Dilemma on Route Mariners

April 13, 2022 00:35:19
Dilemma on Route Mariners
The Spear
Dilemma on Route Mariners

Apr 13 2022 | 00:35:19

/

Show Notes

Before his NFL career, Alejandro Villanueva was a rifle platoon leader in the 10th Mountain Division. During a deployment to an especially restive sector near Kandahar, Afghanistan, his unit faced heightened security challenges due to a prison break that freed a large number of Taliban fighters. But Villanueva also had to contend with a unique dilemma: after a member of the Afghan National Police accompanying his platoon opened fire on an approaching motorcycle, they lost sight of the driver. The potential that this was a civilian casualty led Villanueva's brigade headquarters to task his soldiers with determining what happened. The task was made much more challenging when Taliban radio communications indicating they were planning to attack the Americans along one of the most dangerous wadis in the area: Route Mariners. He joins this episode to share the story.

Other Episodes

Episode

April 26, 2023 00:44:25
Episode Cover

A Chaplain in Ukraine's Trenches

In 2014, when Russia invaded eastern Ukraine and Crimea, Father Andriy Zelinskyy, a Jesuit priest, was the first military chaplain to authorized to enter...

Listen

Episode

May 08, 2024 00:51:45
Episode Cover

A Black Hawk in a Firefight

In this episode, Joe Roland joins to share a story from 2004. A UH-60 Black Hawk pilot, his aircraft and another were supporting an...

Listen

Episode 0

March 25, 2021 00:38:26
Episode Cover

The First Living Medal of Honor Recipient Since Vietnam

In this episode, Maj. Jake Miraldi is joined by retired Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta. In 2010, he became the first living recipient of the...

Listen