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Article suggested the Taliban was victorious In a military context. Taliban forces did not engage in any military battles with US or ISAF forces prior to taking power again. Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit |
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The statue was conceived by sculptor [[Douwe Blumberg]] and first sold in 2003 as a small-scale, {{convert|18|in}} version. In April 2011, an anonymous group of [[Wall Street]] bankers who lost friends in the [[September 11 attacks|9/11 attacks]] commissioned a large, {{convert|16|ft}} tall version. It was dedicated on [[Veterans Day]], November 11, 2011, in a ceremony led by Vice President [[Joe Biden]] and Lt. Gen. [[John F. Mulholland, Jr.|John Mulholland]], commander of Task Force Dagger and [[United States Army Special Operations Command|U.S. Army Special Operations Command]] during [[Operation Enduring Freedom]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Lieutenant General John Mulholland Jr.|url=https://www.shadowspear.com/vb/threads/lieutenant-general-john-mulholland-jr.8369/|website=ShadowSpear Special Operations|access-date=28 January 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217185609/https://www.shadowspear.com/vb/threads/lieutenant-general-john-mulholland-jr.8369/|archive-date=17 February 2017}}</ref>
The statue commemorates the service members of America's Special Operations forces and their response to [[September 11 attacks|9/11]], including those who fought during the first stages of the Afghanistan war. This operation led to the initial defeat of the [[Taliban]] in Afghanistan, although the Taliban would ultimately
== Background ==
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{{details|topic=the opening phase of Operation Enduring Freedom|5th Special Forces Group (United States)}}
The 12-man [[5th Special Forces Group (United States)|Operational Detachment Alpha 595]] (ODA 595) team, along with two Air Force combat controllers, were the second group of Task Force Dagger to enter Afghanistan. In the first operation of its kind, they were flown from a former Soviet airbase, now named the [[Karshi-Khanabad Air Base]], in [[Uzbekistan
=== Horseback transportation ===
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[[File:Douwe Blumberg working special forces sculpture.JPG|thumb|Blumberg puts the finishing touches on the full-size clay model of the horse soldier sculpture before the bronze work is begun.]]
On a life-and-a-half scale,<ref name=usmon/> the {{convert|5000|lb}}<ref name=doss/> bronze statue is {{convert|16|ft}} tall, including a {{convert|3|ft}} tall granite [[plinth]]. The base bears the sculpture's title, "America's Response Monument." The statue is subtitled ''[[De Oppresso Liber]]'', which is [[Latin]] for 'to liberate the oppressed', the motto of the [[
It depicts a male
The small, Afghan "[[Lokai]]" horse shows "[[Tersk horse|Tersk]]" breeding, indicating a horse of Eastern European heritage descended from horses brought in by the [[Soviet Union|Soviets]] in the 1980s. In the Afghan culture, the soldiers only ride stallions into battle.<ref name=usmon>{{cite web |title=Artist's Statement |publisher=Foundation for U.S. Historical Monuments |access-date=16 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080401151440/http://www.usmonuments.org/topf.html |archive-date=April 1, 2008 |url=http://www.usmonuments.org/topf.html}}</ref> The horses could be difficult to control, and the statue depicts the horse rearing back. The horse tack depicted by Blumberg is traditional to the Afghani people. A tasseled breast collar helps keep the flies off the chest and legs.<ref name=usmon/> The statue's base reflects the steep, precipitous slopes that the soldiers often traveled on horseback.<ref name=downtown/>
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== Dedication ==
The statue was introduced to the public during the [[Veterans Day Parade (New York City)|Veteran's Day Parade]] in New York City on November 11, 2011. The statue was displayed on a float, which led the parade along [[Fifth Avenue]] from [[23rd Street (Manhattan)|23rd Street]] north to [[56th Street (Manhattan)|56th Street]].<ref name=downtown>{{cite news |title="De Oppresso Liber" Statue Finds Home at Ground Zero |url=http://downtownmagazinenyc.com/2011/11/de-oppresso-liber-statue-finds-home-at-ground-zero/ |access-date=12 January 2012 |date=November 11, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130121155417/http://downtownmagazinenyc.com/2011/11/de-oppresso-liber-statue-finds-home-at-ground-zero/ |archive-date=21 January 2013 }}</ref> It was dedicated the same day in a ceremony led by Vice President [[Joe Biden]] and Lt. Gen. [[John F. Mulholland, Jr.|John Mulholland]], commander of [[United States Army Special Operations Command|Special Operations Command]] and formerly commander of Task Force Dagger during the initial days of the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|War in Afghanistan]].<ref name=bissell/><ref name=ospina/> New York City ironworkers who had helped build the World Trade Center were among those who helped transport, move, and install the statue temporarily in the West Street Lobby inside [[One World Financial Center]] in New York City opposite [[World Trade Center site|Ground Zero]].<ref name=legion/>
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=== Rededication at One World Trade Center ===
The statue was rededicated on October 19, 2012, by General John Mulholland. He dedicated the statue in its new location in front of [[One World Trade Center]], across from Ground Zero and the [[National September 11 Memorial & Museum|9/11 Memorial]]. The bronze statue was positioned so the soldier atop the horse is keeping a watchful eye over the World Trade Center and its tenants. Soldiers representing the [[United States Army Special Operations Command]] attended the ceremony.<ref name=ospina>{{cite web |last=Ospina |first=Barbara |title=America's Response Statue placed to provide overwatch on One World Trade Center |date=27 October 2012 |url=http://www.army.mil/article/90137/America_s_Response_Statue_placed_to_provide_overwatch_on_One_World_Trade_Center/ |publisher=United States Army |access-date=18 March 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308003247/http://www.army.mil/article/90137/America_s_Response_Statue_placed_to_provide_overwatch_on_One_World_Trade_Center |archive-date=8 March 2013 }}</ref> At its rededication, the statue's entire cost of over $750,000 had been paid by hundreds of private citizens.<ref>{{cite web |last=White |first=Bill |title=Ground Zero salute to American heroes |url=http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/ground_zero_salute_to_american_heroes_8EPQUZbWGnBQ9lXfiJKJXP |publisher=New York Post |access-date=18 March 2013 |date=18 October 2012}}</ref>
=== Moved to Liberty Park ===
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