Fallen Angel.. 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. During the Ranger insertion earlier that night, the CH-47D had approached from the south; this time, it approached from the northwest. No evidence has emerged to support any of these claims. Warnings from her crew to turn the Chinook back or cancel their mission went unheeded. 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. The tempo of the missions did not decrease. Marcus Luttrell (born November 7, 1975) is a retired United States Navy SEAL who received the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his actions in June 2005 against Taliban fighters during Operation Red Wings in which he was the lone survivor. 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. There was no conspiracy. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine The missions commanders decided to insert another team to go after Tahir while the Rangers held the compound. We were supporting special operations, but not to the degree of the 160th. It is the story of the fate that befell a CH-47D helicopter, call sign Extortion 17. Neither did the risk he and his pilots faced every night. If you've seen the recent big screen stories of US Navy SEALS in Afghanistan, in Lone Survivor and Zero Dark Thirty, you are no doubt struck by the sacrifices these elite warriors make on the modern battlefield and the impeccable examples of heroism these movies have portrayed not propaganda but truth. In the rear of the aircraft, the Chinook's passengers stood and prepared to storm out into moonless night once the wheels touched the ground. At the time of the Juy Zarin raid, the battalion had been flying in Afghanistan for about two weeks. [7][26][27] During the battle, American forces observed a small group of Taliban trying to flee the scene. Hypothetical Russian Civil War: The Wagner Group Uprising, Top 10 Most Elite Special Forces Units: Unveiling the Worlds Best Warriors, The Power Vacuum in Post-Putin Russia: An Analysis by GPT Acting as Admiral McRaven, American Sniper Statue of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle Unveiled In Odessa, How Current Events in Russia Could Spell Doom for the Global Economy, Harnessing the Power of Fear: A Masterclass from Brandon Webbs Mastering Fear, Preserving Democracy: The Dangers of Weaponizing the American Legal System, SOFREP Stands With Our Brothers Who Demand Responsibility for Disastrous Afghan Departure, Adam Brown: A SEALs Life of Courage and Redemption, Complete List: Ticonderoga-class Missile Cruisers To Retire By 2027, Nuclear Close Calls That Nearly Caused World War III. They were part of his command. The reality is, every time a helicopter lifts off the ground in a war zone, it might get shot down, Darack said. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Only a little while after informing the Joint Operations Center of their compromise, Lt Murphy called the JOC by satellite phone to inform them that the team, consisting of himself, HM2 Marcus Luttrell, GM2 Danny Dietz, and STG2 Matthew Axelson, was under heavy fire and required the Quick Reaction Force (QRF). Everyone on board died within a fraction of a second30 Americans, eight Afghans and one American military working dog. The crew of Slasher 02, the AC-130 circling above, flipped . [28], Other reports alleged that the Taliban had laid an elaborate trap for American special-operations forces, luring them in with false information. Flying 250 feet above the valley floor at just under 70 miles per hour, Dave Carter, the pilot to the right of Nichols, guided the helicopter toward a carefully chosen landing zone just over a mile away. Terms of Use . This is the story of the effort to rescue him and retrieve the bodies of his comrades. An official investigation found no evidence of a pre-planned ambush, though it did suggest that other helicopter activity in the area could have tipped off Taliban fighters that more helicopters could be approaching, according to the report. The forward rotor system then tore off, stressed by the imbalance and the strain of carrying what would normally be a shared load. 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. The landing zone had been examined for a previous mission but had not yet been used. They may have seen Extortion 17 and its landing zone through their own night vision goggles or simply aimed by sound alone. Fallen Heroes Memorial Challenge. Commanders frequently request CH-47 Chinooks to insert troops. Extortion 17 and 16 werent MH-47s and their crews were not Night Stalkers. Then they have to stick the landing. Six minutes from their estimated landing time, Extortion 16 broke away from the lead Chinook and orbited at a location close enough to help if needed. The theories suggest that Afghan forces leaked information to the Taliban about the mission. The IRF also included two SEALs from another team, five Navy special operations support personnel, three Air Force special tactics airmen, seven Afghan National Army commandos, a translator, and a combat assault dog. 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. August 03 - August 23. [38], 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). But U.S. forces didnt know about every fighter during the raid, and they lost track of at least twoone of whom fired the deadly shot. . The quick reaction force included SEAL Team 6 and other special operations personnel. The front rotor shattered, and the back pylon sheared off. The soldiers killed were: Chief Warrant Officer David R. Carter, 47, of Centennial, Colo. Some of the most highly trained and skilled war fighters in history, the Rangers moved overland to a location where intelligence indicated Lefty Grove and his small cadre of fighters would be holding a meeting. You never want to use the same landing zone twice, Darack said. ], Four years after the downing of Extortion 17, there were many theories about a possible government coverup. Betrayed: The Shocking True Story of Extortion 17 as told by a Navy This was preventable only if they just had not taken off that night, Lee said. [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. 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. I was terrified. The pilots, crew and Chinook helicopters of "Extortion Company," the conventional Army aviation unit to which Extortion 17 belonged, had supported over 90 percent of raids conducted by Rangers and SEALs of JSOC in that region; the flight in question was nothing out of the ordinary. Lone Survivor Foundation's Post - LinkedIn Some have called his account into question, but the indisputable fact is that he is the only one alive who knows what really happened there. Extortion 17 was attached to a mission to capture or kill a senior Taliban leader, Qari Tahir, near Kabul, Afghanistan. Sgt. Victory Point: Operations Red Wings and Whalersthe Marine Corps' Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan, Enough Gaslighting. That June, the U.S. military launched Operation Hammer Down to drive out insurgents entrenched in remote strongholds of eastern Afghanistan. The military has worked diligently to more tightly integrate gunship escorts with transport craft, according to Brady. The sheer amount of experience with our pilots, flight engineers and back-seaters and mechanics offered a wealth of knowledge, he said. [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 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. On this day, two years ago, a helicopter, Extortion 17, was shot down, killing all 31 on board, 30 fallen warriors and Bart a warrior dog. Lees wife, Christy, hoped the news would bring a sudden end to the war. On the morning of June 28th, 2005, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, a small, four-man team of Naval Special Warfare operators under the command of Lieutenant Michael Murphy was compromised. John W. Brown, 33, of Tallahassee, Florida, Staff Sgt. On his right wrist, he wears a bracelet with the names of the five crew members of Extortion 17. 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. The aircraft jerked. What failures in planning led to Extortion 17 being shot down - Reddit The remaining two fighters ducked into a stand of trees and disappeared from the Apaches infrared scanners. The Final Flight of Extortion 17 - Smithsonian Magazine The pilots and crew of Extortion 17, however, had ideal experience and abilities for the mission that night. I didnt want to die., He remembered the words of his old flight instructor: Never stop flying the aircraft.. David Tarrant, The Dallas Morning News JSOC ground forces and those who flew them knew and trusted each other. Composed primarily of members of the 75th Ranger Regiment, which falls under the authority of the secretive Joint Special Operations Command, or JSOC, the team sought to capture or kill a powerful insurgent leader, Qari Tahir, known to coalition forces by his designation "Lefty Grove." This remains the greatest single loss of life to Naval Special Warfare since the Afghan War started in 2001. Attack on a U.S. military helicopter in Tangi Valley, Maidan Wardak Province, 2011 Afghanistan Boeing Chinook shootdown, United States Air Force Combat Control Team, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Tangi Valley, Wardak province, Afghanistan, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, Naval Special Warfare Development Group's, Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians, United States House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, Call Sign Extortion 17: The Shoot-Down of SEAL Team Six, List of aviation accidents and incidents in the war in Afghanistan, "Elite Force Died in Bid to Save Comrades", "Taliban shot that brought down American Chinook killing 30 US commandos was 'lucky', officials believe", "Taliban shoot down US helicopter in Afghanistan; 38 killed", "Worst US loss of life in Afghan war as helicopter crash kills 38", "US military helicopter crash in Afghanistan kills 38", Executive Summary (Crash of CH-47D Aircraft in Wardak Province, Afghanistan on 6 August 2011), "Families suspect SEAL Team 6 crash was inside job on worst day in Afghanistan", "DOD Identifies Service Members Killed in CH-47 Crash", "Tragedy devastates special warfare community", "Friends remember three area soldiers killed in Afghan crash", "Chinook Crewmembers Line of Duty Deaths", "US special forces Afghan helicopter downed by Taliban", "Chopper crash kills 31 U.S. troops, 7 Afghans", "Copter Downed by Taliban Fire; Elite U.S. Unit Among Dead", "Impact on special forces of Navy Seals helicopter loss", "SEAL Team 6 Families Believe the 2011 Chinook Shootdown in Afghanistan was Planned | Navy SEALs Blog by USNavySEALs.com", "Army delayed Chinook helicopter's black box until it was too late", "Obama stonewalls SEAL Team 6 helicopter crash probe, watchdog says", "US helicopter shot down in Afghanistan was sent in after night raid went awry", "US military probes deadly Afghan helicopter crash", "What happened on night of deadly Afghanistan helicopter crash? Lee, now a captain, was placed in command of a Chinook helicopter unit at Forward Operating Base Shank. The workhorse in Army aviation, the tandem rotor, heavy-lift Chinook helicopter is used for carrying troops, equipment, supplies and even the mail. All times are given in Zulu time. Extortion 17 is the call-sign of a Chinook helicopter that flew transport/support missions in Afghanistan. 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. By Allen West10:00am January 31, 2014 If you've seen the recent big screen stories of US Navy SEALS in Afghanistan, in Lone Survivor and Zero Dark Thirty, you are no doubt struck by the sacrifices these elite warriors make on the modern battlefield and the impeccable examples of heroism these movies have portrayed not propaganda but truth. With robust designs and vintage classic style, discover the heritage of military timepieces today! On August 6, 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. It is the story of the largest Combat Rescue operation in the war up to that time, and the largest loss of life in US SOF prior to the downing of Extortion 17 in 2011. All three airmen were assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Field, North Carolina. 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][21][15][22]. The official statement from U.S. Central Command stated that a Taliban fighter scored a lucky shot with a rocket-propelled grenade. She had just given birth to their first child. BETRAYED - The Shocking True Story Of Extortion 17 As Told - Goodreads Why did it happen? Lee remained in Afghanistan flying combat missions for another eight months before returning home in the spring of 2012. Extortion 17: What really happened on America's deadliest day in Extortion 17 Memorial Challenge. But Tahir and a group of his fighters escaped. 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. About a dozen of the 33 troops in the back of the helicopter suffered broken bones, heavy bruises and scrapes. In the afternoon of 6 August, a flash flood swept through the area, washing away parts of the wreckage. The United States military continually works to improve protection for transport helicopters and their occupants, according to Glover and Brady. Having studied and directly observed the counter-insurgency campaign in Afghanistan, Ive watched commanders and individual American troops consistently lean far to the side of restraint to encourage Afghans to side with American interests long after U.S. forces have left. "Never forget the warriors of Extortion 17. The 2013 film is an adaptation of the title character's autobiography, Marcus Luttrell, titled Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Red wings and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 (2007). It had been loaded well within its limits. The guy was incredibly skilled.. Afghanistan has long been a counter-insurgency campaign: The United States strategy has been to win Afghan trust through cooperation and aid. There are two types of compromise, soft and hard. 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. 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. We honor their courage, sacrifice, and commitment to Never Quit. American, French and Afghan National Police forces carried out a three-day sweep of the area, and the area was then deemed secure. It was a hard landing, but it would have been worse if they had landed tail first. Betrayed Navy SEALs: The shocking true story of Extortion 17 He would not have hesitated to fly with any of them. Sgt. "It's something that a lot of people who have never been in combat have a hard time understanding," he said. The first round sailed past the helicopter. 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. However, the Afghan government forces did not occupy the base, which was seized by the Taliban shortly after the departure of American forces. Extortion 17: The deadliest day in the DEVGRU history - Spec Ops Magazine "No amount of training, skill, or technology will ever defeat chance on the battlefield. 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. Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft that supported the raid, including a Predator drone, and a variety of highly specialized spy planes, had kept continuous watch over the region during the operation. 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. But there's a problem: the standard chopper escorts have all been directed elsewhere. The second shot hit the rear tail rotor assembly. 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.