The team was responding to an Army Ranger unit that was engaged in a firefight with the Taliban and needed backup. 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 . Hamburger said. On July 25, a Chinook was hit by a rocket propelled grenade fired by the Taliban. It has now been four years since Extortion 17 was shot down, said Doug Hamburger, whose Army air crew son, Patrick, was one of the 30 Americans killed. The worst of the wounded was one of Lees crew members, who suffered what was later diagnosed as a severe traumatic brain injury. 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. It is not uncommon for commandos to fly some of their missions aboard such aircraft in the war zone, however. Aerial view of Osama bin Laden's compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, made by the CIA. They stayed fixed on enemy squirters, or runners, until just a few minutes before landing. While some of those who lost their lives that day were members of Seal Team 6, it was not the same platoon that had carried out the Bin Laden raid, and none of those killed in the crash had been a part of that event. On the fourth anniversary of the worst one-day loss of military life in the war on terror, families of the dead say they are aghast that the government will not honor basic requests under the Freedom of Information Act. The two Apaches, Gun 1 and Gun 2, on scene were never emphatically told to move near the landing zone to scan for threats. It was a hard landing, but it would have been worse if they had landed tail first. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Call Sign Extortion 17 - Wikipedia File: A US Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter in flight. They happened to be in the right place at the right time. The sheer amount of experience with our pilots, flight engineers and back-seaters and mechanics offered a wealth of knowledge, he 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 . 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. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. Portraits of Navy SEALs killed in helicopter crash | Fox News The actual mission, dubbed Operation Neptune Spear, officially started in the early-morning hours of May 2, Pakistan time (afternoon of May 1, Eastern Daylight Time). This misinformation persists in part because those unfamiliar with the battlefield aren't taking into account a fundamental part of war: chance. For Lee, there was no time to reflect on how close he had come to dying. Oops, this content can't be loadedbecause you're having connectivity problems, Stay always informed and up to date with our breaking news alerts, - The Washington Times - Wednesday, August 5, 2015. The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DevGru)better known by its former name, Team 6-reportedly suffered the bulk of the casualties. On such missions, the Chinook pilots nearly always fly at night, wearing night vision goggles, or NVGs. The Justice Department said at least 50 documents in the Pentagon have been identified as relevant, but only one has been turned over. 2011 Afghanistan Boeing Chinook shootdown - Wikipedia 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. 30 Americans Killed Including 22 SEALs When Afghan - ABC News Conspiracy theories started almost immediately. By The Newsroom 6th Aug 2011, 6:30pm Its lawyers have told the judge that the process of locating relevant documents and removing classified information takes time. "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,'' President Obama said Saturday. 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. The US Navy's elite SEAL Team 6 reportedly recovered two bodies and a flight recorder from the site where a US Air Force E-11A aircraft crashed in Afghanistan on Monday. Charles Strange, whose son Michael, 25, died in the attack said Obama personally promised him a thorough investigation of what happened but has failed to deliver. U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon in February signed an order requiring the Obama administration to release documents on a continual basis through the spring and summer. Could an enemy have specifically targeted the U.S. special forces team that took down bin Laden? 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. (AP). The Pentagons witness stuck to a theme that no mistakes were made that night, though the investigative file contained testimony from a number of witnesses saying the mission was riddled with missteps. She had just given birth to their first child. SEAL TEAM SIX - EXTORTION 17 COVER UP theunitedwest 15.8K subscribers Subscribe 683 53K views Streamed 7 years ago WOW, watch author Don Brown blow the lid off of the official government report. 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. I will never forget what they did, he said. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. "He said, 'Mom, there's chatter. The landing zone was small, and the commanders didnt want to split up the strike force. The Chinook had no Apache escort, as did the Ranger team that enjoyed the element of surprise when it touched down hours earlier. 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. Donald Trump Retweeted A Conspiracy Theory that Biden Had Seal Team 6 Coincidence or not, any Chinook shoot-down is a coup for the Taliban. I mean, at any time if we would have found these squirters, or they would have found weapons, we were the way I was understanding it, we were going to be clear to engage due to the fact that they had weapons, but we had to [positively identify] them first., He added: So we hadnt started looking at the LZ yet, just due to there was so much more of a threat to the east with the squirters. Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. 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. Things like Benghazi and the NSA. The World is a public radio program that crosses borders and time zones to bring home the stories that matter. 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. I am afraid that with this FOIA case that the government is purposely delaying turning over documents because they need the time to redact and to delete things they do not want the American public to become aware of.. Obama 'Put a Target on Their Backs', SEAL Team 6 Family Members Say 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. The families hope to raise awareness of the incident, which they say the government has largely forgotten since the official report was released in October 2011. List of operations conducted by SEAL Team Six - Wikipedia House panel probing chopper crash that killed SEAL Team 6 members Fallen Angel.. Family members question SEAL Team 6's most deadly incident. The Associated Press contributed to this report. I thought I hit a tree,he said. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Extortion 17 - IMDb Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. May 1 (EDT)1:25 p.m. President Obama, along with other top officials, formally approve the execution of Operation Neptune Spear.1:51 p.m. Stealth Black Hawk helicopters take off from Afghanistan, carrying a group of 25 Navy SEALs.3:30 p.m. The choppers land on the compound in Abbottabad. The next night, the pair had orders to drop off more troops in the same spot. It launched in the belly of the aircraft which made a hard landing and only two soldiers were injured in that attack but this time all on board were killed. As for himself, he speaks out about Extortion 17 because he wants to remember the men on that mission. "The downing of Extortion 17 was a catastrophic and unprecedented tragedy for our nation," Reid testified. But this might just take the cake. Where was the Chinook's black box cockpit recorder? While the press conference was long on speculation and short on concrete evidence, the family members and their supporters didn't pull any punches. Were very concerned that the administration had disclosed that the Navy SEALs had carried out a successful attack on bin Ladens compound resulting in his death. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 4:08 p.m. - The team destroys the chopper that crashed. The operation to kill the world's most wanted terrorist was the result of years of planning and training. One by one, fathers and mothers of the victims of the crash spoke about what they see as gaping holes or inconsistencies in the review of what U.S. Special Operations considers its most deadly incident. I find it very irritating that we will not question the Afghans about their knowledge of what took place that night.. Not all U.S. presidents are missed once they leave the White House. It's true that members of SEAL Team 6 died tragically in a helicopter crash not long after the Bin Laden mission, but the particular soldiers who perished weren't part of that operation, says O'Neill. Still, the one the president retweeted earlier this week may have been the weirdest yet. Does Donald Trump believe that Joe Biden played a part in murdering those Navy Seals? Virginia-based Navy SEALs in a training exercise. As they started their descent, Lee heard a loud popping noise. 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. It was exactly four years ago, at 2:22 a.m., that a rebuilt conventional CH-47 Chinook helicopter took off from a forward operating base, carrying some of the most skilled and advanced warriors ever molded by U.S. special operations. But the CH-47D has neither a flight nor voice recorder, only an engine performance data. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. President Obama offered his thoughts and prayers to those killed in the crash. At that time, this marked deadliest moment in the war in Afghanistan. On board were 22 Navy SEALs, rushing to support troops in firefight. Then they have to stick the landing. It's certainly possible. Get everything off your social media. Many military experts at the time, including some of Obamas top military advisers, had questioned the White Houses public praise of SEAL Team 6 and said it put members in danger. Over time, certain memories will fade, certain details will fade. And the shooters had no reason to know that Extortion 17 or any other helicopter would be flying through their quiet extremity of the valley. Neither did the risk he and his pilots faced every night. Afghan President Karzai's office released a statement on the incident. In combat, its mission is to transport large teams of elite assault troops, including Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, to and from the battlefield. SEALs killed in crash were on rescue mission - NBC News How SEAL Team Six Took Out Osama bin Laden - HISTORY The Associated Press is reporting that a rocket attack took down the Chinook (probably a MH-47) , quoting an unnamed source in Washington D.C., but this has yet to be confirmed officially. The Taliban shot at the Chinooks all the time with RPGs and rifles, Darack said. There is still a tremendous level of chance for a tragedy of such huge magnitude.. The Chinook is often used to assist in disaster relief, delivering food and water after earthquakes and floods. The aircraft jerked. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. For now, let's assume the Chinook was shot down, and by a rocket. Forces to the threat of spying. The second shot hit the rear tail rotor assembly. The families of these deceased heroes have been stonewalled by the Obama Department of Defense and the Obama National Security Agency in disrespect over their sons unexplained tragic deaths. That assault team captured Tahirs compound and some of his men. But no one died. Insurgents shot down a U.S. military helicopter during fighting in eastern Afghanistan, killing 30 Americans, most of them belonging to the same elite unit as the Navy SEALs who killed former Al. The parents of three SEALs. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Back in May, the families of the SEALs went public with concerns that the Obama administration was at least partially responsible for the deaths [] DevGru is an emblem of U.S. military power, known worldwide. 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. 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. My life is in danger. A US helicopter crashed in Afghanistan yesterday killing 31 special operation troops, most of them from the elite Navy Seals unit that killed Osama bin Laden. And we really feel that this put our guys in an unnecessary risk, Hamburger said. because seals have a habit of writing books once they retire. "It's something that a lot of people who have never been in combat have a hard time understanding," he said. A typical combat mission in Afghanistan leaves little margin for error, requiring Chinook pilots to land on tiny, makeshift sites on mountain slopes where any tree, bush or rock could be hiding an enemy fighter with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. One of the best crews in my company. In addition to killing the man who was considered the mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, U.S. forces snagged valuable items from the compound during the raid. Hamburger added. The compounds unusual and extensive security features, along with further intelligence information, prompted suspicion that the residence was Osama bin Ladens hideout. The Costliest Day in SEAL Team Six History - HISTORY Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. Conspiracy theories over the years have alleged that President Barack Obama and presumably then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and now Joe Biden had somehow been responsible for the attack, supposedly in order to silence the Seals for something having to do with the Bin Laden raid three months earlier. But why? The operators from SEAL Team Six were flown by a crew of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the same regiment that flew the bin Laden raid. AP sources: Crash kills members of SEAL Team 6 Portraits of Navy SEALs killed in helicopter crash Nothing tests the capabilities of a young helicopter pilot like flying in the extreme conditions of Afghanistan. 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. As they made their approach, there was a line of thunderstorms nearby. 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 families of some of the 17 SEAL Team 6 commandos who were killed in an ambush in Afghanistan during a helicopter flight to help Army Rangers pinned down by Taliban gunmen accused the. As he did, he felt the craft leveling off. See GlobalPost: Navy SEALs had "kill" order on Osama bin Laden, report claims. U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because families of those killed are still being notified. File: A US Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter in flight. A junior, he was ready to fight, but the war would be over, he figured, before he even got out of college. 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. JSOC and aviation commanders, prepared for virtually any outcome, quickly formulated a plan: they would send a team on one helicopter to bolster the Ranger-led force. All rights reserved. I find it quite disturbing that the government is not willing to give us the answers we deserve. 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. Nigerians await election results in competitive race. Youve got [Apaches] flying around, so theres a lot of noise going on and, basically, this entire valley knows that theres something happening in this area. Telling stories about ordinary people involved in extraordinary events is his passion. It had been loaded well within its limits. What went so terribly wrong? "A NATO helicopter crashed last night in Wardak province," Karzai said in the statement. The Chinook helicopter was carrying a quick-reaction force to provide back-up to the troops on the ground in the eastern Afghan province of Wardak, a U.S. official said. There are no survivors. Market data provided by Factset. Faces of the Fallen: Helicopter Dead - ABC News "Sometimes the enemy just gets that terribly lucky shot. When the shock subsided, questions arose and persisted. A Justice Department spokeswoman said there would be no comment beyond its court filings. EXTORTION 17 COVER-UP OF SEAL TEAM SIX SHOOT-DOWN | BWCentral As more responsibilities fall on the shoulders of special forces, the risk of more losses like this one will continue to increase. 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. But at least you should care about them and appreciate what were asking of them.. "No amount of training, skill, or technology will ever defeat chance on the battlefield. 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. 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. A volley of three rockets total sped toward the general direction of the approaching Chinook, all launched within a few seconds of each other. Throughout, he said, Justice lawyers have refused to take his phone calls. It marked the greatest single incident loss of American life in the war in Afghanistan, the deadliest moment in the history of SEAL Team Six and the entirety of the Navy SEALs, and the deadliest single incident in the history of U.S. Special Operations Command. The helicopter was shot down by insurgents in August 2011; many of those killed were part of the same Navy SEAL Team 6 unit that carried out the raid on Usama bin Laden's compound three months . "We've allowed politics to become more important than the lives and safety of those men and women," he says. 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While the goggles are better than nothing, they turn everything green, distort depth perception and limit peripheral vision. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. A collection of moments during and after Barack Obama's presidency. "We simply didn't know those guys with those RPGs were there," he said. With Sean Hannity, Raj Kala, Justin Torrence, Vee Bhakta. Not all will end as well as bin Laden's takedown, as PM noted in July. 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. A silhouette of a flight engineer manning an M240 machine gun on the ramp of a CH-47D Chinook in eastern Afghanistan. MARTHA RADDATZ, LUIS MARTINEZ and MIKE BOETTCHER, helicopter was shot down today by Afghan insurgents, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond. Aaron Vaughn's mother, Karen, also demanded an explanation for why her son and his team were not using a special operations aircraft, such as the Chinooks flown by special operations pilots, which have specialized defenses designed to fly commandos deep behind enemy lines. But it's just as plausible that the Taliban got lucky. About a dozen of the 33 troops in the back of the helicopter suffered broken bones, heavy bruises and scrapes. The conspiracy theories didnt bother Lee at first. Lee remained in Afghanistan flying combat missions for another eight months before returning home in the spring of 2012. 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. They were sitting there, waiting. After Vice President Joe Biden revealed that SEAL Team 6 carried out the operation that killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011, Strange said the members of his son's team gave startling indications to their families they were about to meet their demise. But the CH-47D has neither a flight nor voice recorder, only an engine performance data recorder for maintenance. . It alleges thatthe 2011 raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, which took place when Biden was vice president, did not actually kill the al-Qaeda leader, but rather a body double, and that Iran had been part of the conspiracy as well. "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. On a moonless night, an Army Chinook helicopter swept low over the Tangi Valley, a strip of forbidding terrain in eastern Afghanistan teeming with Taliban and located just 35 miles south of the capital, Kabul. Since the agencys main task is to eavesdrop on phone and Internet messages, it may have recorded communications related to the attack. In all, 38 people died that night after the chopper was shot down by a Taliban-owned rocket-propelled grenade or RPG over the Wardak Province on Aug. 6, 2011. All of us know that going into it.". One of the other things that we did talk about kind of what youre hitting on, sir, is about the fact that, you know, for three hours we had been burning holes in the sky, the officer told investigators. The U.S. military claimed that the Chinook was blown to pieces by a shoulder-fired missile, in which everyone on board was burned beyond recognition. Is Russias Only Aircraft Carrier Cursed? Furthermore, according to the lore, due to the alleged Iran angle, the Iran nuclear agreement in 2015 was in fact a payoff to Iran for whatever role they played in the earlier conspiracy. Today, some family members are not just disappointed in the investigation and the FOIA process, but also in how the House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on national security conducted a brief hearing in Feb. 2014.

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