WHEN 100 TALIBAN TRIED TO CAPTURE THE SPECIAL FORCES, TEMPLE STOOD IN THEIR WAY
More than 100 enemy fighters attacked the roughly 40-man team, which had taken up positions at a compound. The incoming fire was so heavy that the soldiers were pushed back again and again and Temple had to call for air support. Attack helicopters, fighter jets, AC-130s and armed drones circled over the battlefield, and the Combat Controller coordinated them in the airspace, at times several at once, and assigned them their targets. When one of his comrades was hit by a sniper and went down, Temple pulled him off the roof and then carried him to the rescue helicopter alone, with enemy rounds striking all around them. He then stayed at the landing zone by himself to give covering fire to the comrades who had secured the area with him, so they could break away.
After the airman had made it back, the soldiers monitoring enemy radio traffic suddenly heard “Take the Americans alive” and then movement only 40 meters out. Temple kept his head and had F-16s that were just on station saturate the immediate area with fire, which brought the assault to a stop. For more than 2 days the Taliban kept trying to get at the special forces, but instead of pulling out, the Americans had ammunition brought forward to them.
By the end of the operation, Temple had coordinated the attacks of 28 attack helicopters as well as 20 fighter jets, AC-130s and drones. Across 26 engagements he called in fire at close range (Danger Close) 75 times, which held off an enemy force that had far greater numbers and had been sent after the special forces. The reports state that Temple’s aggressive and at the same time tightly coordinated work saved 38 comrades from death or capture, and he was awarded the Air Force Cross for it.
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