Lesson 3: “Boots on the Ground”


The Global War on Terror: How One Day Began America’s Longest War

Minnesota Social Studies Standards
History Standard:  “The end of the Cold War, shifting geopolitical dynamics, the intensification of the global economy, and rapidly changing technologies have given renewed urgency to debates about the United States’ identity, values and role in the world. (The United States in a New Global Age)”

History Standard:  “Globalization, the spread of capitalism and the end of the Cold War have shaped a contemporary world still characterized by rapid technological change, dramatic increases in global population and economic growth coupled with persistent economic and social disparities and cultural conflict. (The New Global Era: 1989- Present)”

Geography Standard:   “Processes of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of the earth’s surface.” 


Learning Objective
Students will learn how the events of September 11th, 2001 shaped the work and career experiences of a variety of Minnesotans. Students will hear stories of deployment, enlistment and reenlistment, and also stories of people who served stateside.

Introduction/Warm-up

  • If you used Lesson 2, ask students to share what they remember from the experiences of the Minnesotans interviewed.  Or, you could discuss the short reading from the Patricia Baker transcript.  (She was supposed to have graduated from the aviation Captain course at Fort Rucker, Alabama.) 

  • Or, project the following images of the “Most Wanted Iraqis” playing cards, which Patricia Baker will reference in her interview.

Personality Identification Playing Cards.  The teacher could read the following information about the cards from the American History Museum in Washington, D.C.
Source

A deck of cards depicting the 52 most wanted Iraqis was first seen on 11 April 2003 when Brigadier General Vincent Brooks held up the deck at a press briefing in Qatar. The cards were designed "to provide a reminder of key Iraqi personnel of interest and to provide a recreational resource for troops in the field," according to the Department of Defense. "We try to have things that have dual usage whenever we can," said U.S. Army Major Randi Steffy, a Central Command spokesperson. Only a few days after the general introduced the cards, collectors started looking to acquire them. An initial print run of only a couple hundred decks was sent to Central Command in Qatar for distribution. The popularity and demand for the cards sent the Defense Department to an outside contractor, United States Playing Card Company, to reproduce the popular item.

Basic info from Wikipedia about the cards:

Teacher instruction:
Today you will hear from

  • Master Sgt. Mike McElhiney, who was gravely injured in December 2001 in Afghanistan

  • Dr. Andrew Baker, a forensic pathologist who helped identify the remains of the victims of the Pentagon attack 

  • David Nguyen, who enlisted in the United States Army on September 10, 2001.

  • General Joseph Votel, who parachuted into Afghanistan with the Rangers in October 2001. 

  • Lt. Colonel Patricia Baker, who was deployed multiple times to Iraq. 

This PPT explains who is being interviewed.  More details below.

Patricia Baker: Video
0-7:30; she discusses what it’s like to be a MN farm kid in the desert; her responsibilities in the war; how the length of the deployment kept changing; how the war affected her

Introduce the following background information before showing the Mike McElhiney clips. 

Background about the Taliban in Afghanistan:  Ask if students are familiar with the books, The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns.  (Many students read the former in LA classes.) Or, if students know the story of Malala, the young Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban in 2012.    Discuss. (The wikipedia entry on the Taliban provides extensive background on their interpretation of Islam and their harsh rule over the people of Afghanistan.)  Alternatively, use information from this resource.

The Taliban is an anti-Western Islamic group that insists upon a strict and brutal enforcement of “sharia” law. Afghanistan was - and is - in a civil war. Various tribes and religious groups are fighting for control of the country. The Taliban held control of most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.  The Taliban was funded and supported by elements of the Pakistani government and supported the terror efforts of Osama Bin Laden. 

Mike McElhiney served 21 years in the United States Army.  He was part of the Army’s Special Forces (“Green Beret”).  He was one of the first people to infiltrate southern Afghanistan after 9/11.  Part of his team’s job was to protect Hamid Karzai, an important political leader whom the United States hoped could lead Afghanistan against the Taliban.  Karzai was the leader of the Northern Alliance, anti-Taliban Afghanis.  The United States wanted to help the Northern Alliance forces take control of Afghanistan.   McElhiney and his fellow soldiers served alongside Afghani forces in the Northern Alliance. 

Mike McElhiney

  • Show map of Afghanistan (in PPT) - His unit’s experience in Kandahar, Afghanistan on December 5,  2001 (spelled Quandahar on the map)

0:00 - 1:49 - He describes what it’s like to be in combat. He mentions his friend, Wes, who had been shot.

9:33 - 12:26 - He describes how he and others were injured on December 5, 2001, by friendly fire.  An American B-52 dropped a huge bomb (a JDAM) too close to their position.  Note:  He describes his injuries in detail.

17:57 - 18:58 - He explains how this was the first major casualty event in Afghanistan.

19:40 - 22:45 - He explains the lingering wounds of that event.  He talks about his own personal experience and those of his friends in the unit.

David Nguyen
A Minnesotan who enlisted in the United States Army on September 10, 2001! He was in both Afghanistan and Iraq. 
(Show maps on PPT.  He was in Fallujah, Iraq.)

Background:  (Also included as optional homework in Lesson 2)
MN American Legion

Joseph Votel
Background: General Votel graduated from Cretin High School in St. Paul and then from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served in the Army from 1980 to 2019. On September 11, 2001, he was the Commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment (Army Rangers) in Georgia. At the age of 47, on October 19th, 2001, he parachuted into southern Afghanistan with the Rangers. They were among the first “boots on the ground” in Afghanistan after 9/11. Below, he describes the experience: 
https://vimeo.com/twelveplus/review/431437024/a8f20a3ccf (Need to make public) - 4:53 - 14:23

Andrew Baker 
Dr. Baker was part of the medical examining team at Dover Air Force Base (Delaware) that identified the remains of the victims of the attack on the Pentagon.  In this clip, he explains how the identifications were done. (Note: The descriptions of body parts and the examination process are graphic.)
https://vimeo.com/twelveplus/review/494832208/8dae98bba4 (Need to make public) -  3:14 - 16:45

Wrap-Up or Homework
Ask students to share their reactions to the memories and experiences of the Minnesotans in today’s videos.  Was there a particular person’s story that resonated with you?  What details or experiences that they shared will you remember?  What is your impression of their service?