Families suspect SEAL Team 6 crash was inside job on worst day in 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. (Smithsonian Books, September 2017). 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. 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. You never want to use the same landing zone twice, Darack said. By 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. The helicopter carrying the SEALs proceeded to the landing zone alone, without external lighting. The crash is referred to as Extortion 17 by the callsign of the CH-47 Chinook helicopter involved in the crash. Fallen Angel: Call Sign - Extortion 17 (2021) - IMDb American, French and Afghan National Police forces carried out a three-day sweep of the area, and the area was then deemed secure. [11], The 30 American deaths represent the greatest loss of U.S. military lives in a single incident in the war in Afghanistan that began in 2001. 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. Explore. So the whole team went in one Chinook helicopter Extortion 17. The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicopter Support [25][original research? Spencer C. Duncan, 21, of Olathe, Kan. 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, "The downing of Extortion 17 was a catastrophic and unprecedented tragedy for our nation," Reid testified. Andrew W. Harvell, 26, of Long Beach, California, Tech. Two fired at roughly the same time. The Extortion 17 chopper was part of Operation Neptune Spear a few months earlier. It does not fly in a straight line, and there is no way to know what exact path it will takejust a fairly good idea of its trajectory.. The IRF commander then made a critical decision: In order to get everyone on the ground as quickly as possible and deny the Taliban time to react, he ordered the entire force to fly in Extortion 17. 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. The mission was flown by conventional pilots flying unmodified CH-47Ds. All hand picked by Red Squadron really makes your neck hair standup! One of the best crews in my company. The RPG that struck Extortion 17 threw the helicopter into an uncontrollable spin. LOL, Ray Williams 509th RRCUV (Army Security Agency) Feb68-Apr71. Fallen Angel: Extortion 17 Facts and Documentary August 2011 Attack on U.S. Troops in Afghanistan | C-SPAN.org Lee, now a captain, was placed in command of a Chinook helicopter unit at Forward Operating Base Shank. A junior, he was ready to fight, but the war would be over, he figured, before he even got out of college. They were part of his command. In July 2010, an RPG-wielding fighter put a round into the tail boom of a Marine AH-1W Super Cobra, downing it and killing both pilots. The Museum Executive Team worked with these men. And now, the government wants to make the Taliban legitamet. Tragically, as Extortion 17 was nearing its landing zone, Taliban fighters, hidden in a building, fired two or three rocket-propelled grenades at close range, leaving the pilot no chance to perform evasive maneuvers. 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. 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. A chief warrant officer 5, a member of the Colorado National Guard, Carter had over 4,500 flying hours, including more than 1,000 hours during combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. This was preventable only if they just had not taken off that night, Lee said. "Fallen Angel" - What really happened to Extortion 17? New film probes The 30 Navy SEALs and other Special Forces personnel, along with the Helicopter flight crew because American Military and Political leaders threw these men under the bus the enemy was driving and then covered it all up with lies and deceit. Some 30 seconds later, one of the AH-64 Apache helicopters in the area reported: Fallen Angel.. It was the deadliest helicopter crash in the history of U.S. special operations. In 2006, he was called into Afghanistan, where he turned 25. This group grew in number over the course of the night, but American forces were at first too preoccupied to engage. Hi there! 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?? The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicopter Support - Afghanistan: Honoring the Heroes of Extortion 17 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. 3 U.S. Army Reserve personnel from the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment. New documentary investigates events surrounding Extortion 17 helicopter 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. "Before Benghazi there was Extortion 17.. Saturday August 6 th 2011 was a day that changed the lives of my family forever. It was reported that the Taliban fighters had no information of the helicopter's flight path and that they had been in the right place at the right time. It was a hard landing, but it would have been worse if they had landed tail first. Seven Afghan National Army commandos and one Afghan civilian interpreter were also killed in the crash. Memorial for anniversary of Extortion 17 helicopter crash All of them were men of courage, integrity, and honor. On the anniversary of the Extortion 17 tragedy, we remember the heroic men who were felled rushing into battle, as they had done hundreds of times . DISPATCH: Newly Appointed Taliban Official Claims Role in Extortion 17 On this day 11 years ago, 30 American military servicemen and a U.S. military dog were killed when a CH-47 Chinook helicoptercall sign Extortion 17was shot down in Afghanistan. [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). 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 As for himself, he speaks out about Extortion 17 because he wants to remember the men on that mission. The theories suggest that Afghan forces leaked information to the Taliban about the mission. The helicopter crashed into a creek bed and a flash flood shortly afterward washed away some parts of the wreckage. The two may have been those who escaped Apache cannon fire, or they may have split away from either of the groups that formed after the start of the raid. Extortion 17: Bodies of the 22 slain SEAL Team 6 members cremated American signals intelligence aircraft intercepted these transmissions and subsequently tracked the individual and his accomplice. Play FALLEN ANGEL Call Sign: Extortion 17. 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. Ill try to reply the best I can. Extortion 17 - IMDb Here, in silence, are the names and photographs of all 30 men. The crash occurred in Tangi Joi Zareen, in the district of Sayd Abad in Wardak Province after it was struck by an. Cookie Policy Every mission is potentially life-threatening. Or when something went terribly wrong. The extreme G-forces killed everyone on board within a fraction of a second, Darack said. 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, Afghanistan. [11] At 22:37 (local time) on the night of 5 August, a platoon of 47 U.S. Army Rangers left a forward operating base in Logar Province via two CH-47D transport helicopters, one of which would later be involved in the accident. August 12, 2022. by Samantha Franco. Oct 26, 2016 - Explore Concerned Citizen's board "EXTORTION 17", followed by 829 people on Pinterest. Extortion 17 - National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos. This is the Group Burial for unidentified remains of casualties of the Chinook helicopter (CH-47D 89-00175) which crashed in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011. No evidence has emerged to support any of these claims. Robert J. Reeves: A Navy SEAL who died in Extortion 17 - Spec Ops Magazine The group fired 2-3 RPG rounds from a two-story building from a location some 220 meters south of the helicopter. The basis of the provocative hit military documentary Fallen Angel Call Sign: Extortion 17. The military's public contradictions raise more questions than answers. [43][45], 2011 Afghanistan Boeing Chinook shootdown, United States Air Force Combat Control Team, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Tangi Valley, Wardak province, Afghanistan, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, Naval Special Warfare Development Group's, Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians, United States House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, Call Sign Extortion 17: The Shoot-Down of SEAL Team Six, List of aviation accidents and incidents in the war in Afghanistan, "Elite Force Died in Bid to Save Comrades", "Taliban shot that brought down American Chinook killing 30 US commandos was 'lucky', officials believe", "Taliban shoot down US helicopter in Afghanistan; 38 killed", "Worst US loss of life in Afghan war as helicopter crash kills 38", "US military helicopter crash in Afghanistan kills 38", Executive Summary (Crash of CH-47D Aircraft in Wardak Province, Afghanistan on 6 August 2011), "Families suspect SEAL Team 6 crash was inside job on worst day in Afghanistan", "DOD Identifies Service Members Killed in CH-47 Crash", "Tragedy devastates special warfare community", "Friends remember three area soldiers killed in Afghan crash", "Chinook Crewmembers Line of Duty Deaths", "US special forces Afghan helicopter downed by Taliban", "Chopper crash kills 31 U.S. troops, 7 Afghans", "Copter Downed by Taliban Fire; Elite U.S. Unit Among Dead", "Impact on special forces of Navy Seals helicopter loss", "SEAL Team 6 Families Believe the 2011 Chinook Shootdown in Afghanistan was Planned | Navy SEALs Blog by USNavySEALs.com", "Army delayed Chinook helicopter's black box until it was too late", "Obama stonewalls SEAL Team 6 helicopter crash probe, watchdog says", "US helicopter shot down in Afghanistan was sent in after night raid went awry", "US military probes deadly Afghan helicopter crash", "What happened on night of deadly Afghanistan helicopter crash? 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. Six weeks into his deployment, Lee experienced his worst day as a helicopter pilot to that point. [42], In 2017, Air Force captain Joni Marquez, the firing officer on an AC-130 gunship that had accompanied Extortion 17 on the final flight, made a similar claim. The call sign for the Chinook was Extortion 17. A source from the Navys special operations community described the reaction as Shock and disbelief. Create an account. Extortion 17: The Mission and the Tragedy in Afghanistan 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. [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. [9][11], Almost an hour later (01:50), the aviation brigade commander approved a new landing zone for infiltration of the SEAL team. As they made their approach, there was a line of thunderstorms nearby. But Tahir and a group of his fighters escaped. Don Brown, a former U.S. Navy JAG officer stationed at the Pentagon, and former Special Assistant United . It just wasnt.. During a previous deployment to Iraq, Carters unit flew dozens of similar raids, which he often planned and led, and gained a reputation for working well with special operations troops. The men who serve in the American military are the finest! After some time, another group of about 10 Taliban fighters was spotted that we suspected could be Qari Tahir himself fleeing the scene. The five other Navy casualties were NSW (Naval Special Warfare) support personnel; in addition to these, three AFSOC operators, one Combat Controller and two Pararescuemen, all members of the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, died in the crash. Originally just two people, the group eventually swelled to a total of nine or ten fighters, and the special operations task force commander and the Immediate Reaction Force commander became concerned that it might include Tahir. Through the goggles, the landing zone shone brilliantly. 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. Rest in peace, gentlemen; you will not be forgotten. Pinterest. 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. 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. So if there was a added black box installed on this Aircraft there should be a maintenance record? Not feelin it! Over time, certain memories will fade, certain details will fade. He presents the Final Flight of EXTORTION 17 (spoken one seven and seventeen), like a Defense Attorney or an investigator. The crew of Slasher 02, the AC-130 circling above, flipped the switch on their powerful light. Extortion 17 could be a bigger scandal and betrayal of Americans than Benghazi. Lawmakers hold hearing on deadly 'Extortion 17' helicopter crash in Enterprise. August 2011 Attack on U.S. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. [7][27][28] During the battle, American forces observed a small group of Taliban trying to flee the scene. The True Story Behind the Recovery of Extortion 17 The 30 American Servicemen killed in action (KIA) with the downing of Extortion 17. The following passage, published in The Navy Times, seems to support that assertion. 2 U.S. Navy SEALs from a west coast-based SEAL team. On his right wrist, he wears a bracelet with the names of the five crew members of Extortion 17. He pushed hard on the cyclic stick to tilt the helicopter forward. 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 17-year-old boy died by suicide hours after being scammed. The - CNN