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Headline Wednesday: ODA 595 on Horseback, Opening Campaign in Afghanistan follows a dozen Green Berets riding with Northern Alliance fighters across the cold ridges above Mazar-e-Sharif. From saddles on borrowed ponies they call in strikes on Taliban tanks and artillery, turning narrow valleys and dusty plains into test beds for a new style of war. This episode traces how a small Special Forces team, linked to bombers overhead and Afghan commanders on the ground, helped crack open the north in the first weeks after September 11. Headline Wednesday is the Wednesday feature of Dispatch: U.S. Military History Magazine, and the series is developed by Trackpads.com.
Across two detailed segments, you will hear how the mission took shape in briefing rooms, how trust was built over tea and maps, and how long days in the saddle turned into breakthroughs on the front lines. The story walks through the partnership between ODA 595 and Northern Alliance cavalry, the shock of seeing entrenched armor destroyed from the air, and the rapid fall of key cities that followed. It is a close look at horses against tanks, local knowledge fused with satellite links, and the leadership choices that made those combinations work. Use it as a clear, narrative refresher for your own reading, study, or informal staff ride preparation on the opening of the Afghanistan war.