extortion 17 crash photos
Pentagon names 30 Americans killed in downed Afghan chopper - NBC News At 02:15, one group of three Taliban fighters took a position in a stand of trees; the remaining six or seven men entered a building located some 2km (1.2mi) from the target compound. They are not the same SEALs, and these two events are not connected to one another. The RPG is not a laser. [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. And to this day, people are still debating what really happened. Their target was a Taliban commander responsible for ambushes and other attacks against U.S. and Afghan forces. Theres no precedent for this. We were told at that time we were the first unit to make it through a rotation without having anyone killed.. [2][38], On 10 August 2011, the U.S. military stated that the insurgent who fired the rocket-propelled grenade had been killed only two days afterward in an F-16 airstrike, saying only that intelligence gained on the ground provided "a high degree of confidence" that the person was among those killed in the airstrike from two days earlier, but providing no other details. Extortion 17: What really happened on America's deadliest day in And while all military helicopters carry countermeasures for guided missiles, nothing can interdict the dumb luck of an unguided RPG round sailing through the air. These are the words of Billy Vaughn. The remaining two fighters ducked into a stand of trees and disappeared from the Apaches infrared scanners. He presents the Final Flight of EXTORTION 17 (spoken one seven and seventeen), like a Defense Attorney or an investigator. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), Grand Island, Nebraska, Sgt. As for himself, he speaks out about Extortion 17 because he wants to remember the men on that mission. 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. I didnt want to die., He remembered the words of his old flight instructor: Never stop flying the aircraft.. There is still a tremendous level of chance for a tragedy of such huge magnitude.. 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). The circumstances surrounding the events of Extortion 17 are tragic. The Chinook smashed into the ground, the force ripping off his goggles. So the whole team went in one Chinook helicopter Extortion 17. [9][11], Meanwhile, the group of Taliban fighters split in two. Don Brown, a former U.S. Navy JAG officer stationed at the Pentagon, and former Special Assistant United . 2011 Afghanistan Boeing Chinook shootdown - Wikipedia The basis of the provocative hit military documentary Fallen Angel Call Sign: Extortion 17. A few minutes past 2 a.m.on August 6, 2011, at a dusty forward operating base40 miles south of Kabul, Afghanistan, the rotors of two U.S. Army CH-47D Chinooks began to turn. 360 EXTORTION 17 ideas | extortion, navy seals, seal team 6 Intelligence on August 6th indicated Qari Tahir was in Tangi Valley, just a short helicopter flight from the SEAL base camp. The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicop Sgt. SEAL Team 6 & Extortion 17 Families Suspect Crash Was Inside Job At any moment, they could come under rocket attack. 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. The Chinook helicopter they were aboard was shot down by . Extortion 17 BRIAN BILL FOUNDATION 31 MILE RUCK FOR THE 31 HEROES OF EXTORTION 17 IN WASHINGTON, DC AUGUST 3, 2019 On 6 August 2011, a U.S. Boeing CH-47 Chinook military helicopter was shot down while transporting a quick reaction force attempting to reinforce an engaged unit of Army Rangers in Wardak province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan. Strange, 25, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist) Jon T. Tumilson, 35, of Rockford, Iowa, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL)Aaron C. Vaughn, 30, of Stuart, Florida, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL)Jason R. Workman, 32, of Blanding, Utah, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL)Jesse D. Pittman, 27, of Ukiah, California, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 2nd Class (SEAL)Nicholas P. Spehar, 24, of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Chief Warrant Officer David R. Carter, 47, of Centennial, Colo. The next night, the pair had orders to drop off more troops in the same spot. One of the best crews in my company. Two were still alive." He finished his contract with the Army shortly afterward, and that September enrolled in Southern Methodist Universitys Dedman School of Law. Through sensors on manned and unmanned aircraft, U.S. forces observing the mud walls and terraces of the village saw new groups of fighters gathering and maneuvering. Extortion 17 August 6, 2022 marks 11 years since Extortion 17. Extortion 17: The deadliest day in the DEVGRU history - Spec Ops Magazine Its a math problem. [7][20][21], Fifteen of the Navy SEALs that were killed were members of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU),[5][22][20] while the other two Navy SEALs were from an unidentified West Coast-based unit. First, the Obama administration's Defense Department's crash report stated that there were no eyes in the sky over the Chinook . Whether enemy fire brought down the Chinook or a tree strike would never be known for sure. The group probably contained the commander and a few of his bodyguards, while the remaining Taliban fighters offered resistance in an effort to buy the group enough time to escape. The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicopter Support In The Final Mission of Extortion 17, Ed Darack debunks this theory and others and uncovers the truth behind this mysterious tragedy. August 6 marks six years since deadly 'Extortion 17' helicopter crash Recovery of wreckage from the crash site lasted until 9 August 2011. All three airmen were assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Field, North Carolina. Extortion 17: The Mission and the Tragedy in Afghanistan Lee had just flown the night before on a similar mission with one of the pilots, David Carter. Why was the black box missing from the crash site? [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. I find it extremely suspicious that, after the alleged killing of Osama Bin Laden, there was a very suspicious burial at sea for a covered corpse that was alleged to be Bin Laden. Downing of Extortion 17: The Single Deadliest Incident of the US War in Call Sign Extortion 17: The Shoot-Down of SEAL Team Six All content is protected by copyright and may not be used for commercial purposes without prior written permission. The United States military continually works to improve protection for transport helicopters and their occupants, according to Glover and Brady. Extortion 17 Is A Bigger Scandal and Betrayal Than Benghazi 30 US troops died in single deadliest incident of the Afghanistan War Justin Buddy Lee will never forget that night six years ago. The CH-47 "Chinook" was carrying some of this nation's bravest and most capable military . If this was survivable, that was the right crew to have. Just three months earlier, members of a counterpart SEAL Team 6 squadron successfully raided a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and killed Osama bin Laden. 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. Setting the record straight: Myths and misinformation about Extortion 17 He would not have hesitated to fly with any of them. [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). Extortion 17: Bodies of the 22 slain SEAL Team 6 members cremated [35] The Seattle Times and The New York Times also reported this information. He would eventually do two tours and become commander of a Chinook unit during his second deployment in 2011. Nearby, there were two enemy fighters with rocket-propelled grenade launchers. In fact, the conflict was heating up. Advertising Notice Burn is on, they radioed. 130 Extortion 17 ideas | extortion, seal team 6, navy seals Extortion 17 119 Pins 9y K Collection by Kim&Pauly Us Soldiers Troops Fallen Soldiers Military Personnel Military Men American Soldiers American Heroes Naval Special Warfare Fallen Heroes He was too busy. Unidentified Remains Extortion 17 (unknown-2011) - Find a Grave It just wasnt.. This remains the greatest single loss of life to Naval Special Warfare since the Afghan War started in 2001. We had guys who had flown in Desert Storm, guys who had just come off active duty, Lee said. Lawmakers hold hearing on deadly 'Extortion 17' helicopter crash in The helicopter carrying the SEALs proceeded to the landing zone alone, without external lighting. The landing zone was small, and the commanders didnt want to split up the strike force. He is the founder of Darack Research, a company that innovates unmanned systems, which grew out of his July 2014 Air & Space article Build Your Own Drone. About a dozen of the 33 troops in the back of the helicopter suffered broken bones, heavy bruises and scrapes. Editors note: This story originally appeared in October 2017. The military's public contradictions raise more questions than answers. The duo may also have had no ties to Tahir or any of his suspected fighters, and attacked the helicopter on their own. Robert J. Reeves: A Navy SEAL who died in Extortion 17 - Spec Ops Magazine Over time, certain memories will fade, certain details will fade. [9][11], Six minutes later, the Rangers concluded securing the compound, detained several people and began to move on foot toward the crash site. NFTs Simplified > Uncategorized > extortion 17 crash photos. We were supporting special operations, but not to the degree of the 160th. On this night, Aug. 6, 2011, something went terribly wrong. There was a lot of experience in that cockpit, the flight engineers and the door gunners. 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. On his first deployment, he felt fortunate to be surrounded by veteran pilots he could learn from. 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. 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? Bissonnette also said that there was one DEVGRU Operator on the mission who was not a member of Red Squadron and that he was chosen for the mission because of his linguistic abilities. I thought I hit a tree,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. August 6, 2022 marks 11 years since Extortion 17. )/SR-71 blackbird cloud behind the chinook; saying thats safe distance! It was a hard landing, but it would have been worse if they had landed tail first. The article stated that the helicopter crashed after an RPG round impacted the aft rotor assembly. I am so proud to be an American and I thank all of the families left behind to mourn their loss. Troops", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2011_Afghanistan_Boeing_Chinook_shootdown&oldid=1142506992, 2 U.S. Navy SEALs from Naval Special Warfare Group 1, 4 U.S. [45] McChrystal cited a previous "overreliance on firepower and force protection" and the need to reduce civilian casualties and win the cooperation of the local population. Nothing tests the capabilities of a young helicopter pilot like flying in the extreme conditions of Afghanistan. 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. This would not be the first time that an Afghan military member has been an undercover Taliban Terrorist and shot our US Military! A body went into the ocean, but Ill bet it wasnt Bin Ladens. Why did it happen? On August 6th, 2011, the helicopter was fired upon and shot down by a previously undetected group of Taliban fighters. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Geneva G. Brier/Released) They heard a helicopter coming, they grabbed their RPGs, and they fired in quick succession, Darack said. 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. 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. 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. 360 EXTORTION 17 ideas | extortion, navy seals, seal team 6 - Pinterest 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. As the Chinook CH-47 transport helicopter (call sign: Extortion 17) carrying 30 U.S. troops, seven Afghan commandos, an Afghan civilian interpreter and a U.S. military dog approached, the. The crash sent shock waves throughout U.S. special operations. 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 official statement from U.S. Central Command stated that a Taliban fighter scored a lucky shot with a rocket-propelled grenade. 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. Several minutes later, a 20-man Pathfinder team (specializing in downed-aircraft rescue and recovery) arrived at the site. 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. 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. [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. Or when something went terribly wrong. [7][27][28] During the battle, American forces observed a small group of Taliban trying to flee the scene. Seconds later, with the Chinook just over 100 feet off the ground and traveling at 58 mph, two or three previously unseen fighters emerged from the tower of a two-story building roughly 220 yards south of the helicopter, shouldering RPG launchers. As the ground assault force rushed toward Tahirs compound, Extortion 17 and 16 sped back to base, where they were refueled, and awaited word to extract the team, evacuate wounded, or race reinforcing troops to Juy Zarin. Around 02:23, the two helicopters departed the forward base. 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. This remains the greatest single loss of life to Naval Special Warfare since the Afghan War started in 2001. August 12, 2022. by Samantha Franco. 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. Gold Star father Bill Vaughn had a heartfelt message to American "leaders" while discussing a documentary that investigates the Extortion 17 helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Director Franois Garcia Writer Sandeep Panesar Stars Robert O'Neill (archive footage) Patricia Economo Enrique Garcia [41] At the subsequent hearing in February 2014, Pentagon representative Garry Reid defended the decision to undertake the mission and denied that the Taliban had any advance knowledge of it. August 2011 Attack on U.S. This group grew in number over the course of the night, but American forces were at first too preoccupied to engage. So where did it go?? Find the perfect extortion17 stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. 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! 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. And thats fine; thats what you signed up for, Lee said. 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. All of them were men of courage, integrity, and honor. It was reported that the Taliban fighters had no information of the helicopter's flight path and that they had been in the right place at the right time. 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. On Aug. 6, 2011, on the deadliest day in special operations history, 30 Americans, including 17 Navy SEALs, died when a Chinook helicopter crashed. The downing of Extortion 17 spurred a number of conspiracy theories, such as the idea that the shootdown was revenge for bin Laden's death. Extortion 17 and the Truth The Havok Journal Joining the 15 members of SEAL Team 6, two pilots and three-man crew inside Extortion 17: ten other Navy and Air Force personnel, eight Afghans and a combat assault dog named Bart. June 5, 2022 Posted by: Category: Uncategorized; No Comments . According to Glover, improved systems in place enable U.S. forces to monitor a target for days or even weeks prior to an operation, so they theoretically will know of even well-hidden potential RPG shooters throughout a village before transport helicopters first touch down. At the pilots request, the AC-130 flashed an infrared spotlight, which could be seen only through night vision goggles, to light up the landing zone. Extortion 17 is a name etched in our minds as one of the worst losses our military has ever experienced. The Taliban shot at the Chinooks all the time with RPGs and rifles, Darack said. "Over two years after Extortion 17 was shot down, the families still have these unanswered questions," said Klayman. Were asking people to do incredible things. But why? AC-130 gunships orbiting overhead directed two AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to fire on and kill five enemy fighters. Sometimes the enemy succeeds in delivering one of these To whom it may concern projectiles. The two may have been those who escaped Apache cannon fire, or they may have split away from either of the groups that formed after the start of the raid. This is the Group Burial for unidentified remains of casualties of the Chinook helicopter (CH-47D 89-00175) which crashed in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011. The front rotor shattered, and the back pylon sheared off. 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. 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. Every mission is potentially life-threatening. The crash is referred to as Extortion 17 by the callsign of the CH-47 Chinook helicopter involved in the crash. The helicopter plunged tail first. - Afghanistan: Honoring the Heroes of Extortion 17 It was the day we learned our son Aaron and other American warriors had lost their lives in a helo crash in Afghanistan. It was the deadliest helicopter crash in the history of U.S. special operations. Flying low, the pilots have to maneuver a machine weighing up to 50,000 pounds over mountains, under cover of darkness, in swirling wind and dust, wearing night vision goggles. The shootdown was the single, deadliest loss of U.S. forces in the war. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos The Tangi Valley is a strategic terrain that connects the two primary highways that lead to Kabul. On Aug. 6, 2011, insurgent forces in Afghanistan shot down an American aircraft. 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. In mid-2011, combined with a U.S. Army aviation battalion, they had spent weeks conducting operations nearly every other night in Wardak and surrounding provinces south of Kabul to capture or kill Taliban forces, disrupt attack plots, and deny them sanctuary on this strategic approach to Kabul City. Lees second deployment started in May of 2011. Were handing rifles to 20-year-olds and asking them to shoot people. "[5], Subsequent reports stated that on the night during which the helicopter had been delivering reinforcements to personnel of the 75th Ranger Regiment, another special operations unit engaged in a night raid on a compound to kill or capture a senior Taliban leader. There's also that little issue that came up when 6 Navy SEALs' funerals were conducted by a Muslim Cleric that condemned them to Hell during the service. There remained many mysteries about the Extortion 17 shoot down. [11][24] These reports were erroneous; the CH-47D airframe does not contain flight recorders, although the MH-47 variant does have a flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. Troops in Afghanistan Defense Department officials and military leaders testified at a hearing on the investigation of the August 20111 death of 30 U.S. servicemen in. The reality is, every time a helicopter lifts off the ground in a war zone, it might get shot down, Darack said. 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. Among the 38 occupants inside the Chinook were some of the most highly trained and battle-seasoned fighters in the U.S. military, including 15 commandos from the Navys SEAL Team 6, the unit that three months earlier had killed Osama bin Laden. At the flight controls were David R. Carter of the Colorado Army National Guard and copilot Bryan J. Nichols, a Kansas-based Army reservist. The torque of the spinning rotor assembly, now catastrophically imbalanced, ripped the rear pylon off the Chinooks fuselage. We continue our work at the Museum so that theirservice and sacrifice will never be forgotten. Today. THIS COMBAT MARINE SALUTES YOU ALL WE ALL GET A NEW STATION WHEN GOD OKS OUR TRANSFER I AM QUITE CERTAIN THAT GOD LOVES WARRIORS A BIT MORE THAN WE MIGHT REALIZE, I always suspected ObamaTard had something to do with this tragedy. 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. Insurgents fired at the Chinook, severed one of. The crash is referred to as Extortion 17 by the callsign of the CH-47 Chinook helicopter involved in the crash. Critics blame Biden for Extortion 17 attack. They were part of his command. The tempo of the missions did not decrease. 130 Extortion 17 ideas | extortion, seal team 6, navy seals - Pinterest This hearing also serves to Following a scorched earth tactic may have killed the two shootersand possibly a greater number of innocentsprior to Extortion 17s return that night, but counterinsurgency doctrine dictates that such tactics lead to potentially far worse long-term consequences.
