This Day in Military History

March 4, 2002: Takur Ghar—the heaviest battle to date of Operation Anaconda —occurred. U.S. forces made three helicopter landings on the Afghan mountaintop, only to be greeted by heavy al Qaeda fire each time. Takur Ghar was eventually seized, but seven U.S. service members were killed, and many were wounded. The fight also became known as Battle of Roberts Ridge, in honor of its first casualty, Navy SEAL Neil C. Roberts. Roberts fell from his Chinook helicopter and appeared to single-handedly fight al Qaeda attackers for more than an hour before being killed. Tech. Sgt. John Chapman, who died in the battle after fighting his adversaries single-handedly, received the Medal of Honor posthumously. The other Medal of Honor recipient from the Battle of Roberts Ridge was Navy SEAL Britt Slabinski, who attempted to rescue Roberts.

Quote of the Day: “In this simple grave, in this quiet cemetery, in our small town in Central Pennsylvania, lies a national hero.” Memorial service for Neil C. Roberts, 2006, Prospect Hill Cemetery, York, Pennsylvania

Brandus, Paul. This Day in U.S. Military History (p. 66). Bernan Press. Kindle Edition.