Helicopter Crash Kills 31 U.S. Soldiers & 7 ANA - Aug/06/2011

[midget-boyd91]

Has anyone else taken note of how eerily similar this is to the event in 2005 when a Chinook carrying SEALs was shot down while en route to aid another unit in contact?

 

[The Bread Guy]

Has anyone else taken note of how eerily similar this is to the event in 2005 when a Chinook carrying SEALs was shot down while en route to aid another unit in contact?

You mean Op RED WINGS?  (Usual Wikipedia caveats apply)

 

[tomahawk6]

The focus of the investigation I am afraid will be on the aircrew.Usually special forces are moved by the Nightstalkers 160 SOAR. This aircraft appears to have been a National Guard Chinook which was a few months into its deployment. No US aircraft that I know of can deflect unguided munitions. An RPG is as deadly for an armored vehicle as it is for an aircraft,probably more so.If the bad guys used a MANPAD then that is something else entirely.In any event there will a couple of investigations looking at various aspects of the crash.

 

[Good2Golf]

McClatchy coverage caveats notwithstanding, am I the only one seeing this (if it is, indeed, being considered) as over-reaction?
...
Source:  Stars & Stripes, 8 Aug 11

Just some talking heads making commentary. 

Surprise generally offsets dispersal, i.e. move a team in a single mission vehicle and pass over the ground only once, understanding that loss of the vehicle loses the whole team, or divide the team up over smaller vehicles and run the risk of greater chance of exposure due to multiple machines, but offsetting the risk that a single loss would only result in partial team loss.

Leave it to the professionals to assess the risk based on all available information and plan their mission accordingly.

Regards
G2G

 

[midget-boyd91]

You mean Op RED WINGS?  (Usual Wikipedia caveats apply)

Yes.

 

[The Bread Guy]

The secretary of the Navy and chief of naval operations extended condolences to family, friends and fellow service members of the American and Afghan forces lost in an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said:

"I am incredibly saddened by the tragic loss of these brave American and Afghan service members who died demonstrating the exceptional courage and dedication that defined their lives. My thoughts and prayers are with their families, teammates, and loved ones who survive through their ultimate sacrifice.

"While we join in mourning, we must also join in remembering these warriors were exactly where their country needed them most. Each of these heroes voluntarily risked, and ultimately gave their lives. As a Navy and a Nation, we best honor their service and sacrifice by remembering them and supporting their many brothers and sisters in arms who continue the important mission of taking the fight to the enemy in defense of our Nation and its ideals."

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead said:

"The tragic helicopter crash in Afghanistan that claimed the lives of our U.S. Navy Sailors along with other U.S. and Afghan forces in Afghanistan is a grave loss to our Navy and our nation. These men performed countless acts of extreme bravery, heroic service and selfless sacrifice that will remain unknown to most of their fellow citizens. On behalf of all Navy Sailors, I extend my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of our lost shipmates and their comrades-in-arms."

Source:  U.S. Navy statement, 8 Aug 11

 

[The Bread Guy]

Two C-17s carrying our fallen heroes from Sat's Chinook crash have arrived at Dover AFB, Del.

Source:  Pentgon spokesperson Twitter feed, 9 Aug 11

 

[PanaEng]

Swift justice:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/general-international-forces-killed-taliban-shot-down-us-133027690.html

cheers

 

[The Bread Guy]

Swift justice:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/general-international-forces-killed-taliban-shot-down-us-133027690.html

More from ISAF news release:

Coalition forces killed the Taliban insurgents involved with the recent downing of the CH-47 helicopter, with a precision airstrike in Chak district, Wardak province, yesterday.

The strike killed Taliban leader Mullah Mohibullah and the insurgent who fired the shot associated with the Aug. 6 downing of the CH-47 helicopter, which resulted in the deaths of 38 Afghan and coalition service members.

Mullah Mohibullah was a key facilitator in an insurgent attack cell led by Din Mohammad, a Taliban leader killed in a previous Special Operations mission. As a leader in Mohammad’s network in Tangi valley, Mohibullah had as many as 12 Taliban fighters under his command, including potential suicide bombers.

On the night of the crash, the inbound CH-47 carried Special Operations Forces intended to pursue insurgents from Mohammad’s network that were fleeing an engagement in which six militants had already been killed. While it has not been determined if enemy fire was the sole reason for the helicopter crash, it did take fire from several insurgent locations on its approach.

After an exhaustive manhunt, Special Operations forces located Mullah Mohibullah and the shooter after receiving multiple intelligence leads and tips from local citizens. The two men were attempting to flee the country in order to avoid capture.

The security force located and followed the insurgents to a wooded area in Chak district. After ensuring no civilians were in the area, the force called for the airstrike which resulted in the deaths of the Mullah Mohibullah, the shooter, and several of their Taliban associates.

The security force assesses no civilians were harmed during the strike.

 

[PanaEng]

Here are a few more details of the operation
http://news.yahoo.com/happened-night-afghanistan-helicopter-crash-111914547.html

cheers

 

[The Bread Guy]

Even the World Socialist Web Site has something to say:

The Pentagon claimed Wednesday to have killed the resistance fighters responsible for last week’s downing of a helicopter that resulted in the worst US losses to date in the decade-old war in Afghanistan.

Gen. John Allen, the chief US military commander in Afghanistan, told the media that an air strike early Tuesday by a US F-16 fighter jet killed Mullah Mohibullah, a Taliban leader, along with several fighters, including the one who fired a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) into a CH-47 Chinook helicopter on August 6, killing 30 American troops along with seven Afghan soldiers and a civilian Afghan interpreter.

The downing of the helicopter inflicted the largest casualty toll for any single incident since the US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001. The deaths brought to 1,731 the total number of US troops killed in Operation Enduring Freedom, which began with that invasion. Another 932 troops from Britain, Canada, France, Germany and a number of other countries have also been killed in the war and occupation ....

:

 

[The Bread Guy]

.... from the Pentagon:

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of 30 servicemembers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.  They died Aug. 6 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed.

The following sailors assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit were killed:

                Lt. Cmdr. (SEAL) Jonas B. Kelsall, 32, of Shreveport, La.,

                Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Louis J. Langlais, 44, of Santa Barbara, Calif.,

                Special Warfare Operator Senior Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Thomas A. Ratzlaff, 34, of Green Forest, Ark.,

                Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Senior Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Kraig M. Vickers 36, of Kokomo, Hawaii, 

                Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Brian R. Bill, 31, of Stamford, Conn.,

                Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) John W. Faas, 31, of Minneapolis, Minn.,

                Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Kevin A. Houston, 35, of West Hyannisport, Mass.,

                Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Matthew D. Mason, 37, of Kansas City, Mo.,

                Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Stephen M. Mills, 35, of Fort Worth, Texas,

                Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist/Diver) Nicholas H. Null, 30, of Washington, W.Va.,

                Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Robert J. Reeves, 32, of Shreveport, La.,

                Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Heath M. Robinson, 34, of Detroit, Mich.,

                Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Darrik C. Benson, 28, of Angwin, Calif.

                Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Parachutist) Christopher G. Campbell, 36, of Jacksonville, N.C.,

                Information Systems Technician Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Jared W. Day, 28, of Taylorsville, Utah,

                Master-at-Arms Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) John Douangdara, 26, of South Sioux City, Neb.,

                Cryptologist Technician (Collection) Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) Michael J. Strange, 25, of Philadelphia, Pa.,

                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, Fla., and

                Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Jason R. Workman, 32, of Blanding, Utah.

The following sailors assigned to a West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit were killed:

                Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Jesse D. Pittman, 27, of Ukiah, Calif., and

                Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 2nd Class (SEAL) Nicholas P. Spehar, 24, ofSaint Paul, Minn.

The soldiers killed were:

                Chief Warrant Officer David R. Carter, 47, of Centennial, Colo.  He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), Aurora, Colo.;

                Chief Warrant Officer Bryan J. Nichols, 31, of Hays, Kan.  He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kan.;

                Sgt. Patrick D. Hamburger, 30, of Lincoln, Neb.  He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), Grand Island, Neb.;

                Sgt. Alexander J. Bennett, 24, of Tacoma, Wash.  He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kan.; and

                Spc. Spencer C. Duncan, 21, of Olathe, Kan.  He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kan.

The airmen killed were:

                Tech. Sgt. John W. Brown, 33, of Tallahassee, Fla.;

                Staff Sgt. Andrew W. Harvell, 26, of Long Beach, Calif.; and

                Tech. Sgt. Daniel L. Zerbe, 28, of York, Pa.

                All three airmen were assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Field, N.C. ....

 

[The Bread Guy]

Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Louis J. Langlais, 44, of Santa Barbara, Calif.,

Apparently born in Canada:

A 44-year-old Quebecer and member of the U.S. Navy SEALs was among the 38 people killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan last Friday.

Insurgents shot down the Chinook helicopter. It was the deadliest single attack against the international military coalition since the war began almost 10 years ago.

The Pentagon on Thursday released the names of all U.S. military personnel killed during the operation.

Master Chief Petty Officer Louis J. Langlais was born in Quebec City and lived with his family in Santa Barbara, Calif. He abandoned his Canadian citizenship to enlist in the U.S. military.

Langlais was a father of two young boys and liked to skateboard, play baseball and go fishing, according to an obituary written by a friend and published in a Santa Barbara newspaper ....

Source:  QMI Media, 13 Aug 11

 

[The Bread Guy]

As they say, you can run, but you can't hide....

The NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan said Thursday it had killed a Taliban commander who was the target of an operation in which 30 U.S. troops died when their helicopter crashed last month.

Qari Tahir was killed by an air strike Tuesday in Wardak province, central Afghanistan, the military said.

The U.S. said last month it had killed those behind the helicopter's downing, but a senior Afghan government official told AFP that it was Tahir who had lured U.S. forces to the scene by tipping them off about a Taliban meeting.

"A precision air strike killed Taliban leader Qari Tahir after the security force located Tahir and an associate in a dry riverbed in Sayd Abad district," the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said in a statement ....

Agence France-Presse, 22 Sept 11

This from the ISAF statement:

In Sayyidabad district, Wardak province, a combined Afghan and coalition security force killed a significant Taliban leader and one of his associates during a security operation Tuesday.

A precision air strike killed Taliban leader, Qari Tahir, after the security force located Tahir and an associate in a dry riverbed in Sayyidabad district.

Tahir coordinated ambush attacks against Afghan forces and led fighters under his control to conduct hijackings of convoy vehicles. Additionally, he facilitated abductions and held his hostages for ransom.

Tahir was the Taliban’s top leader in Tangi Valley and was the target of a previous combined operation on Aug. 5, 2011, that resulted in the loss of the CH-47 Chinook last month. He led a group of insurgent fighters throughout the valley and was known to use roadside bombs and rockets to intimidate the local populace.

After ensuring no civilians were in the area, the force called for the air strike which resulted in the death of Tahir and another insurgent. This year, the security force conducted more than 40 security operations in the Sayyidabad district, Wardak province, killed 35 insurgents and detained more than 80 suspected insurgents ....

 

[cupper]

Inspiring story of a charity fundraising event where people donated money as part of an intense workout to help set up university scholarships for the 31 children (and one that hasn't arrived yet) left fatherless as a result if this incident.

The event took place in many locations around the world, and they raised more than $2.1 Million.

All inspired by the call for by one child to have people remember his father too, an army pilot who's loss was overshadowed by the loss of the Navy SEAL's.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40153870/vp/44633072#44633072

 

[Argus562]

It's a real bear when incidents like this happen. I offer my sincere condolences and regards to the families and comrades of all who perished in this unfortunate action.  :yellow:

 

[tomahawk6]

Results of the investigation. It would be fair to say that the shoot down was just bad luck

http://www.centcom.mil/images/stories/stories/wardak_executive_summary.pdf