The Final Assault on the DusitD2 Hotel, Told by the SAS Operator Who Led It (Part 3 of 3)

Just after first light they heard the terrorists praying for the first time all night. Christian Craighead told the Kenyans to get ready, then started singing the Hail Mary. On "amen," four grenades came down the stairs.Part 3 of 3 — the finale. The seventh-floor standoff through the night: the iPhone charger, the fire alarm that ran for fifteen hours, the minibars. Then Iraq, 2003 — three men walking into an armoured division with no air support, the whisper behind the berm, a black dog on a knoll at dusk, and the night he took communion from the brigade Padre in a factory near the Garden of Eden. Then back to the hotel for the final assault, the kitchen with every stove left on, the basement in ankle-deep hot water and total darkness, and the last two.It ends with a speech to the Kenyan officers, a list of missing names, and a cup of tea.CHAPTERS0:00 Cold open — the black dog0:39 Part 31:41 How did they have that many grenades?3:36 "Are you American?" — the US mentors ordered out4:44 "What's your plan?" "Wait for them to come down and kill them."6:06 Four terrorists, two injured, no hostages — no longer a rescue7:17 Grenades "for the love of the game"7:36 1:30 a.m. — the iPhone charger9:07 Fifteen hours of fire alarm10:15 The minibars: "Isn't that theft?"11:49 Two terrorists in the basement12:20 First light — the low point12:36 Iraq, 2003 — the Pathfinders and the mission nobody wanted14:32 Three men into an armoured division, no air18:39 Cleaning the guns because you're going to use them19:18 Blacked-out faces, no body armour, no helmets20:19 The decision: take the track21:42 Whispering behind the berm23:24 The rifle jams. Grenade. Pistol. Five.25:36 "This is why we do the two-mile test"26:43 Nobody followed. "We wanted more."27:19 The black dog on the knoll — "I think we're gonna kill people tonight"28:34 "The best day of my life" — communion with the Padre32:56 Back to Nairobi: they start praying34:13 Answering with a Hail Mary — "at the hour of our death, amen"34:34 Four grenades. The final battle.35:35 Terrorist one, terrorist two — "Cease fire"36:21 "You don't f*** with Kenya" — dancing in the kill zone37:19 Photographs of the dead38:04 102 rooms to clear; room 31639:30 "We need six guys." Four step up.40:40 The kitchen: every stove left on for fifteen hours42:07 The basement — hot water, steam, pitch black43:51 A terrorist steps around the corner44:57 The glass doors and the middle finger45:50 The glass goes46:22 The grenade that landed a few feet away47:16 "They're dead." "Make sure."47:38 "I'm trying to take photographs here"48:14 The speech — "Remember what we all did for Kenya today"48:41 The missing list; walking the hotel alone49:18 "I went home and had a nice cup of tea"49:23 "This almost didn't get printed"—Christian Craighead served 28 years in the British Army, including the Parachute Regiment, the Pathfinder Platoon, and the SAS. On January 15, 2019, while serving as a liaison officer in Kenya, he responded alone to the Al-Shabaab attack on the DusitD2 complex. He was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross.Send Me is hosted by Michael Blevins.Instagram: @weareheavymeta#ChristianCraighead #SAS #OneManIn #Nairobi #DusitD2