The Leader's Code: Mission, Character, Service, and Getting the Job Done

The Leader's Code: Mission, Character, Service, and Getting the Job Done
Donovan Campbell (Author)

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Leadership

What does it take to be a great leader? In a word: character. This unique book by decorated U.S. Marine Corps veteran Donovan Campbell, the New York Times bestselling author of Joker One, draws on his years of training and combat experience to reveal the specific virtues that underpin effective leadership—and how anyone can stand up, serve others, and make a difference in the world by bringing out the best in a team.
 
The Leader’s Code is a practical action plan that can be applied to any situation in which exemplary leadership is required, whether that be at home or in the workplace. Moreover, The Leader’s Code unpacks the military servant-leader model—a leader must take care of his mission first, his team second, and himself a distant third—and explains why this concept of self-sacrifice is so needed in today’s world. Focusing on the development of character as the foundation of servant-leadership, Campbell identifies character’s six key attributes: humility, excellence, kindness, discipline, courage, and wisdom. Then, drawing on lessons from his time in the Corps and stories from history, Scripture, and American business, he shows us how to develop those virtues in order to take the helm with confidence, conviction, and a passion to bring out the best in others.
 
Being a leader is about being worthy of being followed. True leaders, Campbell argues, foster compassion for others and they pursue excellence in all that they do. They are humble and know how to self-correct. Campbell’s exploration of these vital qualities is wide-ranging, as he takes us from the boardrooms of the world’s most successful companies to the Infantry Officer Course, the intense twelve-week training gauntlet that Marines use to prepare their leaders to sacrifice themselves for the welfare of others.
 
With faith in our political and business leaders at an all-time low, America is in the midst of a crisis of trust. Yet public opinion polls show that there is one institution that still commands widespread respect because of its commitment to character and sacrifice: the United States military. The Leader’s Code shows that this same servant-leader model can help us all become our best selves—and provide a way forward for our nation.

Advance praise for The Leader’s Code
 
“A refreshing model for leadership, offering convincing principles and motivating examples that are sure to make a difference in a leader’s personal and professional life. I can’t remember a leadership book that has had more influence on my thinking.”—Steve Reinemund, dean of business, Wake Forest University, and retired chairman and CEO, PepsiCo
 
“Donovan Campbell has written a superb, thoughtful, all-encompassing examination of leadership and leaders. His key lessons, easily understood and well articulated, are applicable at home, within the community, and to professionals in all walks of life. The Leader’s Code is an important book for anyone concerned about today’s leadership crisis in our country and in our communities.”—General Mike Hagee, USMC (Ret.), 33rd Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps
 
“Donovan Campbell nails it as he speaks to our country’s need for leadership at every level: at home, in the marketplace, in education, in government, and in the military. The Leader’s Code is a clear call to be focused on the right mission, in the right way, and at the right time. This is a thoughtful book that will keep you awake at night and challenge you to dream in the daytime!”—Dennis Rainey, president and CEO, FamilyLife

• Rank: #337608 in Books
• Published on: 2013-04-09
• Released on: 2013-04-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 1.25 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Description #1 by Etsy - theagoge:

NOTE: These are handmade bracelets which are custom made to size when ordered. Please do not forget to email a wrist size, either at checkout or by email since this may cause a delay in shipping. These bracelets may take up to 7-10 days to ship depending on the amount of orders. I do try to get them out within 48 hours. Please contact me if you have any extenuating circumstances which may require the items to get out to you quicker such as ceremonies or funerals, etc. I will do my best to accommodate. You are purchasing a handmade 550 Paracord Survival Bracelet. These are US AIR FORCE PJ Para Rescue/Para Jumper support Bracelets in memory of Senior Airman Jason Cunningham. Cunningham was assigned to the 38th Rescue Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Ga; killed during a rescue mission during Operation Anaconda on March 4, 2002, in Afghanistan. Surrounded by death, a young pararescueman chose to save lives and lost his We are trying to raise money for our nonprofit foundation. The Benjamin Foundation advocates for father's rights in Washington State, and works in domestic violence victim advocacy for women, children and minorities. All proceeds go towards pursuing our efforts to reunite fathers with their children and help families stay amicable following a divorce or separation. This is a Black and Gray bracelet. The standard design is just under 9 inches. Standard bracelets use about 10 feet of paracord. [This item can be custom sized to order. Most wrists sizes vary between 7.5 inches and 9 inches. This item can be made smaller or larger.] Please note your preference at time of checkout. Air Force Senior Airman Jason D. Cunningham Died March 4, 2002 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom ________________________________________ 26, of Camarillo, Calif.; assigned to the 38th Rescue Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Ga; killed during a rescue mission during Operation Anaconda on March 4, 2002, in Afghanistan. * * * * * Surrounded by death, a young pararescueman chose to save lives and lost his By Sean D. Naylor Staff writer BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan They call it the Battle of Roberts Ridge. The 15-hour firefight cost more American lives seven than any other engagement to date in the war against terrorism. It was named after the first American to die amid the snowy, 10000-foot mountains of eastern Afghanistan. But so many troops performed with such extraordinary courage during that long night and day that it could easily have been named after any one of at least a dozen men. This is the story of the March 4 battle and one of those heroes. Surprise attack It was approximately 3 am March 4 when an MH-47E Chinook, code-named Razor 3, approached Takhur Ghar mountain, known to US forces as Objective Ginger. The mountain dominates the southern end of the Shah-e-Kot Valley, and the dug-in al-Qaida forces there had proven impossible to dislodge in the 48 hours since US troops had launched Operation Anaconda. Riding in the back of the Chinook were a handful of Navy SEALs moving to a position where they could observe a series of cave complexes where al-Qaida fighters were concentrated. No place offered a more commanding view of the Anaconda battlefield than the top of Takhur Ghar. But as the pilot from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment brought the Chinook in to land, the helicopter was met with a fusillade of enemy machine gun and rocket-propelled fire that severed vital hydraulic lines. The pilot jerked the helicopter up and away without inserting the SEAL team. It was then that the crew realized that in the chaos one of the SEALs Petty Officer 1st Class Neil Roberts had fallen out of the helicopter. With the controls seizing up, it was all the pilot could do to limp north about four miles to a safer, flatter part of the valley, where he put the helicopter down. Back at the US headquarters at this sprawling air base, the night crew in the operations center maneuvered a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle to monitor the movements of Roberts. What they saw was profoundly disturbing. Within minutes of falling from the helicopter, Roberts was captured and taken away by al-Qaida guerrillas. Maj. Gen. FL Buster Hagenbeck, the commander of all US forces in Afghanistan, approved the urgent request from the remaining SEALs on Razor 3 to return and look for their buddy. The reputation of these guys and how they treat prisoners is pretty much known, said an Army official in Bagram. We did not want to leave one of our people behind. Forty-five minutes after Razor 3 had made its forced landing, another MH-47E Razor 4 landed beside the damaged Chinook. Razor 3's crew and remaining SEALs climbed aboard the good aircraft, which flew to a US base at Gardez, 15 miles away. There Razor 3's crew got off, and the Chinook sped back to the valley. Aboard were five SEALs and Tech. Sgt. John Chapman, an Air Force combat controller. As the Chinook approached Ginger, the troops aboard received constant updates on the whereabouts of the enemy fighters who had captured Roberts. Razor 4 landed near where they believed him to be. Enemy fire again met the helicopter, but this time the crew managed to offload the special operators and fly off. Meanwhile, leaders at Bagram ordered the quick reaction force to launch. On the flight line, the twin rotor blades of two more MH-47s Razor 1 and Razor 2 slowly began to turn. On board Razor 1 were about 15 Rangers, as well as an Air Force enlisted tactical air controller, or ETAC, a pair of Air Force combat search- and-rescue pararescue jumpers and another Air Force special operations combat controller. Sitting on the Chinook as it flew south into the heart of enemy territory was Senior Airman Jason Cunningham, a 26-year-old para-rescue jumper on his first combat mission. 'He was all about saving lives' Cunningham was a bright-eyed kid from New Mexico who always had a smile on his face. Married with two children, he had only been a pararescue jumper for eight months, but his infectious enthusiasm had already made him popular with his fellow PJs. Even among the highly trained professionals of the special operations world, Cunningham's dedication to his job stood out. He had more motivation than any one man should have, said Scott, one of Cunningham's pararescue colleagues. He was all about saving people's lives. For security reasons, Scott did not want his full name used. The two years of grueling schooling it takes to earn the pararescueman's badge requires an airman to become skilled at dealing with mental and physical stresses few others could endure. The washout rate can be as high as 90 percent. Cunningham personified that endurance. The pararescuemen arehoused in the ground floor of the Bagram airfield tower building. Fifteen yards down the corridor are the expert field surgeons of the 274th Forward Surgical Team. It wasn't long before Cunningham's hunger to improve his medical skills had propelled him down the corridor. Soon he was spending a couple of hours every day with the medical staff, learning by doing under their tutelage. Every time we had a casualty event he was always the first one here offering to help, said Dr. (Maj.) Brian Burlingame, the surgical unit's commander. His enthusiasm was just genuine to the core, which was what endeared him to us. He was like a little brother. One of the outcomes of Cunningham's time with the surgical team docs was a decision to start sending the pararescuers out into combat with blood for transfusions. The use of blood in the field is a controversial topic, according to Burlingame. Blood is an FDA-controlled substance, he said. It's very, very regulated. Special training, not to mention lots of paperwork, is required before medics are considered qualified to administer blood in the field. After Cunningham and Burlingame started talking, all the pararescuers here took the classes and filled out the paperwork. We then pushed blood forward with [Cunningham's] group, Burlingame said. Despite his hard-core attitude, Cunningham had never been in combat, and he yearned for a chance to do his job in that most demanding of environments. As the first two days of Anaconda passed without him being sent forward, his frustration was palpable. There were two things he was really passionate about: medicine and shooting, Scott said. Now, as the Chinook soared toward the heart of enemy territory, Cunningham was going to have an opportunity to put both skills to the test. Another surprise On Ginger, the al-Qaida fighters had executed Roberts, and the SEALs' rescue mission had become a desperate fight for their own lives. As he called in close air support to keep the enemy at bay, Chapman was cut off from the SEALs. He was later found dead. By the time Razor 1 approached Ginger, the sun was rising. The rescue force had lost the advantages of surprise and darkness. The enemy was waiting. Heavy machine gun, Kalashnikov and grenade fire erupted from the snowy mountainside as the helicopter came in to land. At least one rocket-propelled grenade hit the aircraft in the tail rotor. With the helicopter still 80 feet off the ground, bullets shattered the cockpit glass. A round smashed one pilot's thigh bone, another knocked his helmet off. To his right, a bullet or fragment ripped a silver-dollar-sized hole in the other pilot's wrist, while yet another tore into his thigh. Seriously damaged, and with its pilots barely able to control it, the Chinook hit the ground hard, just below the peak of the ridge. Miraculously, no one was seriously hurt in the crash landing. But the helicopter and the troops inside were now taking heavy fire from a series of well-protected al-Qaida positions 100 to 200 meters up the slope. As rounds peppered the aircraft, the Rangers ran off the back ramp into a hail of fire. Two or three dropped immediately, dead or badly wounded. The pilot with the broken leg popped his door open and flopped out into the snow. As the Rangers on the ground sprinted for cover, the Chinook's door gunners laid down a base of fire with their 7.62 mm miniguns. Then those watching the action via the Predator feed back in the operations center saw the left door gunner Sgt. Philip J. Svitak fall from his perch and lie motionless in the snow. He's a black dot on the ground, said a senior NCO who watched part of the Predator tape. He's dead. You just keep looking at him, and a minute's gone, and another minute's gone. You sit there [watching] and your heart sinks. When it was clear that the landing zone was in fact a free-fire zone, Razor 2 was waved off without dropping off its Rangers. But the surviving members of the quick-reaction force on the ground were putting up a fight. A Ranger M-203 grenadier quickly destroyed the nearest al-Qaida position, but not before an enemy fighter there had launched a rocket-propelled grenade at the downed Chinook. That guerrilla then walked almost nonchalantly back to another fighting position, where he picked up another grenade and fired it at the helicopter. Operating in 'a bullet sponge' The quick reaction force's medical personnel, including Cunningham, another PJ who was a technical sergeant, two Ranger medics and a 160th medic, had their hands full. The Chinook's cargo area became the casualty-collection point. It was in there that Cunningham went to work, putting into practice all that theory he had absorbed, and doing so in the most difficult circumstances imaginable. He was trying to save lives in the back of a helicopter at the top of a bitterly cold mountain, under constant fire from enemy forces that had him and his colleagues surrounded. Just when things seemed as if they couldn't get worse, the forward compartment of the helicopter caught fire. The helicopter's a bullet sponge after it gets shot down, because it's just a great big target, Scott said. As Cunningham and the 160th medic worked inside to staunch their buddies' bleeding, the enemy fire increased. Incoming mortar rounds bracketed the Chinook, landing within 50 feet of the helicopter's nose. About four hours after the helicopter hit the ground, Cunningham decided the cargo compartment had become too dangerous for his patients. Using a small sled-like device, Cunningham dragged the wounded troops to a safer spot away from the aircraft. In doing so, he crossed the line of enemy fire seven times. The quick-reaction force had landed perhaps 330 feet from a well-fortified enemy command post at the top of Ginger. Enemy fighters in one bunker were raining accurate fire on the US troops. As the mortar fire intensified, the quick-reaction force commander decided to assault the bunker, and Cunningham volunteered to join the attack. But the senior pararescueman held him back, because the force had taken more casualties and Cunningham's medical skills were needed. The Rangers gave it their best shot, but the assault stalled in the deep snow. However, the bunker and the fighters inside it did not survive for long. A US jet destroyed it, one of countless occasions that day when pilots flying close air support missions came to the rescue of their colleagues on the ground. When our guys cried for help, everybody in the theater answered, Scott said. Those servicemen here familiar with the battle speak in awed tones about the quality of the close air support provided by the Air Force during the battle. When the fight started, it was an AC-130 gunship circling overhead that was keeping al-Qaida heads down with devastatingly accurate fire from its 105 mm howitzer. Then, as daylight forced the slow-moving gunship to retire, fast-moving, high-flying F-15E Strike Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons picked up the slack, hurling bomb after bomb onto enemy positions with pinpoint accuracy. The enemy's movements forced Cunningham and the 160th medic to move the casualties to a second and then a third location outside the helicopter, exposing themselves to enemy fire. During the last movement, the 160th medic was shot twice in the abdomen. Shortly thereafter, at 12:32 pm, Cunningham's luck ran out. An enemy round hit him just below his body armor as he was treating a patient. The bullet entered low from the right side and traveled across his pelvis, causing serious internal injuries. Untreated, you die from that, Scott said. Cunningham must have known he was in serious trouble. But despite his worsening condition, he continued to treat patients and advise others on how to care for the critically wounded. One of the two blood packs he had brought saved a badly wounded Ranger. The medics gave the other packet to Cunningham himself, whose life was slowly flowing out in a red stream onto the white snow. Back at the surgical unit, word of the situation on the mountain was seeping back. We'd heard that one of the 160th medics was hit, and one of the PJs severely wounded, Burlingame said. If a medevac helicopter could get in and pick up the wounded, there was time to save Cunningham. The combat controller wanted so bad to say the LZ was cold so they could bring in a helicopter to evacuate the wounded, but he couldn't, Scott said. In the early afternoon, leaders directed that no more rescue attempts be risked until darkness. It was a decision made to save lives, and it probably did. But it sealed Cunningham's fate. As the hours in the snow lengthened, Cunningham grew increasingly weak from loss of blood. Seven hours after he was hit, the other medics began to perform CPR on Cunningham. They continued for 30 minutes, until it was clear nothing more could be done. There were other lives to save. At about 8 pm on March 4, Jason Cunningham became the first pararescue jumper to die in combat since the Vietnam War. As night fell, the level of enemy fire ebbed. The determined close air support from the Air Force, combined with the Rangers' and SEALs' own expert marksmanship, had done their job. Hagenbeck later said 40 to 50 enemy fighters died in the battle. As air power pounded the enemy positions on Ginger, the sky filled with MH-47s. Three landed and lifted the survivors and the dead from the mountain. Seven American corpses were carried away in the bellies of the helicopters. Back at Bagram, the medical staff was preparing for mass casualties. Word had come through that Cunningham was among the dead, but information on casualties up to that point in the war had been notoriously unreliable. When the casualties arrived, Burlingame and the other doctors went to work in the operating room. All the wounded troops Cunningham and the other medics had treated in the battle survived. As head of the surgical team, Burlingame also was responsible for filling out the medical paperwork on the deceased. One by one, the doctor unzipped the body bags. As he methodically noted the likely causes of death (most had died instantly or almost instantly from bullet or fragmentation wounds), he found himself slightly relieved that each corpse wasn't Cunningham's. I was hoping against hope that he'd survived, he said. Then he unzipped the last body bag and found himself staring at Cunningham's lifeless face. It was too much, even for the experienced trauma surgeon, and he broke down. This was probably the least professional moment of my career, he said. It was a very, very difficult moment. Sharp though the pain of Cunningham's death was to those who knew him here, they also know that he is one of the main reasons Burlingame only had seven, not 17, body bags to open. Cunningham's chain of command has written him up for the Air Force Cross, an award second only to the Medal of Honor. In the supporting documentation, it says: As a result of his extraordinary heroism, his team returned 10 seriously wounded personnel to life-saving medical care. Of the 21 Air Force Crosses awarded to enlisted airmen since the medal was created in 1960, 11 were presented to pararescuemen. Cunningham's colleagues console themselves with the knowledge that their friend died doing the job he loved. He was right in the thick of it, doing it right up to the end, Scott said. Jason was right where every PJ wants to be. He was where guys needed him, and he was saving lives. The Battle of Takur Ghar was a short but intense military engagement between United States special operations forces and Taliban insurgents fought in March 2002, atop Takur Ghar mountain, Afghanistan. For the US side, the battle proved the deadliest entanglement of Operation Anaconda, an effort early in the war in Afghanistan to rout Taliban forces from the Shahi-Kot Valley and Arma Mountains. The battle saw three helicopter landings by the US on the mountain top, each greeted by direct assault from Taliban forces. Although Takur Ghar was eventually taken, eight US soldiers were killed and many wounded. In honour of the first casualty of the battle, Navy SEAL Neil C. Roberts, the battle is also known as the Battle of Roberts Ridge. In the late evening of March 3, Lieutenant Colonel Blaber, commander of the AFO task force, received notice from Brigadier General Gregory Trebon , commander of TF 11, that two SEAL teams were to arrive in Gardez for immediate insertion into the Shahi-Kot Valley. The two SEAL teams, Mako 30 and Mako 21, planned to establish an observation point on the peak of Takur Ghar, which commanded the Shahi-Kot valley. Due to time constraints, a helicopter insertion would be needed for the teams to reach the peak before dawn. The AFO forces suggested insertion at a point 1300 meters east of the peak, but circumstances led the SEALs to choose the peak itself as the insertion point. The two teams were picked up by two MH-47 Chinook helicopters, Razor 03 and Razor 04, at 11:23 PM on March 3. 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 LZ east of the peak until 2:30 AM on March 4, with not enough time to reach the peak before daylight. In the fractured command situation at the time, Blaber was not notified that the SEALs were planning to insert at the peak in order. An AC-130 gunship, Nail 22, flew a reconnaissance mission over the peak prior to the landing and saw no enemy activity, but was called away to support other troops before Razor 03 and 04 arrived at the Landing Zone (LZ). At around 0245 hours, Razor 03 landed at the LZ and was immediately struck in the left side electrical compartment by an RPG. The stricken helicopter took off, but Petty Officer First Class Neil C. Roberts fell out of the open ramp. Razor 03 attempted to return and retrieve him, but the damage prevented proper control and the helicopter was forced to crash-land in the valley approximately 4 miles away. Razor 04 returned to the peak to attempt to rescue Roberts, offloading Mako 30. The team came under immediate fire, and Air Force combat controller Technical Sergeant John A. Chapman was believed killed and two SEALs wounded. Mako 30 was forced off the peak due to its losses and requested the assistance of the Ranger quick-reaction force located at Bagram Air Base, led by Captain Nate Self. The quick reaction force (QRF) consisted of 19 Rangers, a Tactical Air Control Party (TACP), and a three-man USAF special tactics team carried by two Chinooks, Razor 01 and Razor 02. Due to satellite communications difficulties, Razor 01 was mistakenly directed to the "hot" LZ on the peak at 33{degrees}2034N 69{degrees}1249E. As Air Force rules prohibited AC-130 aircraft from remaining in hostile airspace in daylight after the crash of an AC-130 in Khafji in the Gulf War, the AC-130 support protecting Mako 30 was forced to leave before Razor 01 reached the LZ. Further communications difficulties meant that the pilot of the AC-130 was unaware that Razor 01 was incoming. At approximately 0610 hours, Razor 01, under the command of Captain Nate Self, reached the landing zone. The aircraft immediately began taking fire, and the right door minigunner, Sergeant Phillip Svitak, was killed by small arms fire. A RPG then hit the helicopter, destroying the right engine and forcing it to crash land. As the Rangers and special tactics team exited the aircraft, Private First Class Matt Commons, posthumously promoted to Corporal, Sergeant Brad Crose, and Specialist Marc Anderson were killed. The surviving crew and quick-reaction force took cover in a hillock and a fierce firefight began. Razor 02, which had been diverted to Gardez as Razor 01 was landing on Takur Ghar, returned with the rest of the quick-reaction force at 0625 hours. Razor 02 inserted the other half of the QRF with its force of 10 Rangers at an offset landing zone, down the mountain some 800 meters east and over 2000 feet below the mountaintop. The Rangers' movement up the hill was a physically demanding 2-hour effort under heavy mortar fire and in thin mountain air. They climbed the 45-70 degree slope, most of it covered in three feet of snow, weighted down by their weapons, body armor and equipment. By 1030 am local time, the men arrived completely exhausted, with the enemy at the top of the hill a mere 50 meters from their position. As the ten men of Razor 02 arrived, the Rangers prepared to assault the enemy positions. As the Air Force CCT called in a last airstrike on the enemy bunkers and with two machineguns providing suppression fire, seven Rangers stormed the hill as quickly as they could in the knee-deep snow - shooting and throwing grenades. Within minutes, the Rangers took the hill, killing several Taliban fighters. The force was able to consolidate its position on the peak. An enemy counterattack midday mortally wounded Senior Airman Jason D. Cunningham, a pararescueman. The wounded were refused medevac during the daylight hours, due to risk of another downed helicopter. However, Australian SAS soldiers had infiltrated nearby prior to the first helicopter crash as part of a long range reconnaissance mission. They remained undetected in an observation post through the firefight and proved critical in co-ordinating multiple Coalition air strikes to prevent the Taliban fighters from overrunning the downed aircraft. This, plus the actions of the two SASR operators working with the 10th Mountain, earned the commander of the Australian SAS force in Afghanistan the US Bronze Star for his unit's outstanding contribution to the war on terrorism. At around 2000 hours, the quick-reaction force and Mako 30 were exfiltrated from the Takur Ghar peak. As a result of this action, both Technical Sergeant Chapman and Senior Airman Cunningham were awarded the Air Force Cross, the second highest award for bravery. US and Afghan sources believe at least 200 Taliban fighters were killed during the initial assault and subsequent rescue mission. Fate of Chapman and Roberts It is not certain whether the airman and sailor died immediately or were killed by opposing soldiers. There is a possibility that Roberts was captured by the Taliban fighters, and executed later with a single shot to the back of the head. (One of the feeds showed a group of 810 fighters huddling around what appeared to be a body; both GRIM 32 and MAKO 30 noted that an IR strobe was active, a video feed showed the fighters passing the IR strobe around.)[1] This report has not been confirmed. MG Frank Hagenbeck did confirm that Taliban fighters were seen (on live video feed from a Predator drone orbiting the firefight) chasing Roberts, and later dragging his body away from the spot where he fell. Another feed from the same predator showed a puff of heat [from a rifle] and the indistinct figure in front of it fall.[2] Also, the quick-reaction soldiers reported fighters wearing Roberts' gear and finding "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".[3] Other reports have Roberts surviving for nearly an hour and inflicting serious casualties on opposing forces with his pistol and grenades before his death.[4] Predator drone footage also shows the possibility that Chapman was alive and fighting on the peak after the SEALs left rather than being killed outright as thought by Mako 30. A man was seen fighting in a bunker against multiple enemies until hit by an RPG. If this man was Chapman, he succumbed "a mere 45 seconds before... Razor 01 appeared over the mountaintop".[3] Note: A paper written by Col. Andrew Milani (Former commander of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment) and Dr. Stephen D. Biddle entitled "Pitfalls of Technology: A Case Study of the battle of Takur Ghar" noted that the Predator was on station 90 minutes after Roberts had fallen; the images that were shot before the Predator had arrived were shot by GRIM-32's Infrared Cameras,[5] although this has not been confirmed by commanders. US casualties USN SEALs: Petty Officer 1st Class Neil C. Roberts, born 1970, Woodland, California USAF COMBAT CONTROL: TSgt John A. Chapman, born 1965, Springfield, Massachusetts USAF PARARESCUE: SrA Jason D. Cunningham, born 1976, Carlsbad, New Mexico USA RANGERS: PFC Matthew A. Commons, born 1981, Boulder City, Nevada SGT Bradley S. Crose, born 1980, Orange Park, Florida SPC Marc A. Anderson, born 1972, Brandon, Florida USA 160th SOAR: SGT Phillip "Spytech" Svitak, born 1971, Neosho, Missouri In popular culture The story of the 2010 video game Medal of Honor centers around a fictionalized account of the Battle of Takur Ghar with the character "Rabbit" loosely based on Neil "Rabbit" C. Roberts. Nate Self, the captain in charge of the Ranger unit Razor 01, who was dubbed a hero and interviewed for both the battle and PTSD suffered from it, wrote a book centering around it, called Two Wars. We provide mediation services to both fathers and mothers who wish to resolve the complicated and delicate issues regarding children and custody and residential time, following a divorce or separation. It is our hope that through our guidance and assistance fathers and mothers can find a way to maintain a respectful and functional and courteous relationship for the sake of their children, without the necessity of court intervention. We provide guidance and assistance throughout the process of divorce and separation, facilitation and guidance in the preparation of court forms and filings, explanations as to the processes involving the court, and assistance in preparation of parenting plans and parentage actions. We further provide referrals to local attorneys who specialize in Family Law, as well as counselors and other professionals who may provide additional services and guidance throughout the process of a divorce or a separation. We provide these services to both fathers and mothers in an effort to provide the best options and alternatives to court actions, in order to preserve the foundational elements of family, with a focus on the health of children who require both fathers and mothers as a foundation to their social and emotional development from infancy throughout adolescence. It is our hope, that through support, donations, and fundraising, that we will be able to provide legal assistance to fathers who are unable to bear the financial costs associated with attorney's fees and court costs, who wish to be reunited with their children. We also hope to legislate for changes in laws within the State of Washington, in an effort to address the element of "equality" within the law, and a recognition of father's rights to equal access to their children. The Benjamin Foundation's purpose is to ensure that children are able to experience a childhood with both parents, and that equal access to their children is available to both fathers and mothers alike. In brief, you should know the following about us: our foundation was established in 2009 to address advocacy for victim's of violence, with a focus on domestic violence, women, children and minorities. In 2010, the focus of the foundation was altered to address advocacy for father's rights in Washington State, due to the founder's own experience with being denied access to his son by his son's mother during and after a separation, and learning that father's rights are not recognized in the State of Washington. Through our sister foundation, LAW: Legal Advocacy for Victim's of Violence, we continue to address advocacy efforts for victim's of violence, restorative justice, and the protections for women, children and minorities who have found themselves the victim's of domestic violence. It is the hope and intention of the founders, to be able to provide services to families in Washington State, in an effort to preserve the dignity of all those involved in a divorce and separation, with a focus on the emotional health of the children involved, and equal access to both parents as a foundation to their children's health and future well being.

Description #2 by Barnes & Noble:

Categories: Management * Leadership. Contributors: Donovan Campbell - Author. Format: Hardcover

Description #3 by Etsy - theagoge:

NOTE: These are handmade bracelets which are custom made to size when ordered. Please do not forget to email a wrist size, either at checkout or by email since this may cause a delay in shipping. These bracelets may take up to 7-10 days to ship depending on the amount of orders. I do try to get them out within 48 hours. Please contact me if you have any extenuating circumstances which may require the items to get out to you quicker such as ceremonies or funerals, etc. I will do my best to accommodate. You are purchasing a handmade 550 Paracord Survival Bracelet. These are US AIR FORCE PJ Para Rescue/Para Jumper support Bracelets in memory of Senior Airman Jason Cunningham. Cunningham was assigned to the 38th Rescue Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Ga; killed during a rescue mission during Operation Anaconda on March 4, 2002, in Afghanistan. Surrounded by death, a young pararescueman chose to save lives and lost his We are trying to raise money for our nonprofit foundation. The Benjamin Foundation advocates for father's rights in Washington State, and works in domestic violence victim advocacy for women, children and minorities. All proceeds go towards pursuing our efforts to reunite fathers with their children and help families stay amicable following a divorce or separation. This is a Black and Gray bracelet. The standard design is just under 9 inches. Standard bracelets use about 10 feet of paracord. [This item can be custom sized to order. Most wrists sizes vary between 7.5 inches and 9 inches. This item can be made smaller or larger.] Please note your preference at time of checkout. Air Force Senior Airman Jason D. Cunningham Died March 4, 2002 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom ________________________________________ 26, of Camarillo, Calif.; assigned to the 38th Rescue Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Ga; killed during a rescue mission during Operation Anaconda on March 4, 2002, in Afghanistan. * * * * * Surrounded by death, a young pararescueman chose to save lives and lost his By Sean D. Naylor Staff writer BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan They call it the Battle of Roberts Ridge. The 15-hour firefight cost more American lives seven than any other engagement to date in the war against terrorism. It was named after the first American to die amid the snowy, 10000-foot mountains of eastern Afghanistan. But so many troops performed with such extraordinary courage during that long night and day that it could easily have been named after any one of at least a dozen men. This is the story of the March 4 battle and one of those heroes. Surprise attack It was approximately 3 am March 4 when an MH-47E Chinook, code-named Razor 3, approached Takhur Ghar mountain, known to US forces as Objective Ginger. The mountain dominates the southern end of the Shah-e-Kot Valley, and the dug-in al-Qaida forces there had proven impossible to dislodge in the 48 hours since US troops had launched Operation Anaconda. Riding in the back of the Chinook were a handful of Navy SEALs moving to a position where they could observe a series of cave complexes where al-Qaida fighters were concentrated. No place offered a more commanding view of the Anaconda battlefield than the top of Takhur Ghar. But as the pilot from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment brought the Chinook in to land, the helicopter was met with a fusillade of enemy machine gun and rocket-propelled fire that severed vital hydraulic lines. The pilot jerked the helicopter up and away without inserting the SEAL team. It was then that the crew realized that in the chaos one of the SEALs Petty Officer 1st Class Neil Roberts had fallen out of the helicopter. With the controls seizing up, it was all the pilot could do to limp north about four miles to a safer, flatter part of the valley, where he put the helicopter down. Back at the US headquarters at this sprawling air base, the night crew in the operations center maneuvered a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle to monitor the movements of Roberts. What they saw was profoundly disturbing. Within minutes of falling from the helicopter, Roberts was captured and taken away by al-Qaida guerrillas. Maj. Gen. FL Buster Hagenbeck, the commander of all US forces in Afghanistan, approved the urgent request from the remaining SEALs on Razor 3 to return and look for their buddy. The reputation of these guys and how they treat prisoners is pretty much known, said an Army official in Bagram. We did not want to leave one of our people behind. Forty-five minutes after Razor 3 had made its forced landing, another MH-47E Razor 4 landed beside the damaged Chinook. Razor 3's crew and remaining SEALs climbed aboard the good aircraft, which flew to a US base at Gardez, 15 miles away. There Razor 3's crew got off, and the Chinook sped back to the valley. Aboard were five SEALs and Tech. Sgt. John Chapman, an Air Force combat controller. As the Chinook approached Ginger, the troops aboard received constant updates on the whereabouts of the enemy fighters who had captured Roberts. Razor 4 landed near where they believed him to be. Enemy fire again met the helicopter, but this time the crew managed to offload the special operators and fly off. Meanwhile, leaders at Bagram ordered the quick reaction force to launch. On the flight line, the twin rotor blades of two more MH-47s Razor 1 and Razor 2 slowly began to turn. On board Razor 1 were about 15 Rangers, as well as an Air Force enlisted tactical air controller, or ETAC, a pair of Air Force combat search- and-rescue pararescue jumpers and another Air Force special operations combat controller. Sitting on the Chinook as it flew south into the heart of enemy territory was Senior Airman Jason Cunningham, a 26-year-old para-rescue jumper on his first combat mission. 'He was all about saving lives' Cunningham was a bright-eyed kid from New Mexico who always had a smile on his face. Married with two children, he had only been a pararescue jumper for eight months, but his infectious enthusiasm had already made him popular with his fellow PJs. Even among the highly trained professionals of the special operations world, Cunningham's dedication to his job stood out. He had more motivation than any one man should have, said Scott, one of Cunningham's pararescue colleagues. He was all about saving people's lives. For security reasons, Scott did not want his full name used. The two years of grueling schooling it takes to earn the pararescueman's badge requires an airman to become skilled at dealing with mental and physical stresses few others could endure. The washout rate can be as high as 90 percent. Cunningham personified that endurance. The pararescuemen arehoused in the ground floor of the Bagram airfield tower building. Fifteen yards down the corridor are the expert field surgeons of the 274th Forward Surgical Team. It wasn't long before Cunningham's hunger to improve his medical skills had propelled him down the corridor. Soon he was spending a couple of hours every day with the medical staff, learning by doing under their tutelage. Every time we had a casualty event he was always the first one here offering to help, said Dr. (Maj.) Brian Burlingame, the surgical unit's commander. His enthusiasm was just genuine to the core, which was what endeared him to us. He was like a little brother. One of the outcomes of Cunningham's time with the surgical team docs was a decision to start sending the pararescuers out into combat with blood for transfusions. The use of blood in the field is a controversial topic, according to Burlingame. Blood is an FDA-controlled substance, he said. It's very, very regulated. Special training, not to mention lots of paperwork, is required before medics are considered qualified to administer blood in the field. After Cunningham and Burlingame started talking, all the pararescuers here took the classes and filled out the paperwork. We then pushed blood forward with [Cunningham's] group, Burlingame said. Despite his hard-core attitude, Cunningham had never been in combat, and he yearned for a chance to do his job in that most demanding of environments. As the first two days of Anaconda passed without him being sent forward, his frustration was palpable. There were two things he was really passionate about: medicine and shooting, Scott said. Now, as the Chinook soared toward the heart of enemy territory, Cunningham was going to have an opportunity to put both skills to the test. Another surprise On Ginger, the al-Qaida fighters had executed Roberts, and the SEALs' rescue mission had become a desperate fight for their own lives. As he called in close air support to keep the enemy at bay, Chapman was cut off from the SEALs. He was later found dead. By the time Razor 1 approached Ginger, the sun was rising. The rescue force had lost the advantages of surprise and darkness. The enemy was waiting. Heavy machine gun, Kalashnikov and grenade fire erupted from the snowy mountainside as the helicopter came in to land. At least one rocket-propelled grenade hit the aircraft in the tail rotor. With the helicopter still 80 feet off the ground, bullets shattered the cockpit glass. A round smashed one pilot's thigh bone, another knocked his helmet off. To his right, a bullet or fragment ripped a silver-dollar-sized hole in the other pilot's wrist, while yet another tore into his thigh. Seriously damaged, and with its pilots barely able to control it, the Chinook hit the ground hard, just below the peak of the ridge. Miraculously, no one was seriously hurt in the crash landing. But the helicopter and the troops inside were now taking heavy fire from a series of well-protected al-Qaida positions 100 to 200 meters up the slope. As rounds peppered the aircraft, the Rangers ran off the back ramp into a hail of fire. Two or three dropped immediately, dead or badly wounded. The pilot with the broken leg popped his door open and flopped out into the snow. As the Rangers on the ground sprinted for cover, the Chinook's door gunners laid down a base of fire with their 7.62 mm miniguns. Then those watching the action via the Predator feed back in the operations center saw the left door gunner Sgt. Philip J. Svitak fall from his perch and lie motionless in the snow. He's a black dot on the ground, said a senior NCO who watched part of the Predator tape. He's dead. You just keep looking at him, and a minute's gone, and another minute's gone. You sit there [watching] and your heart sinks. When it was clear that the landing zone was in fact a free-fire zone, Razor 2 was waved off without dropping off its Rangers. But the surviving members of the quick-reaction force on the ground were putting up a fight. A Ranger M-203 grenadier quickly destroyed the nearest al-Qaida position, but not before an enemy fighter there had launched a rocket-propelled grenade at the downed Chinook. That guerrilla then walked almost nonchalantly back to another fighting position, where he picked up another grenade and fired it at the helicopter. Operating in 'a bullet sponge' The quick reaction force's medical personnel, including Cunningham, another PJ who was a technical sergeant, two Ranger medics and a 160th medic, had their hands full. The Chinook's cargo area became the casualty-collection point. It was in there that Cunningham went to work, putting into practice all that theory he had absorbed, and doing so in the most difficult circumstances imaginable. He was trying to save lives in the back of a helicopter at the top of a bitterly cold mountain, under constant fire from enemy forces that had him and his colleagues surrounded. Just when things seemed as if they couldn't get worse, the forward compartment of the helicopter caught fire. The helicopter's a bullet sponge after it gets shot down, because it's just a great big target, Scott said. As Cunningham and the 160th medic worked inside to staunch their buddies' bleeding, the enemy fire increased. Incoming mortar rounds bracketed the Chinook, landing within 50 feet of the helicopter's nose. About four hours after the helicopter hit the ground, Cunningham decided the cargo compartment had become too dangerous for his patients. Using a small sled-like device, Cunningham dragged the wounded troops to a safer spot away from the aircraft. In doing so, he crossed the line of enemy fire seven times. The quick-reaction force had landed perhaps 330 feet from a well-fortified enemy command post at the top of Ginger. Enemy fighters in one bunker were raining accurate fire on the US troops. As the mortar fire intensified, the quick-reaction force commander decided to assault the bunker, and Cunningham volunteered to join the attack. But the senior pararescueman held him back, because the force had taken more casualties and Cunningham's medical skills were needed. The Rangers gave it their best shot, but the assault stalled in the deep snow. However, the bunker and the fighters inside it did not survive for long. A US jet destroyed it, one of countless occasions that day when pilots flying close air support missions came to the rescue of their colleagues on the ground. When our guys cried for help, everybody in the theater answered, Scott said. Those servicemen here familiar with the battle speak in awed tones about the quality of the close air support provided by the Air Force during the battle. When the fight started, it was an AC-130 gunship circling overhead that was keeping al-Qaida heads down with devastatingly accurate fire from its 105 mm howitzer. Then, as daylight forced the slow-moving gunship to retire, fast-moving, high-flying F-15E Strike Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons picked up the slack, hurling bomb after bomb onto enemy positions with pinpoint accuracy. The enemy's movements forced Cunningham and the 160th medic to move the casualties to a second and then a third location outside the helicopter, exposing themselves to enemy fire. During the last movement, the 160th medic was shot twice in the abdomen. Shortly thereafter, at 12:32 pm, Cunningham's luck ran out. An enemy round hit him just below his body armor as he was treating a patient. The bullet entered low from the right side and traveled across his pelvis, causing serious internal injuries. Untreated, you die from that, Scott said. Cunningham must have known he was in serious trouble. But despite his worsening condition, he continued to treat patients and advise others on how to care for the critically wounded. One of the two blood packs he had brought saved a badly wounded Ranger. The medics gave the other packet to Cunningham himself, whose life was slowly flowing out in a red stream onto the white snow. Back at the surgical unit, word of the situation on the mountain was seeping back. We'd heard that one of the 160th medics was hit, and one of the PJs severely wounded, Burlingame said. If a medevac helicopter could get in and pick up the wounded, there was time to save Cunningham. The combat controller wanted so bad to say the LZ was cold so they could bring in a helicopter to evacuate the wounded, but he couldn't, Scott said. In the early afternoon, leaders directed that no more rescue attempts be risked until darkness. It was a decision made to save lives, and it probably did. But it sealed Cunningham's fate. As the hours in the snow lengthened, Cunningham grew increasingly weak from loss of blood. Seven hours after he was hit, the other medics began to perform CPR on Cunningham. They continued for 30 minutes, until it was clear nothing more could be done. There were other lives to save. At about 8 pm on March 4, Jason Cunningham became the first pararescue jumper to die in combat since the Vietnam War. As night fell, the level of enemy fire ebbed. The determined close air support from the Air Force, combined with the Rangers' and SEALs' own expert marksmanship, had done their job. Hagenbeck later said 40 to 50 enemy fighters died in the battle. As air power pounded the enemy positions on Ginger, the sky filled with MH-47s. Three landed and lifted the survivors and the dead from the mountain. Seven American corpses were carried away in the bellies of the helicopters. Back at Bagram, the medical staff was preparing for mass casualties. Word had come through that Cunningham was among the dead, but information on casualties up to that point in the war had been notoriously unreliable. When the casualties arrived, Burlingame and the other doctors went to work in the operating room. All the wounded troops Cunningham and the other medics had treated in the battle survived. As head of the surgical team, Burlingame also was responsible for filling out the medical paperwork on the deceased. One by one, the doctor unzipped the body bags. As he methodically noted the likely causes of death (most had died instantly or almost instantly from bullet or fragmentation wounds), he found himself slightly relieved that each corpse wasn't Cunningham's. I was hoping against hope that he'd survived, he said. Then he unzipped the last body bag and found himself staring at Cunningham's lifeless face. It was too much, even for the experienced trauma surgeon, and he broke down. This was probably the least professional moment of my career, he said. It was a very, very difficult moment. Sharp though the pain of Cunningham's death was to those who knew him here, they also know that he is one of the main reasons Burlingame only had seven, not 17, body bags to open. Cunningham's chain of command has written him up for the Air Force Cross, an award second only to the Medal of Honor. In the supporting documentation, it says: As a result of his extraordinary heroism, his team returned 10 seriously wounded personnel to life-saving medical care. Of the 21 Air Force Crosses awarded to enlisted airmen since the medal was created in 1960, 11 were presented to pararescuemen. Cunningham's colleagues console themselves with the knowledge that their friend died doing the job he loved. He was right in the thick of it, doing it right up to the end, Scott said. Jason was right where every PJ wants to be. He was where guys needed him, and he was saving lives. The Battle of Takur Ghar was a short but intense military engagement between United States special operations forces and Taliban insurgents fought in March 2002, atop Takur Ghar mountain, Afghanistan. For the US side, the battle proved the deadliest entanglement of Operation Anaconda, an effort early in the war in Afghanistan to rout Taliban forces from the Shahi-Kot Valley and Arma Mountains. The battle saw three helicopter landings by the US on the mountain top, each greeted by direct assault from Taliban forces. Although Takur Ghar was eventually taken, eight US soldiers were killed and many wounded. In honour of the first casualty of the battle, Navy SEAL Neil C. Roberts, the battle is also known as the Battle of Roberts Ridge. In the late evening of March 3, Lieutenant Colonel Blaber, commander of the AFO task force, received notice from Brigadier General Gregory Trebon , commander of TF 11, that two SEAL teams were to arrive in Gardez for immediate insertion into the Shahi-Kot Valley. The two SEAL teams, Mako 30 and Mako 21, planned to establish an observation point on the peak of Takur Ghar, which commanded the Shahi-Kot valley. Due to time constraints, a helicopter insertion would be needed for the teams to reach the peak before dawn. The AFO forces suggested insertion at a point 1300 meters east of the peak, but circumstances led the SEALs to choose the peak itself as the insertion point. The two teams were picked up by two MH-47 Chinook helicopters, Razor 03 and Razor 04, at 11:23 PM on March 3. 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 LZ east of the peak until 2:30 AM on March 4, with not enough time to reach the peak before daylight. In the fractured command situation at the time, Blaber was not notified that the SEALs were planning to insert at the peak in order. An AC-130 gunship, Nail 22, flew a reconnaissance mission over the peak prior to the landing and saw no enemy activity, but was called away to support other troops before Razor 03 and 04 arrived at the Landing Zone (LZ). At around 0245 hours, Razor 03 landed at the LZ and was immediately struck in the left side electrical compartment by an RPG. The stricken helicopter took off, but Petty Officer First Class Neil C. Roberts fell out of the open ramp. Razor 03 attempted to return and retrieve him, but the damage prevented proper control and the helicopter was forced to crash-land in the valley approximately 4 miles away. Razor 04 returned to the peak to attempt to rescue Roberts, offloading Mako 30. The team came under immediate fire, and Air Force combat controller Technical Sergeant John A. Chapman was believed killed and two SEALs wounded. Mako 30 was forced off the peak due to its losses and requested the assistance of the Ranger quick-reaction force located at Bagram Air Base, led by Captain Nate Self. The quick reaction force (QRF) consisted of 19 Rangers, a Tactical Air Control Party (TACP), and a three-man USAF special tactics team carried by two Chinooks, Razor 01 and Razor 02. Due to satellite communications difficulties, Razor 01 was mistakenly directed to the "hot" LZ on the peak at 33{degrees}2034N 69{degrees}1249E. As Air Force rules prohibited AC-130 aircraft from remaining in hostile airspace in daylight after the crash of an AC-130 in Khafji in the Gulf War, the AC-130 support protecting Mako 30 was forced to leave before Razor 01 reached the LZ. Further communications difficulties meant that the pilot of the AC-130 was unaware that Razor 01 was incoming. At approximately 0610 hours, Razor 01, under the command of Captain Nate Self, reached the landing zone. The aircraft immediately began taking fire, and the right door minigunner, Sergeant Phillip Svitak, was killed by small arms fire. A RPG then hit the helicopter, destroying the right engine and forcing it to crash land. As the Rangers and special tactics team exited the aircraft, Private First Class Matt Commons, posthumously promoted to Corporal, Sergeant Brad Crose, and Specialist Marc Anderson were killed. The surviving crew and quick-reaction force took cover in a hillock and a fierce firefight began. Razor 02, which had been diverted to Gardez as Razor 01 was landing on Takur Ghar, returned with the rest of the quick-reaction force at 0625 hours. Razor 02 inserted the other half of the QRF with its force of 10 Rangers at an offset landing zone, down the mountain some 800 meters east and over 2000 feet below the mountaintop. The Rangers' movement up the hill was a physically demanding 2-hour effort under heavy mortar fire and in thin mountain air. They climbed the 45-70 degree slope, most of it covered in three feet of snow, weighted down by their weapons, body armor and equipment. By 1030 am local time, the men arrived completely exhausted, with the enemy at the top of the hill a mere 50 meters from their position. As the ten men of Razor 02 arrived, the Rangers prepared to assault the enemy positions. As the Air Force CCT called in a last airstrike on the enemy bunkers and with two machineguns providing suppression fire, seven Rangers stormed the hill as quickly as they could in the knee-deep snow - shooting and throwing grenades. Within minutes, the Rangers took the hill, killing several Taliban fighters. The force was able to consolidate its position on the peak. An enemy counterattack midday mortally wounded Senior Airman Jason D. Cunningham, a pararescueman. The wounded were refused medevac during the daylight hours, due to risk of another downed helicopter. However, Australian SAS soldiers had infiltrated nearby prior to the first helicopter crash as part of a long range reconnaissance mission. They remained undetected in an observation post through the firefight and proved critical in co-ordinating multiple Coalition air strikes to prevent the Taliban fighters from overrunning the downed aircraft. This, plus the actions of the two SASR operators working with the 10th Mountain, earned the commander of the Australian SAS force in Afghanistan the US Bronze Star for his unit's outstanding contribution to the war on terrorism. At around 2000 hours, the quick-reaction force and Mako 30 were exfiltrated from the Takur Ghar peak. As a result of this action, both Technical Sergeant Chapman and Senior Airman Cunningham were awarded the Air Force Cross, the second highest award for bravery. US and Afghan sources believe at least 200 Taliban fighters were killed during the initial assault and subsequent rescue mission. Fate of Chapman and Roberts It is not certain whether the airman and sailor died immediately or were killed by opposing soldiers. There is a possibility that Roberts was captured by the Taliban fighters, and executed later with a single shot to the back of the head. (One of the feeds showed a group of 810 fighters huddling around what appeared to be a body; both GRIM 32 and MAKO 30 noted that an IR strobe was active, a video feed showed the fighters passing the IR strobe around.)[1] This report has not been confirmed. MG Frank Hagenbeck did confirm that Taliban fighters were seen (on live video feed from a Predator drone orbiting the firefight) chasing Roberts, and later dragging his body away from the spot where he fell. Another feed from the same predator showed a puff of heat [from a rifle] and the indistinct figure in front of it fall.[2] Also, the quick-reaction soldiers reported fighters wearing Roberts' gear and finding "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".[3] Other reports have Roberts surviving for nearly an hour and inflicting serious casualties on opposing forces with his pistol and grenades before his death.[4] Predator drone footage also shows the possibility that Chapman was alive and fighting on the peak after the SEALs left rather than being killed outright as thought by Mako 30. A man was seen fighting in a bunker against multiple enemies until hit by an RPG. If this man was Chapman, he succumbed "a mere 45 seconds before... Razor 01 appeared over the mountaintop".[3] Note: A paper written by Col. Andrew Milani (Former commander of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment) and Dr. Stephen D. Biddle entitled "Pitfalls of Technology: A Case Study of the battle of Takur Ghar" noted that the Predator was on station 90 minutes after Roberts had fallen; the images that were shot before the Predator had arrived were shot by GRIM-32's Infrared Cameras,[5] although this has not been confirmed by commanders. US casualties USN SEALs: Petty Officer 1st Class Neil C. Roberts, born 1970, Woodland, California USAF COMBAT CONTROL: TSgt John A. Chapman, born 1965, Springfield, Massachusetts USAF PARARESCUE: SrA Jason D. Cunningham, born 1976, Carlsbad, New Mexico USA RANGERS: PFC Matthew A. Commons, born 1981, Boulder City, Nevada SGT Bradley S. Crose, born 1980, Orange Park, Florida SPC Marc A. Anderson, born 1972, Brandon, Florida USA 160th SOAR: SGT Phillip "Spytech" Svitak, born 1971, Neosho, Missouri In popular culture The story of the 2010 video game Medal of Honor centers around a fictionalized account of the Battle of Takur Ghar with the character "Rabbit" loosely based on Neil "Rabbit" C. Roberts. Nate Self, the captain in charge of the Ranger unit Razor 01, who was dubbed a hero and interviewed for both the battle and PTSD suffered from it, wrote a book centering around it, called Two Wars. We provide mediation services to both fathers and mothers who wish to resolve the complicated and delicate issues regarding children and custody and residential time, following a divorce or separation. It is our hope that through our guidance and assistance fathers and mothers can find a way to maintain a respectful and functional and courteous relationship for the sake of their children, without the necessity of court intervention. We provide guidance and assistance throughout the process of divorce and separation, facilitation and guidance in the preparation of court forms and filings, explanations as to the processes involving the court, and assistance in preparation of parenting plans and parentage actions. We further provide referrals to local attorneys who specialize in Family Law, as well as counselors and other professionals who may provide additional services and guidance throughout the process of a divorce or a separation. We provide these services to both fathers and mothers in an effort to provide the best options and alternatives to court actions, in order to preserve the foundational elements of family, with a focus on the health of children who require both fathers and mothers as a foundation to their social and emotional development from infancy throughout adolescence. It is our hope, that through support, donations, and fundraising, that we will be able to provide legal assistance to fathers who are unable to bear the financial costs associated with attorney's fees and court costs, who wish to be reunited with their children. We also hope to legislate for changes in laws within the State of Washington, in an effort to address the element of "equality" within the law, and a recognition of father's rights to equal access to their children. The Benjamin Foundation's purpose is to ensure that children are able to experience a childhood with both parents, and that equal access to their children is available to both fathers and mothers alike. In brief, you should know the following about us: our foundation was established in 2009 to address advocacy for victim's of violence, with a focus on domestic violence, women, children and minorities. In 2010, the focus of the foundation was altered to address advocacy for father's rights in Washington State, due to the founder's own experience with being denied access to his son by his son's mother during and after a separation, and learning that father's rights are not recognized in the State of Washington. Through our sister foundation, LAW: Legal Advocacy for Victim's of Violence, we continue to address advocacy efforts for victim's of violence, restorative justice, and the protections for women, children and minorities who have found themselves the victim's of domestic violence. It is the hope and intention of the founders, to be able to provide services to families in Washington State, in an effort to preserve the dignity of all those involved in a divorce and separation, with a focus on the emotional health of the children involved, and equal access to both parents as a foundation to their children's health and future well being.