HEROISM & GUTS — WHAT IT TAKES TO EARN THE NAVY CROSS
March 1, 2023Matt Fratus
Navy Cross
From left, Marine Capt. John Ripley, Navy SEAL Chief Stephen Bass, and Lt. Gen. Lewis “Chesty” Puller are all recipients of the Navy Cross medal. Composite by Matt Fratus/Coffee or Die.
On Nov. 25, 2001, a coalition of US and British forces were dispatched to the Qala-i-Jangi fortress in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. The al Qaeda fighters being detained at Qali-i-Jangi had just revolted and gained access to the fort’s weapons depot. Two CIA officers were trapped somewhere inside.
The first element of the rescue team to reach the objective included US Army Green Berets, British Special Boat Service commandos, and US Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Stephen Bass. They were met by a barrage of small arms fire, mortars, and rocket-propelled grenades. A battle ensued.
As bullets flew, Bass and four of his comrades broke contact and maneuvered across a minefield to enter the fortress. Once inside, the team established radio contact with one of the two missing Americans — CIA case officer David Tyson. But despite their best efforts, they were unable to reach him. Eventually, after killing several al Qaeda fighters, they managed to occupy one of the fortress’ towers. Fearing they might be overrun, a Green Beret directed the F-18s circling overhead to strike the area immediately around their position with 500-pound JDAM bombs.
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