occurred in the mountains, which were populated with civilian goat herders. These goat herders were very quick covering the rugged terrain and were acutely aware of any changes in the landscape. Any broken twig or branch, overturned rock, bent grass, or new smell would attract their attention.
Due to the frequency of missions into the mountains, the large number of goat herders, and their keen knowledge of the terrain, it was not a question of whether a mission would be compromised; it was only a matter of when and how often. The new arrivals were also informed that most encounters with the local goat herders had been uneventful; despite the language barrier, a PowerBar or other food item usually resulted in them continuing on their way without any trouble. To date, there had been no violent incidents. Everyone looked at each other. No one had to say a word; each knew what the others were thinking.
They were also given the standard operating procedure (SOP) and rules of engagement (ROEs) for such compromises. If the compromise was by known anticoalition militia (ACM), they were to be neutralized. If the compromise was by civilians, they were to be turned loose and moved to a new location.
On the Move
Brought in to accomplish a list of specific tactical missions, Murphy’s unit was mission ready and within hours of their arrival and briefing were operational, conducting several snatch-and-grab missions and direct-action assignments. Snatch-and-grab missions were quick missions organized on short notice to secure Taliban and other terrorist leaders. Sauers accompanied Murphy on four such missions, and was pleased to have the opportunity to serve with Michael again. He later related, “I developed a tremendous amount of respect for Lieutenant Murphy when we were in BUD/S, jump school, SQT, and SDV training. My respect for him continued to grow during those four missions. He was a great SEAL leader, always concerned about taking care of his men. Like I said, I would follow him anywhere.”
All of the missions were to mountainous eastern Afghanistan near Khost and the Pakistan border, in the areas of Bagram Airfield and two forward operating bases (FOBs), Camp Salerno and Camp Chapman. Camps Salerno and Chapman were about four kilometers apart. On one mission, the men missed their intended target, but obtained actionable intelligence through the target’s father-in-law. Plans were made for the target’s apprehension or elimination.
Of the four missions that Sauers and Murphy were on together, Sauers related, “the officers took turns being in charge of the mission. Lieutenant Murphy had a lot of confidence in his men. On one mission, he knew that I had completed the basic Emergency Medical Technician course, so when we had a guy injured, he called me forward and told me to take care of the situation. Another time, we were on a mission and he knew that I had extensive training in land navigation and tracking, he again called me forward, had me look at some tracks, and asked for my assessment.” As the word got around, the enlisted men began to hold Lieutenant Murphy in very high esteem.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
When Character Met Circumstance: Operation Red Wings
But how does anyone—Green Beret, Navy SEAL, whatever—learn to be that brave? I can’t explain it. No one can. We are taught to understand, correctly, that courage is not the absence of fear, but the capacity for action despite our fears.
—CAPTAIN JOHN MCCAIN, USN (ret.), Why Courage Matters
With the frequency of missions, Michael found it difficult to communicate with his family. However, on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8, he was able to send an e-mail to his mother, including with it a picture of his team holding a cardboard sign that read, “Happy Mother’s Day.”
Consuming an increasing amount of his team’s time was Mullah Ahmad Shah, one of Osama bin Laden’s top lieutenants. He commanded the rebel group known as the Mountain Tigers, a militia force with an estimated strength of 40 to 150 men. Shah, who was fluent in five different languages, was constantly on the move, hiding among the civilian populations of the Pashtun villages in the Hindu Kush along the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan in Kunar province.
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