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 . Sat 6 Aug 2011 19.08 EDT. As they made their approach, there was a line of thunderstorms nearby. The Tangi Valley is a strategic terrain that connects the two primary highways that lead to Kabul. All hand picked by Red Squadron really makes your neck hair standup! 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. In order to prevent this, American forces called in for support. Classified reports, published by Wikileaks, teem with notes from pilots and crew of all types of military helicopters who saw RPG attacks throughout the war. I didnt want to die., He remembered the words of his old flight instructor: Never stop flying the aircraft.. Warnings from her crew to turn the Chinook back or cancel their mission went unheeded. The shooters origin remains a mystery. 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]. Pinterest. Cookie Policy Rest in peace, gentlemen; you will not be forgotten. Directors Karl Horstmann Stephen Spivey Writer Stephen Spivey Stars Sean Hannity Raj Kala 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). Regarding the downing of Extortion 17, all of the DEVGRU Operators aboard were members of the Gold Squadron. Explore. Terms of Use Extortion 17 was the call sign of a special operations mission in Afghanistan on Aug. 6, 2011, that responded to an Army Ranger unit engaged in a firefight with the Taliban and in need of backup. That's the only route, so they took positions on either side of the valley on mountains and as the helicopter approached, they attacked it with rockets and other modern weapons. Sometimes the enemy succeeds in delivering one of these To whom it may concern projectiles. His account of the brave pilots, crew, and passengers of Extortion 17 and . August 6, 2022 marks 11 years since Extortion 17. [40], In October 2011, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that an investigation following the shootdown concluded "that all operational decisions, linked to the incident, were deemed tactically sound." In a new book The Final Mission of Extortion 17 published by Smithsonian Books, journalist and photographer Ed Darack revisits the shootdown of Extortion 17, a Chinook bearing U.S. and . Lees wife, Christy, hoped the news would bring a sudden end to the war. They are not the same SEALs, and these two events are not connected to one another. 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. On his first deployment, he felt fortunate to be surrounded by veteran pilots he could learn from. Tangi valley remained under Taliban control until April 2013, when more than 1,000 Afghan security forces personnel launched an offensive in an effort to clear the area of Taliban fighters. Forces Killed in Helicopter Crash", "30 Americans Killed in Afghanistan Helicopter Crash", "Pentagon names 30 Americans killed in downed Afghan chopper", "Pentagon releases names of 30 Americans killed in Afghanistan helicopter crash", "22 Navy SEALs among 30 U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan as NATO helicopter is shot down", "30 Americans, including 22 Navy SEALs, killed in Afghan copter crash", "Names of Afghan Helicopter Attack Victims Released", "The OBJECTIVE GINOSA strike Payback for the shootdown of Extortion 17", "Military killed Taliban who downed US helicopter", "Afghan soldiers enter a Taliban nest without U.S. troops by their side", "Congress to probe lethal crash that killed SEAL Team 6 members", "A retired Air Force captain says Pentagon covered up real cause of deadly chopper crash", "A Retired Air Force Captain Says Pentagon Covered Up Real Cause of Deadly Chopper Crash", "Rules of Engagement Are a Dilemma for U.S. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. 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. "[31][32] NBC News reported that the Pentagon released the names of the 30 Americans killed. The group fired two or three RPG rounds from a two-story building, the second striking one of the helicopter's three aft rotor blades. 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. For Lee, there was no time to reflect on how close he had come to dying. [36][37], After the shootdown of Extortion 17, the insurgent responsible used a two-way radio to brag to others about the act. 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. Air & Space/Smithsonian contributing editor Ed Darack is the author of The Warriors of Anbar; War Moments; The Final Mission of Extortion 17; Victory Point; and three other books. It would never return. Should the Apache pilots have fired into the stand of trees after the two fighters ducked out of sight? Play FALLEN ANGEL Call Sign: Extortion 17. 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. [11], In 2013, Congressman Jason Chaffetz said that he would hold an investigation of the United States House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security into the matter. The crew of Slasher 02, the AC-130 circling above, flipped the switch on their powerful light. He was too busy. In June 2005, a rocket-propelled grenade connected with the rear transmission of a 160th MH-47E Chinook as it attempted to come to a hover, downing it; all 16 on board were killed. 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. "Over two years after Extortion 17 was shot down, the families still have these unanswered questions," said Klayman. (Smithsonian Books, September 2017). The co-pilot, Bryan Nichols, was one of Lees closest friends in the Chinook company. 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. Not feelin it! [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. 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. 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. Rest in peace, gentlemen; you will not be forgotten. 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. "All of this raises the distinct possibility of a cover-up as to . The quick reaction force included SEAL Team 6 and other special operations personnel. The next night, the pair had orders to drop off more troops in the same spot. The reality is, every time a helicopter lifts off the ground in a war zone, it might get shot down, Darack said. 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. The helicopter crashed less than 5 seconds later, killing all 38 people on board. . 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. We were supporting special operations, but not to the degree of the 160th. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. The military has worked diligently to more tightly integrate gunship escorts with transport craft, according to Brady. The mission was flown by conventional pilots flying unmodified CH-47Ds. One of the best crews in my company. 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). Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Carter and Nichols continued the descent. Capable of loitering overhead for hours undetected, small fleets of unmanned craft passed imagery to mission planners before and during the raid at Juy Zarin, allowing them to recognize individual fighters, learn their habits, pinpoint where they slept, and identify the types of weapons they carried. The crash claimed the lives of 38 personnel, including 22 special operations forces in Afghanistan Aug. 6, 2011. The CH-47 "Chinook" was carrying some of this nation's bravest and most capable military . Afghanistan has long been a counter-insurgency campaign: The United States strategy has been to win Afghan trust through cooperation and aid. Extortion 17 sped alone toward the landing zone. Also very suspicious that the only member of Seal Team Six that is still alive and in the public sphere happened to be the guy that killed 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. God sees you, You do see that A-12(1963! Courtesy . What are the odds? The conspiracy theories didnt bother Lee at first. To lose even one precious life is too many, and the United States lost 38 soldiers that day. The following was transcribed from the above video press conference. Its a math problem. His father Billy Vaughn recounted Thursday a phone call from his son following the White House . So where did it go?? Photo by Jake Simkin for Coffee or Die Magazine. 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. There remained many mysteries about the Extortion 17 shoot down. In The Final Mission of Extortion 17, Ed Darack debunks this theory and others and uncovers the truth behind this mysterious tragedy. But no one died. This remains the greatest single loss of life to Naval Special Warfare since the Afghan War started in 2001. The basis of the provocative hit military documentary Fallen Angel Call Sign: Extortion 17. 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. 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. Why was the black box missing from the crash site? Early media reports suggested that the Army had been tardy to recover flight recorders from the downed Chinook, and, as a consequence, the recorders had been swept away by the flood. Lightboxes. And to this day, people are still debating what really happened. The incident became known as "Extortion 17" after the helicopter . In April 2011, American forces turned over control of Combat Outpost Tangi to Afghan government forces. August 6, 2017 marks six years since 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. Ranger assault helicopters had already engaged the enemy and killed six of eight Taliban fighters, causing the other two to retreat. Ed Darack March 2015 The Chinook's cargo capacity, speed,. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The downing of a Chinook helicopter gunship (known by its call sign Extortion 17) in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011, has for years been shrouded in mystery, with the . [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). The missions commanders decided to insert another team to go after Tahir while the Rangers held the compound. 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. According to his book, No Easy Day (detailing his participation in Operation Neptune Spear), Mark Owen (the pen name of former SEAL Operator Matt Bissonnette) stated that nearly all of the Operators on that mission were handpicked from Red Squadron. The duo may also have had no ties to Tahir or any of his suspected fighters, and attacked the helicopter on their own. [7][27][28] During the battle, American forces observed a small group of Taliban trying to flee the scene. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine [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. 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. So the whole team went in one Chinook helicopter Extortion 17. This group grew in number over the course of the night, but American forces were at first too preoccupied to engage. American signals intelligence aircraft intercepted these transmissions and subsequently tracked the individual and his accomplice. Its the worst day in our history by a mile.. Monday, 06 August 2012, marks one year since the tragic downing of EXTORTION 17 in Tangi, Afghanistan. Andrew W. Harvell, 26, of Long Beach, California, Tech. May God give them the strength to carry on without them. Connor Mendez, courtesy of U.S. Army. [43][44], American rules of engagement were tightened by Gen. Stanley McChrystal in 2009 in order to improve American counterinsurgency strategy. Sgt. Seven Afghan National Army commandos and one Afghan civilian interpreter were also killed in the crash. Campbell was one of 30 Americans killed when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, with the call sign Extortion 17, crashed in Afghanistan. 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. 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. One AH-64 crew, after identifying the men as enemy combatants, fired on them with their gunships 30mm cannon, killing six. The hardest LZ Id ever been into, Lee said. The mission had begun about four hours prior to the shootdown, when the two helicopters touched down side by side in Juy Zarin, a village in the bare rock-walled Tangi Valley of Wardak Province. An Afghan official, speaking anonymously a few days after the attack, speculated that the Taliban had laid a trap, that they had purposely put out false information about a meeting involving the Taliban commander. 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. 3 U.S. Army Reserve personnel from the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment. 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.