Battle of Shok Valley The Battle of Shok Valley , also known as " Operation Commando Wrath , " was a joint US - Afghan raid designed to kill or capture Gulbuddin Hekmatyar , the leader of Hezb - e - Islami Gulbuddin ( HIG ) in the Shok Valley of Nuristan Province of Afghanistan on 6 April 2008 . Ten Special Forces soldiers and their combat cameraman were awarded the Silver Star for bravery , the greatest number of such awards for a single battle since the Vietnam War . In addition SrA Zachary Rhyner , ODA 3336 ' s attached Air Force Combat Controller , was awarded the Air Force Cross . Insertion . The decided battle plan called for the Afghan commandos led by American Special Forces soldiers inserted into the valley via helicopter . From there they moved on foot to the terraced slopes around the fortified town and take the HIG forces by surprise . The coalition ' s CH - 47 Chinook helicopters were unable to land so their soldiers were forced to jump from the hovering helicopters . Due to the austere and barren nature of the valley HIG forces immediately spotted the incoming US and ANA forces and had several minutes to set up ambush positions . Battle . Upon attempting to infiltrate the stronghold along a sheer - sided agricultural terrace , Staff Sergeant Luis Morales was the first to observe armed insurgents moving along the ridge and opened the first salvo of automatic fire on the enemy . The unit came under heavy enemy attack rocket - propelled grenade ( RPG ) and machine - gun fire from HIG positions . The initial salvo of machine gun fire was aimed at the command element of the American forces . Immediately , the unit ' s interpreter was killed and one of the Special Forces communications sergeants was badly wounded . Now pinned down , the US and ANA forces responded with small arms and sniper fire . After an Afghan commando was incapacitated while attempting to render aid to the wounded and pinned communications sergeants , the ODA ' s combat cameraman , Specialist Michael Carter , ran through the open to recover the wounded soldier while the element ' s commanding officer , Captain Kyle Walton , provided cover fire . The two then switched roles in providing cover in order to recover the second wounded soldier . While the lead elements engaged HIG positions , Walton knew he would need close air support and so again provided cover while Carter ran out to recover the unit ' s communications gear . With the communications gear restored , SrA Zachary Rhyner , the Air Force Combat Controller attached to the ODA , began directing close air support and air strikes from orbiting F - 15E Strike Eagle s and AH - 64 Apache attack helicopters onto HIG targets . Rhyner used the F - 15s as observations platforms , their avionics systems acting as reconnaissance tools to maintain visual on enemy positions and movements . While the air strikes were hitting the fortified town , a massive explosion occurred in one of the buildings , causing a temporary lull in the fighting . The rear elements of the Special Forces detachment used this as an opportunity to maneuver into new positions and begin sniper fire on HIG heavy weapons positions . While providing first aid to SGT Behr , the ODA ' s intelligence sergeant , Luis Morales , was struck in the thigh . SSGT Morales applied a tourniquet and returned to giving care . A second shot went through Morales ' boot at the ankle blowing out bone and severing the achilles ( Morales would later lose his foot ) . In the ensuring fire fight , SGT John Wayne Walding has his leg nearly severed by single shot . Walding applied a tourniquet to his leg , autoinjection of morphine and folded his mangled leg upward into his crotch and tied two bootlaces to his belt in order to retain his ability to move and shoot . By this time , the F - 15 overhead reported a massive reinforcement element moving in the valley . With daylight running out , several wounded soldiers , ammunition running short and the weather beginning to turn , the ODA began to scout an exfiltration route to an extraction zone . Carter and the ODA ' s Team Sergeant , Scott Ford , were scouting a route down the sheer terraces when Ford was hit twice by sniper fire , one of the shots nearly severing his left arm . As the combined Afghan and American forces withdrew down the mountain , the ODA ' s sniper , commanding officer and their combat cameraman remained behind to collect or destroy weapons that could not be carried . The ODA sniper covered the last of the withdraw before himself making his way to the extraction zone . In all , the battle lasted for seven hours . The primary target of the action , Gulbuddin Hekmatyar , was not captured . According to Rhyner ' s Air Force Cross citation , over the course of the battle he directed over 50 attack runs using a total of 4 , 570 cannon rounds , nine Hellfire missiles , 162 rockets , a dozen 500 - pound bombs and one 2 , 000 - pound bomb .