BULL WHIP Part 13

Finally, after 6 days it was time leave OP2 and head to the Shura location on the valley floor.

RED BULLS Command and Control section for BULL WHIP. SSG Bryant, SGT Smith, COL Corell, LtCol. Filler and Me.

Leaving the mountain was not without drama. COL Corell's own UH-60 Blackhawks were accidentally diverted...you can probably imagine how that went over with the boss. The RED BULLS back at Bagram diverted another set of aircraft to us...only we had an issue...they were CH-47 Chinooks. No one had even attempted to land a Chinook at OP2 during the week because the landing zone was so small...heck, even the UH-60's were having difficulties.

As you can see from the pic above and the video below...they found a way to make it happen. (In the video, I'm the third of six people to enter the Chinook) Video courtesy of the JTACs that stayed behind for an additional 4 days, and delivered the video to us later that week.

Future site of the Police Headquarters for the Galuch Valley, which is now under construction.

This was the tamest of any terrain in the entire valley...hence why they are building in this area.

Securing outside the Shura.

The only 'public' or 'commercial' style building in the valley is a clinic that was constructed by a humanitarian organization many years ago. It was the only site that was remotely feasible for holding the Shura.