Operational Detachment Alpha 574

Operational Detachment Alpha 574
Hamid Karzai with Amerine and his men.
Active	1997, 2001
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Army
Type	A-Team
Role	1997-Sent to Saudia Arabia as a Mobile Training Team (MTT) to train the Saudi Arabia National Guard (SANG) 2001-Set condition for a democratic government in Afghanistan.
Size	12 personnel
Nickname(s)	Texas One-Two
Engagements	Invasion of Afghanistan Battle of Tarin Kowt Battle of Shawali Kowt Battle of Sayyd Alma Kalay Capture of Kandahar
Commanders
Notable commanders	Jason Amerine

Operational Detachment Alpha 574 is a part of the United States Army's Third Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group. At the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom it operated in Afghanistan to help defeat the insurgent Taliban and create conditions for the establishment of a democratic government in Afghanistan. Jason Amerine was noted for leading the group in several battles of the Invasion of Afghanistan.

ODA 574 from Alpha Company, 3rd Btn, 5th SFG deployed from Karshi-Khanabad Air Base (nicknamed K2 by the Special Forces) just outside of Tarin Kowt on 14 November, accompanied by Pashtun militia leader, Hamid Karzai, who was returning from exile.

As Karazai’s forces pushed south towards Kandahar, a possible error by an attached United States Air Force Tactical Air Control Party on 5 December Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) fell short of its intended target, 100 yard from their position. It killed Master Sgt. Jefferson Donald "Donnie" Davis, Staff Sgt. Brian Cody Prosser, and Sgt. 1st Class Daniel H. Petithory and twenty members of Karzai’s militia. Five other members of ODA 574 and Karzai were wounded. Five minutes after the friendly fire incident, Hamid Karzai was notified by a satellite phone call that he’d been selected to lead Afghanistan’s new interim government.

Assisted by ODA 586 soldiers from Bravo Company, 3rd Btn, 5th SFG, with reinforcements from ODA 750 (Bravo Company, 2nd Btn, 7th SFG) and ODA 523 (Bravo Company, 1st Btn, 5th SFG), Karzai was able to negotiate the surrender of Taliban forces around Kandahar.

Nicknamed "Texas 12" (Texas One-Two), the group comprised 12 U.S Green Berets under command of Captain Jason Amerine. They worked side-by-side with the militia, who were led by Hamid Karzai. Their primary objective was to capture the Islamic spiritual center in the city of Kandahar. To capture the province. it was necessary to first capture the town of Tarin Kowt. The civilians of the town overthrew the Taliban governor, so Karzai and Amerine moved in to help defend it. The 12 Americans of ODA 574, assisted by U.S. close air support and 35 Afghans, successfully defended Tarin Kowt against 1,000 Taliban insurgents delivered by 100 trucks.