Rather than blame high-level officers for the outcome, the U.S. Army has concluded that the vagaries of warfare caused nine soldiers to die at the battle of Wanat in Afghanistan.

 

An earlier assessment of the battle faulted battalion and brigade officers for failing to provide the proper resources to the platoon, which was ambushed in July 2008 by 200 insurgents near the border with Pakistan. The Army considered issuing letters of reprimand to three officers, until senior commanders overruled the decision and decided the men would not be punished.

 

In its final history of Wanat, the Army blamed only low-level commanders. This is not sitting well with some of the families of the soldiers who died.

 

The official history criticizes 1st Lt. Jonathan Brostrom, a platoon leader, for placing an observation post in a poor position. An earlier investigation concluded that the placement of the observation post was not a major factor in the battle’s unfortunate outcome.

 

“They blame the platoon-level leadership for all the mistakes at Wanat,” Brostrom’s father, retired Colonel David Brostrom, told The Washington Post. “It blames my dead son. They really missed the point.”

 

Gen. Charles C. Campbell, who was responsible for withdrawing the letters of reprimand, told family members of the soldiers who were killed in the battle that the letters would have a chilling effect on other battlefield commanders.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

Army Edits Its History of the Deadly Battle of Wanat (by Greg Jaffe, Washington Post)

Wanat: Combat Action in Afghanistan, 2008 (Staff of the US Army Combat Studies Institute) (pdf)

Army Reverses Punishment for Officers in Firefight Deaths of 9 U.S. Soldiers (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

Families of 22 Americans Killed in Afghanistan Demand Investigation of Generals (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

Weapons Failed U.S. Soldiers During Fatal Afghanistan Battle (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)