SSG Pete Walther, U.S. Army Special Forces, Afghanistan Horse Soldiers

Pete Walther joined the National Guard to help pay for college but soon realized he enjoyed the Guard much more than school. So he joined the regular U.S. Army and soon pursued Army Special Forces. He became highly trained in explosives and was assigned to Operational Detachment Alpha 595, also known as ODA 595. While still a fresh special operator, Al Qaeda terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001. ODA 595 was soon deployed to Afghanistan.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Walther tells us about his journey into U.S. Army Special Forces, what took place between 9/11 and ODA 595’s entry into Afghanistan in October 2001, and linking up with the Northern Alliance to fight the Taliban – on horseback.

Walther details how the horses were a huge help in taking the fight to the Taliban, how the overwhelming U.S. firepower left their Afghan allies in awe, what the fighting was like as they closed in on Mazar-i-Sharif, and what it took to force the final enemy forces out of the city. 

Finally, Walther reflects on 25 years since the mission that made “The Horse Soldiers” famous.

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Veterans Chronicles