Figure 47. K2 cantonment area.
Throughout Camp Freedom, the 528th SOSB’s junior leaders took charge of unspecified tasks and, with little or no guidance, restored a semblance of order to the chaos. As cargo was dumped on the flight line, SSG Celeste Holmes (pseudonym) directed her crew to separate everything into the appropriate logistics classes, from class I to class IX. These soldiers were used to taking the initiative, thinking on their feet, and taking responsibility for their actions. The sergeants decided what was needed, and their decisions enabled the unit to operate independently in theater for two weeks without resupply. They understood the importance of their mission to the national effort to combat terrorism worldwide. Although the 528th SOSB’s mission was to support the Army special operations units, its “can do” attitude and reputation for never turning away soldiers who needed support spread rapidly. Instructed by their company commander to provide as much support as possible, the supply section had a daunting task. Some Air Force elements arrived at K2 without basic subsistence gear like sleeping bags and cold-weather clothing. They had assumed that these items would be issued “in country.” The JSOTF-North and JSOAC staffs quickly demolished the office supplies. SSG Holmes said, “We wouldn’t turn away a shooter at the warehouse,” except for toilet paper, which became a treasured commodity as the camp population rapidly grew. The true measure of mission accomplishment was this comment by SSG Timothy Matthews (pseudonym), 3rd Battalion, 4th POG: “The 528th is a class act.”
The Universal Morale Booster at K2—Hot Food
SSG Mark Parsons (pseudonym), a 528th SOSB food service specialist, had been on joint exercises and was familiar with what the Air Force brought. Parsons found his dining facility equipment among the scattered pallets and set to work. Unforeseen problems were the fuel-contaminated soil, trash dumps everywhere, abandoned Soviet equipment relics, and snakes. The emergence of a cobra from a temporary latrine area got everyone’s attention. Still, SSG Parsons had a mess hall operating in one week instead of the anticipated three weeks. Hot “real” food boosted camp morale 100 percent. That single meal per day was the highlight of some very long days as well as a welcome relief from the constant diet of meals, ready to eat (MREs).
A combat soldier’s most valuable tools are his weapon and his ammunition. The 528th SOSB’s soldiers quickly learned that their most valuable items were the lumber and forklift that had accompanied them from Fort Bragg. The foresight of carrying plywood, 2-x-4 lumber, and other construction material paid big dividends for A Company. These building materials were quickly turned into tent floors and walls to enclose latrines. The forklift moved pallets of equipment that arrived daily on U.S. Air Force aircraft, the sea/land containers that became a warehouse, and mountains of abandoned Soviet equipment and trash to clear space to accommodate the growing numbers of SOF personnel at Camp Freedom. The forklift operator became one of the most sought-after soldiers on the encampment by anyone who needed something moved.
Special Forces: CSAR Personnel Recovery and UW Preparation
MAJ Steven Broderick (pseudonym), commander, B Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th SFG, arrived during the night of 7 October with ODB 580. Master Sergeant (MSG) Bowdler (pseudonym) from the 5th SFG advance party met the 18 Special Forces soldiers, got them through customs, and got the group bunked down for the night in a few medium-size general purpose tents. Their main tasks were to establish an isolation facility (ISOFAC) for the ODAs preparing for future combat missions and to provide force protection at K2 and in the local area. Restrictions imposed by the Uzbeks made any force protection measures outside K2 Air Base impossible. The Special Forces soldiers spent several days erecting 18 tents; setting up cots, tables, and chairs; and installing fuel oil heaters to create an ISOFAC. Long working hours became the norm as more and more ODAs kept arriving at K2. Although Broderick’s ODB had never set up or operated an ISOFAC, the NCOs applied their experience and SOPs to provide a working operation in record time. SFC Kevin Anderson (pseudonym) coordinated the use of local marksmanship ranges with the Uzbek military to assist the ODAs in isolation. COL Kisner’s JSOTF staff was concentrated on the CSAR mission of the air campaign. Getting the ISOFAC ready to accommodate the additional ODAs involved in the UW campaign was a subsequent Army Special Forces mission, and MAJ Broderick’s ODB 580 was expected to “carry that ball” alone.
Broderick and his ODB 580 isolated the first 11 Special Forces teams (ODAs) going into Afghanistan. Missions and insertion times differed between ODAs, and there were constant adjustments based on contact with Northern Alliance combat leaders, weather, and intelligence factors. MAJ Broderick and his operations sergeant, Sergeant Major (SGM) Manuel Victoro (pseudonym), kept the teams attuned to the constant mission changes by attending briefings in the JSOTF and JSOAC. They restricted access to the ISOFAC to reduce rumors and divert uncoordinated conflicting information from the teams. Broderick discovered COL Mulholland’s key concerns during the JSOTF commander’s premission back briefs for each ODA. Sharing these insights with the ODA commanders reduced mission assignment turbulence that accompanied unsatisfactory premission briefs to the commander and focused planning better.
Real Estate and Security at K2
As more personnel arrived daily and tried to get established, conflicting priorities caused considerable friction between services and units. The responsibility for real estate management changed hands several times in the first week, eventually settling on the JSOTF-North logistics officer (J4), U.S. Air Force LTC Richard Shaw (pseudonym). Despite demands for more space and prime locations, General Kasymov had set limits—end of Uzbek discussion. Air Force COL Richard Parker, a civil engineer, stepped forward to address base design and the necessary infrastructure to support 3,500 troops.
Base security was solved when the 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry, 10th Mountain Division, landed. The infantrymen quickly built checkpoints and fighting positions using the earth berm that encircled the camp. A few weeks afterward, the Uzbeks agreed to expand the security zone, and a second berm was built to provide more force protection.
Task Force Dagger = JSOTF-North at K2
Command relationships were initially “sketchy” until the 5th SFG headquarters and main body arrived on 10 October. The confusion about JSOTF command was cleared up. The relationships were clarified, and the Army and Air Force staffs were united as a JSOTF-North team when COL Kisner, at the initial joint staff meeting, turned to COL Mulholland and said, “Boss, what are your orders?” Thus, in this most professional and gentlemanly manner, Mulholland assumed command, and Kisner became his deputy. JSOTF-North became Task Force (TF) Dagger, and with Kisner’s concurrence, the K2 base was renamed “Stronghold Freedom,” the initials “S” and “F” connecting it to Special Forces. With command and control established, Army LTC Warren Richards, SOCJFCOM, shifted his focus from base security and force protection to making the operations staff more effective. This prompted collocation of the JSOTF and JSOAC command centers into a long series of interconnected