Mitch Nelson in the film about a team of Green Berets on a strategic mission in Afghanistan in the days immediately following 9/11. There was talk that the team might be split uprumors of differences with a commanding officer who didnt appreciate the traditional independence of the Green Berets. "If they got in trouble, there was very little I could do and nothing I could do quickly. He rolls in a John Wayne walk to Commander Lal, whos in charge of the standoff. The man is terribly thin and severely hypothermic. Dostums real success was in negotiating enemy commanders to lay down their arms and to join him. A typical meal at Dostums guesthouse. Robert Young Pelton, all rights reserved. As they began unloading their gear, they were met by Afghans in turbans, their faces wrapped. -Horse Soldiers book, The movie finds the soldiers being told that there is a good chance they won't survive the mission. What happened next was the first of many distortions and fictional retelling of their story. After a while we soon got along. A wife buried shoulders deep in her oven, scrubbing it out as if her life depends on it, as if it will make any sort of difference in whats coming (Angry cleaning, I call it.). There were roughly 200 paid Afghan soldiers under General Dostum's command and an undetermined number of part-time militia. Travel and accommodations were provided by Warner Bros. Pictures. As he leans into the Afghan wind, the light falls, and a moment in history fades. Were not about to stand up and watch whats going on. In the back, a doctor leans over a man with a smoke-blackened face, wild black hair, and an unkempt beard. . At first I thought, Why not let them rule? he says. After all, can Hollywood do this topic justice? Officials had been unaware that Dostum's army still used a horse cavalry. (Within a week, he will be named deputy minister of defense for the new interim government of Afghanistan.) More than 400 prisoners are said to have died; I count only about 50 bodies in the courtyard. Ten minutes later, another 40 riders galloped up. Both of the named Green Berets are commanding officers, John Mulholland and Max Bowers. Where you from? The man finally answers. The Turks, long staunch enemies of Islamic extremism, contributed a small sum as well, and, on April 22, 2001, General Dostum and 30 men were ferried into northern Afghanistan on Massouds aging Soviet helicopters. How the 'Horse Soldiers' helped liberate Afghanistan from the Taliban Every time the plane would circle, the Taliban would run behind their bunker. First arrival on the Observation Post. Dostum and his commanders wanted to negotiate, but the foreign Taliban shot and killed their peace envoys, which left Al-liance leaders with little choice. The Americans, up on the ridge, are using GPS units to finalize coordinates. We accepted a huge amount of risk." All I see is brown dirt and men on donkeys leading camels along the road. They are currently enjoying some well earned recognition now that the film 12 Strong has been released but again, the filmis not anywhere close to the truth. He also used to compete in collegiate rodeos. ", Yes. Headstrong and known to get into fights,was adept at the game of buzkashi, in which horsemen attempt to toss the headless carcass of a calf into a circle. And I believe it will mean a lot to the Afghan people because it shows their service in that conflict.. Back in 2002 and 2003 the film and book industry were not interested in books or movies about Afghanistan. When a local singer wrote a song about Dostum, the name stuck. That he is known to be a deft alliance makerand breaker. In exploring how accurate 12 Strong is, we learned that some members of the ODA 595 Special Forces team had been involved in a nighttime training exercise along the Cumberland River. I suggest to Bill that we remove Walker from the hospital, where he might be killed by other patients, many of whom were fighting against him at the fortress. We had hardened fighters holed up in the middle of an urban area who wanted to die, says Will. It was indeed as much of a surprise to the real team as it is in the movie. At 3:30 a.m., I go to bed. It was right at dark. However, the rugged Afghan terrain forced them to adopt the rudimentary practices of the Afghan horse soldiers. Rob Riggle, who portrays Lieutenant Colonel Max Bowers in the movie (the commander of the 3rd Battalion 5th Special Forces Group) served in Afghanistan as a Marine in 2001. Planning a one-day live-ammo training exercise can require six months of paperwork. Yes, Bob Pennington, portrayed by Michael Shannon in the movie, had a herniated disc and suffered from excruciating back pain during the mission. Twenty Urgan missiles point toward the village. The pilots, however, could not lock in on the laser-sighting device that the team was using to identify the target. I screened the war drama 12 Strong with a group of military spouse bloggers recently in Hollywood. A man who is said by some journalists to define violence and treachery. What '12 Strong' Tells Us about Afghanistan - The National Interest Mark Nutsch shares the true-life story of helping lead what is considered the most successful . It is rated R for violence and language throughout. I had first tried to meet the General in May of 1997. One Leadership Skill That Turned 12 'Horse Soldiers' Into An Elite The baby was born early while Mark was in Afghanistan. The Uzbeks and Hazara took to the mountains to escape the mechanized columns of the Taliban, Those among Dostums men who had remained in Afghanistan now became guerrilla fighters, moving on horseback holed up in the mountains under the command of his former number two La. Dostum chuckles and denies the allegation. One key point noted repeatedly (and military spouses already know this!) This is the back jacket of The Hunt for Bin Laden ghostwritten by the late Jack Idema and published as non fiction by Random House editor Bob Loomis. We fought for an idea, says Nuri. Theres one time Ill never forget, he says. "Very Good," replied Dostum. Afghans in a blue truck are scavenging for parts. When the television begins to blare, the men stare at the screen. As portrayed by actor Chris Hemsworth in the major motion picture, 12 Strong, Mark Nutsch (aka Mitch Nelson in the film) shares lessons learned in the now-declassified saga of a U.S. Special Forces team that overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to help achieve a historic military victory. A bizarre story called The Convoy of Death surfaced and painted Dostum and the team in a negative light. It never happened in real life, though Pennington says that he still suffers from back pain from riding the horse. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer, on the decision to make the movie: Remarkably enough, there have been very few films made about the Armys Special Forces. This is where the Taliban made their last stand. It feels even more odd when I discover that these are Green Beretssoldiers who truly specialize in the worlds hot spots. The idea that that Dostum would actually savethe day for an embattledAmerica is an irony that has not fully played out. On the morning of September 11, the team was returning to base after an all-night training exercise. But 9/11 changed all that. His lack of combat experience is pointed out in the movie. "We think they got it, they got the spirit of the Special Forces team in the post-9/11 moment in American history," said team leader Mark Nutsch, portrayed by Chris Hemsworth in the movie. show Dostum the chapter in Rashids book that includes the account of the gruesome execution of the thief. 21st Century Horse Soldiers - Special Operations Forces and Operation The bomb lands and hits and bam! When the council broke up, Dostum stood and motioned toward the horses. At the same moment he was trying to flee Mazar from the Taliban assault. With Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Pea, Navid Negahban. He waves the accomplishment aside with a shy smile even as he promises to introduce me to his new trophiesthe mullahs. Before the arrival of the Americans, Dostum fought mostly at night. Some American soldiers are billeted upstairs in the guest houses; men in camo pants run up and down the stairs. When war first came to Afghanistan, two decades ago, he built his first stronghold here to guard the village. It was the finest sight I ever saw. They spend every day training for war, teaching other armies about war, and waiting for the call to fight in the next war. Then the bombs are dropped, and I look through the scope and see body parts flying everywhere. Some cry out in pain, some are weeping, and others lie still, their faces frozen in deathly grimaces. The conflict we expected to be over in months inexplicably continues on. It was at K2 that their team received new orders, after which it was no longer a mission about personnel recovery. Later that week, Dostum casually mentions that 3,000 other foreign fighters from the surrender at Kunduz are in a Soviet-era prison in the city of Sheberghan, 80 miles west. Over chai (tea), he announces good news. As Bill checks for wounds, he talks to the young man briefly in Arabic. Same thing: We identity it and boom! The enemy was 700 meters out and moving quickly. real general dostum and mitch nelson Uncategorized September 20, 2021. They are direct military descendants of the Devils Brigade, a joint Canadian-American unit that fought in Italy during the Second World War. Bill finds a shrapnel wound in the emaciated mans right upper thigh and wounds from grenade shrapnel in his back; he also finds that part of the second toe on his left foot has been shot away. They were forced to spend the night on the river bank after dense fog made it impossible to navigate their Zodiac inflatable boats. "They didn't expect us to survive," Mark Nutsch said. Some stayed behind to handle logistics and supplies. What your name? Aside from the challenges of cultural differences and a sense of distrust on both sides, the Americans, with their state of the art technology and equipment, had to learn to navigate the treacherous mountains and desert landscape the same way the locals did: on horseback. Mitch Nelson, a U.S. Army captain with Green Berets Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 595, is moving into a new home with his wife and daughter on September 11, 2001, after receiving an assignment to staff duty under Lieutenant Colonel Bowers. Ironically, it was this sort of diplomatic triumphthe surrender at Kunduz just before my arrivaland not a battle that gave the Regulators their most bitter experience of the war. After four times or so, they didnt get bombed, so they just stayed there. If he wants to take over the whole country, do it. 12 Strong | On-set visit with Navid Negahban "General Dostum" Only two characters in 12 Strong . Although I spoke out on behalf of the team the media, didntpublish my eyewitness photos and testimony because it would go against a narrative thata Pashtun backed by a European-backed central government must rule Kabul, not a coalition of regional leaders.We did not want the Taliban voting themselves back into power, yet we restrained the grass roots power of the ethnic minorities. Support Dostum. The mission stopped being a secret on November 16, 2001, a mere two months after 9/11. As for why the names were changed, one article stated that the studio did not want to have to pay all of the real-life people for the rights to use their names. The U.S. refused to work with Dostum until former UN envoy Charlie Santos pointed out to the CIA that the only functioning fighting group besidesthe Panjshiris ofMassoud wereDostums Uzbeks. But the US Armed Forces were thin on the ground, and were potentially facing around 50,000 Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. In between conflict there was time to celebrate. When I look at the terrible conditions and the predicament that Walker is in, I have to ask him if this is what he expected. There are 86 al Qaeda fighter in the basement, including John Walker Lindh. I grab my cameras and ask Bill, a pensive Green Beret medic, to come with me. The Battle of Bescham wwas fought on 23 October 2001 at the Taliban-occupied village of Bescham during the Invasion of Afghanistan. A hundred yards away, villagers stand against a long compound. The real-life Special Forces officer he represents is Mark Nutsch, who asked that his name be fictionalized in the movie. He brings the mullahs along, to show them the havoc incited by their foreign volunteers. The Taliban had surrendered at Qali i Jangi to CIA officer JR and Dostum and surrenders were under way in Kunduz. The videotape cuts to the next morning. In the morning Villagers come out in the crisp, golden light of morning, shivering and tired. So I approach a war movie set in the days after 9/11 with a certain amount of skepticism. The team was under orders not to talk to journalists. I waited for it, that inevitable politicization of our troops presence in Afghanistan, but was happily surprised when it never came. "For all of our teams, the risk was extraordinary," Lt. Gen. John F. Mulholland said. Their subcommander has told us at least six times over the radio to get out of there. They chose not bullets or grenades but ordnance that ranged from Maverick missiles to laser-guided bombs. I am surprised, then, to see Dostum wrap his blue turban around his head and chin and stride into the village . That I am kind and gentle? Ive arranged through intermediaries to spend a month with the general, but for the past week, he has been a hundred miles east, trying to subdue Taliban forces that control the city of Kunduz. In an effort to trim Dostums control the CIA would insist that rival commander Ustad Atta Mohammed get his own Green Beret escort several weeks later as he raced Dostum to claim Mazar.
