Joining the 15members of SEAL Team 6, two pilots and three-man crew inside Extortion 17: ten other Navy and Air Force personnel, eight Afghansand a combat assault dog named Bart. Fallen Angel.. He knew the pilots and crew members aboard Extortion 17. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The sheer amount of experience with our pilots, flight engineers and back-seaters and mechanics offered a wealth of knowledge, he said. As they started their descent, Lee heard a loud popping noise. Lee earned his wings at Fort Rucker, Ala., then deployed to Pakistan, where he did humanitarian missions, learning to fly into and out of mountainous terrain. They loaded onto Extortion 17, and then Carter and Nichols lifted the Chinook into the night sky. Call Sign Extortion 17: The Shoot-Down of SEAL Team Six is a 2015 non-fiction expose, written by best-selling author and former U.S. Navy JAG Officer Don Brown, about the 2011 Chinook shootdown in Afghanistan of a United States Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter. One by one, fathers and mothers of the victims of the crash spoke about what they see as gaping holes or inconsistencies in the review of what U.S. Special Operations considers its most deadly incident. But Chinooks are at their most vulnerable while hovering in place during raids like the one this team is thought to have been conducting. Oops, this content can't be loadedbecause you're having connectivity problems, Stay always informed and up to date with our breaking news alerts, - The Washington Times - Wednesday, August 5, 2015. A number of the DEVGRU SEALs were devastated by this loss . His father Billy Vaughn recounted Thursday a phone call from his son following the White House decision to credit the highly secretive military unit for the bin Laden raid. Lee heard the call, and he knew what it meant. 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. One of the other things that we did talk about kind of what youre hitting on, sir, is about the fact that, you know, for three hours we had been burning holes in the sky, the officer told investigators. He spoke out against banning girls education. The families of some of the 17 SEAL Team 6 commandos who were killed in an ambush in Afghanistan during a helicopter flight to help Army Rangers pinned down by Taliban gunmen accused the Obama administration of deliberately endangering their loved ones for political ends. And it even led Robert ONeill, the Trump-supporting Navy Seal who claims to have fired the shot that killed Bin Laden, to tweet that the conspiracy theories both about the Bin Laden double and about the Seals from the raid having been killed arent true. On July 25, a Chinook was hit by a rocket propelled grenade fired by the Taliban. These materials provided much-needed intelligence about bin Ladens role within al-Qaeda and the organizations inner-workings. David Tarrant. The loss of a helicopter carrying more than 20 U.S. special forces and as many as 8 other U.S. military service members is an unprecedented one in this war. A junior, he was ready to fight, but the war would be over, he figured, before he even got out of college. I thought I hit a tree,he said. In combat, its mission is to transport large teams of elite assault troops, including Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, to and from the battlefield. But why? Lees second deployment started in May of 2011. Stephen M. Mills, 35, of Fort Worth, Tex., was reportedly the leader of the Navy SEAL team killed in the Chinook helicopter attack on Aug. 6. The military's public c Read allOn a moonless night, an Army helicopter carrying 17 members of the elite Navy SEAL Team 6, the unit that killed Osama Bin Laden, is shot down in Afghanistan. One of the engines flew off, and the other caught fire. Stephen M. Mills, 35, of Fort Worth, was one of the U.S. Navy SEALS killed in the helicopter crash. Special forces are very selective on who they partner with, but any collaboration with Afghans opens up U.S. Extortion 17: Directed by Franois Garcia. The Chinook was descending on a noisy battlefield where Apache helicopters and a C-130 gunship had been buzzing overhead for three hours, alerting Taliban fighters. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy. U.S. Central Commands official investigation concluded that a rocket-launched grenade from a Taliban fighter standing near the landing zone clipped a rotary wing, sending the Ch-47 Chinook into a violent downward spin. A CH-47D Chinook helicopter lands at a small landing zone at Firebase Blessing, in eastern Afghanistans restive Kunar Province at the start of a combat operation. If this [operation] was survivable, that was the right crew to have. Insurgents shot down a U.S. military helicopter during fighting in eastern Afghanistan, killing 30 Americans, most of them belonging to the same elite unit as the Navy SEALs who killed former Al. The resulting crash killed all 38 people on board including 17 US Navy SEALs, two United States Air Force Pararescue, one United States Air Force Combat Control Team member, one pilot and two crewmen of the United States Army Reserve, one pilot and one crewman of the United States Army National Guard, seven members of the Afghan National Security Information about the incident is still trickling in, but these are a few of the most important questions in the immediate aftermath. I find it quite disturbing that the government is not willing to give us the answers we deserve. "No amount of training, skill, or technology will ever defeat chance on the battlefield. But it's just as plausible that the Taliban got lucky. The story itself is tragic, but tons of war propaganda. Several Afghans were on board and were killed, but trust is in short supply in Afghanistan. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. or redistributed. They fail to mention it was Saudis who orchestrated 9/11, yet he elected to go after Iraq and Afghanistan. Two investigations of the incident proved inconclusive. Here are the . And you know, never before in the history of our county (had) a sitting president released that type of information to the public, especially when he was talking about special forces. Mills, a 13-year veteran of the military . Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. But the CH-47D has neither a flight nor voice recorder, only an engine performance data. The Obama administration is violating a judge's order to turn over documents in the Aug. 6, 2011, shootdown of a U.S. helicopter call sign Extortion 17 that killed members of SEAL Team 6 . In addition to the 30 Americans, the official said there were seven Afghan army soldiers and an interpreter on the helicopter. This misinformation persists in part because those unfamiliar with the battlefield aren't taking into account a fundamental part of war: chance. Helicopter raids are dangerous and unpredictable. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! That assault team captured Tahirs compound and some of his men. The Taliban silenced him. The mission continues, uninterrupted.3:39 p.m. Osama bin Laden is located on the third floor of the compound and is shot in the head, above the left eye.Sometime during the operation, three other men (including one of bin Ladens sons) and a woman in the compound are also killed.3:53 p.m. President Obama receives preliminary word that bin Laden is identified and dead.3:55 p.m. SEAL team members move bin Ladens body to the first floor of the compound and place it in a body bag.3:39 p.m.-4:10 p.m. The team locates and retrieves multiple items from the compound for intelligence investigation.4:05 p.m. The first helicopter exits the compound.4:08 p.m. The team destroys the chopper that crashed.4:10 p.m. A backup helicopter scoops up remaining team members and leaves the area.5:53 p.m. The choppers with SEAL team members return to Afghanistan.7:01 p.m. President Obama receives further intelligence information that the body killed in the raid is likely that of bin Laden.11:35 p.m. President Obama addresses the nation about the raid.12:59 a.m. Osama bin Ladens body is buried at sea within 24 hours to comply with Islamic law. Today, some family members are not just disappointed in the investigation and the FOIA process, but also in how the House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on national security conducted a brief hearing in Feb. 2014. It means being informed. The team was responding to an Army Ranger unit that was engaged in a protracted firefight with Taliban fighters and needed reinforcements. Somebody tipped them off. By late 2010, analysts were able to link the courier to a large, highly-secured compound in Abbottabad, a town about 35 miles north of Islamabad. While the press conference was long on speculation and short on concrete evidence, the family members and their supporters didn't pull any punches. The night before he left to go to Fort Hood, where he would board a plane to Afghanistan, the biggest event of the 10-year war occurred: Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan during a raid by Navy SEALs. Honestly, sir, I dont think anybody had really looked at the LZ, said the pilot of Gun 1. Special forces routinely use helicopters in raids on homes in Afghanistan. Get everything off your social media. You never want to use the same landing zone twice, Darack said. Coincidence or not, any Chinook shoot-down is a coup for the Taliban. After the helicopter crash on August 6, 2011. "We will draw inspiration from their lives, and continue the work of securing our country and standing up for the values that they embodied.". The military's public contradictions raise more questions than answers. Military officers interviewed by investigators said they could not recall an IRF ever being sent for such a mission. The guy was incredibly skilled.. The team was responding to an Army Ranger unit that was engaged in a firefight with the Taliban and needed backup. In all, 17 members of the SEAL Team 6 counterterrorist force were on board the CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter, along with its Army National Guard aircrew, several support personnel and seven Afghan commandos. 4:05 p.m. - The first helicopter exits the compound. Joe Pappalardo is a contributing writer at Popular Mechanics and author of the new book, Spaceport Earth: The Reinvention of Spaceflight. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Six weeks into his deployment, Lee experienced his worst day as a helicopter pilot to that point. because seals have a habit of writing books once they retire. See GlobalPost: Navy SEALs had "kill" order on Osama bin Laden, report claims. The tragedy took some of the glow off SEAL Team 6s grand achievement just three months earlier: A team penetrated Pakistan airspace, infiltrated a compound in Abbottabad and killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Darack, a writer and photographer, is the author of four previous books, including Victory Point: Operations Red Wings and Whalersthe Marine Corps' Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan, Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. The worst of the wounded was one of Lees crew members, who suffered what was later diagnosed as a severe traumatic brain injury. The incident comes just months after DevGru's raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Telling stories about ordinary people involved in extraordinary events is his passion. U.S. officials tell The Associated Press that they believe that . Your life is in danger. The subject of the tweet, per The Beast, is Alan Howell Parrot, a falconer-turned-CIA whistleblower who was once the star of a documentary called Feathered Cocaine.. And needless to say, it was the real Bin Laden who was killed, not an incredible facsimile. They were part of the same Army Reserve unit, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment based in Gardner, Kan. Nichols, with three combat tours of duty, also had plenty of experience flying dangerous missions. Three of the . Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The reality is, every time a helicopter lifts off the ground in a war zone, it might get shot down, Darack said. He grew up in Tyler, went to Texas A&M, joined the Corps of Cadets and stared in shock at the news thattwo planes slammed into the World Trade Center and another into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! The families of these deceased heroes have been stonewalled by the Obama Department of Defense and the Obama National Security Agency in disrespect over their sons unexplained tragic deaths. Some Arab countries and leaders condemned the actions of the United States. Forces to the threat of spying. Hamburger said. A US helicopter crashed in Afghanistan yesterday killing 31 special operation troops, most of them from the elite Navy Seals unit that killed Osama bin Laden. 4:10 p.m. - A backup helicopter scoops up remaining team members and leaves the area. Charlie Strange, whose Navy cryptologist son, Michael, was on Extortion 17, told The Times last year that it was too much of a coincidence for Taliban to be standing so near the landing zone. My life is in danger. More than 20 Navy Seals died in the helicopter crash that killed 31 in Afghanistan yesterday. As they made their approach, there was a line of thunderstorms nearby. Special Forces are expected to keep the pressure on the Taliban, working closely with Afghan forces to maintain control as U.S and Coalition troops depart. Strange also blamed top military brass for sending the troops into a situation they were allegedly ill-equipped and unprepared to handle. .css-v1xtj3{display:block;font-family:FreightSansW01,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:100;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-v1xtj3:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.1387rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-v1xtj3{line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.18581rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.5rem;margin-top:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.2;margin-top:0.9375rem;}}Russian Cargo Plane Explodes During Pressure Test, Air Force's IRON Wireless Network Protects Nukes, Watch Opposition Group Land Drone on Russian Jet, Pentagon's Mysterious Aircraft Won't Need a Runway, The Secret War to Take out Iran's F-14 Fighters, Meet the E-7 Wedgetail, the Air Forces New Plane, Report: Pilot Error Ruined a $112 Million F-35 Jet, Air Force Grounds Jets: Their Tails May Fall Off, The Messy Battle to Build the F-35's Next Engine, Russia Dredges Up Ancient BTR-50 Vehicles. It requires the highest level of skills from the pilots because they are some of the most dangerous operations.. Aug. 6, 2011 -- A helicopter was shot down today by Afghan insurgents as it was rushing to aid troops in a firefight, killing 30 Americans, including 22 Navy SEALs, most of whom belonged to Team 6, the unit whose members were involved in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, U.S. officials said. On his right wrist, he wears a bracelet with the names of the five crew members of Extortion 17. Hamburger added. ", While not commenting directly on the allegations, he called those who were lost "warriors" who represented "the diversity and talent of America and its military.". The immediate reaction force (IRF) was assembled hastily for insertion into Tangi Valley to help Army Rangers capture fleeing Taliban. 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. It has now been four years since Extortion 17 was shot down, said Doug Hamburger, whose Army air crew son, Patrick, was one of the 30 Americans killed. "So much of the war is fought in areas where these helicopters have to fly at high altitudes," where the thin air can strain the performance of the engines and rotor blades, said Ed Darack, author of the recently published book, The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicopter Support, SEAL Team Six and the Deadliest Day of the U.S. War in Afghanistan. On his first deployment, he felt fortunate to be surrounded by veteran pilots he could learn from. Not all will end as well as bin Laden's takedown, as PM noted in July. "Sometimes the enemy just gets that terribly lucky shot. Three months after bin Ladens death, members of the SEAL Team 6 force -- though apparently not the same ones who carried out the bin Laden raid -- were on board the CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter, along with its Army National Guard aircrew, several support personnel and seven Afghan commandos. However, a shoot down does not necessarily mean insurgents have changed their tactics or hardware. But why? The operators from SEAL Team Six were flown by a crew of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the same regiment that flew the bin Laden raid. They were sitting there, waiting. The families of some of the 17 SEAL Team 6 commandos who were killed in an ambush in Afghanistan during a helicopter flight to help Army Rangers pinned down by Taliban gunmen accused the. They heard a helicopter coming, they grabbed their RPGs, and they fired in quick succession, Darack said. As more responsibilities fall on the shoulders of special forces, the risk of more losses like this one will continue to increase. . It was a good crew, it really was. He has written about soldiers returning home from war and the mental health crisis facing young people. But some say the official report, which contained no direct criticism of decision-makers that day, did not delve deeply enough. 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There were guys in a tower. "We have an ideology problem with this war, and we need to address it. Its almost always a miss.. He pushed hard on the cyclic stick to tilt the helicopter forward. Many of these family members are undergoing psychological care over what has become a double tragedy: the deaths of their sons and the cover-up for which these family members feel betrayed by their own government.. Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, BroadStreet Review and Splice Today. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. With David Boreanaz, Max Thieriot, Jessica Par, Neil Brown Jr.. The Chinook smashed into the ground, the force ripping off his goggles. Charles Strange, whose son Michael, 25, died in the attack said Obama personally promised him a thorough investigation of what happened but has failed to deliver. "We've allowed politics to become more important than the lives and safety of those men and women," he says. Are such missiles appearing in Afghanistan? During an attempted reinforcement effort during Operation Red Wings on June 28, 2005, high on the slopes of a mountain called Sawtalo Sar in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province, a lucky shot took down an Army Special Operations Chinook, call sign "Turbine 33." Its planners and pilots must use whatever intelligence is available (which is usually pretty thin information, and comes from earlier attacks) to plan the flight route. A Justice Department spokeswoman said there would be no comment beyond its court filings. During a press conference on Washington Thursday, family and advocates for the fallen troops called into question the rules of engagement that they say prohibited their sons from being able to return fire, and the White House's decision to announce shortly after the killing of Osama bin Laden that SEAL Team 6 was responsible for the raid. But why? And they sent our guys right into the middle.. The families accept the fact that a single shot brought down the helicopter. The helicopter was in great operational shape. Around 2:40 a.m., an Apache pilot flying in support came on the radio and shouted: Fallen Angel. He taught helicopter pilots how to fly in high altitudes at an aviation training site in Colorado. The CH-47D that embarked on the mission that day had been built in the 1960s, she said, and last retrofitted in the 1985. When asked what lessons Americans can draw from the crash of Extortion 17, Lees answer is simple: Americans should care about what happens in Afghanistan because theyve sent Americans to war there. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Family members are hoping Freedom Watch, a watchdog legal group led by Larry Klayman, can force new disclosures using the power of the FOIA process. U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because families of those killed are still being notified. Missions like this one to insert or remove an assault force are the military equivalent of a perfect 10 in the Olympics -- equal parts skill, experience and daring. But why? Everyone on board died within a fraction of a second30 Americans, eight Afghans and one American military working dog. Aug. 6, 2011— -- A helicopter was shot down today by Afghan insurgents as it was rushing to aid troops in a firefight, killing 30 Americans, including 22 Navy SEALs, most of whom belonged to Team 6, the unit whose members were involved in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, U.S. officials said. Lee is 36 now, a civil attorney in Dallas, a world away from Afghanistan. But why? Aerial view of Osama bin Laden's compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, made by the CIA. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., he remains obsessively curious about Texans and the Lone Star State culture. Landing in deserts or mountainsides, the helicopter rotors kick up clouds of sand and dust, causing brownouts that can blind a pilot. They dont even produce under their own self-imposed deadline, Mr. Klayman told The Washington Times. Only the pilots, crew, and special operations ground forces commanders knew about the planned flight path and time. The last worst one-day U.S. casuality record in Afghanistan was on June 28, 2005 when 16 U.S. soldiers were killed in Kunar province after a helicopter was shot down by Taliban insurgents. In all 38 troops died after the helicopter was shot down by what a review determined to be a Taliban RPG over Wardak Province, Afghanistan, on Aug. 6, 2011. Their target was a Taliban commander responsible for ambushes and other attacks against U.S. and Afghan forces. He finished his contract with the Army shortly afterward, and that September enrolled in Southern Methodist Universitys Dedman School of Law. Navy SEAL Team Six, the heroic unit that killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan in May 2011, is in grave danger due to the reckless actions of the Obama administration. International reactions to bin Ladens death ranged from favorable to mixed. Insurgents in Iraq have used Russian-made SA-7s, shoulder-fired missiles tipped with infrared homing devices, against U.S. and British aircraft. Saturday's deaths bring the total number of coalition troops killed in Afghanistan to 334 this year, according to the Associated Press. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Every mission is potentially life-threatening. WASHINGTON The families of Navy SEAL Team 6 members killed in a disastrous August 2011 helicopter crash in Afghanistan blamed the government for the tragedy, during an emotional press conference in Washington Thursday. Up to 30 Dead in Afghanistan Following Failed Prison Heist, Total Iraq and Afghanistan Pricetag: Over $4 Trillion. The aircraft jerked. The Associated Press is reporting that a rocket attack took down the Chinook (probably a MH-47) , quoting an unnamed source in Washington D.C., but this has yet to be confirmed officially. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver. Lee and his friend Bryan Nichols flew their Chinook into battle several timesthe first night, dropping off troops at a landing zone (LZ) almost 10,000 feet above sea level. PRX is a 501(c)(3) organization recognized by the IRS: #263347402. In all, 38 people died that night after the chopper was shot down by a Taliban-owned rocket-propelled grenade or RPG over the Wardak Province on Aug. 6, 2011.