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Posted 02 January 2007 08:38 PM
Super story of soldiers outnumbered but due to great combat leadership and training were able to defeat a much larger force.
Army Times.
Staff Sgt. earns Silver Star for taking on enemy assault
By Matthew Cox
Staff writer
In the pre-dawn quiet of Oct. 29, several armed men approached an 82nd Airborne Division observation post near Lwara, Afghanistan.
A heavy firefight erupted.
“We just kind of started shooting at the same time,” said Staff Sgt. Patric L. Trattles, who was leading 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
Trattles and his men soon realized they were up against an organized force of about 60 enemy fighters.
“We were pinned down,” he said. “They had one platoon that was right on us, and the other platoon had a higher advantage over us. … It was surprising because they were actually doing flanking maneuvers and bounding.”
Trattles recently earned a Silver Star for his heroism that day, repelling the enemy and trying to save a wounded soldier.
Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, commander of the 82nd, presented the country’s third highest award for valor to Trattles at Fort Bragg, N.C., in a Dec. 15 ceremony.
Trattles’ reinforced squad was manning the observation post when it spotted the armed men approaching the company commander’s nearby position.
An award narrative described how “Trattles immediately moved to the area and threw two hand grenades at the assaulting enemy element. This action killed several anti-coalition militia personnel and contributed to effectively halting the initial assault.”
At one point, Trattles noticed the enemy attacking a weak point in the perimeter. He picked up an M240B machine gun and moved under fire to that position.
Trattles opened fire on several enemy fighters about 25 meters from his position.
“I reinforced the western side because they were coming under heavy fire with [rocket-propelled grenades] and machine-gun fire,” he said. He said he knew he’d hit some of them because he “heard people screaming.”
After about 40 minutes, the enemy force started an organized retreat, using sharpshooters to cover their withdrawal, Trattles said. That’s when a bullet struck Staff Sgt. Travis Nixon in the shoulder.
“He looked at me and he said, ‘I’m dying,’ and fell over,” Trattles said. “I saw he was gasping for air. I checked his airway, and he stopped breathing, so I immediately started CPR.”
Trattles said he and the unit medic worked on Nixon until the enemy fire lightened up enough so he could be evacuated.
The squad quickly packed up what they could and moved out.
“I grabbed him and threw him over my shoulders and started running down the mountain,” Trattles said. “I was thinking, ‘I have to get him down there as quick as possible.’”
Trattles carried Nixon to Humvees about 150 meters away. Nixon was airlifted out, but he died soon after arriving at the aid station, Trattles said. “It was just like he was just there joking around with me, and then he was gone,” Trattles said. “It was just a real shock.”
Trattles didn’t have much to say about his Silver Star.
“To me, I did everything I possibly could to get my guys back home safely — that’s what I think about it,” he said.
Super story of soldiers outnumbered but due to great combat leadership and training were able to defeat a much larger force.
Army Times.
Staff Sgt. earns Silver Star for taking on enemy assault
By Matthew Cox
Staff writer
In the pre-dawn quiet of Oct. 29, several armed men approached an 82nd Airborne Division observation post near Lwara, Afghanistan.
A heavy firefight erupted.
“We just kind of started shooting at the same time,” said Staff Sgt. Patric L. Trattles, who was leading 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
Trattles and his men soon realized they were up against an organized force of about 60 enemy fighters.
“We were pinned down,” he said. “They had one platoon that was right on us, and the other platoon had a higher advantage over us. … It was surprising because they were actually doing flanking maneuvers and bounding.”
Trattles recently earned a Silver Star for his heroism that day, repelling the enemy and trying to save a wounded soldier.
Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, commander of the 82nd, presented the country’s third highest award for valor to Trattles at Fort Bragg, N.C., in a Dec. 15 ceremony.
Trattles’ reinforced squad was manning the observation post when it spotted the armed men approaching the company commander’s nearby position.
An award narrative described how “Trattles immediately moved to the area and threw two hand grenades at the assaulting enemy element. This action killed several anti-coalition militia personnel and contributed to effectively halting the initial assault.”
At one point, Trattles noticed the enemy attacking a weak point in the perimeter. He picked up an M240B machine gun and moved under fire to that position.
Trattles opened fire on several enemy fighters about 25 meters from his position.
“I reinforced the western side because they were coming under heavy fire with [rocket-propelled grenades] and machine-gun fire,” he said. He said he knew he’d hit some of them because he “heard people screaming.”
After about 40 minutes, the enemy force started an organized retreat, using sharpshooters to cover their withdrawal, Trattles said. That’s when a bullet struck Staff Sgt. Travis Nixon in the shoulder.
“He looked at me and he said, ‘I’m dying,’ and fell over,” Trattles said. “I saw he was gasping for air. I checked his airway, and he stopped breathing, so I immediately started CPR.”
Trattles said he and the unit medic worked on Nixon until the enemy fire lightened up enough so he could be evacuated.
The squad quickly packed up what they could and moved out.
“I grabbed him and threw him over my shoulders and started running down the mountain,” Trattles said. “I was thinking, ‘I have to get him down there as quick as possible.’”
Trattles carried Nixon to Humvees about 150 meters away. Nixon was airlifted out, but he died soon after arriving at the aid station, Trattles said. “It was just like he was just there joking around with me, and then he was gone,” Trattles said. “It was just a real shock.”
Trattles didn’t have much to say about his Silver Star.
“To me, I did everything I possibly could to get my guys back home safely — that’s what I think about it,” he said.
