Helmand, Afghanistan: On Friday 14 September 2012 fifteen Taliban suicide attackers dressed in US army uniforms breached NATO's Camp Bastion's airfield defences undetected at about 10:15pm. Within a couple of hours they'd killed two US Marines, decimated an entire squadron of Harrier Jump Jets, and caused additional damage totaling $400-million. I heard the first shots that night as I had my last smoke before bed, about a mile and a half away, far enough so it sounded like popcorn popping - but even at that distance the first explosion a minute or so into the battle still towered high in the sky, a rolling mushroom cloud of bright orange fire - maybe 300-feet high. I didn't get any closer until noon the next day when we were detailed with checking the airfield for battle debris - we didn't find any debris but it was a walk of shame for me. My last airfield guard duty had been one week before and I'd seen how vulnerable were and how utter;y clueless our commanders were. I'd watched our defences being surveyed all day and saw a figure in a roadside ditch about 9:00pm, using nightvision binoculars but was twice refused permission to fire a flare. That was the same time / very close to the attackers' drop off point a week later. This video details my view that summer and how the attackers got into the base:
