A body went into the ocean, but Ill bet it wasnt Bin Ladens. One rocket struck a rotor blade, causing the aircraft to crash almost instantly. The forward rotor system then tore off, stressed by the imbalance and the strain of carrying what would normally be a shared load. Pinterest. Lees second deployment started in May of 2011. The insurgents had no way of knowing the helicopter would be coming in, at the speed it was coming and at the altitude, Darack said. The suspicious August 6th, 2011, CH47-D Chinook helicopter crash in Wardak Province, Afghanistan which claimed the lives of 38 American military personnel.Of those 38 lost, 22 were members of Navy SEAL Team 6, the Naval Special Warfare unit responsible for the killing of notorious 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden . [29], Other reports alleged that the Taliban had laid an elaborate trap for American special-operations forces, luring them in with false information. Several minutes later, a 20-man Pathfinder team (specializing in downed-aircraft rescue and recovery) arrived at the site. So if there was a added black box installed on this Aircraft there should be a maintenance record? To remove the risk of rocket-propelled grenades downing helicopters in Afghanistan 100 percent, youd have to remove the opposable thumbs of every fighting-age male in the objective area, and thats not how we win a counter-insurgency., Ed Darack An Afghan official, speaking anonymously a few days after the attack, speculated that the Taliban had laid a trap, that they had purposely put out false information about a meeting involving the Taliban commander. Please take a moment and pause to honor and remember these heroes. [11], Separately, ISR aircraft continued to observe the unengaged group from the compound. Around 02:23, the two helicopters departed the forward base. Lee had just flown the night before on a similar mission with one of the pilots, David Carter. He knew the pilots and crew members aboard Extortion 17. David Tarrant, The Dallas Morning News At 01:00, they decided to engage the group with the SEAL reserves. Early life Yesterday, the Pentagon released the names of the 30 troops-- Navy SEALs, soldiers, and airmen, killed in the helicopter downed by Taliban fighters in eastern Afghanistan last weekend. At 2:36 a.m., Extortion 17 requested an infrared spotlight, visible only through night vision goggles, to illuminate the landing zone. She had just given birth to their first child. Should the Apaches, or the AC-130 overhead, have fired upon the groups of suspected Taliban that gathered in the village after the raid began? The landing zone had been examined for a previous mission but had not yet been used. Prior to the mission, the deadliest incident was June 2005's Operation . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Their target: an Afghan named Qari Tahir and his group of fighters. The crash claimed the lives of 38 personnel, including 22 special operations forces in Afghanistan Aug. 6, 2011. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos. We continue our work at the Museum so that theirservice and sacrifice will never be forgotten. Aired: 08/01/21 Rating: NR Afghanistan has long been a counter-insurgency campaign: The United States strategy has been to win Afghan trust through cooperation and aid. The co-pilot, Bryan Nichols, was one of Lees closest friends in the Chinook company. The crash killed all 38 people on board including 25 American special operations personnel, five United States Army National Guard and Army Reserve crewmen, seven Afghan commandos, and one Afghan interpreter as well as a U.S. military working dog. 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. With a keen understanding of the propaganda value of downing Coalition helicopters, the Taliban single them out as targets. Hs unit called itself Extortion Company. One of his Chinooks, flying under the call sign Extortion 17 (one-seven), was tasked with the special operations mission the night of Aug. 6. The previous highest U.S. death toll from a single incident in the war came from a rocket attack on a Chinook helicopter carrying Navy SEALs during Operation Red Wings on June 28, 2005. The mission was flown by conventional pilots flying unmodified CH-47Ds. The resulting explosion destroyed the aft rotor assembly. The group fired 2-3 RPG rounds from a two-story building from a location some 220 meters south of the helicopter. For the last two years, hes been an attorney with the law firm Jackson Walker. "Before Benghazi there was Extortion 17.. Saturday August 6 th 2011 was a day that changed the lives of my family forever. The vast majority miss. On this night, Aug. 6, 2011, something went terribly wrong. Two investigations of the incident proved inconclusive. Eleven U.S. servicemen aboard Extortion 17 entered the military after the 9/11 attacks, answering the call to arms as so many brave Americans have done throughout the history of our great country. This would not be the first time that an Afghan military member has been an undercover Taliban Terrorist and shot our US Military! Justin Buddy Lee will never forget that night six years ago. I thought I hit a tree,he said. Lee heard the call, and he knew what it meant. August 12, 2022. by Samantha Franco. The crash sent shock waves throughout U.S. special operations. extortion 17 crash photos. [26], The U.S. military helicopter carrying special operations forces to a night-raid in the Tangi Valley of Wardak Province, was most likely brought down by a rocket-propelled grenade, according to military officials. Their target was a Taliban commander responsible for ambushes and other attacks against U.S. and Afghan forces. At that moment, Extortion 17 slowed to 58 mph, at no more than 150 feet, approaching a spot framed by trees and mud-brick huts, and "sparkled" by the infrared designator on an AC-130 gunship. Monitored and controlled by a Joint Terminal Attack Controller at Forward Operating Base Shank via a General Atomics MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle, all six were positively confirmed killed by the bomb strike and subsequent attacks by a Lockheed AC-130 gunship and two Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopter gunships. Commanders frequently request CH-47 Chinooks to insert troops. The shoot-down of 'Extortion 17' constitutes the greatest loss of American life from a single battle in the history of the Afghanistan War. The helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, was on a mission to reinforce American and coalition special operations troops. 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. 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]. Then they have to stick the landing. The next night, the pair had orders to drop off more troops in the same spot. The United States military continually works to improve protection for transport helicopters and their occupants, according to Glover and Brady. At 23:30, one of the Apache support helicopters engaged in a brief skirmish with a different group of eight Taliban fighters 400m (440yd) north of the compound, killing six. 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. They may have seen Extortion 17 and its landing zone through their own night vision goggles or simply aimed by sound alone. Through the goggles, the landing zone shone brilliantly. [40], In October 2011, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that an investigation following the shootdown concluded "that all operational decisions, linked to the incident, were deemed tactically sound." Here, in silence, are the names and photographs of all 30 men. Rest in peace, gentlemen; you will not be forgotten. Privacy Statement Caring is more than just slapping a bumper sticker on your car, he said. While classification veils the specifics of these tactics, particularly for special operations raids, manned gunships can detect potential threats through a range of sensors and immediately attack if needed. We had guys who had flown in Desert Storm, guys who had just come off active duty, Lee said. There are a lot of bullets out there that say To whom it may concern,says Major Doug Glover, a U.S. Marine F/A-18D weapons and sensors operator who was a senior watch officer for the Marine air operations center in southern Afghanistan. The second shot hit the rear tail rotor assembly. A Black Hawk Down of the war in Afghanistan, the deadliest day for the U.S. in 12 years of that conflictand a military investigation that covered up evidence of an inside job by the Taliban. Two of the SEALs were from a West Coast SEAL unit, but the others were from the Gold Squadron of Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU, sometimes known as SEAL Team 6, said the NSW source.. One AH-64 crew, after identifying the men as enemy combatants, fired on them with their gunships 30mm cannon, killing six. Extortion 17 and its 38 occupants would not return. The men who serve in the American military are the finest! What we saw is that if the enemy knew where you were going to attack, they would back some guys with RPGs off 500 meters or so, to shoot during an ingress, Glover explains. We were told at that time we were the first unit to make it through a rotation without having anyone killed.. Air Force C-17 Crashes Just After Takeoff in Alaska | Dangerous Aerobatics (With Real Video) TheFlightChannel 2.1M views 1 year ago Feature History - Chinese Civil War Feature History 1.9M views. American intelligence officials identified this individual as "OBJECTIVE GINOSA." For every one that gets lucky, there are hundreds, even thousands, that zip by you., As weve seen a number of times, theres a point that a lucky shot is going to get you and there is only so much you can do to mitigate it, says Glover, the Marine aviator. On August 6th, 2011, the helicopter was fired upon and shot down by a previously undetected group of Taliban fighters. 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. Just as ridiculous as saying [President George W.] Bush was responsible for 9/11, Lee said. In order to prevent this, American forces called in for support. August 6, 2017 marks six years since 30 American military servicemen and a U.S. military dog were killed when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter call sign Extortion 17 was shot down in Afghanistan. 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. 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. Extortion 17 August 6, 2022 marks 11 years since Extortion 17. The Final Flight of Extortion 17 It was the deadliest helicopter crash in the history of U.S. special operations. Six weeks later, at around 10:40 p.m., an assault team of Army Rangers and Afghan special operations forces were dropped into an LZ on a mission to capture or kill a Taliban commander named Qari Tahir, who had been responsible for a series of attacks and ambushes in the Tangi Valley, not far from Shank. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a62b75e7a99f5de39e28d378788f7ec9" );document.getElementById("c08a1a06c7").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Content on this website is free to use and share, but please provide a link back to Spec Ops Magazine as a source. June 5, 2022 Posted by: Category: Uncategorized; No Comments . When the two Chinooks had first touched down in the village, a group of eight fighters armed with AK-47 rifles and RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launchers bolted from the compound. The workhorse in Army aviation, the tandem rotor, heavy-lift Chinook helicopter is used for carrying troops, equipment, supplies and even the mail. The guy was incredibly skilled.. In less than five seconds, the helicopter crashed, killing all occupants, and approximately 30 seconds later, one of the AH-64 Apache helicopters radioed in the crash. Editor's Note: On August 6, 2021, 30 American military servicemen and a U.S. military dog were killed when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter - call sign Extortion 17 - was shot down in Afghanistan. And thats fine; thats what you signed up for, Lee said. The helicopter carrying the SEALs proceeded to the landing zone alone, without external lighting. Sgt. Extortion 17 and 16 werent MH-47s and their crews were not Night Stalkers. Campbell was one of 30. Today. He said: "They wanted to attack our Mujahideen who were in a house, but our Mujahideen resisted and destroyed a helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade. Night Stalker pilots and crew rigorously train for nighttime raids, like the one in Juy Zarin. As the operation got underway, our airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, including an MQ-9 Predator, detected a group evading the Rangers, moving towards the north. And I condemn anyone who would dare denigrate the flag of the greatest country in the world which is made so by the heroic actions of these great men. Its like taking a paper towel roll, cutting it in half and strapping it to your eye, Lee said. Were handing rifles to 20-year-olds and asking them to shoot people. 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. The military's public contradictions raise more questions than answers. 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. Neither did the risk he and his pilots faced every night. The official statement from U.S. Central Command stated that a Taliban fighter scored a lucky shot with a rocket-propelled grenade. The following passage, published in The Navy Times, seems to support that assertion. Published Aug 6, 2018 5:05 PM EDT. [11], The mission was deemed high risk; two AH-64 Apache helicopters, an AC-130 gunship, and other additional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft supported the troop transports on their approach and remained with the ground forces afterwards. The crash is referred to as Extortion 17 by the callsign of the CH-47 Chinook helicopter involved in the crash. The SEAL Team 6 community was devastated. The group fired two or three RPG rounds from a two-story building, the second striking one of the helicopter's three aft rotor blades. Buy images; Sell images; Some sources state that at the shootdown, the two AH-64 Apache helicopters were engaged in tracking another Taliban group and were thus unable to provide surveillance (of the landing zone and infiltration route) and fire support the inbound CH-47D helicopter carrying the Navy SEAL team. 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). (Photo Credit: Senior Airman Anthony Nin Leclerec / U.S. Air Force / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain) There were a total of 38 individuals onboard Extortion 17. He said that insurgents had assumed a strong tactical position without knowledge of the helicopter's flight path. But at least you should care about them and appreciate what were asking of them.. [9][11], Almost an hour later (01:50), the aviation brigade commander approved a new landing zone for infiltration of the SEAL team. [25][original research? [9][11], Meanwhile, the group of Taliban fighters split in two. In that incident, sixteen Navy SEALs and Army special operations troops were killed, and three more SEALs were killed in subsequent fighting on the ground. Carter and Nichols continued the descent. On August 6, 2011, the final flight of Extortion 17 resulted in the single deadliest incident for the US military during the War in Afghanistan. Burn is on, they radioed. While the goggles are better than nothing, they turn everything green, distort depth perception and limit peripheral vision. 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. 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. Two were still alive." Warnings from her crew to turn the Chinook back or cancel their mission went unheeded. 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. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Geneva G. Brier/Released) The crash is referred to as Extortion 17 by the callsign of the CH-47 Chinook helicopter involved in the crash. [11] Seventeen U.S. Navy SEALs remained in reserve at the forward operating base. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), Grand Island, Nebraska, Sgt.
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