What made working with him particularly dangerous was that he was known for switching sides during several conflicts with Afghanistan. Mitch Nelson, a character based on Nutsch. We fought with nothing but hope.. Theres one time Ill never forget, he says. Even the CIA was reticent to land paramilitaries and officers to set up the conditions for an Special Forces ODA to be inserted. At 3:30 a.m., I go to bed. The Regulators were joined by at least three CIA officers kitted in full combat gear, including a 32-year-old ex-Marine named Mike Spann. Same thing: We identity it and boom! Is 12 Strong a Real Story? Ending Explained, and More "We knew nothing about these guys," retired Lt. Gen. John F. Mulholland said. Dostum points to the fresh dirt of new graves in the cemetery. They also need blankets.". The mission was also chronicled in Doug Stanton's 2009 book, Horse Soldiers, on which the movie is based. The conflict began with several hundred Taliban troops moving into positions on an adjacent hill. We were ready to throw down the mattress and settle in for the night when one of the security guards came up with a radio and said that Dostum needed someone to go up to the front to call in aircraft. Robert Young Pelton, all rights reserved. I convince the staff to move him to an upstairs bed, where Bill inserts an IV of Hespan into the mans dehydrated body to increase blood circulation. 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. They send off steam in the cold night, their brown skin white with dust. After four days of bombardment, the interior of the fort is a scene of utter devastation. Dostum is actually a nickname thatmeans my friend was born Abdul Rashid in 1954 in the desolate village of Khvajeh Do Kuh, about 90 miles west of Mazar. This article on ODA 595, General Dostum, John Walker Lindh and the battle at Qali-i-Jangi was originally published in the March 2002 edition of National Geographic Adventure, THE LEGEND OF HEAVYAND THE BOYS By Robert Young Pelton. When the two aircraft were on location, the Green Berets radioed Alliance commanders to evacuate civilians from the area. The Regulators have served in the gulf war, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and in other places they cant talk about. 12 Strong: The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers Our mission was simple, another soldier says. "They were very mature, very family-orientated," Bob Pennington said. During the press conference with filmmakers and cast members after the movie screening, all expressed their pride in relaying the story of true-life heroes that had been classified until recently. I had first tried to meet the General in May of 1997. With the help of his troops and Muslim counterparts in Afghanistan, he not only captured the strategic city of Mazar-i-Sharif, but also topple the Taliban. That he is known to be a deft alliance makerand breaker. Real Life Special Forces Heroes Helped Keep 12 Strong True To Life The Horse Soldiers monument in New York City is not based on any one person. The heavy shooting, the worried soldiers, the rapid radio chatterall signal that something ugly is going on over there. Bill and the team were wearing armor decorated with my logo when he died. In the 1980s, as a young army officer in the Soviet-backed government, he fought against the mujahidin. Mitch Nelson, a U.S. Army captain with Green Berets Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 595, . The CIA had begun to work with Massouds people in October of 1999 hoping to pay him to kill Osama bin Laden. They told us, If Dostum wants to go to Kabul, you are going with him. They said, You guys will be on the ground; you figure it out. , Within half an hour of meeting Dostum at the mud-walled compound in the Darra-e Suf, the Regulators swung into action. Their captors brought them here en route to the Sheberghan prison. The money was hardly enough for feeding my horses, Dostum says. Military historians have called it one of the most successful unconventional warfare campaigns in U.S. history. Mullah Faizal and Mullah Nuri refuse: They claim they dont know these people. I could see the horses blasting out the other side. A hundred yards away, villagers stand against a long compound. Mitch Nelson (Aussie Chris Hemsworth, aka Thor) is the highly trained but not combat-tested leader of the small team dubbed Task Force Dagger and sent by Col. Mulholland (William. Despite the movie accurately capturing the soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan, the real-life heroes have said that the movie does take artistic liberties, adding drama and portraying certain events out of order.

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