He saved my life

During the debriefing at the observation post on the hilltop just outside Kakarak, they were still laughing it off a bit. After all, they’d all made it out in one piece! That was until they saw the bullet tip of the Kalashnikov round still lodged in the flak jacket of anti-tank gunner Dempster Wintersberger. On 10 September 2026, 19 years on, he was finally awarded the Cross of Merit, one of the Netherlands’ highest honours for bravery.

Uruzgan

In November 2006, a new contingent of Dutch troops arrived in the province of Uruzgan in Afghanistan. Among them is B ‘Wonju’ Company of the 12th Infantry Battalion, Van Heutsz Regiment, based in Schaarsbergen. The red berets of B ‘Wonju’ Company belong to the 11th Airmobile Brigade. The troops are stationed at Camp Holland, near Tarin Kowt, the provincial capital.

Cat

Platoon Commander Öner Çatalpinar – known as ‘Cat’ to his colleagues – is 31 years old when he arrives in Uruzgan in November 2006. It was his second deployment to Afghanistan. It was the height of winter in November; at night, temperatures could drop to as low as minus 20 degrees. But … it was quiet. That changed as winter drew to a close in January. Taliban fighters descended from the surrounding mountains towards Tarin Kowt. For them, the area was of vital importance, as it was home to the trade routes along which the lucrative opium poppies were transported.

Kakarak

On 22 January 2007, the 3rd platoon, accompanied by members of the PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team), set off to meet with the village elder of Karkarak to discuss setting up projects for the local population. The village is only 8 kilometres from Camp Holland. Yet this is no ordinary journey. Beforehand, Dutch troops take up positions on a hill near the village. For hours, they meticulously inspect the road between the two locations. Only once it has been cleared in the afternoon can the 3rd platoon, accompanied by the PRT personnel, enter Karkarak. Around 25 men on foot, including Öner’s infantry group, and two Mercedes-Benz jeeps.

TIC: troops in contact

After the discussions have gone on for a while, the atmosphere changes: the street grows quieter and there are no longer any women or children to be seen. Then fire is opened on the NATO troops: shots are fired from bazookas and Kalashnikovs.

The fire is immediately returned. The NATO troops withdraw in an organised manner, providing cover for the PRT team. Öner’s infantry group takes cover behind the crumbling fence of a quala, a residential compound. Then comes the report that there are armed men on the roof of the house behind them. Cat turns round immediately. But in doing so, he gives up his cover. From 75 metres away, a Taliban fighter aims his Kalashnikov at him. In a fraction of a second, Dempster pulls his squad leader out of the line of fire …

I must have thanked him a hundred times. You saved my life! It really took a while for it to sink in with the men of Öner’s infantry group. Upon his return to the Netherlands, Öner decided to nominate his anti-tank gunner for a bravery award.