Entry 350-1
Fishing With an American Hero by Strike King’s Mark Rose
Editor’s Note: Very rarely do you have an opportunity to fish with a real American hero, but I had this chance a few weeks ago. Before I tell you about our fishing trip, let me introduce you to Sergeant Gregory Stube, who is assigned to the United States Army Special Operations Command.
Part 1: Who is the Special Forces’ Sergeant Gregory Stube, and How Is He Involved with Mark Rose?
Rose: Greg, what do you do?
Stube: I’m a career soldier in the Special Operations Forces for the Army. I was wounded in Afghanistan 4-years ago and opted to stay on active duty, rather than accept a medical retirement. Right now, I’m conducting public affairs for the 160th Aviation, U.S. Army.
Rose: How long have you been in the Army?
Stube: More than 21 years, and I’ve been in Special Operations for 17 years.
Rose: Sergeant Stube, can you tell us what happened to you in Afghanistan?
Stube: I was wounded in the battle of Sperwan Ghar, which was part of the battle of Operation Medusa, a Canadian-commanded mission. I was a part of three, 10-man Special Forces’ teams assigned to flush out the Taliban from a valley in southwest Afghanistan. We encountered resistance that we didn’t anticipate in large numbers. There were between 3,000 and 5,000 Taliban, and we had three teams of about 30 soldiers. 
We fought them for 5 days. We had a tall mission to stop the Taliban from staging to take back the city of Kandahar, and we had become well aware of what would happen when an enemy took control of a city. To take a city back would mean a very-heavy toll on life and equipment, even if we were successful.
Rose: How did 30 soldiers stop 3,000 to 5,000 Taliban?
Stube: We had superior training, our men were committed, and we were fighting for the truth.
We believed in what we were doing, and we wouldn’t stop fighting. When you’re fighting for what’s right, there seems to be more will and commitment involved.
Contents:
- Part 1: Who is the Special Forces' Sergeant Gregory Stube, and How Is He Involved with Mark Rose?
- Part 2: The Fight for Survival in Harm's Way with Sergeant Gregory Stube and the U.S. Army 160th Aviation
- Part 3: Surviving and Building a Future with Sergeant Gregory Stube of the Special Forces
- Part 4: Going Against the Odds for Service with Special Forces' Sergeant Gregory Stube
- Part 5: Strike King's Mark Rose Tells What Fishing with a Hero Was Like
