Call Sign Extortion 17: The Shoot-Down of SEAL Team Six AC-130 gunships orbiting overhead directed two AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to fire on and kill five enemy fighters. A few minutes past 2 a.m.on August 6, 2011, at a dusty forward operating base40 miles south of Kabul, Afghanistan, the rotors of two U.S. Army CH-47D Chinooks began to turn. Call Sign Extortion 17 - Wikipedia Faced with the possibility of confronting nine or 10 Taliban fighters, planners increased the reinforcement team from 17 to 32 men, formed around the 15-man SEAL group. Memorial for anniversary of Extortion 17 helicopter crash But one thing that doesnt fade is never forgetting what they did.. DISPATCH: Newly Appointed Taliban Official Claims Role in Extortion 17 Hs 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. Spencer C. Duncan, 21, of Olathe, Kan. Extortion 17 BRIAN BILL FOUNDATION 31 MILE RUCK FOR THE 31 HEROES OF EXTORTION 17 IN WASHINGTON, DC AUGUST 3, 2019 On 6 August 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. Extortion 17: Were American Servicemen in Afghanistan Set Up For They reached the site at 04:12 and found no survivors. 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. About a dozen of the 33 troops in the back of the helicopter suffered broken bones, heavy bruises and scrapes. And why was the fire control officer of the AC-130 Gunship flying above denied permission . Extortion 17 and the Truth The Havok Journal (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Geneva G. Brier/Released) He finished his contract with the Army shortly afterward, and that September enrolled in Southern Methodist Universitys Dedman School of Law. 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. 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. [45] McChrystal cited a previous "overreliance on firepower and force protection" and the need to reduce civilian casualties and win the cooperation of the local population. June 5, 2022 Posted by: Category: Uncategorized; No Comments . They heard a helicopter coming, they grabbed their RPGs, and they fired in quick succession, Darack said. "All of this raises the distinct possibility of a cover-up as to . 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. He is the founder of Darack Research, a company that innovates unmanned systems, which grew out of his July 2014 Air & Space article Build Your Own Drone. 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 He was too busy. Six weeks later, at around 10:40 p.m., an assault team of Army Rangers and Afghan special operations forces were dropped into an LZ on a mission to capture or kill a Taliban commander named Qari Tahir, who had been responsible for a series of attacks and ambushes in the Tangi Valley, not far from Shank. For Lee, there was no time to reflect on how close he had come to dying. But the CH-47D has neither a flight nor voice recorder, only an engine performance data recorder for maintenance. This group grew in number over the course of the night, but American forces were at first too preoccupied to engage. The second shot hit the rear tail rotor assembly. Don Brown, a former U.S. Navy JAG officer stationed at the Pentagon, and former Special Assistant United . 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. 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 military's public contradictions raise more questions than answers. Restrained by strict rules of engagement in force at the time, the helicopter crews could not have fired without a strong indication of hostile intent. That night, nearly 10 years after the U.S. had gone to war in Afghanistan, Lee believed they were the best team for this dangerous mission. The helicopter made its last radio transmission stating that it was one minute away from the landing zone, then descended to an altitude of 100150ft (3046m) and slowed to a speed of 50kn (58mph; 93km/h) as it approached the landing zone. But no one died. Another tactic sometimes employed by gunships, according to Glover, is a show of force, in which pilots and crew fire into an empty field or stand of trees just before a transport helicopter prepares to land, using the sound of a gun alone to keep enemy heads down and fingers off triggers. Commanders frequently request CH-47 Chinooks to insert troops. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. The Final Flight of Extortion 17 - Smithsonian Magazine The landing zone was small, and the commanders didnt want to split up the strike force. 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. Sgt. He was also an instructor at the High Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (see Triple Threat: High, Hot, and Heavy, Aug. 2014), where many U.S. and foreign helicopter pilots train for mountainous and high-altitude flying, often before deployment to Afghanistan. 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. On his right wrist, he wears a bracelet with the names of the five crew members of Extortion 17. This hearing also serves to [33], The New York Post reported that the Pentagon released 30 names from the crash. 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 . 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. [22][20] Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, confirmed that eight of the movement's fighters had been killed in the assault on the compound. Monday, 06 August 2012, marks one year since the tragic downing of EXTORTION 17 in Tangi, Afghanistan. U.S. Army Helicopter Extortion 17 Shot Down - YouTube It just wasnt.. Downing of Extortion 17: The Single Deadliest Incident of the US War in Early life But we are still sending people to another country to fight, and we need to understand why were doing that, he said. They may have seen Extortion 17 and its landing zone through their own night vision goggles or simply aimed by sound alone. 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. 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 helicopter carrying the SEALs proceeded to the landing zone alone, without external lighting. 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. Mission commanders, believing that Tahir was likely among one of the groups, deployed an Immediate Reaction Force (IRF) to interdict them while the Rangers held the compound. 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. 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. The CH-47 "Chinook" was carrying some of this nation's bravest and most capable military . Justin Buddy Lee will never forget that night six years ago. Learnt of this today, very surprising after ladens raid was covered in the media here. ], Four years after the downing of Extortion 17, there were many theories about a possible government coverup. Extortion 17 - IMDb All hand picked by Red Squadron really makes your neck hair standup! The following passage, published in The Navy Times, seems to support that assertion. This would not be the first time that an Afghan military member has been an undercover Taliban Terrorist and shot our US Military! The shoot-down of 'Extortion 17' constitutes the greatest loss of American life from a single battle in the history of the Afghanistan War. A Department of Defense official asserted that there were no leaks from the Afghans. The reality is, every time a helicopter lifts off the ground in a war zone, it might get shot down, Darack said. They were part of his command. The helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, was on a mission to reinforce American and coalition special operations troops. When the two Chinooks had first touched down in the village, a group of eight fighters armed with AK-47 rifles and RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launchers bolted from the compound. 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. - Afghanistan: Honoring the Heroes of Extortion 17 God sees you, You do see that A-12(1963! 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. 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, 130 Extortion 17 ideas | extortion, seal team 6, navy seals - Pinterest [11][12], As the Rangers approached the target compound, ISR aircraft observed several people leaving the compound. Ed Darack March 2015 The Chinook's cargo capacity, speed,. In April 2011, American forces turned over control of Combat Outpost Tangi to Afghan government forces. Why did it happen? During the Ranger insertion earlier that night, the CH-47D had approached from the south; this time, it approached from the northwest. (Smithsonian Books, September 2017). Ryan Last. 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. Ranger assault helicopters had already engaged the enemy and killed six of eight Taliban fighters, causing the other two to retreat. 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. At 01:00, they decided to engage the group with the SEAL reserves. On the night of 8 August 2011, an F-16 dropped four GBU-54 "Laser JDAM" bombs on the man, his accomplice and four associates in the Chak Valley, which lies to the west of the Tangi Valley. All of them were men of courage, integrity, and honor. "[31][32] NBC News reported that the Pentagon released the names of the 30 Americans killed. Lawmakers hold hearing on deadly 'Extortion 17' helicopter crash in 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. The quick reaction force included SEAL Team 6 and other special operations personnel. The Extortion 17 chopper was part of Operation Neptune Spear a few months earlier. A body went into the ocean, but Ill bet it wasnt Bin Ladens. [7][20][21], Fifteen of the Navy SEALs that were killed were members of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU),[5][22][20] while the other two Navy SEALs were from an unidentified West Coast-based unit. Theres no precedent for this. August 6 marks six years since deadly 'Extortion 17' helicopter crash These are the words of Billy Vaughn. 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. 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. But what really happened that night? The Tangi Valley is a strategic terrain that connects the two primary highways that lead to Kabul. [12][13], Six minutes prior to reaching the landing zone, the empty CH-47D left the formation as planned. We were told at that time we were the first unit to make it through a rotation without having anyone killed.. However, the Afghan government forces did not occupy the base, which was seized by the Taliban shortly after the departure of American forces. August 6, 2022 marks 11 years since Extortion 17. Strange, 25, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist) Jon T. Tumilson, 35, of Rockford, Iowa, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL)Aaron C. Vaughn, 30, of Stuart, Florida, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL)Jason R. Workman, 32, of Blanding, Utah, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL)Jesse D. Pittman, 27, of Ukiah, California, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 2nd Class (SEAL)Nicholas P. Spehar, 24, of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Chief Warrant Officer David R. Carter, 47, of Centennial, Colo. One of the most significant tactical evolutions of the Afghanistan conflict is the ever-heavier use of unmanned aerial systems and other airborne intelligence-gathering systems. [39], During the same Pentagon news conference in which he announced that the F-16 airstrike had incapacitated "less than 10" of the insurgents involved, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander in Afghanistan John R. Allen said that the military investigation would also review whether small-arms fire or other causes might have contributed to the downing. Their target was a Taliban commander responsible for ambushes and other attacks against U.S. and Afghan forces. Caring is more than just slapping a bumper sticker on your car, he said. This tactic was highly successful; hundreds of operations were conducted without firing a shot for years. The 30 American deaths represent the greatest loss of U.S. military lives in a single incident in the decade-long war in Afghanistan that began in 2001. 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). 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. 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. He said, "And now, to our honor roll of American Service Personnel killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. 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 . Troops in Afghanistan Defense Department officials and military leaders testified at a hearing on the investigation of the August 20111 death of 30 U.S. servicemen in. Winds whipped through the fir trees. "Before Benghazi there was Extortion 17.. Saturday August 6 th 2011 was a day that changed the lives of my family forever. Daniel L. Zerbe, 28, of York, Pennsylvania. At the flight controls were David R. Carter of the Colorado Army National Guard and copilot Bryan J. Nichols, a Kansas-based Army reservist. Around 02:23, the two helicopters departed the forward base. When the shock subsided, questions arose and persisted. Find the perfect extortion17 stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. Retired Air Force Captain Says Pentagon Lied About Cause of - SOFREP 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. There are more operations than can be supported by the 160th at any given time," says Major Matthew Brady, a former 160th pilot and company commander. 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 call sign for the Chinook was Extortion 17. Touch device users can explore by touch or with swipe . 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. Two were still alive." Over time, certain memories will fade, certain details will fade. The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicop Were handing rifles to 20-year-olds and asking them to shoot people. A catastrophic crash seemed unavoidable. Donald Trump Retweeted A Conspiracy Theory that Biden Had Seal Team 6 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. Several minutes later, a 20-man Pathfinder team (specializing in downed-aircraft rescue and recovery) arrived at the site. 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. It was a good crew, it really was. She had just given birth to their first child. Why was the black box missing from the crash site? It means being informed. Thirty-eight boarded Extortion 17 Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter pilots from the 159th General Support Aviation Battalion. At the time of the Juy Zarin raid, the battalion had been flying in Afghanistan for about two weeks. But why? 30 US troops died in single deadliest incident of the Afghanistan War Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. Buy images; Sell images; Nearby, there were two enemy fighters with rocket-propelled grenade launchers. "[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. While Benghazi resulted in four American deaths, Extortion 17 resulted in 38 deaths, including nearly two dozen Navy SEALs. Will this ever be exposed! (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 . 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 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! On his first deployment, he felt fortunate to be surrounded by veteran pilots he could learn from. 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 pilots and crew of Extortion 17, however, had ideal experience and abilities for the mission that night. | 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. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Darack did extensive research of what happened next. 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. In March 2009, the U.S. 10th Mountain Division established a base in Tangi Valley after increased Taliban activity in the area. [11][24] These reports were erroneous; the CH-47D airframe does not contain flight recorders, although the MH-47 variant does have a flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. The 30 American Servicemen killed in action (KIA) with the downing of Extortion 17. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kansas, Tech. 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. 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. Fact check: Biden did not leak SEAL Team 6 identities - USA TODAY Sometimes the enemy succeeds in delivering one of these To whom it may concern projectiles. Petty Officer 1st Class Aaron Vaughn was one of the SEAL Team 6 operators who died in the crash. All content is protected by copyright and may not be used for commercial purposes without prior written permission. Located in a remote and dangerous province in eastern Afghanistan, the base was the target of near-constant rocket attacks from Taliban insurgents. Its almost always a miss.. So if there was a added black box installed on this Aircraft there should be a maintenance record? Warnings from her crew to turn the Chinook back or cancel their mission went unheeded. [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. The second slammed into one of the Chinooks rear rotor blades and exploded, severing 10 feet of it. It also became one of the most devastating death tolls of the U.S. Special Operations Forces. 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.