I was terrified. Your Privacy Rights Lee and his friend Bryan Nichols flew their Chinook into battle several times the first night, dropping off troops at a landing zone (LZ) almost 10,000 feet above sea level. The shootdown was the single, deadliest loss of U.S. forces in the war. Their deaths are the greatest single loss of life ever suffered by the U.S. Special Operations community in the 24-year history of the U.S. Special Operations Command.[5][22][15][23]. The SEAL commander assembled his force: 17 Navy SEALs, five Navy combat support specialists, three U.S. Air Force Special Tactics Airmen, seven Afghan Special Forces operators, an Afghan interpreter, and a military working dog. American, French and Afghan National Police forces carried out a three-day sweep of the area, and the area was then deemed secure. The helicopter carrying the SEALs proceeded to the landing zone alone, without external lighting. Lee remained in Afghanistan flying combat missions for another eight months before returning home in the spring of 2012. Instead, two rigorous U. S. military investigations followed every moment of the mission to determine what went wrong on Extortion 17s final flight. The extreme G-forces killed everyone on board within a fraction of a second, Darack said. The Chinook headed to a different landing zone than the first assault team one in the narrowest part of the Tangi Valley. Less than five seconds after the RPG round hit, the helicopter spun uncontrollably, plummeting into a dry creek bed and erupting in a ball of fire that killed all on board. Nothing tests the capabilities of a young helicopter pilot like flying in the extreme conditions of Afghanistan. On this night, Aug. 6, 2011, something went terribly wrong. He would eventually do two tours and become commander of a Chinook unit during his second deployment in 2011. These are the words of Billy Vaughn. Director Franois Garcia Writer Sandeep Panesar Stars Robert O'Neill (archive footage) Patricia Economo Enrique Garcia All of them were men of courage, integrity, and honor. Though both noted that airborne sensor coverage and closer AH-64 gunship escort should be considered in future operations, nothing could have kept the shooters from firing their RPGs that night. The True Story Behind the Recovery of Extortion 17 Its almost always a miss.. Obama 'Put a Target on Their Backs', SEAL Team 6 Family Members Say Extortion 17 and its 38 occupants would not return. A Department of Defense official asserted that there were no leaks from the Afghans. In April 2011, American forces turned over control of Combat Outpost Tangi to Afghan government forces. Warnings from her crew to turn the Chinook back or cancel their mission went unheeded. On the Extortion 17 crash, credible journalism was produced on this subject by Ed Darack in his book, "The Final Mission of Extortion 17." The SEALs who died in the crash belonged to Gold Squadron, while the SEALs who killed bin Laden belonged to Red Squadron. Did Extortion 17 cover-up sink Rep. Chaffetz? - WND They may have seen Extortion 17 and its landing zone through their own night vision goggles or simply aimed by sound alone. by FighterSweep Staff Apr 25, 2017 Retired Air Force Captain Joni Marquez is claiming the Pentagon hid the truth and lied about the circumstances that led to a Chinook helicopter crash that. During a previous deployment to Iraq, Carters unit flew dozens of similar raids, which he often planned and led, and gained a reputation for working well with special operations troops. Were handing rifles to 20-year-olds and asking them to shoot people. [11][12], As the Rangers approached the target compound, ISR aircraft observed several people leaving the compound. [39], During the same Pentagon news conference in which he announced that the F-16 airstrike had incapacitated "less than 10" of the insurgents involved, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander in Afghanistan John R. Allen said that the military investigation would also review whether small-arms fire or other causes might have contributed to the downing. Insurgents fired at the Chinook, severed one of. All 38 passengers aboard Extortion 17, including 30 U.S. military personnel, eight Afghans and a U.S. military working dog, were killed after the transport helicopter was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. And why was the fire control officer of the AC-130 Gunship flying above denied permission . In July 2010, an RPG-wielding fighter put a round into the tail boom of a Marine AH-1W Super Cobra, downing it and killing both pilots. Afghanistan has long been a counter-insurgency campaign: The United States strategy has been to win Afghan trust through cooperation and aid. American forces continued to carry out operations in the area (mostly via helicopter and using special forces), encountering resistance from Taliban fighters on several occasions. He was too busy. Lees second deployment started in May of 2011. Extortion 17 August 6, 2022 marks 11 years since Extortion 17. By At the time of the Juy Zarin raid, the battalion had been flying in Afghanistan for about two weeks. According to officials, the team included 17 SEALs, five Navy special operations troops who support the SEALs, three Air Force airmen, a five-member Army air crew and a military dog, along with. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kansas, Spc. The helicopter crashed less than 5 seconds later, killing all 38 people on board. Recovery of wreckage from the crash site lasted until 9 August 2011. The SEAL Team 6 community was devastated. A junior, he was ready to fight, but the war would be over, he figured, before he even got out of college. When tactical conditions allow, they initiate operations by calling out enemy forces. They reached the site at 04:12 and found no survivors. U.S. Special Operations Command possesses its own specialized ChinooksMH-47sflown by the ultra-secretive 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the Night Stalkers. The MH-47s modifications include inflight refueling probes, additional and upgraded sensors, more powerful engines, and more powerful defensive weapons than their conventional counterparts. Find the perfect extortion17 stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. We were supporting special operations, but not to the degree of the 160th. [35] The Seattle Times and The New York Times also reported this information. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), Grand Island, Nebraska, Sgt. The Joint Combat Assessment Team report further noted that despite a robust deck of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets, none identified the location from which the shooters fired prior to the helicopter downing. The true story behind the recovery of Extortion 17 Extortion 17 hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy The conspiracy theories didnt bother Lee at first. But no one died. Originally just two people, the group eventually swelled to a total of nine or ten fighters, and the special operations task force commander and the Immediate Reaction Force commander became concerned that it might include Tahir. The immediate reaction force Extortion 17 carried should have been flown in two helicopters: Senior JSOC and aviation planners both agreed that the best course of action was to put the entire . Navy SEAL Foundation - Extortion 17 Tragedy Assistance. Honor and God sees you, You do see that A-12(1963! Extortion 17 is a name etched in our minds as one of the worst losses our military has ever experienced. So the whole team went in one Chinook helicopter Extortion 17. Extortion 17: Bodies of the 22 slain SEAL Team 6 members cremated Available for both RF and RM licensing. The resulting explosion destroyed the aft rotor assembly. Despite the risk, operations like these were taking place with such frequency in Afghanistan they only made news when they produced a spectacular success, like the bin Laden mission. It just wasnt.. I didnt want to die., He remembered the words of his old flight instructor: Never stop flying the aircraft.. Austin Williams visits the gravesite of U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher C. Campbell in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 30, 2016. Seven Afghan National Army commandos and one Afghan civilian interpreter were also killed in the crash. Downing of Extortion 17: The Single Deadliest Incident of the US War in He said, "And now, to our honor roll of American Service Personnel killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. On his first deployment, he felt fortunate to be surrounded by veteran pilots he could learn from. To reach the crash site, one must wind slowly through the ancient, narrow streets of the villages of Logar to reach the Tangi Valley in Wardak. Two investigations of the incident proved inconclusive. Joe Biden, Susan Rice, and Seal Team Six - American Thinker Naval Special Warfare Development Groups (DEVGRU) Gold Squadron, No Easy Day (detailing his participation in Operation Neptune Spear), Mark Owen, congressional oversight committee held a hearing on February 27, 2014, 7 Afghan National Army Commandos, part of the Afghan National Army. A Taliban fighter shot the helicopter out of the sky with a rocket-propelled grenade and all aboard were killedthe single greatest loss of American life in the Afghan war. He pushed hard on the cyclic stick to tilt the helicopter forward. But we are still sending people to another country to fight, and we need to understand why were doing that, he said. There are no survivors. Rest in peace, gentlemen; you will not be forgotten. Several minutes later, a 20-man Pathfinder team (specializing in downed-aircraft rescue and recovery) arrived at the site. Its the worst day in our history by a mile.. Editors note: This story originally appeared in October 2017. As is routine on such missions, two Apache attack helicopters provided extra cover and security for Extortion 17, while circling above was an AC-130 aircraft, a gunship that also provides surveillance. Captain Marquez claims that had the AC-130 been allowed to fire on the remaining enemy insurgents, Extortion 17 would not have been shot down. The duo may also have had no ties to Tahir or any of his suspected fighters, and attacked the helicopter on their own. Call Sign Extortion 17 - Wikipedia In March 2002, two MH-47s were downed by machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire while close to ground level. August 6, 2017 marks the 6 year anniversary of the downing of Extortion 17, a bigger scandal than Benghazi in large part due to the fact that America lost 30 of its military personnel, including 17 Navy SEALs, the largest loss of life in the Afghan war. The reality is, every time a helicopter lifts off the ground in a war zone, it might get shot down, Darack said. But one thing that doesnt fade is never forgetting what they did.. At 10:58 p.m., they were inserted by the same CH-47D helicopters that would later conduct the mission to insert the SEAL team. This remains the greatest single loss of life to Naval Special Warfare since the Afghan War started in 2001. This tactic was highly successful; hundreds of operations were conducted without firing a shot for years. U.S. Navy Seals At 2:38 a.m. on August 6, 2011, a U.S. Army Chinook helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, entered the western opening of Afghanistan's restive Tangi Valley, flying alone. [12][13], Six minutes prior to reaching the landing zone, the empty CH-47D left the formation as planned. As Extortion 17 moved into final approach of the target area at 0238 local time, the Rangers on the ground watched in horror as it took a direct hit from an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade). At the flight controls were David R. Carter of the Colorado Army National Guard and copilot Bryan J. Nichols, a Kansas-based Army reservist. Memorial for anniversary of Extortion 17 helicopter crash The squadron that this SEAL belonged to was never mentioned. With a keen understanding of the propaganda value of downing Coalition helicopters, the Taliban single them out as targets. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos He finished his contract with the Army shortly afterward, and that September enrolled in Southern Methodist Universitys Dedman School of Law. The 30 American Servicemen killed in action (KIA) with the downing of Extortion 17. Learnt of this today, very surprising after ladens raid was covered in the media here. That June, the U.S. military launched Operation Hammer Down to drive out insurgents entrenched in remote strongholds of eastern Afghanistan. But even a precisely aimed shot fired from an unguided weapon by a seasoned fighter is subject to the ballistics-altering whims of atmospheric variation, subtle and undetected flaws in launcher or projectile, and uncontrollable environmental factors such as wind gusts, large temperature variations, or even particulates in the air. Lee had just flown the night before on a similar mission with one of the pilots, David Carter. "The downing of Extortion 17 was a catastrophic and unprecedented tragedy for our nation," Reid testified. The mission had begun about four hours prior to the shootdown, when the two helicopters touched down side by side in Juy Zarin, a village in the bare rock-walled Tangi Valley of Wardak Province. He was probably in the top 1 percent of Army aviators, Lee said. Pentagon names 30 Americans killed in downed Afghan chopper - NBC News Sometimes the enemy succeeds in delivering one of these To whom it may concern projectiles. That night, nearly 10 years after the U.S. had gone to war in Afghanistan, Lee believed they were the best team for this dangerous mission. Enterprise. We didnt do fast-rope inserts, building insertions, or anything like that. Subsequent to their Iraq deployment, the unit flew the SEALs of Team 6 on practice raids around Fort Carson, Colorado, and during nighttime urban training in Denver, further cementing the 2-135ths reputation with special operations units. Extortion 17: What really happened on America's deadliest day in Retired Air Force Captain Says Pentagon Lied About Cause of - SOFREP In combat, its mission is to transport large teams of elite assault troops, including Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, to and from the battlefield. "Before Benghazi there was Extortion 17.. Saturday August 6 th 2011 was a day that changed the lives of my family forever. The article stated that the helicopter crashed after an RPG round impacted the aft rotor assembly. | READ MORE. The Costliest Day in SEAL Team Six History - HISTORY Andrew W. Harvell, 26, of Long Beach, California, Tech. All content is protected by copyright and may not be used for commercial purposes without prior written permission. Theyre going after in very hostile environments, who know the terrain very well, who know the battlescape very well, Darack said. Forces Killed in Helicopter Crash", "30 Americans Killed in Afghanistan Helicopter Crash", "Pentagon names 30 Americans killed in downed Afghan chopper", "Pentagon releases names of 30 Americans killed in Afghanistan helicopter crash", "22 Navy SEALs among 30 U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan as NATO helicopter is shot down", "30 Americans, including 22 Navy SEALs, killed in Afghan copter crash", "Names of Afghan Helicopter Attack Victims Released", "The OBJECTIVE GINOSA strike Payback for the shootdown of Extortion 17", "Military killed Taliban who downed US helicopter", "Afghan soldiers enter a Taliban nest without U.S. troops by their side", "Congress to probe lethal crash that killed SEAL Team 6 members", "A retired Air Force captain says Pentagon covered up real cause of deadly chopper crash", "A Retired Air Force Captain Says Pentagon Covered Up Real Cause of Deadly Chopper Crash", "Rules of Engagement Are a Dilemma for U.S. The RPG is not a laser. Fallen Angel: Extortion 17 Facts and Documentary Just as ridiculous as saying [President George W.] Bush was responsible for 9/11, Lee said. 2 U.S. Army personnel from the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment, part of the Colorado Army National Guard, PO1 John Douangdara & Navy SEAL Dog Bart, Of the 22 NSW members killed, 17 were SEALs, and five were direct support personnel, according to the source in the NSW community. 130 Extortion 17 ideas | extortion, seal team 6, navy seals - Pinterest A source from the Navys special operations community described the reaction as Shock and disbelief. The following was transcribed from the above video press conference. Two fired at roughly the same time. Hi there! - Afghanistan: Honoring the Heroes of Extortion 17 Every mission is potentially life-threatening. BUT the Chief Command and those who elected him will pay for there failure to seek Yahwahs guidance before going to war or to vote for a new president!