Neil C. Roberts

Infobox Military Person
name=Neil C. Roberts


caption=
born=birth date|1969|08|16
died= death date and age|2002|3|4|1969|08|16
placeofbirth=Woodland, California
placeofdeath=Afghanistan
placeofburial=York, Pennsylvania
nickname=
allegiance=United States of America
branch=United States Navy
serviceyears=10
rank=Petty Officer First Class
unit= United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group
commands=
battles= Enduring Freedom Operation Anaconda Battle of Takur Ghar
awards=Bronze Star Joint Service Achievement Medal Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal Army Achievement Medal Joint Meritorious Unit Award Meritorious Unit Commendation Battle “E” Award Good Conduct Medal National Defense Service Medal Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Southwest Asia Service Medal Armed Forces Service Medal Sea Service Deployment Ribbon NATO Medal
relations=
laterwork=

Neil Roberts was part of a team fighting the Taliban, a fundamentalist regime that a U.S.-led coalition knocked from power in Afghanistan in 2001, but has continued to conduct guerilla operations, particularly along the Pakistan border. Roberts worked to help ensure that al-Qaeda terrorists could no longer train in, nor launch strikes from Afghanistan since their lethal attack on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001.

Overview

Roberts joined the United States Navy after graduation from high school, where he excelled in football and wrestling. He became a Navy SEAL in 1992. In March 2002, Roberts participated in the opening phase of Operation Anaconda, the U.S.-led offensive in the high mountains of eastern Afghanistan to surround and destroy a large group of al-Qaeda fighters.

Roberts was poised to exit the ramp of a MH-47 Chinook helicopter on a nighttime insertion, when the aircraft was hit by rocket-propelled grenades and machine-gun fire, cutting hydraulic and oil lines. Roberts slipped on the oil as the helicopter took off and Roberts was thrown from the helicopter, dropping about 5 to 10 feet to the snowy ground below. He immediately engaged the enemy with his M-249 light machine gun. Roberts survived at least 30 minutes before he was shot and killed at close range. Roberts was the first Navy SEAL to die in Afghanistan, and the first to die in combat since 1989.

Rescue forces, unaware of his fate, retook the ridge at a cost of several American lives. The U.S. military now calls that part of Takur Ghar Mountain, “Roberts Ridge”.cite web |url=http://www.navyseals.com/neil-roberts |title=NavySEALs.com Memorial |accessdate=2008-03-05] cite news |first = Eric |last = Schmitt |title = U.S. Review of a Deadly Afghanistan Battle Finds Lapses |work = The New York Times |date=May 25, 2002 |accessdate = 2008-03-05] In 2004, Chris Reeve Knives dedicated a knife model to his memory known as the Neil Roberts Warrior.

Notes

ee also

*findagrave|10527670

References

*cite book
last = MacPherson
first = Malcolm
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Roberts Ridge: A Story of Courage and Sacrifice on Takur Ghar Mountain, Afghanistan
publisher = Dell
date = 2006
location =
pages =
url =
doi =
id =
isbn = 0553586807
*cite book
last = Naylor
first = Sean
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda
publisher = Berkley Trade
date = March 2006
location =
pages =
url =
doi =
id =
isbn = 0425207870