Eight years after 9/11, Osama bin Laden remains free, and soldiers from New York's Tenth Mountain Division are still in the perilous mountains of Afghanistan, the front line in the war on terror.
Never mind that some were not yet in their teens when terrorists took down the World Trade Center or that public support for the war in Afghanistan is waning. The soldiers from the Fort Drum-based command, high in the mountains and far from home, are putting their lives on the line every day. "They feel probably more of an obligation because of the things that happened in their backyard," said Division Command Sergeant Major James Redmore. "They felt it was an honor to do this." The remote region is "the most dangerous place in the world," President Obama recently said.
The Tenth Mountain Division joined the fight from the beginning. They were the first regular Army unit sent to Afghanistan after the 9/11 attack, dispatched while the rubble still burned at Ground Zero. Since then, the division has lost 79 soldiers, including 24 this year, the deadliest for U.S. troops since the war began in 2001.
Redmore said his soldiers are dedicated to bringing justice to the 2,752 people killed on 11 September. "I'm sure they took it a little more personal than maybe some of the other divisions that went over there because of the pride that they had in their state," Redmore said.
On the eve of the eighth 9/11 anniversary, nearly 3,000 soldiers from the Tenth Mountain Division's Third Brigade Combat team continue fighting around the clock. Lee Ielpi, a retired New York City firefighter who lost his son Jonathan in the attack, wants them to succeed. "I wanted justice on the 12th of September and I want justice eight years later," Ielpi said. "We have made progress in capturing a number of the top officials. But my concern is, where is Osama bin Laden, and why is it so difficult to find him?"
In March, Obama reiterated his commitment to hunting down bin Laden, and vowed to take the fight to the terrorist hideouts in neighboring Pakistan. "They have used this mountainous terrain as a safe haven to hide, train terrorists, communicate with followers, plot attacks, and send fighters to support the insurgency in Afghanistan," the President said. The al-Qaeda leaders hidden there "almost certainly includes... Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri."
The Tenth Mountain Division's Third Brigade Combat team is fighting near the Pakistani border in some of the most treacherous terrain in the country, hoping to find bin Laden and his henchmen. They also must protect the Afghan people and build a nation that can one day govern itself. Yet a majority of Americans question the wisdom of that plan. A recent CNN poll showed 57% of Americans oppose the war in Afghanistan, and 40% view it as unwinnable.
"We've learned that if you don't stabilize the government and build up the army, at the end of the day to deny al-Qaeda sanctuary is not enough," said terror expert Peter Bergen. "You have to do something larger." And Pakistan is part of that equation, he said. "It doesn't really matter what we do in Afghanistan as long as the Taliban and al-Qaeda continue to be headquartered there," he said.
General Stanley McChrystal, the top military commander in Afghanistan, recently submitted his review of the war to top Pentagon officials. He is widely expected to ask for more troops to bolster the 68,000 that are slated to be in Afghanistan by the end of the year. Whether that is politically possible remains to be seen amid signs that Congress is questioning another troop buildup. Until then, the Tenth Mountain Division will stay in the fight.
"It is a tough fight, there is no doubt about it," Redmore said. "I'll also tell you that it is winnable. If we can show them that we can provide a better quality of life, we will win the day."
10 September 2009
If anyone should get bin Laden, they should
Stephanie Gaskell has an article in the New York Daily News about New Yorkers out hunting:
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