The Little Flag:
In June of 2011, while serving at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Lion, in the Panjshir Valley of northeastern Afghanistan, I was talking with the Sergeant Major. He was holding a small American flag, similar to one of those sports novelty decorations that hang from a plastic rod and clip onto a vehicle window. As part of a hearts and minds campaign, the army was instructed to circulate these flags with other trinkets around the villages. After the chat, the Sergeant Major handed me the flag; it was the last one, and as it had no apparent value, I nailed it to a post outside the security office and thought nothing more of it; the little flag hung there for five months in all weathers! As we moved from the grueling Afghan summer to the chilly rains of early October, the small flag continued to flutter, overlooking the main Entry Control Point (ECP).
At 04:44 hours on Saturday, October 15, 2011, five suicide bombers representing the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan attacked FOB Lion. The insurgent’s primary targets, the main gate, and the guard towers were quickly rendered combat ineffective immediately upon the detonation of a massive vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), and prolonged rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) salvos. The time of detonation was recorded as 04:44 hours and 20 seconds; the clock on the outside wall of the security office, adjacent to the little flag, took the direct force of the initial explosion and stopped. There ensued a firefight, which lasted for approximately 18 minutes. The gate was secured at roughly 05:02 hours and held until attack helicopters arrived from Bagram AFB; A total of five enemy dead were accounted for—with no U.S. casualties.
After the attack, I distinctly remember seeing that little flag still hanging on the guardroom wall, adjacent to the ECP. It had withstood the blast of a massive VBIED and witnessed an 18-minute firefight that unfolded around it. It hung there, slightly dirty, fluttering in the early morning sun. I took it down, brought it home, and framed it. It now has personal value as a reminder of just how lucky we were. It takes pride of place as a centerpiece on my home office wall.
The Little Flag, photographed on September 11, 2011, secured to a post outside the security offices, FOB Lion, Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan.
The clock from the guard room wall, which stopped precisely at the time of detonation - 04:44:20.
The base of tower one, which was adjacent to the front gate, showing shrapnel and strike marks from small arms fire, fired into the FOB from the insurgents. Tracer ammunition and other projectiles were ricocheting from this section of concrete into the FOB. Several buildings and vehicles were hit from ammunition ricocheting from this section of the tower.
The tail-fin of an unexploded Soviet RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade, embedded in the defenses in front of the security office; the RPG-7 is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled launcher.
Daylight reveals the carnage at the front gate. Vehicle parts, unexploded anti-tank mines, and artillery shells (all part of the explosive compound) lay strewn over the area; the remains of the gate shows the damage sustained during the explosion. The large holes were caused by flying vehicle parts.
A dusty arrival—additional troops arrive from Bagram Air Base to help secure the area and boost the personnel at FOB Lion. The helicopter-landing zone was moved to a farmer’s field next to the FOB.
The Little Flag today proudly takes center place on my home office wall, still soiled and weathered from the extreme Afghan climate. I had to place it on the carpet to photograph it with my phone—to eliminate the window reflection—trying to capture the Afghan grime.