A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, confirmed that insurgents had been gathering at the compound, adding that eight of them had been killed in the fighting. For Lee, there was no time to reflect on how close he had come to dying. The SEAL Team 6 community was devastated. I was terrified. Lee, now a captain, was placed in command of a Chinook helicopter unit at Forward Operating Base Shank. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy. The helicopter plunged tail first. The team was responding to an Army Ranger unit that was engaged in a protracted firefight with Taliban fighters and needed reinforcements. The first of the unguided projectiles missed, as the vast majority of rocket propelled grenades shot at helicopters did over the course of the war in Afghanistan. The Obama administration is violating a judges 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 Afghanistan, a watchdog group is charging. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? If this [operation] was survivable, that was the right crew to have. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst. They fail to mention it was Saudis who orchestrated 9/11, yet he elected to go after Iraq and Afghanistan. By the time the third sped away from its launcher, however, no target remained. But some say the official report, which contained no direct criticism of decision-makers that day, did not delve deeply enough. In addition to the 30 Americans, the official said there were seven Afghan army soldiers and an interpreter on the helicopter. The second probe, led by Army Brigadier General Jeffrey Colt, explained in excruciating detail what all those familiar with military operations and helicopter aviation in Afghanistan already knew: chance and chance alone, took down Extortion 17. Click here for reprint permission. The Joint Combat Assessment Team report identified, through detailed metallurgical analysis, the type of projectile that blew Extortion 17 out of the sky: an antipersonnel unguided ballistic rocket propelled grenade. Patrick Hamburger, served among the helicopter's crew. But why? What went so terribly wrong? Two investigations of the incident proved inconclusive. "Their deaths are a reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by the men and women of our military and their families, including all who have served in Afghanistan," Obama said in a statement. They were part of his command. Some of those Seals were members of Seal Team 6 that took part in the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, the AP reported today; although they were not actual participants in the Pakistan raid, according to the New York Times. 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. ", Tags: Navy SEALs, Navy, Afghanistan, Allen West, Michele Bachmann. SEAL TEAM SIX - Extortion 17 EXPOSED theunitedwest 15.8K subscribers Subscribe 4.7K 394K views Streamed 9 years ago AUGUST 6, 2015 - Today, on the fourth anniversary of the shoot down of. Aug. 7, 2011 -- American communities are mourning the loss of 30 U.S. troops who were killed when Afghan insurgents shot down a helicopter carrying the most elite forces in the US military -- Navy . It is not uncommon for commandos to fly some of their missions aboard such aircraft in the war zone, however. Military officers interviewed by investigators said they could not recall an IRF ever being sent for such a mission. The story itself is tragic, but tons of war propaganda. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. But why? The aircraft jerked. Per factcheck.org, while Obama and his advisers were deliberating over which mission to authorize for attacking Bin Ladens compound, Biden advised the president to wait for further confirmation that bin Laden was actually in the compound in Pakistan before acting. Biden was not, as implied, altogether opposed to killing Bin Laden. 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. Theyre going after [enemy fighters] in very hostile environments, who know the terrain very well, who know the battlescape very well, Darack said. Nobody involved had overlooked even the most minute detail. But why? The helicopter was shot down by insurgents. The Rangers were not in need of rescue. President Trump has been known, over the years, to tweet some bizarre things. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! That same day he obtained a medical waiver he needed to pursue an Army commission -- to serve an eight-year hitch before going to law school. 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. Nigerians await election results in competitive race. Are such missiles appearing in Afghanistan? They were sitting there, waiting. It's unclear how far away the helicopter was from the initial firefight when it went down and unclear how the troops in the firefight got to the crash location, the official said. It just wasnt.. A CH-47D Chinook helicopter (the same model as Extortion 17) speeds through the Sierra Nevada Mountains at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, near Bridgeport, California, during mountain warfare training exercises. The operation to kill the world's most wanted terrorist was the result of years of planning and training. Although the Taliban have claimed to have shot the helicopter down, U.S. officials have only identified the attackers as insurgents. KABUL, Afghanistan -- A helicopter crash in Afghanistan's eastern Wardak province has killed 30 U.S. special operation troops and seven Afghan soldiers, the country's president said on. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Legal Statement. One of the things I vowed, I will never forget. There is still a tremendous level of chance for a tragedy of such huge magnitude.. Chinooks are American forces' preferred helicopters in Afghanistan because they are powerful enough fly over mountains while carrying a full complement of troops. The military's public c 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. Honestly, sir, I dont think anybody had really looked at the LZ, said the pilot of Gun 1. Fallen Angel: Call Sign - Extortion 17: Directed by Karl Horstmann, Stephen Spivey. The alleged hit on SEAL Team 6 is a reference to the downing of a Chinook transport helicopter by insurgents a few months after the bin Laden raid. 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. 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. Their target was a Taliban commander responsible for ambushes and other attacks against U.S. and Afghan forces. He knew the pilots and crew members aboard Extortion 17. Navy SEALs. The fighting lasted at least two hours, he said, the New York Times reported. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. U.S. But at least you should care about them and appreciate what were asking of them.. The reality is, every time a helicopter lifts off the ground in a war zone, it might get shot down, Darack said. 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. 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. 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. 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. Ninty-six days after the death of Osama bin Laden by SEAL Team Six, an old Vietnam era Army Reserve helicopter, call sign "Extortion 17," was shot down in the Wardak Province, Tangi River Valley, Afghanistan on Aug 6, 2011.On board the Chinook CH-47D were 15 members of SEAL Team Six, 15 SEAL Team Six Support personnel, 1 Bomb Dog, 7 unidentified members of the Afghan National Army, and 1 . 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. The loss of a Chinook helicopter carrying members of Navy SEAL Team Six made yesterday the deadliest single day in the entire Afghan War for the U.S., 3 Questions About the SEAL Team Six Crash, Russian Cargo Plane Explodes During Pressure Test, better protected from newer, more sophisticated threats, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver. All rights reserved. Extortion 17 then plummeted to the ground and erupted in a massive fireball. Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. About a dozen of the 33 troops in the back of the helicopter suffered broken bones, heavy bruises and scrapes. 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. The Pentagon on Thursday identified the Americans as 17 members of the elite Navy SEALs, five Naval Special Warfare personnel who support the SEALs, three Air Force Special Operations personnel and. Lee had just flown the night before on a similar mission with one of the pilots, David Carter. The conspiracy has a number of moving parts, all of which have surfaced before, but none of which have any truth to them. "We simply didn't know those guys with those RPGs were there," he said. These materials provided much-needed intelligence about bin Ladens role within al-Qaeda and the organizations inner-workings. My life is in danger. Nothing tests the capabilities of a young helicopter pilot like flying in the extreme conditions of Afghanistan. Justin Buddy Lee will never forget that night six years ago. 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. "A NATO helicopter crashed last night in Wardak province," Karzai said in the statement. 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. No one is planting victory gardens, and were not rationing. 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. Add in the fact that more sophisticated foreign intelligence agents are on the ground, with signals intelligence assets and deep pockets, and you have a recipe for a plot. 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. . Petty Officer 1st Class Aaron Vaughn was one of the SEAL Team 6 operators who died in the crash. This was preventable only if they just had not taken off that night, Lee said. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Hamburger said. It means being informed. It was the largest single loss of life for Seal Team 6, also known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, (DEVGRU) in the unit's history. Our families are in danger,' " Vaughn recalled. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. The extreme G-forces killed everyone on board within a fraction of a second, Darack said. While the goggles are better than nothing, they turn everything green, distort depth perception and limit peripheral vision. The route had been carefully planned, and gunships maintained continuous watch over the intended landing zone during Extortion 17's approach. But one thing that doesnt fade is never forgetting what they did.. Not all will end as well as bin Laden's takedown, as PM noted in July. Just as ridiculous as saying [President George W.] Bush was responsible for 9/11, Lee said. A silhouette of a. The SEALS intentionally . The investigation of events surrounding the crash of a C H-47D Chinook , call sign Extortion 17, took military command officials just two months to complete. He was too busy. The hearing as it took place was meant to honor the heroes of Extortion 17 instead of to answer our questions, Mr. Special forces are very selective on who they partner with, but any collaboration with Afghans opens up U.S. This critical, but completely uncontrollable, aspect of war, is well-known among fighters like Buddy. "We've allowed politics to become more important than the lives and safety of those men and women," he says. Osama bin Ladens personal journal was also recovered. 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. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Related: Marcus Luttrell's savior claim's 'Lone Survivor' got it wrong. U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because families of those killed are still being notified. No one saw two Taliban armed with grenade launchers standing on a mud-brick turret well within range of the descending chopper. But the CH-47D has neither a flight nor voice recorder, only an engine performance data recorder for maintenance. That is why, they say, a fighter just happened to be stationed in a turret within 150 yards of a landing zone that had never been used before. "It's something that a lot of people who have never been in combat have a hard time understanding," he said. With Robert O'Neill, Patricia Economo, Enrique Garcia, James Obrien. Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. Six weeks into his deployment, Lee experienced his worst day as a helicopter pilot to that point. The attack on August 6 was the most devastating day in SEAL Team Six history, as well as the single largest loss of life for U.S. forces since the war in Afghanistan began in October. But why? 4:10 p.m. - A backup helicopter scoops up remaining team members and leaves the area. See production, box office & company info, Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words. We also mourn the Afghans who died alongside our troops in pursuit of a more peaceful and hopeful future for their country. Helicopter raids are dangerous and unpredictable. With Sean Hannity, Raj Kala, Justin Torrence, Vee Bhakta. Forces to the threat of spying. Planners selected a landing zone that had never been used before. Misinformation regarding the skills of the pilots and crew, and nonsensical conspiracy theoriesoften politically motivatedfollowed, much of which unfortunately continues to this day. On board were 22 members of the elite Seal Team Six, two U.S. Air Force Para-rescue men, three Army reserve personnel, a U.S. Air Force Combat Controller, the pilot and co-pilot, a U.S . These helicopters have been well protected from long-range missile attacks for years, but still have few defenses against a simple RPG fired at short range while the Chinook hovers in place. He probably doesnt. But the Team Six connection makes it a major symbolic victory for them. There are more sophisticated threats out there, such as the SA-16. The front rotor shattered, and the back pylon sheared off. He finished his contract with the Army shortly afterward, and that September enrolled in Southern Methodist Universitys Dedman School of Law. Darack did extensive research of what happened next. All of us know that going into it.". The team boarded Extortion 17 with Dave Carter and Bryan Nichols at the controls. This is all, needless to say, completely unsubstantiated if not outright false. [PHOTOS:Fighting in Afghanistan Continues]. More than 20 Navy Seals died in the helicopter crash that killed 31 in Afghanistan yesterday. The conspiracy theories didnt bother Lee at first. His 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 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. The second shot hit the rear tail rotor assembly. Around 2007, U.S. intelligence officials discovered the name of one of bin Ladens closest couriers, whom they speculated may have been involved in supporting or harboring the terrorist. "He said, 'Mom, there's chatter. SEAL Team Six was assigned three pre-invasion missions: two clandestine political missions relating to regime change on the island, and reconnaissance from the sea of the new airfield under construction on the island's southwest coast. The terrorist leader was not only a major player within al-Qaeda but also a figurehead that attracted supporters and recruits from around the world. I will never forget what they did, he said. 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. In that incident, 16 Navy SEALs and Army special operations troops were killed when their craft was shot down while on a mission to rescue four SEALs under attack by the Taliban.