For election results to be seen as legitimate by the citizens of Afghanistan and the world at large, all elections throughout the country would need to proceed "unencumbered" (without external influence, by either American and coalition forces or Taliban and anti-American and coalition forces), including those in Kunar.[2][7]. On June 28, 2005, three of four SEALS on the ground (Murphy, Dietz, Axelson) were killed during combat operations to support Operation Red Wings. The autopsy report outlining Dietz's wounds is five pages long. SO2 Danny Dietz. [1], After the broken transmission from the SEAL team, their position and situation were unknown. In my 14 years of Navy experience, I've never seen or heard of anything like that. Through intimidation, Shah was able to ascertain which house sheltered the wounded man and demanded that he be turned over. Asking for a friend. Bin laden would've probably afforded a civilian death or two and been wrapped up, but a . [2] Similar operations that followed included Operation Mavericks (named after the Dallas Mavericks basketball team) in April 2005,[29] and Operation Celtics (named after the Boston Celtics basketball team) in May 2005. Pre-mission planning put the hostiles number at 20, tops. Even if it was a choice instead of an command. His injuries were so traumatic that the Navy recommended a closed casket. [6] Initial intel estimated approximately 10 to 20. No doubt he was a helluva runner when he was still in shape. I will never quit. The size of Shah's group increased as additional fighters joined his ranks. Fact is, those soldiers died, and I'm sure if you could ask each of them, they'd want that movie made, 100% true or not. Then I got shot again the next day. Lt. Cmdr. [41] The SEALs made a number of attempts to contact their combat operations center with an AN/PRC-148 multi-band radio and then with a satellite phone. [27] To mitigate these problems, 3/3's staff developed an operational model which integrated special operations forces units into their operations, allowing the sharing of intelligence between the battalion and special operations forces as well as maintaining solid operational control of operations with integrated special operations assets and units by the battalion. Hey you got any additional tin foil hats you could share? If you want to hear more in his own words, Luttrell has a podcast through his foundation Team Never Quit. They had connections with the Taliban and other militant groups close to the Pakistani border. They would have gone anyway. Murphy picked it back up, completed the call, and continued firing at the enemy closing in. Extortion 17. Dehydrated, with a bullet wound to one leg, shrapnel embedded in both legs, three vertebrae cracked; the situation for Luttrell was grim. They were part of the planned QRF in Operation Red Wings. They knew the tremendous risk of going into an active enemy area in daylight without their attack support and the cover of night. Luttrell, after being shot multiple times and crawling for a day and a half, would eventually run into, as he put it, his first real friend, Mohammad Gulab.. For him, the horrors were only beginning. Night Stalkers (160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment): Its been fifteen years since 19 men were killed in what could easily be called the darkest day in the SEAL teams history. This deliberate and heroic act deprived him of cover and made him a target for the enemy. I had to turn it off. [2] These groups were collectively known as anti-coalition militia (ACM),[1][2] and the common thread among all was a strong resistance to the unification of the country and subsequent increasing presence of national government entities in the Kunar. [62] The sculpture depicts Matthew Axelson and James Suh in full combat equipment. Phase 1 - Shaping: A U.S. Navy SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team is tasked to insert in the region of the suspected safe buildings of Ahmad Shah, observe and identify Shah and his men and specific locations, and guide a direct action team of phase two to structures in which Shah and his men are observed to be staying. The list of those lost that day are as follows: Navy SEALs SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. [2] A team of four Navy SEALs, tasked with surveillance and reconnaissance of a group of structures known to be used by Shah and his men, were ambushed by Shah and his group just hours after inserting into the area by fast-roping from an MH-47 Chinook helicopter. Earthy and mesic Ronny page his hassock wagged differ furthest. The intelligence staff identified four named areas of interest containing specific structures which Shah might be using. I may earn a small part of the sale from links to any products or services on this site. But the reality is that mission was a shit show from the beginning. Luttrell's claim that the mission was to hunt down a key ally of. Darack lists these on p. 167-168, Learn how and when to remove this template message, 160th Airborne Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10, September 18, 2005, Afghan national parliamentary elections, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Afghanistan, Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Red wings and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10, "Operation Red Wings: What Really Happened? The military intelligence estimate cited by Darack is based on research sourced from intelligence reports, including aerial and eye-witness studies of the battlefield after the fact, including the men sent in to rescue Luttrell, as well as reports from Afghan intelligence. SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2, Virginia Beach, Va. 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Adam Brown: The life and legacy of fearless Navy SEAL, The Day of the Rangers: An unforgettable moment in military history, ANA Commando: Afghanistans premier special operations unit, Examining the Differences in Training for SAS and Navy SEALs, Gunners Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Danny Dietz, Comms, Sonar Technician 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew Axelson, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (SEAL) Marcus Luttrell, Medic. According to Luttrell, Axelson had three full magazines left at that moment in time. The team discovered two young sheepherders. According to the Navy's summary of action, the four SEALs were "deep behind enemy lines," in difficult and rugged terrain in Afghanistan, on a reconnaissance mission scouting Ahmad Shah a. While one of the aircraft performed a number of "decoy drops" to mislead any enemy observers, the other inserted a four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team via fast rope in a saddle between Sawtalo Sar and Gatigal Sar, a peak just to the south of Sawtalo Sar. I saw the movie first and then read the book after. Then theres the fact that the pain of survivors guilt cannot be understood unless it has been lived. [15] The operation was intended to disrupt the activities of local Taliban-aligned anti-coalition militias (ACM), thus contributing to regional stability and thereby facilitating the September 2005 parliamentary election for the National Assembly of Afghanistan. Some survivors from the rescue mission, Operation Red Wings II, have reported suffering from PTSD. In the immediate wake of the tragedy, the military initiated two investigations. My recommendation would be to watch the film first, then read the book for the facts and the rest of this amazing story of survival and loss. The Naval Special Warfare (NSW) community will forever remember June 28, 2005, and our special operators heroic efforts and sacrifices. Remembering Operation Red Wings: What Happened? So what if its not exactly true? Are you serious? The description notes that this is seen through the eyes of a Special Operations soldier and a first hand account that documents the brutality of combat, and the raw nature of killing and death. 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. R A Serna USAF. In Luttrell's own official after-action report filed with his superiors after his rescue, he estimated the size of the Taliban force to be around 2035. Shah could not risk a fight at that stage as he was outnumbered. The reference to Larry Wilson shows how little his so called research is. Gulab would spend the next 10 years fighting for his life and the lives of his family. You could ask Luttrell what he learned from Operation Red Wings, what he would change, and whether he is happy with the choices he made that day but it all comes down to this: never quit. [24], 2/3 eventually abandoned this naming convention out of sensitivity to the local population, instead opting for using Dari names for animals,[2] including "Pil" (elephant)[25] and "Sorkh Khar" (red donkey). [46] It was partly because of this goodwill that Gulab gave Luttrell sanctuary. He was a major HVT for Operation Red Wings. The men had positioned themselves on the shale mountainside in the Hindu Kush east of Asadabad when they were compromised by a trio of supposed goatherders. [45], Since the SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team had been ambushed, the focus of the operation immediately shifted from disrupting ACM activity to finding, aiding, and extracting the team members. It was carried out from late-June to mid-July 2005 on the slopes of a mountain named Sawtalo Sar,[14] situated approximately 20 miles (32km) west of the provincial capital of Asadabad. Al Blake must be filled with a terrible amount of hate. Marcus Luttrell (born November 7, 1975) is a retired United States Navy SEAL who received the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his actions in June 2005 against Taliban fighters during Operation Red Wings in which he was the lone survivor. The enemy took heavy losses according to Luttrell, due to the superb marksmanship of our Spec Ops guys. [39][failed verification], Further intelligence, including human intelligence and signals intelligence, indicated that Shah based his operations out of some small structures outside of the village of Chichal, high on the slopes of Sawtalo Sar mountain in the upper Korangal Valley, approximately 20 miles (32km) to the west of Kunar's provincial capital Asadabad. I feel he also was responsible for 20 additional deaths of the men that attempted to rescue him and what was left of his team. If you did, you would know where soldiers are coming from! Operation Red Wings was a Marine Corps conceived operation informally referred to as Battle of Abbas Ghar. ON the same day, a Quick Reaction Force of 8 Navy SEALs and 8 Army Night Stalkers were also killed when the MH-47 helicopter that they were aboard was shot down by enemy fire in the vicinity of Asadabad, Afghanistan, in Kumar Province. Shortly thereafter the team was surrounded and outnumbered by at least 4-1. the enemy had the high ground and shot the shutout of the team. [61] In addition, the United States Navy Parachute Team, the Leap Frogs, brought in the American flag, the POW/MIA flag and the San Diego Padres flag. They focus on PTSD, mTBI, and chronic pain. They determined that Shah and his men would be occupying the area of Chichal in late June, a time of low lunar illumination. [56], Ahmad Shah and his group recovered a large amount of weapons, ammunition, and other materials, including three SOPMOD M4 Carbines fitted with M203 40mm grenade launchers, a ruggedized laptop with an intact hard drive containing maps of embassies in Kabul, night-vision devices, and a sniper spotting scope, among other items from the Navy SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team,[58] items which they could then use against American, Coalition, and Afghan government entities. Doesn't matter anyway, cuz the Talis already knew where they were: they heard their infil bird, found the fast rope the SEALs kicked under a bush at the LZ, and followed their big Salomon boot prints up the mountain. [4] The team members were team leader Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1, based out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Petty Officer Second Class Danny Dietz from SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2, based out of Virginia Beach, Virginia; Petty Officer Second Class Matthew G. Axelson from SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1; and Navy Hospital Corpsman Second Class Marcus Luttrell, of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1.