What it’s like to serve in Afghanistan as a Navy SEAL — and then see it from space
Navy Capt. Chris Cassidy on a spacewalk in May 2013. (NASA)
By Alex Horton
July 18
The International Space Station zooms through orbit, skimming above the Earth’s surface so fast that it rounds the planet every 90 minutes — giving crew members dominion to look at just about any wonder of the world.
Navy Capt. Chris Cassidy’s eyes were drawn to the sun-scorched dunes of Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
Cassidy’s platoon of SEALs carved positions to sleep in the sand over Christmas 2001, just a few months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. His men flushed out hardened al-Qaeda fighters through claustrophobic cave routes. The SEALs got so close to some, Cassidy said, that abandoned bedrolls were still warm with body heat.
What it’s like to serve in Afghanistan as a Navy SEAL — and then see it from space
