"Fallen Angel" - What really happened to Extortion 17? New film probes Cookie Policy unfolded that night are commonly referred to as Extortion 17, which is the call sign for the helicopter transporting the special op-erations personnel. Operating with no lights save for the faint green glow of night vision goggles and cockpit instrument panels, the two helicopters, call signs Extortion 17 (one-seven) and Extortion 16, lifted into the darkness and accelerated toward a destination less than 20 miles west. There are no survivors. Extortion 17 hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy 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. So many unsettling details are coalescing with the resurgence of Extortion 17. All three airmen were assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Field, North Carolina. So much of the war is fought in areas where these helicopters have to fly at high altitudes, where the thin air can strain the performance of the engines and rotor blades, said Ed Darack, author of the recently published book, The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicopter Support, SEAL Team Six and the Deadliest Day of the U.S. War in Afghanistan. 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. The 30 American Servicemen killed in action (KIA) with the downing of Extortion 17. Robert J. Reeves: A Navy SEAL who died in Extortion 17 - Spec Ops Magazine I find it extremely suspicious that, after the alleged killing of Osama Bin Laden, there was a very suspicious burial at sea for a covered corpse that was alleged to be Bin Laden. The hardest LZ Id ever been into, Lee said. [citation needed] Doubts about this story were raised by families and other concerned citizens despite the fact that the Navy SEAL team aboard Extortion 17 was a different squadron than that which had killed Osama bin Laden three months earlier. Ed Darack March 2015 The Chinook's cargo capacity, speed,. Your Privacy Rights [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. 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. "It's a math problem. It means being informed. 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. 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. [36][37], After the shootdown of Extortion 17, the insurgent responsible used a two-way radio to brag to others about the act. Extortion17 hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy 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. Over time, certain memories will fade, certain details will fade. Planners then chose a new landing zone for the IRF, but it was large enough to accommodate only one Chinook. Today. Lee remained in Afghanistan flying combat missions for another eight months before returning home in the spring of 2012. In March 2002, two MH-47s were downed by machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire while close to ground level. Pinterest. REMEMBERING EXTORTION 17 - Survive the News 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. [7][27][28] During the battle, American forces observed a small group of Taliban trying to flee the scene. 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, 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. [22][20] Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, confirmed that eight of the movement's fighters had been killed in the assault on the compound. Landing in deserts or mountainsides, the helicopter rotors kick up clouds of sand and dust, causing brownouts that can blind a pilot. No one is planting victory gardens, and were not rationing. He was probably in the top 1 percent of Army aviators, Lee said. Spencer C. Duncan, 21, of Olathe, Kan. The two military investigations, one conducted by United States Central Command and one by the multi-service Joint Combat Assessment Team, pored over the details of the crash with excruciating focus and concluded that no planners or participants bore any fault regarding the circumstances leading to the shootdown of Extortion 17. The theories suggest that Afghan forces leaked information to the Taliban about the mission. As they made their approach, there was a line of thunderstorms nearby. The incident became known as "Extortion 17" after the helicopter . 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. 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. The downing of Extortion 17 spurred a number of conspiracy theories, such as the idea that the shootdown was revenge for bin Laden's death. Lee heard the call, and he knew what it meant. Directors Karl Horstmann Stephen Spivey Writer Stephen Spivey Stars Sean Hannity Raj Kala 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. This remains the greatest single loss of life to Naval Special Warfare since the Afghan War started in 2001. 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. The RPG that struck Extortion 17 threw the helicopter into an uncontrollable spin. All of them were men of courage, integrity, and honor. The helicopter plunged tail first. 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. 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? 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. 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. American intelligence officials identified this individual as "OBJECTIVE GINOSA." EXTORTION 17 COVER-UP OF SEAL TEAM SIX SHOOT-DOWN | BWCentral This was preventable only if they just had not taken off that night, Lee said. 360 EXTORTION 17 ideas | extortion, navy seals, seal team 6 - Pinterest Immediately after Ryan shared an intimate photo of his own, the cybercriminal demanded $5,000, threatening to make the photo public and send it to Ryan's family and friends. #neverforgotten #screwedbygovt #demmandanswers. Connor Mendez, courtesy of U.S. Army. Deadliest Day in Spec Ops History: The Extortion-17 Chinook Crash For Lee, there was no time to reflect on how close he had come to dying. As for himself, he speaks out about Extortion 17 because he wants to remember the men on that mission. On August 6th, 2011, the helicopter was fired upon and shot down by a previously undetected group of Taliban fighters. The official statement from U.S. Central Command stated that a Taliban fighter scored a lucky shot with a rocket-propelled grenade. 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. 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. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), Grand Island, Nebraska, Sgt. Lee is 36 now, a civil attorney in Dallas, a world away from Afghanistan. Two of the SEALs were from a West Coast SEAL unit, but the others were from the Gold Squadron of Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU, sometimes known as SEAL Team 6, said the NSW source.. Extortion 17 is a name etched in our minds as one of the worst losses our military has ever experienced. The shootdown was the single, deadliest loss of U.S. forces in the war. He would not have hesitated to fly with any of them. It wasnt preventable. But the CH-47D has neither a flight nor voice recorder, only an engine performance data recorder for maintenance. 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. [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. Extortion 17: The deadliest day in the DEVGRU history - Spec Ops Magazine The reality is, every time a helicopter lifts off the ground in a war zone, it might get shot down, Darack said. [1][2][3][4], The resulting crash killed all 38 people on board including 17 US Navy SEALs, two United States Air Force Pararescue, one United States Air Force Combat Control Team member, one pilot and two crewmen of the United States Army Reserve, one pilot and one crewman of the United States Army National Guard, seven members of the Afghan National Security Forces, and one Afghan interpreter. All content is protected by copyright and may not be used for commercial purposes without prior written permission. Lee had just flown the night before on a similar mission with one of the pilots, David Carter. 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. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Geneva G. Brier/Released) On Aug. 6, 2011, insurgent forces in Afghanistan shot down an American aircraft. Sgt. 130 Extortion 17 ideas | extortion, seal team 6, navy seals Extortion 17 119 Pins 9y K Collection by Kim&Pauly Us Soldiers Troops Fallen Soldiers Military Personnel Military Men American Soldiers American Heroes Naval Special Warfare Fallen Heroes I was terrified. 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. )/SR-71 blackbird cloud behind the chinook; saying thats safe distance! But what really happened that night? Or when something went terribly wrong. The call sign for the Chinook was Extortion 17. 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. 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. Fact check: Biden did not leak SEAL Team 6 identities - USA TODAY Available for both RF and RM licensing. [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. He presents the Final Flight of EXTORTION 17 (spoken one seven and seventeen), like a Defense Attorney or an investigator. It also became one of the most devastating death tolls of the U.S. Special Operations Forces. Lightboxes. The Taliban shot at the Chinooks all the time with RPGs and rifles, Darack said. 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. Extortion 17, Seal Team Six and What Really Happened on the - Newsweek Just as ridiculous as saying [President George W.] Bush was responsible for 9/11, Lee said. 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. Lees second deployment started in May of 2011. The SEALs who assaulted Osama bin Ladens compound were drawn from Naval Special Warfare Development Groups Red Squadron, according to several sources in the special operations community.. "[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. 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. 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. Petty Officer 1st Class Aaron Vaughn was one of the SEAL Team 6 operators who died in the crash. One of the things I vowed, I will never forget. There is still a tremendous level of chance for a tragedy of such huge magnitude.. The crash claimed the lives of 38 personnel, including 22 special operations forces in Afghanistan Aug. 6, 2011. 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. 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. Some news stories reported that investigators couldnt find the helicopters black box, referring to the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. Create an account. [11] Seventeen U.S. Navy SEALs remained in reserve at the forward operating base. 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. In order to prevent this, American forces called in for support. 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. Why did it happen? The mission was flown by conventional pilots flying unmodified CH-47Ds. Pentagon names 30 Americans killed in downed Afghan chopper - NBC News Because unarmed villagers, unaffiliated with the Taliban, could also have been in those trees and among the groups milling about the village, the gunships could not have fired.