The Untold Story of US Marines’ Courageous Fight to Save Camp Bastion
Three days after the September 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, another attack occurred on a massive forward operating base calledCamp Bastion in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, home to U.S. and U.K. expeditionary forces. The Taliban, in an uncharacteristic move, planned to attack U.S. Marines in their own work and living spaces on an unusually dark night on September 14, 2012.
Why didn’t we hear about this? Bastion was touted to be “impregnable” by the British, who built the base, but U.S. Marines and British soldiers would find out otherwise when the Taliban launched a surprise attack, alerting Marines scattered all over the airfield with ground-shaking explosions and gunfire. Sadly, blame for the deadly incursion was pinned on two American generals by other U.S. and British top military who turned their backs, rather than giving recognition to 3rd MAW aviation Marines who picked up rifles and fought valiantly.
Award-winning military journalist, Jeanne McKinney, paints a vivid picture of this gripping saga.
On October 14, 2010, Ronin 3 platoon got the lethal taste of war – ambushed by Taliban fire while on their first patrol in Sangin, Afghanistan. It was the marker of what every day would be like for the next eight months, living amongst the enemy surrounded by a complex maze of IEDs and murder holes in hundreds of hiding places. Tom Berenger narrates their stories from Sangin’s battlegrounds that one Ronin 3 Team leader calls a “Death Trap.” Ronin 3 was sent to restore security in a region the Taliban owned with violence.
We’ve never known until now, the hell 3rd Battalion 5th Marines Darkhorse charged into, courage under fire, with every fiber of their being on alert. Determined that each day wasn’t theirs or their buddy’s day to die. It’s time to hear it from them as it went down, to celebrate their achievements, honor their Fallen, and thank them for keeping America safe from terror.
Danger, duty, honor, and brotherhood is reflected in Music by Alan Williams, performed by “The President’s Own” Marine Band. Combat art by Anhar Hawari.
Ronin 3: The Battle for Sangin 3-part limited series coming soon.
