On this Memorial Day

On the moonless night of September 14, 2012, at the base, Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, a group of Taliban fighters wearing stolen U.S. Army uniforms breached the concertina wire on the base’s perimeter.  The first wave attacked the Marine Corps Harrier jets positioned on the flight line with rocket-propelled grenades (RPG), causing massive explosions.  On a second-story catwalk outside of his barracks room, Marine Corps squadron commander, LtCol Chris “Otis” Raible, hearing the sound of a rocket, and seeing the distinctive streaks of an RPG, Otis remarked to another Marine, “Go to your room and get your flak and Kevlar on, and meet me downstairs.”

When LtCol Raible arrived at the flight line, he saw three Harriers engulfed in flames.  Quickly putting on body armor and armed only with his semi-automatic 9-millimeter pistol (his rifle was not near that location), after checking on his Marines in billeting, LtCol Raible moved to the point of attack. He observed that the attackers had split into three groups: two were focused on destroying aircraft, and the third hurried to kill Marines as they slept.

Under enemy fire, Raible moved across an open area of about 100 yards and acquired a handful of mechanics, avionics technicians, landing support specialists, and bulk fuelers to form a quick reaction force. Organizing a hasty counterattack, LtCol Raible split his small force into two groups. One group engaged the Taliban headed toward the main side of Camp Bastion, while Raible led the other eight Marines to engage the insurgents in a maintenance hangar.

Meanwhile, the second and third teams of Taliban fighters passed through the perimeter breaches onto the base and joined the fight.  The insurgents had taken cover behind thick concrete walls and were unloading machine-gun fire and RPGs on the Marines.  While leading his planned counterattack, the explosion of an RPG sent shrapnel flying through the air, hitting Otis. While leading Marines in a counterattack against the Taliban,

LtCol Raible, Otis, died from the RPG’s shrapnel and associated injuries.

LtCol Raible left behind a wife and three children.

On this Memorial Day, you can read more about LtCol Raible at https://militaryhallofhonor.com/honoree-record.php?id=10321.