User:Redskevin2688/sandbox/Operation Coronet Strike

Operation Coronet Strike was the operation to capture the Queen Beatrix International Airport as part of the liberation of Aruba. It involved American, Dutch and German forces.

Initial battles
On September 11, two Special Forces platoons staged a High Altitude Low Opening jump from a C-17 onto Queen Beatrix International Airport. A total of 18 commandos commanded by Captain Darren Harper were dropped onto the target. Reinforced with a Marine Raiders platoon, they were tasked with reconnoitering and calling in airstrikes from American F-35 Lightning II and F-16 fighter jets, along with Dutch F-16s, supported by American and German EA-18G Growlers and F-22 Raptors.

The Special Forces were compromised after a United States Navy pilot Major Jason Strachan, was shot down by Venezuelan forces when searching for a downed Dutch pilot. The SEALs landed a force of six SEALs, a Navy Corpsman and an ANGLICO controller at Oranjestad port, and came under fire. They called on fire from the USS Detroit and eventually linked up with the Special Forces at the airport, and were extracted by a SEAL boat team. Sergeant Brian Reynosa, the ANGLICO controller, was taken Prisoner of War after he was separated from his unit.

Landing
A force of eleven C-17s and seven Lockheed MC-130 aircraft, escorted by F-16 and F-35s landed the first wave of troops on September 13. Globemasters from the 437th Airlift Wing flew over 800 soldiers and their equipment from the 1/504th Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division, while C-130s from Curacao landed a Ranger battalion, a Delta Force squadron, and three Air Force Combat Controllers. The 82nd Airborne soldiers were tasked with securing an airhead for reinforcements to land on the island. Two Ranger companies, Alpha & Bravo Company, along with Delta Force, were tasked with liberating the main terminal, where civilian hostages were being held. They included American Airlines employees and several members of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Meanwhile, Charlie Company was tasked to establish a Fuel & Rearm Point (FARP). Once the main terminal was secured and occupied by Dutch forces, the Rangers would also relieve the Green Beret commandos, and secure the road to Oranjestad.

The 82nd Airborne suffered the first KIA of the battle when Sergeant Taylor Valdez was killed. The 28-year-old was killed when his parachute failed to deploy. Charlie Company came under heavy fire from Cuban and Venezuelan commandos, and they called for rescue. The Venezuelans were equipped with several captured M2 Browning machine guns, as well as Russian PK machine guns. A Quick Reaction Force from the 82nd Airborne was sent to their location to assist, along with three Delta Force commandos. During the battle that followed, Master Sergeant Jeffrey Chen was mortally wounded by 82nd Airborne soldiers in a friendly fire incident, and two airborne soldiers were wounded by enemy action. A Sergeant from Charlie Company, Sergeant Jake Murray, exposed himself to fire in an attempt to rescue the wounded and was mortally wounded.

The second wave of C-17s carrying 2/504th Infantry, along with a company of LAV-25 armored vehicles, landed. The C-17s returned with freed hostages and Sergeant Reynosa, who were flown to Curaçao International Airport, while US Navy Seahawks carried out a MEDEVAC mission and evacuated the wounded soldiers to the USS Kearsarge. Sergeants Chen and Murray died in surgery.

The 3rd Cavalry Regiment was flown to Oranjestad along with their Stryker vehicles. The first Dutch forces also arrived, as Airbus A400M Atlas from the Dutch Air Force and two American C-17 landed 500 Dutch soldiers and their equipment from the 11th Infantry Battalion. German A400Ms also landed, carrying more soldiers and Puma Infantry Fighting Vehicles. 2nd Squadron was dispatched to rescue a SEAL team trapped at San Nicholas, while 3rd Squadron was sent to rescue forces in the port area. The first M1 Abrams also arrived via C-17 and were attached to 3rd Squadron. As the battle raged on, additional reinforcements were brought in from the Florida Army National Guard along with the remainder of the 82nd Airborne 1st Brigade.

Venezuelan Counterattack
The Venezuelans attempted a counter-attack using T-72s and Hind gunships. They also attempted to use BM-21 Grad Multiple rocket launchers against the American positions. The Dutch countered by using F-16s, using their AN/APG-68 radar, while the Americans deployed their Apache gunships as anti-artillery spotters. By now, the control tower was in American hands and was used to direct airstrikes on Venezuelan armor. A Dutch soldier was killed while the Americans lost Specialist Eric Atkinson, the 24-year-old was killed when he fell off his LAV-25 turret after his LAV hit an anti-tank mine. Two Germans and two Americans were wounded in battle.

Securing the Airport
Soldiers from Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago also arrived to guard the prisoners and provide logistical support, airlifted using a Brazilian Air Force Embraer KC-390 and a Trinidadian C-130. They were supported by a Special Forces platoon, ODA 7332, and soldiers from the 98th Civil Affairs Battalion, forming a nearly 750-strong force under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Olivia Yao. With the airport secured, General Henry Callaghan set up his headquarters at the airport terminal. However, a Venezuelan sniper fired, mortally wounding Staff Sergeant Rebecca Kim Hae-won, an intelligence specialist. A LAV-25 in the area engaged the sniper, killing him.

A Special Forces element led by Captain Justin Mueller from ODB 7310 and two Delta medics was dispatched to reinforce the MARSOC team at the port area commanded by Captain Jeremy Wright. Captain Mueller took command of the situation, directing helicopters from the 160th Regiment to retrieve the wounded, supported by AH-6 Little Bird attack helicopters. They took charge of a chaotic scene due to a breakdown in command between MARSOC and the Dutch forces. CW3 Barbara Dyer, CW3 Daniel Armstrong, and Sergeant First Class Azrael Roldan were later awarded the German Silver Cross of Honor and SFC Roldan was awarded the Bronze Star. A Little Bird piloted by CW4 Danny Harper and CW3 Stan Zielinski that was shot at by the Venezuelans managed to fly to the airport to crash land, wounding both pilots, and earning CW4 Harper the Silver Star.