Airmen defend base in Afghanistan during 4 hour assault

ST. CHARLES AIRMAN DEFENDS BASE IN AFGHANISTAN
St. Louis Post Dispatch
BY AFPA Super
July 26, 2014

The attack ultimately ended when an Afghan-led quick reaction force, enabled by the cover fire from Corley and other Air Force defenders, arrived at the enemy position and swept the building to eliminate the remaining attackers.

KABUL, Afghanistan – A U.S. Air Force Airman from St. Charles successfully defended his forward operating base here during a more than four hour insurgent attack, July 17, 2014.

Airman 1st Class Chris Corley, son of Dennis and Cheri Jo Corley of St. Charles, is currently deployed and serving as a Security Forces member with the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing at Forward Operating Base OQAB, at Kabul International Airport. The wing’s mission is to set the conditions for a professional, independent, and sustainable Afghan Air Force to meet the present and future security requirements of Afghanistan. Corley is assigned to provide base and personnel security in support of that mission. This marks his first deployment.

In the pre-dawn hours of July 17, a group of anti-Afghanistan forces gained access to a multi-story building under construction approximately 350 meters from the base and airport fence line. Fighting from the rooftop and windows on several stories, the attackers began firing rocket propelled grenades and shooting automatic weapons at the Afghan Air Force base adjoining the airport, and the U.S. Air Force FOB within the compound. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to multiple media sources.

Corley and a few dozen other Air Force security forces members took up fighting positions and were the first to return fire.
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