America's Response Monument: Tribute to US Army Special Forces

The America's Response Monument, also known as the Horse Soldier Statue, stands in Liberty Park, New York City, overlooking the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. This life-and-a-half scale bronze statue, standing 16 feet tall, is the first publicly accessible monument dedicated to the United States Army Special Forces. It was also the first monument near Ground Zero to recognize heroes of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The monument was commissioned by a group of Wall Street bankers in 2011 and dedicated on Veterans Day with a ceremony led by Vice President Joe Biden.

The statue recognizes the heroes of the September 11 attacks and those who fought during the initial stages of the Afghanistan war. Task Force Dagger, a joint Special Operations team consisting of Green Berets from the 5th Special Forces Group, aircrew members from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, and Air Force Combat Controllers, was a primary component of this response. The 12-man Operational Detachment Alpha 595 were the second group of Task Force Dagger to enter Afghanistan, arriving from the Karshi-Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan on October 19, 2001.

The team was dropped onto a farmer's field in the Dari-a-Souf Valley and linked up with the Northern Alliance, led by General Dostum. They fought in various locations, including Bishqab and Cōbaki in Balkh Province. The operation led to the initial defeat of the Taliban in Afghanistan, although the Taliban would ultimately regain power following their 20-year-long war with the United States.

The sculptor of the statue, Douwe Blumberg, was inspired to create the work after seeing a photo of the Task Force Dagger team riding across a field on Afghan horses. The statue, subtitled De Oppresso Liber, commemorates the adaptability and sacrifice of the Special Operations forces who responded to the attacks on 9/11.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons