December 8, 2013

Operation Enduring Freedom

Trotter, Richard
HIS 400
Dr. Namorato

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, force the United States into a sudden war
against Osama bin Laden, his al Qaeda terrorist network, and transnational terrorism across the
board. Operation Enduring Freedom was the first round of this war. It was an air dominated
offensive operated by the U.S Central Command (CENTCOM) against al Qaeda in forces in
Afghanistan and all who added them and provided their network safe haven. Less than a month
after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States launched combat operations in
landlocked Afghanistan half way around the world. President Bush informed the American
public on October 7, 2001 that he had ordered military attacks on al Qaeda terrorist camps and
all Taliban military installations. What followed was a war the likes no one had ever seen before.
The plan was to rely on air power and precision weapons, aided on the ground by U.S. Special
Operations Forces (SOF), who would work alongside anti-terrorism Afghan groups who opposed
the Taliban. The American forces wanted to identify and confirm targets for allied aircrews. The
military chose this route in an effort to prevent American casualties.
On October 7, 2001 the war began, with air strikes conducted at night on targets such as
Taliban airfields and top facilities. Many goals of the campaign had been achieved by December
of 2001 and the war moved to the mountains of Tora Bora. This is where American forces
believe Osama Bin Laden was hiding out. Bin Ladens al Qaeda network had fled to these
mountains to seek refuge from the American forces that were wiping them out. The American In
pursuit of Osama bin Laden and fearing that the fighters might threaten the still-fragile interim
government of Hamid Karzai, CENTCOM planned an initiative to capture or kill any enemy
fighters who might be in the area. The initiative, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, was
Operation Anaconda. U.S. ground forces led the operation and were supported by SOF teams
and friendly Afghans, who encountered unexpected enemy resistance as soon as they arrived.
U.S. forces attempted to avoid the use of fixed-wing air power in this operation, but when the
mission was in danger of failing it was summoned. After several days of bombing from the U.S.
military, the remaining al Qaeda and Taliban fighters were separated and the battle ended in an
American victory. The victory did not come without casualties however; eight U.S. military
personal lost their lives to enemy fire. That seems like a small number, but as a former Marine
there is no worse pain than losing a fellow comrade in battle. The operation was not a complete
success as many al Qaeda and Taliban Fugitives escaped into Pakistan, and the ultimate goal of
capturing or killing Bin Laden was lost. The major success of the operation was the destruction
of al Qaedas infrastructure in Afghanistan.
1

The detailed examination of the effectiveness of Operation Enduring Freedom is
important to uncovering lessons that are applicable to future operations. During the Presidential
address on October 7, 2001, President Bush emphasized that Operation Enduring Freedom was
only the first phase in the broader war on terrorism. He went on to outline two goals for the war
on terrorism. He presented these goals during his State of the Union Address on January 29,
2002. The first goal was the destruction of terrorist camps, the disruption of terrorist plans, and
the judgment of terrorist in a court of law. The second goal is the prevention of terrorists and
rogue regimes from threatening the United States and its allies with weapons of mass
destruction. These were lofty goals and some to this day believe they have not been
accomplished. President Bush was not just focusing on Afghanistan and Operation Enduring
Freedom, but rather looking at the bigger picture with the hopes of bringing a complete end to
terrorism worldwide.
2


1
Ripley, Tim, Operation Enduring Freedom: Americas Afghan War 2001-2002 (Pen and Sword Press, 2011) Pages
20-25.
2
Bush, George W., State of the Union Address. January 29, 2002.
Operation Enduring Freedom is viewed as an overall success. The operation is the
recipient of far more accolades than criticisms. The operation revolutionized how the U.S. fights
their enemy today. First, the United States fought this war from land bases and aircraft carriers
positioned a good distance away from the combat zone. They did this in an effort to preserve life.
The distance required endurance: one B-2 mission lasted 44 hours from takeoff to landing,
becoming the longest air combat mission flown in history. The United States found success
with these missions and missions similar to it. With this success the way the United States
military had operated was changed forever. The logistical achievements of this war should not be
overlooked either. Before the U.S. military gained access to Afghanistan on land everything the
military used was airlifted in. This was not an easy task and required precision and timely
execution.
3

Operation Enduring Freedom improved on trends that began during the Gulf War.
Seventy percent of Operation Enduring Freedom was conducted with precision weapons as
opposed to only nine percent during the Gulf War. This shows the advancement in technology in
resources between the two wars. Enduring Freedom saw the use of the first Global Hawk high-
altitude, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the first operational use of Predator UAVs armed
with Hellfire missiles, and the first combat use of the highly accurate, all-weather Joint Direct
Attack Munition (JDAM) by the B-1 and B-52. For the first time in modern warfare, airborne
and space-based sensors provided a constant flow of information about enemy force dispositions
and activity.
4

There were many tactical innovations before and throughout the war, but the greatest was
the air and land partnership between soldiers. Airmen relied on the ground troops to get their job

3
Ripley, Tim, page 50.
4
Ripley, Tim, page 51.
and ground troops relied on the airmen to be there when they needed them. The airmen paved the
way for the troops on the ground to do their job and be successful with their missions. As a
ground troop in this war, this writer is thankful for the support the airmen provided during this
conflict. Before Operation Enduring Freedom air strikes were dependent on soldiers being on the
ground to call in the strike. With the advancement in technology this could be done from a safe
distance away and allowed SOF teams to sweep in after the air raid and complete the job that
was started by the air strikes. This helped in hidden goal of persevering U.S. military life. The
ultimate goal was to rid the world of terrorism, but the hidden goal was to accomplish the first
goal with as few U.S. casualties as possible. The military did this by using all the technology
available to them and fighting a smarter war. This highly improvised partnership added up to a
new way of war for the United States.
5

Operation Enduring Freedom was not completed without its failures and inefficiencies.
A distance covering eight time zones separated the two main facilities responsible for conducting
the war: CENTCOMs headquarters in Florida and the forward-based Combined Air Operations
Center (CAOC) in Saudi Arabia maintained by CENTCOMs air component. More important,
CENTCOM chose a familiar but arguably inappropriate template for conducting the war, that of
the very different Operation Southern Watch (OSW) that enforced the no-fly zone over southern
Iraq. It was predictable that the OSW models strict rules of engagement would clash with the
needs of the Afghan war for innovation and adaptability in attacking time-sensitive targets. Also
significant was the fact that target selection and approval was done at CENTCOM headquarters
rather than in the CAOC. A target-approval bottleneck resulted partly from stringent procedures

5
Ripley, Tim, page 54
designed to avoid targeting mishaps. The CAOC accepted this constraint, but many airmen felt
that it hampered their flexibility and allowed enemy leaders to escape as a result.
6

Once again the first priority of Operation Enduring Freedom was to disrupt and destroy
terrorism and the terrorist organizations throughout the world. Operation Enduring Freedom was
the first war that implemented this effort. They did this by attacking terrorist leadership,
command centers, control bases, and communication cells throughout Afghanistan and
neighboring territories. They attempted to shut off terrorist organizations finances in hopes of
hindering their ability to conduct operations. Without money it is hard to carry out terrorist
attacks. President Bush wanted to identify and destroy threats as soon as possible, before they
could commit another attack on America. He also wanted Operation Enduring Freedom to
expose countries, organizations, and people who promoted and supported terrorism. This
initiative was successful on a grander level. The U.S. knows more about terrorism and the
supporters of terrorism thanks to Operation Enduring Freedom. Bush then wanted all nations, if
they were supporting, sponsoring, or providing sanctuary to terrorist, to stop. If they did not
comply then Operation Enduring Freedom would come to their doorstep. President Bushs
desired conclusion for Operation Enduring Freedom and the war on terror is protecting national
security and the American people. President Bush was not willing to stand idly by any longer. He
believed that is no longer safe to just secure the American borders and stand guard. The war on
terror and Operation Enduring Freedom was proactive and took the fight to the terrorists and
those who provided them shelter. The first goal of Operation Enduring freedom was to capture or

6
Ripley, Tim, Page 100-107
kill Osama bin Laden. The second goal was to destroy terrorist cells and organization throughout
the world. The third goal was about the future and eliminating future terrorist threats.
7

Minus the obvious reason of Osama bin Laden, why was Afghanistan chosen as the target
of Operation Enduring Freedom or the starting point for the war. After all, Afghanistan is a
country with limited military capabilities. Was this a way for President Bush to show the strength
of the U.S. military forces and perhaps scare terrorists and the countries harboring them into
submission? Probably a little bit of both. Afghanistan was harboring bin Laden, but they were a
week country that was easy to target. Bush authorized Operation Enduring Freedom after a
definitive link was established between al Qaeda and Afghanistan. Bush stated the intent of the
operation was to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations and to bring
terrorist to justice. While all of that is true, it was also clear that Afghanistan could not,
militarily, put up much of a fight.
8

General Tommy Franks was given the command of Operation Enduring Freedom and
was responsible for all the major decisions made in the combat zone and surrounding areas.
General Franks translated President Bushs wishes and carried out the plans of the Bush
administration. Franks has the responsibility to promote regional stability, ensure the
uninterrupted flow of resources, maintain freedom of navigation, protect American citizens and
property, and promote the security of regional allies within the USCENTCOM area of
responsibility (AOR). Operation Enduring Freedom is an example of a military action in

7
Vermon, Lauren, A Closer Look into the War on Terror Including Criticisms, Operation Enduring Freedom, and
More. (Webster Digital Services 2012) Pages 406-410
8
Vermon, Lauren, pages 473-475
support of those responsibilities. Franks took his job seriously and did a good job of achieving
the goals of the president. One goal he did not achieve however was capturing or killing Osama
bin Laden.
9

Franks established nine logical lines of operation for Operation Enduring Freedom. Each
line of operation was focused upon a decisive point within Afghanistan, and linked to the
final goal of the war. The key decisive points were the Taliban and al Qaeda leadership, the
Taliban military, the al Qaeda training bases, and the road network. Within the repressive
structure of the Afghan government, the Taliban and al Qaeda leadership controlled policy. The
logical lines of operations of destroying the Taliban military, operational fires, direct attack of
the leadership of al Qaeda and the Taliban, and humanitarian aid are the focus of analysis. The
destruction of the Taliban was achieved through the combination of conventional and
unconventional warfare. The opposition groups, advised by special operating forces (SOF), with
integrated operational fires conducted the bulk of the ground assault against the Taliban military.
Operational fires used targeting information from ground forces to attack the enemy from the air.
Operational fires exploit real time intelligence from observers on the ground with the precision-
guided munitions of the Air Force and the Navy. Because of the cult of personality and
autocratic nature of the leadership of al Qaeda and the Taliban, the leadership of those
organizations is a logical line of operation.
10

The final logical line of operation of concern was humanitarian aid. Afghanistan was
already facing a humanitarian crisis before Operation Enduring Freedom. The beginning of
Operation Enduring Freedom marked the departure of international organizations. Franks
realized that a prioritized effort was required to avoid a humanitarian disaster among the five

9
Vermon, Lauren, page 478.
10
Franks, Tommy, American Soldier (Harper Collins Publisher 2005) pages. 23-27.
million refugees and displaced persons heavily reliant upon international assistance for their very
survival. Unfortunately, the most effective method of food distribution is by road. Initial airdrops
of 37,000 meals a day did little to arrest the starvation of the needy. A secure road network was
required to maximize the efficiency of food distribution. The importance of humanitarian aid
becomes more apparent when examining Operation Enduring Freedom with the joint doctrine
criteria of adequate, feasible, and acceptable.
11

Was Operation Enduring Freedom adequate and did it achieve enough in the grand scale
of the War on Terror. In the opinion of this Marine and from statements made by General
Franks, Operation Enduring Freedom did what it was meant to do and achieved all that it could
achieve. No war completes all of its goals and should not be judged on complete success or
complete failure. Operation Enduring Freedom did affect terrorism, but nothing will ever bring
terrorism to a complete end. There will always be people and orginizations looking to attack
people and attempting to complete their goal by hurting others. One thing is for sure, if someone
wants something bad enough, they will find a way to get it or do it. The same can be said for
terrorists. Operation Enduring Freedom may not have completed all of the goals put in front of it,
but the soldiers completing the operation did their best to achieve the end goal. Operation
Enduring Freedom should not be judged based on what it did not accomplish, but rather on the
many things it did accomplish. In that perspective the operation was adequate and did more than
enough in the war against terror. The operation struck the first blow against terrorism and the
first blow is usually the deepest. The operation is not without criticism, but should be viewed as
an overall success. The end goal stayed the same throughout the whole operations and that was
the destruction of terrorism. This was not completely achieved, but a major blow was struck to

11
Franks, Tommy, pages 117-119.
terrorists everywhere. The success of the mission proved that Operation Enduring Freedom met
the test of adequacy within the guidelines of joint doctrine.
12

When talking about feasibility one must ask three questions, were sufficient resources
available to conduct Operation Enduring Freedom, was Operation Enduring Freedom an
effective employment scheme, and was Operation Enduring Freedom flexible? Without a doubt
the resources were available to complete the missions of Operation Enduring freedom and they
were provided to the soldiers carrying out these missions. With Afghanistan being a landlocked
country it was difficult to get these resources into the hands of the soldiers who needed them, but
strategic planning and excellent execution made it possible and a success. Most if not all of the
resources provided to the soldiers were delivered by air and on time. Afghanistan only had thirty
miles worth of railroad and had roads that were not suitable for travel. This left only one way of
getting resources in, but the U.S. military made it work. Logistical support was exclusively by air
during the early phases of Operation Enduring Freedom. During congressional testimony, Franks
specifically mentions the limited number of available lift aircraft as a problem. Fortunately, the
limitation of available airlift was mitigated by an effective employment scheme.
13

Was Operation Enduring Freedom an acceptable response to the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001? To decide this, once again we must ask three questions. First,
were the conditions created and the resources allocated to enable the campaign to achieve the
desired end state, did the concept for achieving the end state abide by the laws of war, and was
the concept of the campaign politically palatable and militarily sound? After the terrorist attacks
of September 11, 2001 there was almost complete support within the United States for Operation
Enduring Freedom. The American people wanted revenge for what was done to them. The

12
Franks, Tommy, pages 237-242.
13
Franks, Tommy, pages 292-294.
United States public was in an uproar and wanted justice for the actions of the terrorist on that
awful day. The public and the government were on the same page and Operation Enduring
Freedom was viewed as an acceptable response. The public was calling for the head of bin Laden
and the destruction of al Qaeda and all similar terrorist factions. When judging acceptability ,
public approval is the overriding component of acceptability. There were minor discrepancies in
Operation Enduring Freedom, but overall the operation was military sound and had the support
of the public. The American people wanted revenge so bad, that they ignored the torture tactics
being committed by their own military and viewed them as acceptable as well.
14

General Tommy Franks used his innovative concepts to protect his most prized resource,
his American soldiers. Operation Enduring Freedom did not suffer many casualties on the
American side and accomplished most of its missions. It was an effective campaign because the
planning supported the end goal and never changed course. The U.S. military new what their end
goal was and fought hard to achieve it. The true success of Operation Enduring Freedom is in
the blood, sweat, and tears shed by the U.S. military in that foreign land. In USCENTCOM,
Operation Enduring Freedom enabled the initiation of diplomatic and information initiatives to
attack the al Qaeda center of gravity. In the eyes of General Franks, if diplomacy and
information are not uncovered and used then Operation Enduring Freedom was a waste of time,
men, and money.
15

As stated earlier, Operation Enduring Freedom redefined the way the U.S. conducts their
war efforts now let us take a closer look at this redefinition. When U.S. forces, aided by coalition
allies, launched Operation Enduring Freedom against al Qaida and its Taliban sponsors, the
combat marked the beginning of a new era in warfighting. Few military experts predicted the

14
Franks, Tommy, pages 310-317.
15
Franks, Tommy, pages 615.
rapid success that coalition forces achieved in routing al Qaida from its sanctuaries and the
Taliban from power in Afghanistan. The world had a glimpse of a well-planned operation,
staffed by the best trained military in the world, equipped with a technology advantage
unparalleled in warfare history. The key to understanding the successes of operation Enduring
Freedom lies not in the past, but in the future. That future is defined by the advanced
information technologies that underpinned coalition warfighting.
16

With these technologies in broad use, the operations in Afghanistan accomplished more
than simply achieving allied coalition objectives. They forever changed the way war is fought.
Operation Enduring Freedom demonstrated that information technologies no longer merely
support warfighting, but they are the thread around which joint combat operations are sewn. For
many years, experts worked to define the concept of network-centric warfare in a way that
translated into an effective use of information technology under battlefield conditions. Operation
Enduring Freedom validated virtually all of these concepts. Network-centric warfare not only
worked, it opened up a host of new capabilities for both men and materiel
17

Some systems in Operation Enduring Freedom had their first trials by fire. Others were
deployed to the theater ahead of schedule. Planners faced the challenge of linking land, sea and
air forces and their unmanned assets across the breadth of a battle space that encompassed harsh
mountainous terrain and difficult weather conditions. Imagery proved to be a key element of
Operation Enduring Freedom. The U.S. Central Command, CENTCOM, headed by General
Frank, found itself moving far more imagery, both from satellites and from theater-based
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, than it had anticipated. Unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAVs) came into their own as a significant element of warfighting. Long viewed as a

16
Lewis, Adrian R., The American Culture of War: The History of U.S. Military Forces From World War II to
Operation Enduring Freedom (Routledge Press 2012) page 489.
17
Lewis, Adrian R., pages 420-421.
useful asset for collecting various types of intelligence, these aerial vehicles proved that their
worth extended far beyond mere surveillance. In some cases, they actually became combatants.
18

Both Predator and Global Hawk UAVs provided constant imagery to combatant
commanders. This allowed commanders to command their troops from a safe distance away.
This writer understands the usefulness of these tools, but personally believes that commanders
should still be on the battlefield with his troops. In the personal experience of this Marine that is
not the case anymore. Commanders, thanks to the technology that does save the lives of many
soldiers sit back and enjoy the battle from the comforts of the command post. Technology has
made war safer for U.S. soldiers, but the commanders are the ones who are truly reaping the
benefits. They can sit back and view all that is going on from a video screen and digital maps
while relaying orders through radio. The technology allows them to respond in real time without
having to even be present. Operation Enduring Freedom was the first war were this technology
was fully implemented and taken full advantage of.
19

A great example of the use of technology is how U.S. CENTCOM commander Gen.
Tommy R. Franks commanded his forces effectively and responded to changing situations in
real time from his headquarters half a world away in Tampa, Florida. He was able to view live
streaming video collected by UAVs loitering high over the battlefield. These vehicles beamed
this video imagery directly up to satellites orbiting overhead for relay back to command and
control nodes, including General Franks in CENTCOM headquarters. That headquarters was
networked via satellite with a forward headquarters in Kuwait and a subordinate jump
headquarters in Uzbekistan. The result was top-rate situational awareness at all three locations.
20



18
Lewis, Adrian R., page 457.
19
Lewis, Adrian R., page 479-483.
20
Franks, Tommy, pages 59-68
Satellite communications links proved to be the most essential tool in the success of
Operation Enduring Freedom. Before the war ever began, and after the attack of September 11,
2001, satellite images provided U.S. military planners with the information needed to find out
who was in charge of the terrorist attacks. They also helped in locating Osama bin Laden in
Afghanistan and led to the targeting of Afghanistan as the beginning point for Operation
Enduring Freedom. On September 12, the very day after the terrorist attacks on the United
States, U.S. Defense Department officials grasped two key facts: one, that preliminary
indications were pointing to Osama bin Laden's al Qaida network as the responsible party; and
two, that any military action against his network in Afghanistan likely would require extensive
use of commercial satellite communications. America was dealing with a new kind of enemy
and it required a new way to fight this enemy. The enemy did not fight man to man and face to
face, so America had to change how they fought to win the war.
21

These Pentagon planners bought up all the commercial satellite communications
bandwidth that was available for the region. John Stenbit, the assistant secretary of defense for
command, control, communications and intelligence, said that U.S. forces would not have been
able to extract and disseminate all the Global Hawk and Predator UAV data without these
commercial links. These satellite hookups allowed CENTCOM to move the data out of theater
without having to rely on ground stations. These commercial orbiters complemented military
ultrahigh frequency (UHF) and super high frequency tactical satellite systems. The global
broadcast system, or GBS, distributed many of the high-bandwidth products directly from the
United States to the lowest levels of command. These satellite links were the enablers to some of
the operation's most vital aspects. Brigadier General Dennis C. Moran, CENTCOM's director of
command, control, communications and information systems, states that the most important

21
Lewis, Adrian R., pages 507-508
technology used in operation Enduring Freedom has been access to data and Web services. More
information moved via e-mail and Web services than ever before, and this was true even at the
lowest level of command. He describes it as "a war being fought on IP services," adding that
this ranges from e-mail to data-intensive files.
22

The secure Internet protocol router network (SIPRNET) served as a major conduit for
dataflow across the breadth of the military during Enduring Freedom. A commander can use it to
reach into multiple databases and pull out vital information. SIPRNET has served a much larger
role in this operation than its nonsecure counterpart, NIPRNET. The Global Command and
Control System (GCCS) provided a common operating picture at all levels of command among
the services, each of which has its own specific GCCS systems. All this connectivity has done
more than provide enhanced situational awareness. It also has changed the roles of the warfighter
and the weapons platform. Not only has it provided a tactical advantage for the United States
military, but it has made life more relaxing and less stressful for the soldiers. SIPRNET has a
section in it that provides movies for soldiers to watch during down time and allows soldiers to
send emails home to family and friends. Before Operation Enduring Freedom all of this was
possible, but was not as easy to come. Soldiers had to rely on hand writing letters that took days
for family and friends to receive, during Operation Enduring Freedom one click of a mouse
would allow a soldier to speak to his friends and family back home. A relaxed soldier is a better
soldier and when a soldier gets to talk to his family more often he is more relaxed.
23

Operation Enduring Freedom was a different kind of war, not only in terms of the
technology used, but also in the eyes of the Seamen, Airmen, Marines, and Army soldiers who
fought the war. The U.S. military did have previous experience with fighting a war in similar

22
Lewis Adrian R., page 520.
23
Trotter, Richard, My Personal Account of My Time Fighting in Operation Enduring Freedom.
conditions to those found in Afghanistan, but the first Iraq war was short lived and over before
most got used to the area. Afghanistan was hot in the summer with temperatures topping out at
150 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and cooling off to 100 degrees Fahrenheit at night. In the
winter it was warm during the day and freezing cold at night. These temperatures made for
uncomfortable working conditions at all times. The only time it was truly comfortable outside
was during the day in the winter. Sand was everywhere and sandstorms happened often. Military
personnel who wore contacts were not permitted to wear them in Afghanistan. Initially the living
conditions were poor at best, but improved over time. The best way to take a shower at first was
with baby wipes, but showers were brought in as the war continued. The life of a Marine in
Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom was rough, but not unbearable. It is said that
the infantryman is the ultimate weapon and in Operation Enduring Freedom this was true. Yes,
we had technology, but without the infantry going places the technology could not go, the war
would be a failure today.
Operation Enduring Freedom was a war that was fought in a far different way than any
war previously, not just by the U.S. military, but by the terrorist on the other side. The terrorist
did not fight man to man or face to face, they liked to put bombs on the side of roads and blow
them up as convoys would drive by. This Marine was lucky to avoid such incidents, but did
witness a few happen and lost three of his fellow brothers to Improvised Explosive Devices
(IEDs). IEDs were the enemies weapon of choice during Operation Enduring Freedom. The
enemy would set these devices up at night and hide them with whatever they could find. These
devices would go off by someone triggering them or by contact and most times no one would see
it coming. There is no defense for a weapon like this other than luck. The U.S. military viewed
the enemy as cowards because of their way of fighting. In the few man to man fire fights that did
take place in Operation Enduring Freedom, the opposition did not put up much of a fight and
were easily defeated.
The common soldiers view on technology was simple, he liked it and he hated it. This
Marine could not stand the fact that his officers never left the base and many other common
soldiers shared this point of view. Why did they never leave the base? Technology is the reason
why, officers got to sit comfortable back behind the lines and bark out orders. They would
complain about the common soldiers dirty uniform without ever asking what that soldier had
been through that day.
For the soldiers in Operation Enduring Freedom the war was much more than what was
ever shown on TVs. and to the public back home. Operation Enduring Freedom was hard on the
body and climbing those mountains was not fun. Sand got in places no one wants sand to get and
walking around the dessert for hours and not finding anything was exhausting. Operation
Enduring Freedom took a physical toile on the bodies of the men who fought and some have not
recovered to this day. Not only did the operation take a physical toile on the men who fought it,
but it took a mental toile on them as well.
Many people have asked me over the years, what was boot camp like? The explanation
given is that it is twenty-five percent physical and seventy-five percent mental. Operation
Enduring Freedom was no different, except with both being one hundred percent. Some soldiers
could not handle what they saw over in Afghanistan and some could not handle what they did.
Many of the men that this Marine served with have committed suicide and some cannot sleep at
night due to bad dreams. War is not for the faint at heart and Operation Enduring Freedom was
no different. We as soldiers saw people get blown up, executed in the streets (not by us, but by
their own countrymen), and our own fellow brothers and sisters die in defense of their country
and the freedom it represents. Some could not handle this and these are the things that are not
talked about enough in the news and need to be.
The missions of Operation Enduring Freedom were not as complex or as difficult as they
may seem. A lot of the missions were pointless, while a few were of major importance. More
often than not the missions consisted of what the soldiers called walking or driving around
waiting to be blown up. That is literally all it was. Soldiers would leave for patrol and then drive
and walk around the desert for hours with no real goal in mind. Sometimes they took metal
detectors with them in an effort to find weapons or IEDs buried in the sand. They did
occasionally find weapons, but did not enjoy having to dig them up through the hard ground. It
was all in a days work and most did it without complaining, but some did enough complaining
for all involved.
One patrol similar to the one mentioned in the previous paragraph proved to this Marine
just why he joined the Marines and why the U.S. military was conducting this operation. The
patrol left early that morning and was going to be out for most of the day. While on patrol a
sound began to ring in my ear. It sounded as if something was popping outside of the vehicle. In
looking out the window it was clear that someone was firing a weapon at the patrol. It was
shocking at first as this had never happened on any of the previous patrols, but was quickly
handled. We caught the man firing at is and began to interrogate him. From the beginning it was
clear that he hated us and hated the United States. He spit at us and use vulgar language when
speaking. The thing that made this Marine realize that Operation Enduring Freedom was indeed
an honorable operation was when this man said he wished he was the man to commit the attacks
of September 11, 2001. He also said that he hoped that some of our family members were killed
in the attack. After that day, the fun and games of Operation Enduring Freedom were over for
this Marine and finishing the task at hand was all that mattered.
24

Operation Enduring Freedom was a war that was bound to happen. The second the planes
hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Osama bin Laden was set to get what he
wanted. He wanted a war that would be fought on his soil and in his native land. For some reason
he believed he could win a war this way, but he underestimated the United States military and
the American publics need for revenge. The war was fought with technology never before used
in a combat zone and provided the United States and their allies with and advantage that was
overwhelming for the terrorist. Operation Enduring Freedom lasted from 2001-2003 and saw the
dismantlement of many terrorist cells and organizations, but failed in its first goal of capturing or
killing Osama bin Laden for the crimes he and is al Qaeda organization committed on American
soil.
The primary goal of Operation Enduring Freedom was to capture Osama Bin Laden, the
terrorist responsible for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that struck the World Trade
Center and caused significant damage to the Pentagon. In this goal, the operation was
unsuccessful, but the American led coalition of forces did manage to overthrow the Taliban and
temporarily stabilize the country. The operation did not achieve the short term goal set for it, but
did achieve the long term of goal of crippling terrorism. As stated earlier terrorism still exists,
but is a lot less prevalent after Operation Enduring Freedom. Operation Enduring Freedom did a
lot to help stabilize the government of Afghanistan, but in 2003 United States forces slowly
began to move out of Afghanistan to focus more of their attention on the war in Iraq. This led to

24
Trotter, Richard, Personal Account on What Operation Enduring Freedom was like For the Common Soldier.
mass insurgency in the region and Afghanistan falling back into a similar place they were in
before Operation Enduring Freedom.
25

So, what did Operation Enduring Freedom really accomplish and how does it affect the
United States today? Operation Enduring Freedom achieved most of the goals it set out to
achieve, minus capturing or killing bin Laden and putting an end to terrorism. Some might say
well those were two of the major goal, but one must look at things with an open mind. Yes, it did
take more years than anticipated, but Osama bin Laden is dead and the revenge the American
public sought for the attacks of September 11, 2001 has been given. No, Operation Enduring
Freedom did not bring an end to terrorism, but it did bring an end to the Taliban and severely
crippled al Qaeda. Yes, other terrorist groups have replaced those, but they are not as strong and
terrorist attacks are not as prevalent today as they were before Operation Enduring Freedom. So
in my opinion the operation was a success and did a lot to combat terrorism.
Operation Enduring Freedom was a different type of war fought in a foreign land, but like
all other wars fought in previous decades and centuries, the American people and the American
military rose to the challenge. Operation Enduring Freedom was not always pretty and has faced
criticisms over the years, not only for what it did do, but for what it did not accomplish. There is
no such thing as a perfect war or a perfect ending to a war, but Operation Enduring Freedom
accomplished more than what meets the eye or will ever be known. It started as a war of revenge,
but ended as war of freedom.





25
Franks, Tommy, pages 606-615
Bibliography
Franks, T. (2005). American Soldier. Harper Collins Publisher.
This source was beneficial in writing this paper because it Tommy Franks was the commander
who planned and led Operation Enduring Freedom. It gave me a detailed account of the war
from his perspective.
Lewis, A. R. (2012). The American Culture of War: The History of U.S. Military Forces From
WWII to Operation Enduring Freedom. Rutledge Press.
This was a good source because it showed how war changed overtime.
Ripley, T. (2011). Operation Enduring Freedom: Americas Afghan War 2001-2003. Pen and
Sword.
This was a good source because it gave me an in depth look at Operation Enduring Freedom.
Trotter, R. (2013). Personal Reflection on Operation Enduring Freedom.
Dr. Nomarato allowed me to be a primary source in this paper and that allowed me to
tell the story of the common soldier in Operatation Enduring Freedom.
Vermon, L. (2012). A Closer Look into the "War on Terror" Including Criticisms, Operation
Enduring Freedom and More. Webster's Digital Services.
This source gave me an unbiased opinion on Operation Enduring Freedom.