Today. But why? With 38 people killed on board, it was the largest single-day loss of life in naval special warfare history and the largest single-day loss of life during the war in Afghanistan. Intelligence on August 6th indicated Qari Tahir was in Tangi Valley, just a short helicopter flight from the SEAL base camp. Thirty Americans perished in the blink of an eye, half of which comprised an entire 'troop' from SEAL Team 6's Gold Squadron. Sat 6 Aug 2011 19.08 EDT. The conspiracy theories didnt bother Lee at first. Justin Buddy Lee will never forget that night six years ago. On August 6th, 2011, the helicopter was fired upon and shot down by a previously undetected group of Taliban fighters. [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." He said, "And now, to our honor roll of American Service Personnel killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. The helicopter crashed less than 5 seconds later, killing all 38 people on board. Were handing rifles to 20-year-olds and asking them to shoot people. Some 30 seconds later, one of the AH-64 Apache helicopters in the area reported: Fallen Angel.. Just three months earlier, members of a counterpart SEAL Team 6 squadron successfully raided a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and killed Osama bin Laden. Around 2:40 a.m., an Apache pilot flying in support came on the radio and shouted: Fallen Angel. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment(General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kansas, Staff Sgt. Flying to the Tangi Valley for the second time, Extortion 17 and 16 took a different route, approaching from the northwest instead of the south. Published Aug 6, 2018 5:05 PM EDT. He finished his contract with the Army shortly afterward, and that September enrolled in Southern Methodist Universitys Dedman School of Law. But we are still sending people to another country to fight, and we need to understand why were doing that, he said. I had to learn how to land while browned-out, wearing NVGs, on the side of a mountain or an uneven field, Lee said. Editors note: This story originally appeared in October 2017. 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. The downing of the Seal Team Six chinook with all of those team members who participated in the Bin Laden raid and the subsequent request by President Obama to destroy the images that were released only adds to the suspicion around the events. 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. [11], The 30 American deaths represent the greatest loss of U.S. military lives in a single incident in the war in Afghanistan that began in 2001. The squadron that this SEAL belonged to was never mentioned. 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. The incident became known as "Extortion 17" after the helicopter . Instead, two rigorous U. S. military investigations followed every moment of the mission to determine what went wrong on Extortion 17s final flight. The helicopter fell from the sky, killing all 38 on board. The first round sailed past the helicopter. Night Stalker pilots and crew rigorously train for nighttime raids, like the one in Juy Zarin. There is still a tremendous level of chance for a tragedy of such huge magnitude.. The official statement from U.S. Central Command stated that a Taliban fighter scored a lucky shot with a rocket-propelled grenade. Operating with no lights save for the faint green glow of night vision goggles and cockpit instrument panels, the two helicopters, call signs Extortion 17 (one-seven) and Extortion 16, lifted into the darkness and accelerated toward a destination less than 20 miles west. [9][11], Almost an hour later (01:50), the aviation brigade commander approved a new landing zone for infiltration of the SEAL team. Hi there! In March 2002, two MH-47s were downed by machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire while close to ground level. A hearing was set to get answers to questions surrounding the high-profile shoot-down of an American helicopter in Afghanistan and how the remains of the fallen service members were handled. Ranger assault helicopters had already engaged the enemy and killed six of eight Taliban fighters, causing the other two to retreat. 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. Photo by Sgt. Neither did the risk he and his pilots faced every night. Play FALLEN ANGEL Call Sign: Extortion 17. That assault team captured Tahirs compound and some of his men. This group grew in number over the course of the night, but American forces were at first too preoccupied to engage. The pilots and crew of Extortion 17, however, had ideal experience and abilities for the mission that night. 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. Or when something went terribly wrong. Winds whipped through the fir trees. 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. The helicopter carrying the SEALs proceeded to the landing zone alone, without external lighting. There is a lot of controversy and discussion regarding the operators from the Gold Squadron who died abroad. This would not be the first time that an Afghan military member has been an undercover Taliban Terrorist and shot our US Military! Mission commanders, believing that Tahir was likely among one of the groups, deployed an Immediate Reaction Force (IRF) to interdict them while the Rangers held the compound. Qari Tahir, the man our forces were attempting to capture or kill on August 5, 2011, isone of many Taliban leaders who dedicate their lives to a corrupt agenda that seeks to eliminate freedom, equality, and prosperity in exchange for a medieval society built on violent extremism and wanton destruction. The five other Navy casualties were NSW (Naval Special Warfare) support personnel; in addition to these, three AFSOC operators, one Combat Controller and two Pararescuemen, all members of the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, died in the crash. It was the deadliest helicopter crash in the history of U.S. special operations. [11] At 22:37 (local time) on the night of 5 August, a platoon of 47 U.S. Army Rangers left a forward operating base in Logar Province via two CH-47D transport helicopters, one of which would later be involved in the accident. 2 U.S. Navy SEALs from a west coast-based SEAL team. Lee, now a captain, was placed in command of a Chinook helicopter unit at Forward Operating Base Shank. The basis of the provocative hit military documentary Fallen Angel Call Sign: Extortion 17. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos During the Ranger insertion earlier that night, the CH-47D had approached from the south; this time, it approached from the northwest. In this week in military history, we explore the aerial attack on a U.S. Army helicopter with the call sign "Extortion 17" in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011. There remained many mysteries about the Extortion 17 shoot down. [42], In 2017, Air Force captain Joni Marquez, the firing officer on an AC-130 gunship that had accompanied Extortion 17 on the final flight, made a similar claim. ", "Taliban laid trap for Chinook: official", "Honor Roll: Remembering the 30 U.S. Ill try to reply the best I can. The mission was flown by conventional pilots flying unmodified CH-47Ds. He grew up in Tyler, went to Texas A&M;, joined the Corps of Cadets and stared in shock at the news that two planes slammed into the World Trade Center and another into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. When the auto-complete results are available, use the up and down arrows to review and Enter to select. They heard a helicopter coming, they grabbed their RPGs, and they fired in quick succession, Darack said. By The Tangi Valley is a strategic terrain that connects the two primary highways that lead to Kabul. Naval Special Warfare support personnel: Two, 3 U.S. Army Reserve personnel (Aircrew) from the, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 20:01. Over time, certain memories will fade, certain details will fade. Early life On this night, Aug. 6, 2011, something went terribly wrong. [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. A catastrophic crash seemed unavoidable. Extortion 16 flew empty. 29 Photos Documentary On 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. At 31 U.S. military personnel killed, the shoot down of Extortion 17 represents the greatest single-incident loss of U.S. lives in Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan, surpassing the 16. The crash occurred in Tangi Joi Zareen, in the district of Sayd Abad in Wardak Province after it was struck by an. LOL, Ray Williams 509th RRCUV (Army Security Agency) Feb68-Apr71. There are more operations than can be supported by the 160th at any given time," says Major Matthew Brady, a former 160th pilot and company commander. The team boarded Extortion 17 with Dave Carter and Bryan Nichols at the controls. 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. On board the Chinook CH-47D were 15 members of SEAL Team Six, 15 SEAL Team Six Support personnel, 1 Bomb Dog, 7 . Many of these SEALs were made famous, credited with the killing of Osama bin Laden. All of them were men of courage, integrity, and honor. In light of that raids success, the shootdown of Extortion 17 incited a flurry of conspiracy theories: The Taliban were tipped off; it was a trap; it was retribution for the killing. Just as ridiculous as saying [President George W.] Bush was responsible for 9/11, Lee said. The following passage, published in The Navy Times, seems to support that assertion. [39], Following the withdrawal of U.S. forces in April 2011, Tangi valley became a major staging area for attacks on Kabul (located just 60 miles away). 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, one Afghan interpreter, and a U.S. military working dog. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The downing of a Chinook helicopter gunship (known by its call sign Extortion 17) in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011, has for years been shrouded in mystery, with the . All three airmen were assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Field, North Carolina. The helicopter made its last radio transmission stating that it was one minute away from the landing zone, then descended to an altitude of 100150ft (3046m) and slowed to a speed of 50kn (58mph; 93km/h) as it approached the landing zone. Around 02:23, the two helicopters departed the forward base. His father Billy Vaughn recounted Thursday a phone call from his son following the White House . Alexander J. Bennett, 24, of Tacoma, Wash. 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. In combat, its mission is to transport large teams of elite assault troops, including Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, to and from the battlefield. It means being informed. Nichols had deployed three times to combat zones, and Carter, with more than 4,000 hours of flight time, was one of the most experienced helicopter pilots in the U.S. military. Petty Officer 1st Class Aaron Vaughn was one of the SEAL Team 6 operators who died in the crash. The US soldiers killed in the 2011 Afghanistan Boeing Chinook shoot-down with the call sign Extortion 17 (Photo: XY) SGT Alexander J. Bennett SPC Spencer Duncan (youngest onboard) CWO Bryan J. Nichols The RPG is not a laser. There are more operations than can be supported by the 160th at any given time, says Major Matthew Brady, a former 160th pilot and company commander. The 30 Navy SEALs and other Special Forces personnel, along with the Helicopter flight crew because American Military and Political leaders threw these men under the bus the enemy was driving and then covered it all up with lies and deceit. The missions commanders decided to insert another team to go after Tahir while the Rangers held the compound. Commanders frequently request CH-47 Chinooks to insert troops. Extortion 17 could be a bigger scandal and betrayal of Americans than Benghazi. First, the Obama administration's Defense Department's crash report stated that there were no eyes in the sky over the Chinook . The aircraft jerked. And now, the government wants to make the Taliban legitamet. Touch device users can explore by touch or with swipe . 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.
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