Capt. Mark Nutsch led a team of Green Berets called the 5th Special Forces Group's Operational Detachment Alpha 595 that was inserted into Afghanistan shortly after 911 to help free the area from the Taliban. Instead of vehicles they rode horses.Today he and some former ODA 595 members have teamed up on a business called the American Freedom Distillery, which is based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Nutsch was in Junction City on Saturday at Frontier Spirits for a tasting and bottle signing of the distillery&nbsp; company's Horse Soldier Bourbon. There was a steady stream of customers.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603579691039.jpeg" alt="Mark Nutsch at Frontier Spirits" />
 <figcaption>Mark Nutsch at Frontier Spirits</figcaption>
 </figure>Nutsch said 19 years ago after the 911 attack he led the special forces team into Afghanistan where they had to ride horseback for approximately one month working with the resistance to fight the Taliban and Al Quaida. "Somebody had to go in and figure out some answers, figure out who we could work with, there were so many unanswered questions."Nutsch said the local resistance leaders they had to link up with were riding horseback in the mountains. The special forces unit,&nbsp; organized them,&nbsp; advised them, helped get supplies in and worked to conduct air - ground coordination on air strikes. It was dangerous work. "Yeah it was pretty sporty. They didn't expect our team to survive. We had some very challenging days no doubt. " Nutsch added after several weeks they had united three different ethnic factions,&nbsp; coordinated an uprising across the northern provinces and led them in skirmishes and battles which ended in the liberation of the city, Mazar-e-Sharif, from the Taliban.The story was portrayed in a book "Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan." It was portrayed in the film "12 strong" produced by Jerry Bruckheimer,&nbsp; and also in a documentary.Nutsch is originally from Washington County in Kansas where he grew up in a rodeo and ranching family and later participated in rodeo during his time at Kansas State University.Horse Soldier Bourbon has been distributed in Kansas since this past February, said Nutsch. " It is taking off all over the state."

Former Horse Soldier commander pays visit to Junction City