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Home – Military News – Saddles and Satellite Radios: The Heroism of 9/11’s Immediate Response

Saddles and Satellite Radios: The Heroism of 9/11’s Immediate Response

Only three times in American history has the United States been attacked on its home soil: during the War of 1812, on Dec. 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor, and on Sept. 11, 2001. In every case, America fought back. 

With roughly a third of the American population under 25 years old and living in a post-9/11 world, many do not appreciate the audacity and speed of America’s initial response to the 9/11 attacks. Just 15 days after the nation was shocked, and while the rubble of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon was still smoldering, America struck back. 

On Sept. 26, 2001, in the freezing pre-dawn of an Afghan winter, a single helicopter navigated the dangerous 16,000-foot peaks of the Hindu Kush. On board was an elite eight-man CIA team code-named Operation Jawbreaker. Landing in the Panjshir Valley carrying satellite radios and $3 million in nonsequential $100 bills, they set out to secure alliances with anti-Taliban warlords—entirely isolated, ten days before the official military campaign began. 

That campaign, Operation Enduring Freedom, launched on Oct. 7 with U.S. airstrikes to topple the Taliban regime and eliminate al-Qaeda’s sanctuary in Afghanistan. Twelve days later, Special Forces Operational Detachments Alpha 595 and 555 inserted to rally the Northern Alliance and launch a lightning campaign toward the strategic stronghold of Mazar-i-Sharif. If they failed, they would be hunted down in the mountains; if they succeeded, they would break the spine of the Taliban. 

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