 The
23rd and 24th of June 2006 would be a crucible of leadership and
heroism for an already battle-tested and decorated captain in the
U.S. Army's Special Forces. Captain Sheffield F. Ford III was in
charge of some 16 Americans and 46 Afghan Army soldiers during
"Operation Kaika" in the Panjawi District of Afghanistan's Kandahar
province.
In the bleak farmland, criss-crossed by ditches and barren
expanses, Ford led his unit to "re-establish order" in the contested
region, entering a Spartan Afghan village on the 23rd. The
dilapidated buildings and mud huts were hiding a Taliban force of
unknown strength with one thought on their minds: killing Americans
and the Afghan soldiers working to take back their country. In their
hastily prepared patrol base, Ford organized a perimeter as night
enveloped the isolated Special Forces team and their Afghan allies.
As darkness fell, "all hell [broke] loose." From three
directions, rifle, machine gun, and rocket-propelled grenade fire
landed and exploded on their position. One of Ford's squad mates
later said they had "not seen this disciplined execution of infantry
tactics" by the Taliban. Ford dug his men in to repel the assault.
Moving from position to position, he alternated between barking
orders, firing at the enemy, and rallying the Afghan soldiers with
him. As the night crept on, the remaining Taliban fighters withdrew
and Ford took stock of the situation.
Early the next day, he
ordered some of his Special Forces operators to lead a team of
Afghans into the suspected Taliban hideout. As the unit engaged the
hostiles, it was divided in two when some 200 Taliban fighters
poured out, separating the American attackers and surrounding the
make-shift patrol base.
Over the radio, Ford was connected
with one of the translators who had been leading the mission on the
Taliban position. The translator saw two Americans were fighting
despite being severely wounded and feared capture at any minute.
Knowing the ramifications of being taken alive by the Taliban, the
translator told Ford he would, if ordered, end the suffering of the
troops and his own life rather than be captured. Ford responded,
"We've got people coming." Ford organized and launched an effective
rescue to recover the translator and wounded troops, even if they
were mortally wounded. He would not allow American or Afghan alike
to be taken in any condition by the Taliban.
The adversaries
fought so close to one another that the terrorists screamed to the
Afghan soldiers that, "we can forgive you; just put your weapons
down and walk away. We want the Americans alive." The months of
training and the ties formed between the Americans and the Afghans
were put to the test. Seeing the example of Ford running to each of
the beleaguered fighters in the face of constant fire, and
remembering all they had endured alongside their American trainers,
the Afghan soldiers responded to the Taliban's offer with well-aimed
shots and an unbreakable defense.
Exemplifying the U.S.
Special Forces motto, De Opresso Liber (to liberate the oppressed),
Ford inspired his Afghan troops to stand up to the Taliban fighters
and bring them down. He led an evacuation of all the men under his
command, wounded included, out of the village under the cover of
Apache attack choppers to ensure all would be safe, while sealing
the fate of the insurgents. Ford successfully extricated his men,
and the unit had more than 120 confirmed kills. Just as the
Americans and Afghans had trained together, they sacrificed
together; two American and three Afghan soldiers would not leave the
battlefield alive. For his accomplishments in the face of such an
overpowering force, Ford was awarded the Silver Star, the nation's
third highest military award. |
