On 6 August 2011, a U.S. CH-47D Chinook military helicopter operating with the call sign Extortion 17 (pronounced "one-seven") was shot down while transporting a Quick Reaction Force attempting to reinforce a Joint Special Operations Command unit of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the Tangi Valley in Maidan Wardak province, southwest of Kabul, Burn is on, they radioed. [33], The New York Post reported that the Pentagon released 30 names from the crash. We were on goggles the whole time. In less than five seconds, the helicopter crashed, killing all occupants, and approximately 30 seconds later, one of the AH-64 Apache helicopters radioed in the crash. With a keen understanding of the propaganda value of downing Coalition helicopters, the Taliban single them out as targets. Carter and Nichols continued the descent. The article stated that the helicopter crashed after an RPG round impacted the aft rotor assembly. August 6 marks six years since deadly 'Extortion 17' helicopter crash Our area of operation was the entire country of Iraq, and every mission was at night, says David Pat Gates, a pilot with Carters unit , the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (2-135th), a Colorado Army National Guard unit based in Aurora, Colorado. When the Boeing CH-47D Chinook helicopter was hit, all 38 onboard were instantly killed. It requires the highest level of skills from the pilots because they are some of the most dangerous operations.. The military has worked diligently to more tightly integrate gunship escorts with transport craft, according to Brady. [11], Separately, ISR aircraft continued to observe the unengaged group from the compound. Air Force C-17 Crashes Just After Takeoff in Alaska | Dangerous Aerobatics (With Real Video) TheFlightChannel 2.1M views 1 year ago Feature History - Chinese Civil War Feature History 1.9M views. by FighterSweep Staff Apr 25, 2017 Retired Air Force Captain Joni Marquez is claiming the Pentagon hid the truth and lied about the circumstances that led to a Chinook helicopter crash that. [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. Fallen Angel.. Neither did the risk he and his pilots faced every night. Commanders frequently request CH-47 Chinooks to insert troops. In her first interview about the incident, Marquez said: "I had the sensor operators immediately shift to the eight insurgents the helicopters had taken out. Intelligence on August 6th indicated Qari Tahir was in Tangi Valley, just a short helicopter flight from the SEAL base camp. But why? Extortion 17 - The Brian Bill Foundation He would eventually do two tours and become commander of a Chinook unit during his second deployment in 2011. Directors Karl Horstmann Stephen Spivey Writer Stephen Spivey Stars Sean Hannity Raj Kala Published Aug 6, 2018 5:05 PM EDT. The workhorse in Army aviation, the tandem rotor, heavy-lift Chinook helicopter is used for carrying troops, equipment, supplies and even the mail. [11][12], As the Rangers approached the target compound, ISR aircraft observed several people leaving the compound. 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 No one is planting victory gardens, and were not rationing. [9][10], After American intelligence services discovered in 2011 that senior Taliban leader Qari Tahir was possibly in Tangi Valley, Wardak province, Afghanistan, local American forces launched a mission to apprehend or kill him. Several minutes later, a 20-man Pathfinder team (specializing in downed-aircraft rescue and recovery) arrived at the site. However, the Afghan government forces did not occupy the base, which was seized by the Taliban shortly after the departure of American forces. In fact, the conflict was heating up. 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. The helicopter plunged tail first. 2 U.S. Army personnel from the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment, part of the Colorado Army National Guard, PO1 John Douangdara & Navy SEAL Dog Bart, Of the 22 NSW members killed, 17 were SEALs, and five were direct support personnel, according to the source in the NSW community. After some time, another group of about 10 Taliban fighters was spotted that we suspected could be Qari Tahir himself fleeing the scene. [9][11], Around 02:38, the helicopter was fired upon and shot down by a previously undetected group of Taliban fighters approximately 220m (240yd) south of the helicopter. (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 . )/SR-71 blackbird cloud behind the chinook; saying thats safe distance! It was the deadliest helicopter crash in the history of U.S. special operations. Austin Williams visits the gravesite of U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher C. Campbell in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 30, 2016. 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. Its almost always a miss.. 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. 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. A 17-year-old boy died by suicide hours after being scammed. The - CNN 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. His father Billy Vaughn recounted Thursday a phone call from his son following the White House . We continue our work at the Museum so that theirservice and sacrifice will never be forgotten. The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicopter Support To lose even one precious life is too many, and the United States lost 38 soldiers that day. I was terrified. Petty Officer 1st Class Aaron Vaughn was one of the SEAL Team 6 operators who died in the crash. Sgt. Ill try to reply the best I can. 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. 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). [35] The Seattle Times and The New York Times also reported this information. August 12, 2022. by Samantha Franco. Find the perfect extortion17 stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. LOL, Ray Williams 509th RRCUV (Army Security Agency) Feb68-Apr71. A hearing was set to get answers to questions surrounding the high-profile shoot-down of an American helicopter in Afghanistan and how the remains of the fallen service members were handled. So many unsettling details are coalescing with the resurgence of Extortion 17. To remove the risk of rocket-propelled grenades downing helicopters in Afghanistan 100 percent, youd have to remove the opposable thumbs of every fighting-age male in the objective area, and thats not how we win a counter-insurgency., Ed Darack His account of the brave pilots, crew, and passengers of Extortion 17 . 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. 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. AC-130 gunships orbiting overhead directed two AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to fire on and kill five enemy fighters. 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. The following was extracted from The Navy Times: If one is to believe the account of Matt Bissonnette, the only possibility of a participant of the bin Laden raid perishing on Extortion 17 is if the one SEAL specifically noted not to be a member of Red Squadron was a member of Gold Squadron and a passenger aboard the ill-fated Chinook. God sees you, You do see that A-12(1963! Chance is still part of the battlefield, says Brady. U.S. Navy Seals 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. "[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 crash is referred to as Extortion 17 by the callsign of the CH-47 Chinook helicopter involved in the crash. Will this ever be exposed! We had guys who had flown in Desert Storm, guys who had just come off active duty, Lee said. According to officials, the team included 17 SEALs, five Navy special operations troops who support the SEALs, three Air Force airmen, a five-member Army air crew and a military dog, along with. Some 30 seconds later, one of the AH-64 Apache helicopters in the area reported: Fallen Angel.. Nothing tests the capabilities of a young helicopter pilot like flying in the extreme conditions of Afghanistan. [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. Their target: an Afghan named Qari Tahir and his group of fighters. At the flight controls were David R. Carter of the Colorado Army National Guard and copilot Bryan J. Nichols, a Kansas-based Army reservist. Extortion 17 hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy 30 US troops died in single deadliest incident of the Afghanistan War 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. He grew up in Tyler, went to Texas A&M;, joined the Corps of Cadets and stared in shock at the news that two planes slammed into the World Trade Center and another into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. On Aug. 6, 2011, insurgent forces in Afghanistan shot down an American aircraft. [1][5][6][7][8] At 30 American military personnel killed, the shootdown of Extortion 17 represents the greatest single-incident loss of American lives in Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan, surpassing the 16 lost in the downing of Turbine 33, a 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) MH-47 helicopter, during Operation Red Wings on 28 June 2005.[2]. In order to prevent this, American forces called in for support. The crash sent shock waves throughout U.S. special operations. August 6, 2022 marks 11 years since Extortion 17. He was probably in the top 1 percent of Army aviators, Lee said. Three hours after disembarking from the Chinooks, the assault force had secured the compound and detained a number of Tahirs men, but they hadnt found Tahir himself. 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. As the operation got underway, our airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, including an MQ-9 Predator, detected a group evading the Rangers, moving towards the north. June 5, 2022 Posted by: Category: Uncategorized; No Comments . | 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. [34] Kevin Sieff and Greg Jaffe of The Washington Post reported that U.S. officials confirmed the deaths, including 22 SEALs. Play FALLEN ANGEL Call Sign: Extortion 17. Retired Air Force Captain Says Pentagon Lied About Cause of - SOFREP The squadron that this SEAL belonged to was never mentioned. Should the Apaches, or the AC-130 overhead, have fired upon the groups of suspected Taliban that gathered in the village after the raid began? 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 The crash is referred to as Extortion 17 by the callsign of the CH-47 Chinook helicopter involved in the crash. 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. For helicopter crews in Afghanistan, the most dangerous times are landing and taking off. Fact check: Biden did not leak SEAL Team 6 identities - USA TODAY 5 U.S. 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. Photo by Sgt. Cookie Policy 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. [9][11], Almost an hour later (01:50), the aviation brigade commander approved a new landing zone for infiltration of the SEAL team. 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. Its crazy how many times I can think of where me or the guys I was with had to do that.. "It's a math problem. The helicopter crashed less than 5 seconds later, killing all 38 people on board. Buy images; Sell images; On board the Chinook CH-47D were 15 members of SEAL Team Six, 15 SEAL Team Six Support personnel, 1 Bomb Dog, 7 . The remaining two fighters ducked into a stand of trees and disappeared from the Apaches infrared scanners. It just wasnt.. The CH-47 "Chinook" was carrying some of this nation's bravest and most capable military . Located in a remote and dangerous province in eastern Afghanistan, the base was the target of near-constant rocket attacks from Taliban insurgents. 360 EXTORTION 17 ideas | extortion, navy seals, seal team 6 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. American signals intelligence aircraft intercepted these transmissions and subsequently tracked the individual and his accomplice. 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.
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