NEILS ROBERTS-REMEMBERING AMERICA'S UNDYING HEROES

America's long history of policing the world, although yielding some pretty good results, has often been criticized and seen as a pain in the ass of US tax payers. Since the declaration of Operation Enduring Freedom in October, 2001 by the then US President George W. Bush shortly after the gory 9/11 terrorist attack during which an estimated 3200 lost their lives, research has shown that an average American taxpayer has spent $23,386 on post-9/11 wars. By the end of the fiscal year 2018, the overall U.S. spending on wars in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan could reach $5.6 trillion (Click here for the complete report based at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs). Well, while this sum may be exceptionally outrageous, the human capital involved is far more than that. A 2015 iCasualties report showed that not less than 2309 American military servicemen have lost their lives in Afghanistan since the post 9/11 era, excluding the over 3000 casualties from coalition forces.
One such person was Neil Roberts.

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I'm 100% certain that less than 1% of Steemians have heard this name before, especially if you are non American. This historical overview should hopefully give us a fair head start.

Neil Roberts was born on August 16, 1969 in Woodland, California into a family of 12 children, one of whom was his twin, Galen. Upon graduation from High School, Roberts enlisted in the US Navy on September 14, 1987. Upon completing Basic Training at NTC Orlando, Florida, he went on to Aviation Electrician’s Mate training at NATTC Millington, Tennessee. He got his start during the Gulf War serving as an EP-3 Aries I Aviation Technician in Guam as a part of VQ-1, Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron One, from 1988 to 1992. During that period of time he deployed twice, first in support of Operation Desert Shield in Iraq (1990 - 1991) and then as part of Desert Storm (1991). Before he was done with his years in Guam, he announced his intent to become a Navy SEAL.

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For people with a basic knowledge of military training, the US SEALs is the world's most elite special operations group. Training for SEALs enlistment is usually over rigorous. Apart from the basic Physical Screening Test (PST) with such superhuman training exercises like 42 push ups in 2 minutes etc, there is more. There is theJump school, and of course, the back bending Seal Qualification Training (SQT), the 'hell week' (Click here for a complete overview of US SEALs training program). Thus, men who pass through all of that are really special breds. Well, Neil Roberts was one of such men, graduating in October 1992 Class 184.

Robert's first assignment was with the SEAL Team Two at NAB Little Creek, Virginia where he served for six yearsyears beginning from November, 1992. But if this is all that Neil Roberts was known for, then I'd say it was less than stellar. But there's more. Just read along.

In June 1998, Roberts was assigned to DEVGRU (Naval Special Warfare Development Group, also known as SEAL Team 6), where he would fight the final battle that brought him to limelight - The Battle of Takur Ghar, also known as the Battle of Roberts Ridge.

The Battle of Takur Ghar was a short but intense military engagement between United States special operations forces and al Qaeda insurgents fought in March 2002, atop Takur Ghar mountain in Afghanistan. For the U.S. side, the battle proved the deadliest entanglement of Operation Anaconda, an effort early in the war in Afghanistan to rout al Qaeda forces from the Shahi-Kot Valley and Arma Mountains" (Wikipedia).

During the late hours of March 2, 2002, a pair of SEAL teams (identified as MAKO 30 and MAKO 21 respectively) were billed to arrive in Gardez, the capital of the Paktia Province of Afghanistan, for covert insertion into the Shahi-Kot Valley under the cover of darkness. Geographers tell us that the Shahi-Kot Valley has a mean altitude of 9,000 ft with a horribly dreaded terrain. The Shahi-Kot Valley was the theater of war in Operation Anaconda, an op which was the much larger event surrounding the Battle of Roberts Ridge. Team MAKO 30 was charged with the task of setting an observation point at the mountain peak over the valley. This observation point was very critical to the success of the overall military operations. However, certain technical difficulties delayed them. Hoping to reach the peak as quickly as possible with the advantage of darkness, MAKO 30 and MAKO 21 were picked up by Night Stalkers (160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment) via MH-47 Chinook helicopters at 2303 hours, March 03. The The Night Stalkers’ helos were known as Razor 03 and Razor 04, and Navy SEAL Neil Roberts boarded Razor 03.

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However, Razor 03 experienced engine difficulties, and two new MH-47s were dispatched to replace the original helicopters. This delay meant that the SEALs could not be inserted into the landing zone east of the peak until 0230 hours on March 4, with not enough time to reach the peak before daylight. It was now the early morning hours of March 04, 2002, and the SEALs, aboard Razor 03 and Razor 04, approached the Shahi-Kot Valley. Although this valley was a stronghold for guerrillas, and an untold number of al-Qaeda members were scattered throughout the peaks, this obvious danger was not enough to deter the SEAL Teams as the AC-130 gunship went ahead to do reconnaissance. The gunship reported no evidence of insurgent activity, but was called away before the helos full of SEALs reached the LZ. There was already a need for air support in the area, and the gunship had no choice but to move on.
Razor 03 began its descent by 0245 hours and was immediately fired upon by machine gun and RPGs, an RPG struck just behind the cockpit, starting a fire in the cabinberts. Roberts was the SAW gunner, was positioned to the rear of the helo both for a quick insertion and to act as rear gunner as needed.
Before anyone could react to the offensive, a second RPG punched into the right-side radar pod. Now the helo was without electrical power, and that meant the mini guns couldn’t be fired. More so, the first RPG had taken out the navigation system and radio, leaving the pilot with no other choice than fly blind, a feat only the very best could pull off. As if that was not enough, a third RPG followed, destroying the helo with shrapnel as it detonated just ahead of them, and a fourth tore into the tail’s right-side turbine. This was immediately followed by a spray of bullets from all directions.
Owing to the harsh jerks and near overturn of Razor 03, inevitable as it was, the helo lost a man. That man was Neil Roberts, the SAW gunner, who came tumbling down the mountainous plains. There are varied accounts of what took place right after he fell off the help. Suffice it to say that he was armed when he fell, implying that Roberts was at least ready to fight, the extensive injuries on his body notwithstanding.

And so for what seems to be like an hour or thereabout, he fought gallantly. But trust the US SEALs with a very important battlefield rule: Leave no man behind. The men still in the helo – which crash-landed a click away – saw a large group of insurgents forming a wide circle around the fallen man, and the muzzle flashes from Roberts’ rifle were immediately visible. He burned through his primary and secondary ammo, emptying his SAW and using his grenades, and on he battled. In the book ROBERTS RIDGE (2005), Hagenbeck recalls that on a live feed from Predator drone, Roberts was hotly chased by al Qaeda militiamen and later his body was dragged off the spot. In the book, NOT A GOOD DAY TO DIE (2005), Naylor reports that

"[al Qaeda] fighters were seen wearing Robert's military gears and a helmet with a bullet hole in it, [from which] it was clear the last person [Roberts] to wear it had been shot in the head" - perhaps at very close range.

Other accounts say he 'low-crawled to a machine gun emplacement, storming it and taking out the insurgents inside, and lasting for well over an hour'. Whatever the case, we can say in all fairness that Roberts fought valiantly. Roberts demonstrated such rare courage that very few mortals can muster in the face of such intensed danger as facing a barricade of death smelling, blood thirsty al Qaeda fighters.

Only when he was finally down to his sidearm, only then did the remaining insurgents dare come closer.

And there are several such brave men not only in the US Army, but all over the world. Wherever we go, we must not forget that through their personal sacrifices, America and the rest of the world have another day of peace and freedom.

Image credit: York Daily Records

"I loved being a SEAL. If I died doing something for the Teams, then I died doing what made me happy. Very few people have the luxury of that." (Neils Roberts, in a letter he wrote for his wife in the event of his death. See here for the full letter.

May his gallant soul rest in peace

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Tell us about family, friends or loved ones that laid down their lives on the battlefield.

REFERENCES
Macpherson, Malcolm. Roberts Ridge Bantam Dell (New York), 2005
Naylor, Sean. Not a Good Day to Die Penguin Group (New York), 2005