The commander who led a Green Beret team into war on horseback in Afghanistan shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the United States will speak Sept. 20 at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia.
Mark Nutsch will discuss leading one of the most unconventional warfare campaigns in modern history when he speaks at the 14th annual Farmers Bank and Trust Distinguished Speaker Series at the Donald W. Reynolds Campus and Community Center.
In October 2001, Nutsch led a 12-man team of U.S. special forces soldiers on a covert mission to Afghanistan, where the unit rode to war on horses -- side by side with their Muslim counterparts -- to overthrow the Taliban and capture the strategic city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
Now a consultant to Special Operations Command, Nutsch earned a Bronze Star with valor for his bravery.
The story of the mission also became the subject of a best-selling book by Doug Stanton, Horse Soldiers, which was made into the 2018 film 12 Strong. Nutsch is portrayed by actor Chris Hemsworth as Capt. Mitch Nelson in the movie.
Nutsch will give a behind-the-scenes account of how the mission affected the world and how he prepared his team of "guerrilla diplomats" for the evolving on-the-ground circumstances it encountered.
A private reception with Nutsch will be held at 6 p.m. at the Farmers Bank and Trust main branch in Magnolia, with a dinner and lecture at 7 p.m. in the Grand Hall of the Reynolds Center.
Tickets are $200 for the dinner, lecture and a private reception, or $100 for the dinner and lecture. Sponsorship opportunities also are available through the SAU Foundation.
Proceeds from the event provide scholarships to SAU students.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.saudevelopment.com/fbt, or by calling (870) 235-4287.
State Desk on 08/15/2018