[11], Separately, ISR aircraft continued to observe the unengaged group from the compound. Campbell was one of 30 Americans killed when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, with the call sign Extortion 17, crashed in Afghanistan. The group fired 2-3 RPG rounds from a two-story building from a location some 220 meters south of the helicopter. Worst US loss of life in Afghan war as helicopter crash kills 38 Conspiracy theories started almost immediately. 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. On such missions, the Chinook pilots nearly always fly at night, wearing night vision goggles, or NVGs. Near the site of the Extortion 17 crash stands a memorial to Taliban fighters killed in the August 2011 battle during which Extortion 17 was shot down. Copyright 2023 | National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum, The Museum is a 501(c)(3) organization. Six weeks into his deployment, Lee experienced his worst day as a helicopter pilot to that point. 130 Extortion 17 ideas | extortion, seal team 6, navy seals - Pinterest All of them were men of courage, integrity, and honor. But at least you should care about them and appreciate what were asking of them.. 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 missions commanders decided to insert another team to go after Tahir while the Rangers held the compound. Sgt. He taught helicopter pilots how to fly in high altitudes at an aviation training site in Colorado. NFTs Simplified > Uncategorized > extortion 17 crash photos. Connor Mendez, courtesy of U.S. Army. The conspiracy theories didnt bother Lee at first. 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. Nothing tests the capabilities of a young helicopter pilot like flying in the extreme conditions of Afghanistan. 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. We had guys who had flown in Desert Storm, guys who had just come off active duty, Lee said. 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. 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. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. 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 Unidentified Remains Extortion 17 (unknown-2011) - Find a Grave [11] Seventeen U.S. Navy SEALs remained in reserve at the forward operating base. As two U.S. Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, an Air Force AC-130 gunship, and a small fleet of unmanned surveillance aircraft orbited overhead, a platoon of the 75th Ranger Regiment and members of an Afghan special operations unit stormed down the rear ramps of the Chinooks and into the night. Extortion 17: Bodies of the 22 slain SEAL Team 6 members cremated The guy was incredibly skilled.. Critics blame Biden for Extortion 17 attack. So many unsettling details are coalescing with the resurgence of Extortion 17. The workhorse in Army aviation, the tandem rotor, heavy-lift Chinook helicopter is used for carrying troops, equipment, supplies and even the mail. A senior Afghan government official, speaking anonymously, said that Taliban commander Qari Tahir had fed American forces false information about a meeting of insurgent leaders and fighters waited for the helicopter from both sides of a steep valley: "The Taliban knew which route the helicopter would take. [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 following was transcribed from the above video press conference. Afghanistan has long been a counter-insurgency campaign: The United States strategy has been to win Afghan trust through cooperation and aid. 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. Where was the Chinook's black box cockpit recorder? It wasnt preventable. Photo: We pay Tribute Chief Petty Officer Nicholas H. Null Operation Extortion 17 August 6, 2011 You may leave a condolence for his family on our YouTube channel https://youtu.be/L2lB37qizaI Comebacks Photo Photo: We pay Tribute to Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Stephen M. Mills Operation Extortion 17 August 6, 2011 Battalion Regiment Warrant Officer The incident became known as "Extortion 17" after the helicopter . You also want to come in from a different direction for the element of surprise.. Hi there! 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. 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 30 American Servicemen killed in action (KIA) with the downing of Extortion 17. For the last two years, hes been an attorney with the law firm Jackson Walker. They heard a helicopter coming, they grabbed their RPGs, and they fired in quick succession, Darack said. At any moment, they could come under rocket attack. 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. All content is protected by copyright and may not be used for commercial purposes without prior written permission. The Final Mission of Extortion 17 - Google Books The Final Flight of Extortion 17 - Smithsonian Magazine The mission was flown by conventional pilots flying unmodified CH-47Ds. The Chinook headed to a different landing zone than the first assault team one in the narrowest part of the Tangi Valley. The image released and purported to be Bin Laden was a blended image of an old Bin Laden pic and an image of a different terrorist that was killed in battle. Recovery of wreckage from the crash site lasted until 9 August 2011. The immediate reaction force Extortion 17 carried should have been flown in two helicopters: Senior JSOC and aviation planners both agreed that the best course of action was to put the entire . 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. 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. 2011 Afghanistan Boeing Chinook shootdown - Wikipedia He would eventually do two tours and become commander of a Chinook unit during his second deployment in 2011. Extortion 17 sped alone toward the landing zone. 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. A Department of Defense official asserted that there were no leaks from the Afghans. Insurgents fired at the Chinook, severed one of. Lee remained in Afghanistan flying combat missions for another eight months before returning home in the spring of 2012. "The downing of Extortion 17 was a catastrophic and unprecedented tragedy for our nation," Reid testified. 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. 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. Your Privacy Rights Extortion 17 could be a bigger scandal and betrayal of Americans than Benghazi. Robert J. Reeves: A Navy SEAL who died in Extortion 17 - Spec Ops Magazine He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment(General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kansas, Staff Sgt. This was preventable only if they just had not taken off that night, Lee said. FALLEN ANGEL Call Sign: Extortion 17 | SalemNOW [36][37], After the shootdown of Extortion 17, the insurgent responsible used a two-way radio to brag to others about the act. 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 vast majority miss. The torque of the spinning rotor assembly, now catastrophically imbalanced, ripped the rear pylon off the Chinooks fuselage. At the flight controls were David R. Carter of the Colorado Army National Guard and copilot Bryan J. Nichols, a Kansas-based Army reservist. Upon learning of Tahirs possible location, a U.S. Army Rangers and Afghan Special Forces team was deployed into the valley from the south. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. 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 duo may also have had no ties to Tahir or any of his suspected fighters, and attacked the helicopter on their own. "[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. The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicopter Support Now deep in the Tangi Valley, their night vision goggles showing the world around them in greenish hues, the IRF team members readied to hit the ground running as the pilots slowed Extortion 17 and descended toward the village. 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 SEAL commander assembled his force: 17 Navy SEALs, five Navy combat support specialists, three U.S. Air Force Special Tactics Airmen, seven Afghan Special Forces operators, an Afghan interpreter, and a military working dog. "Fallen Angel" - What really happened to Extortion 17? New film probes (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Geneva G. Brier/Released) 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 pilots and crew of Extortion 17, however, had ideal experience and abilities for the mission that night. New documentary investigates events surrounding Extortion 17 helicopter Alexander J. Bennett, 24, of Tacoma, Wash. 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. Andrew W. Harvell, 26, of Long Beach, California, Tech. Memorial for anniversary of Extortion 17 helicopter crash There was a lot of experience in that cockpit, the flight engineers and the door gunners. 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! Director Franois Garcia Writer Sandeep Panesar Stars Robert O'Neill (archive footage) Patricia Economo Enrique Garcia 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 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 . 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. [11], At 02:00, the special operations task force commander and the Immediate Reaction Force commander decided to add additional (non-SEAL) reinforcements, increasing the size of the team to 33. Ryan Last. Navy SEAL Foundation - Extortion 17 Tragedy Assistance. Honor and Its almost always a miss.. Prior to the mission, the deadliest incident was June 2005's Operation . 360 EXTORTION 17 ideas | extortion, navy seals, seal team 6 When the auto-complete results are available, use the up and down arrows to review and Enter to select. At 2:36 a.m., Extortion 17 requested an infrared spotlight, visible only through night vision goggles, to illuminate the landing zone. May God give them the strength to carry on without them. The landing zone had been examined for a previous mission but had not yet been used. 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. [11][12], As the Rangers approached the target compound, ISR aircraft observed several people leaving the compound. The shoot-down of 'Extortion 17' constitutes the greatest loss of American life from a single battle in the history of the Afghanistan War. John W. Brown, 33, of Tallahassee, Florida, Staff Sgt. Its a math problem. Campbell was one of 30. All topics Extortion 17 Documentary Soon after US Navy Cryptologist Michael Strange and the elite SEAL Team 6 capture and kill Bin Laden, they are deployed to Afghanistan, where their Chinook is shot down. 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. 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. Extortion 17 is a name etched in our minds as one of the worst losses our military has ever experienced. A source from the Navys special operations community described the reaction as Shock and disbelief. 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. 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. The crash is referred to as Extortion 17 by the callsign of the CH-47 Chinook helicopter involved in the crash. And now, the government wants to make the Taliban legitamet. I didnt want to die., He remembered the words of his old flight instructor: Never stop flying the aircraft.. The shootdown was the single, deadliest loss of U.S. forces in the war. The Taliban shot at the Chinooks all the time with RPGs and rifles, Darack said. The following passage, published in The Navy Times, seems to support that assertion. Extortion 17 was attached to a mission to capture or kill a senior Taliban leader, Qari Tahir, near Kabul, Afghanistan. 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). Two fired at roughly the same time. Find the perfect extortion 17 stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. But over time, they became more disturbing, including one that suggested the Taliban had been tipped off by someone inside the Afghan government as revenge for bin Ladens killing. The Chinook helicopter they were aboard was shot down by . Privacy Statement 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. Over time, certain memories will fade, certain details will fade. Thirty Americans perished in the blink of an eye, half of which comprised an entire 'troop' from SEAL Team 6's Gold Squadron. Nearby, there were two enemy fighters with rocket-propelled grenade launchers. 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. I am so proud to be an American and I thank all of the families left behind to mourn their loss. The Costliest Day in SEAL Team Six History - HISTORY Naval Special Warfare support personnel, two EOD technicians, one MWD Handler, one Cryptologic technician, and one Information systems technician. 2017 The Dallas Morning News. 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. [11] Going forward, the two AH-64 Apache helicopters would be engaged in tracking those two groups of Taliban, and hence unable to provide surveillance or fire support to the inbound helicopter carrying the SEAL team. The circumstances surrounding the events of Extortion 17 are tragic. These are the words of Billy Vaughn. DISPATCH: Newly Appointed Taliban Official Claims Role in Extortion 17 This remains the greatest single loss of life to Naval Special Warfare since the Afghan War started in 2001. The theories suggest that Afghan forces leaked information to the Taliban about the mission. "[30], On 12 August 2011, Jim Lehrer of the PBS NewsHour announced that he would report the Honor Roll at the end of the program with names and photographs of all 30 men. Available for both RF and RM licensing. 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. The crew of Slasher 02, the AC-130 circling above, flipped the switch on their powerful light. The SEAL task force was monitoring this activity, and they were soon called upon to deploy quickly into the northern end of the valley to intercept Tahir and capture him and those moving with him. The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicopter Support, SEAL Team Six, and the Deadliest Day of the U.S. War in Afghanistan Hardcover - September 19, 2017 by Ed Darack (Author) 223 ratings Editors' pick Best History See all formats and editions Kindle $13.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial Hardcover In Memoriam: The 31 Heroes of EXTORTION 17 - American Thinker Just as ridiculous as saying [President George W.] Bush was responsible for 9/11, Lee said. But why? Carter and Nichols continued the descent. Regarding the downing of Extortion 17, all of the DEVGRU Operators aboard were members of the Gold Squadron. The team boarded Extortion 17 with Dave Carter and Bryan Nichols at the controls. Call Sign Extortion 17: The Shoot-Down of SEAL Team Six is a 2015 non-fiction expose, written by best-selling author and former U.S. Navy JAG Officer Don Brown, about the 2011 Chinook shootdown in Afghanistan of a United States Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter. Extortion 17: Bodies of the 22 slain SEAL Team 6 members cremated Despite the risk, operations like these were taking place with such frequency in Afghanistan they only made news when they produced a spectacular success, like the bin Laden mission. [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. The helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, was on a mission to reinforce American and coalition special operations troops. [9][11], Meanwhile, the group of Taliban fighters split in two. extortion 17 crash photos - nftcollectionlab.com The U.S. Navy SEAL task force assigned to conduct operations in Tangi Valley was well conditioned to the dangerous operating environment. The mission was flown by conventional pilots flying unmodified CH-47Ds. Buy images; Sell images; 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. One of the engines flew off, and the other caught fire. The helicopter carrying the SEALs proceeded to the landing zone alone, without external lighting. God bless all of them- the bravest of the brave. 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 On this day 11 years ago, 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. Lee earned his wings at Fort Rucker, Ala., then deployed to Pakistan, where he did humanitarian missions, learning to fly into and out of mountainous terrain. Lightboxes. [43][44], American rules of engagement were tightened by Gen. Stanley McChrystal in 2009 in order to improve American counterinsurgency strategy. | READ MORE. For Lee, there was no time to reflect on how close he had come to dying. Extortion 17: What really happened on America's deadliest day in 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. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine The Extortion 17 chopper was part of Operation Neptune Spear a few months earlier. 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]. 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. He pushed hard on the cyclic stick to tilt the helicopter forward. "One. 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. American forces continued to carry out operations in the area (mostly via helicopter and using special forces), encountering resistance from Taliban fighters on several occasions. Baseless Claim That Biden Ordered 'Extortion 17' Three months after the raid that killed bin Laden, Taliban fighters shot down a Chinook helicopter carrying 30 U.S. service members, including. This tactic was highly successful; hundreds of operations were conducted without firing a shot for years. The helicopter fell from the sky, killing all 38 on board. The helicopter plunged tail first. About a dozen of the 33 troops in the back of the helicopter suffered broken bones, heavy bruises and scrapes. 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.

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