Lone Survivor_ The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 ( PDFDrive )

three hours while we discussed, as best we could, how I could get to an
American base. It was clear I was a major problem to the village. Threats were
already being received from the Taliban, informing the villagers how urgent it
was for their cause that I be surrendered to them immediately.
The old man imparted this to me but took the view I was in no shape to
travel and that it would simplify matters for a member of his Pashtun tribe to
make the journey, on foot, to the big U.S. base at Asadabad and inform them of
my whereabouts. I had no clue at the time he was preparing to make the journey
himself, some thirty to forty miles alone in the mountains.
He asked me to write out a letter for him to take to Asadabad. I wrote, This
man gave me shelter and food, and must be helped at all costs. At the time I was
under the distinct impression that he and I were going to make the journey
together, possibly with an escort and a few guys to help carry me. Departure time
was set for 1930, right after evening prayers.
But I had misunderstood. The old man had no intention of traveling with me,
correctly reasoning I’d be a far greater nuisance on such a trek over the
mountains than I would be lying here. Also, if the Taliban found out we’d gone,
we would be highly susceptible to ambush. I never saw him again, to thank him
for his kindness.
I waited all afternoon and half the night for him to come and have me
collected. But of course he never did. I remember being hugely disappointed, not
for the first time, that more definite plans were not being formulated for my
evacuation.
At one point during the evening, the tribal leaders came and had a meeting in
my room. They just sat on the floor and talked, but they brought me back the
little silver cup I’d had in the first house. And they poured me several cups of
that chai tea they drink and, I think, grow on a small scale up here. The
ceremony included sweet candy, which you eat while you drink your tea. And
that tasted great after my enforced diet of very, very dry baked flat bread.
Gulab stayed with me and was cheerful as ever, but he either could not or
would not answer questions about his father and his immediate plans. I think the
tribal leaders felt it was better for me not to know — classified, Pashtun-style,
FYO and all that. The work of the elder was information provided on a need-toknow
basis only. I was getting used to operating outside the loop, everyone’s
freakin’ loop, that is.
Gulab spent much of the evening trying to explain to me the complex threads
that hold together the Pashtun tribes and al Qaeda, still working in conjunction