Firebase Tinsley, formerly known as Firebase Cobra, was a

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is th ...

fire support base A fire support base (FSB, firebase or FB) is a temporary military encampment to provide artillery fire support to infantry operating in areas beyond the normal range of fire support from their own base camps. FSBs follow a number of plans, their ...

, located in

Oruzgan Province Uruzgan (Dari), also spelled as Urozgan or Oruzgan, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Uruzgan is located in the center of the country. The population is 436,079, and the province is mostly a tribal society. Tarinkot serves as th ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. This base was established by the Charlie Company "Cobras" of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry who were deployed with the 25th Infantry Division (Light) out of

Schofield Barracks Schofield Barracks is a United States Army installation and census-designated place (CDP) located in the City and County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, Hawaii. Schofield Barracks lies adjacent to the t ...

, Hawaii. The base was named Firebase Cobra until the death of Capt. John Tinsley near there in August 2009. It was featured in National Geographic's "Inside the Green Berets" television series. The

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

3rd Special Forces Group The 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) – abbreviated 3rd SFG(A) and often simply called 3rd Group – is an active duty United States Army Special Forces (SF) group which was active in the Vietnam Era (1963–69), deactivated, and then react ...

is stationed there. On November 2, 2007 the SF Group, and members of the Afghan National Army and

Afghan National Police The Afghan National Police (ANP; ps, د افغانستان ملي پولیس; prs, پلیس ملی افغانستان), is the national police force of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, serving as a single law enforcement agency all across ...

, left the base to get the nearby village of Sarsina, to perform a humanitarian aid and medical capabilities mission. Staff Sergeant Carlo A. Alcazar of CA 745 reported that only a few families came in for the medical treatment offered by the troops from Firebase Cobra, and that the Taliban prevented many from getting the medical service. After completing their humanitarian mission, the soldiers examined the village. “What was alarming,” said Captain Stephen P. Ward, who accompanied Alcazar and the rest of the men, “was the buildings had locks and barricaded doors, which was a clear indication that the village wasn’t abandoned, but had been turned into a defendable position." Eventually, the men discovered that the village had been evacuated and at least 300

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...

militants were entrenched into several fighting positions in an attempt to ambush Coalition forces in the area. According to a

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report, "at one point CA 745 had to go in and rescue the Special Forces Commander who got caught between the American and Taliban lines when they reoriented their vehicles in a fighting position, eventually reaching him and pulling back." Staff Sergeant Alcazar, Captain Ward and Sergeant First Class Drew Kimmey, another member of the group, were all honored for their action. Sgt. 1st Class. Kimmey received a Silver Star, and Staff Sgt. Alcazar and Capt. Ward both were awarded

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

s. Air Force Combat Controller Mark Andrew Forester was killed in action at Firebase Tinsley on the 29th of September, 2010 (Operation Enduring Freedom), while trying to save a fallen comrade. For his actions on that day he was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.

References

{{Reflist Installations of the United States Army in Afghanistan Fire support bases