Call Sign Extortion 17 (31 page)

BOOK: Call Sign Extortion 17
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Chapter 56

Final Thoughts

They died that night, under the moonless morning, in a valley by a creek surrounded by the rugged, snow-­capped Hindu-­Cush Mountains a half-­world away from their homes, in an obscure Afghan province that most Americans have never heard of.

There were thirty of them. They all gave their lives for their country, the single greatest loss of life in the history of US Special Forces.

Their deaths got some attention at first and, at first, different and conflicting accounts surfaced about what had happened.

Despite the cries of a vocal few, cries barely loud enough to finally achieve a short congressional hearing that gave no meaningful answers to anything, the nation has largely forgotten.

By the time four Americans were murdered one year later in a terrorist attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012, the tragic cover-­up of Extortion 17 was rapidly fading out of the public consciousness. The military's false narrative had seemingly been accepted by the powers that be, and the media grew more anxious to focus on the deaths of four Americans in Libya than the senseless and uncalled for deaths of thirty Americans, mostly US Navy SEALs, in another part of the world, where the Middle East blends into mountainous Central Asia.

Yet, to put all this in perspective, more than seven times as many Americans died in Extortion 17 than at Benghazi. In the words of Major General Paul Vallely (Ret), “Before Benghazi, there was Extortion 17.”

But Benghazi is more sound-­bite friendly: an ambassador. A secretary of state. A film. The White House. The national security advisor. A
refusal for a request to help. A stand-­down. Sunday talk shows. Talking points. Plenty of meat for the press to dig its teeth into.

And that's a good thing. The American people deserve to know the truth when their government has foolishly and unnecessarily placed Americans in harm's way, and when life is lost as a result of that foolishness.

But in a glitzy world of sound-­bites and ratings and presidential politics, Americans sometimes get lazy and forget to seek the truth on behalf of those average Americans serving their country whose names don't instantly command the attention of a national audience.

With great respect and reverence to the men who died at Benghazi, all who honorably served the United States, the men of Extortion 17 also served their country with honor and sacrifice.

With no disrespect intended for the amazing life lived and service rendered by Ambassador Chris Stevens, was the life of an ambassador somehow more important than that of a twenty-­five-­year-­old enlisted cryptologist serving the Navy SEALs, who was taking up arms and risking himself and his life on behalf of his country?

All life is equally important. The lives of Ambassador Chris Stevens and twenty-­one-­year-­old Specialist Spencer Duncan, of Olathe Kansas, who was killed on Extortion 17, are equally important.

Someone try telling young Braydon Nichols that his daddy's life isn't just as important as any of the men with higher-­profile names and titles who were lost, or that Bryan Nichols's life wasn't important enough that the American people should find the collective strength, determination, and doggedness to insist on answers that go beyond the dog-­and-­pony show of a meaningless congressional investigation.

Someone try telling Charles Strange that his boy Michael's life wasn't important enough to demand answers.

Sadly, the respect and honor they all deserve cannot be adequately expressed in the limited pages of this book, or any forum for that matter.

But their mission and their service should never be forgotten, and their sacrifice should fuel an uncompromising demand for the full truth behind the reason for their deaths.

In the end, the press may lose interest. The pop culture may have been too distracted to have ever known. But God will never forget them.

As General John J. Pershing, the great commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I said: “Time will not dim the glory of their deeds.”

Index

AC-130 gunship and crew

aircraft descriptions and use
, 128

burn time and illumination
, 135–40
, 142–45
, 152–53
, 161

mission
, 127

pre-assault permission denials
, 127–28
, 158
, 185
, 188–89
, 193

Afghanistan, history of
, 3–4

Afghan military

flight swap-out
, 25
, 52
, 69–70

Green-on-Blue violence
, 23
, 73–81

investigation and interviewing of
, 257–58
, 262
, 284

mission knowledge of
, 19

Taliban infiltration
, 252–53

US military alliance with
, 73–74
, 259–64

Afghan passengers (Mystery Seven)

congressional hearing and media questions on
, 236

cremation of remains and DNA destruction
, 42
, 65
, 73
, 231
, 243–47

identification repercussions
, 64

identity of
, vii
, 19
, 23–26
, 45
, 47–53
, 56–57
, 283
, 284

Karzai loyalty of
, 255

Mattis's report and omissions on
, 65–66

no identifiable remains
, 25
, 41
, 42
, 245

ramp ceremonies for
, 241–42

remains, handling of
, 242

security breaches and
, 57–59
, 64–65

tracking device theories
, 238–39
, 257

unauthorized swap-out
, 25
, 52
, 67–72

Air Weapons Team
, 195–97
, 207

Allen, John
, 78

Apache (AH-64D) helicopters and crew

aircraft risk assessments
, 110

enemy combatants and assault
, 187–88
, 191–94

ground illumination
, 136–40

as investigation witnesses
, 38
, 44–45

landing zone confusion
, 126–31

mission
, 127

night conditions and visibility
, 172–77

pre-assault fire permission denial
, 158
, 185
, 189–90
, 193

shoot-down accounts
, 146–49

sparkle request
, 125
, 126–27
, 135–36

Armstrong, Neil
, 121

Article 31 (UCMJ)
, 58–59
, 61
, 63
, 64

autopsies

bullets
, 41
, 65
, 265–78
, 281
, 283
, 284

metal fragments
, 275–76
, 280–81

 

ballistics testing
, 266–76
, 280

Base Shank
, 1
, 5
, 6

Benghazi terrorist attack
, 40
, 45
, 286–87

Bennett, Alexander
, 8
, 9–10
, 94

Betrayed
(Vaughn, B., with Morrill and Blake)
, 69
, 70

Biden, Joe
, 29
, 30
, 31–32
, 33
, 35

Bin Laden, Osama, killing of

announcement of
, 27–28

helicopter attacks as retaliation for
, 115–17

operation planning and execution
, 28
, 29–35
, 52
, 86

retaliation for
, 31
, 32–34

SEAL identity security and confidentiality breach
, 28–30

shoot-down chronology
, 2
, 13

black box (flight data recorder)

description and purpose
, 198
, 233–34

disappearance of
, 203–16
, 234
, 280
, 284

Executive Summary omission
, 65
, 215–16
, 222

flood theory
, 201–2
, 216
, 223–24
, 240

function and purpose
, 233–34

not on aircraft explanation
, 229–30
, 233
, 239–40

recovery attempts
, 198–203

Blake, Cari
, 69

Boal, Mark
, 34
, 35

Brennan, John
, 31

British press
, 41
, 43
, 169
, 237–38
, 248–51
, 256
, 262–63
, 284

Brodsky, Aaron
, 227

Brown, Kirk
, 227

bullets
, 41
, 65
, 265–76
, 280
, 281
, 283
, 284

burn (ground illumination)
, 135–40
, 142–45
, 152
, 161

Bush, George W.
, 27
, 28

 

Carter, David
, vi
, 8
, 21
, 84
, 87
, 88
, 178–83

Carter, Laura
, 87

CENTCOM (US Central Command)
, 37–38
.
See also
Mattis, James

Chaffetz, Jason
, 225–26
, 236–40
, 243

Chinook (CH-47D) helicopters
, 96–111
, 114
, 118–19
.
See also
Extortion 16; Extortion 17

Colt, Jeffrey.
See also
Colt Report; Executive Summary

black box briefing information
, 215–16
, 222–24

investigation conclusions and military contradictions
, 42

investigation orders and restraints
, 19
, 22–23
, 54–59
, 63

investigation report submission
, 23
, 37

Colt Report.
See also
Executive Summary

Afghan government relationship with Taliban
, 257

Afghan interviews
, 257–58
, 262

Afghan military alliances
, 260

Afghan passengers identity investigation
, 23–26
, 45
, 47–53
, 68

background on
, 37–39

black box information
, 199–203
, 211–16

bullets
, 271
, 275

burn time and illumination
, 135–40
, 142–45
, 152–53

chronology details
, 221

classification and declassification of
, 22
, 38–39
, 45–46

communication loss and delay
, 119–23

confidentiality methods
, 44–45

day of shoot-down chronology
, 19–21

description and contents
, 22
, 38

distance-to-shooter forensics
, 40–41
, 158–71

Extortion 17 missions
, 178–83

helicopter safety record
, 96–111

investigation for
, 19
, 22–23
, 37
, 54–59

landing zone confusion
, 130–31
, 178

Lima Bravo unit crash site arrival time
, 210

military's official position
, 39

night conditions and visibility
, 172–77

no identifiable remains
, 41
, 42

pilot qualifications
, 89–95

post-shoot-down response and investigation
, 21–24

recovery operation
, 199
, 218
, 219–20
, 221

rules of engagement
, 36
, 41
, 43
, 114
, 127–28
, 158
, 188–92

security breaches
, 42

shoot-down account and testimony
, 146–54

shooter point of origin
, 40–41
, 228–29

sparkle request
, 124–40

submission of
, 23
, 37

Taliban intelligence
, 115–17

versions of
, 55

Combat Assessment Team (CAT)
, 22
, 158–59
, 166
, 194
, 228–29

congressional hearings
, 43
, 225–41
, 242
, 243
, 252

convening authority
, 63

cook-off rounds
, 266–76
, 280

courts-martial
, 57
, 61
, 63

cover-up, overview, and summary
, 281–85
, 286

Crocker, Ryan
, 79–80
, 259
, 261

Crozier, Ezekiel
, 97
, 100
, 102
, 108

 

Daily Mail
(newspaper)
, 169
, 171
, 231
, 237–38
, 249
, 251
, 255
, 257
, 263

dereliction of duty
, 57–59
, 62

Devillier, John
, 226–27

Di Maio, Vincent J. M.
, 269–71
, 282

distance-to-shooter forensics
, 40–41
, 158–71
, 194
, 228–29
, 284

DNA destruction
, 42
, 65
, 73
, 231
, 243–47
, 284

Doherty, Glen
, 46

Duncan, Spencer C.
, vi
, 8
, 9–10
, 94
, 287

 

enemy combatants
, 187–94

enlistment expectations
, 9

Executive Summary (Colt Report, Enclosure C)

Afghan passenger identities
, 45
, 65–66
, 181
, 283

Afghan-Taliban negotiations
, 257

autopsy results
, 65

black box
, 65
, 215

cremation of remains
, 65

description and contents
, 22

ground illumination
, 144

identifiable remains
, 245

Mattis's final report contradictions
, 22–23
, 40–41

military responsibility
, 159

mission planning and execution
, 90
, 93
, 94
, 113
, 114
, 117

official conclusions
, 23
, 25
, 69

pilot experience contradictions
, 92
, 93

recovery operation
, 206
, 208–9
, 210
, 211
, 221

shooter point of origin
, 158
, 169
, 170
, 229

unidentified coalition group
, 199

explosions
, 275–76
, 280
, 281

Extortion 16 (Chinook transport helicopter, CH-47D)

day of shoot-down chronology
, 20–21

purpose
vs.
mission use
, 82–86

Ranger transport mission
, 2
, 5
, 8
, 12
, 185

Extortion 17 (Chinook transport helicopter, CH-47D).
See also
pre-landing chronology; recovery operations; shoot-down

flight manifest
, 47–53
, 57
, 63

flight plan
, 8–9
, 84

helicopter description
, vi
, 9
, 118

pilots of
, 2–3
, 5–6
, 20
, 84
, 87–95

purpose
vs.
mission use
, 82–86
, 112–14
, 118–19

Ranger transport mission
, 2
, 5–6
, 8
, 12
, 178–83
, 185

safety record and risk assessments
, 96–111
, 113–14

single helicopter use and overload
, 18–19
, 20

 

flight data recorders.
See
black box

flooding
, 201–2
, 216
, 223–24
, 240

Forward Operating Base Shank (FOB Shank)
, 1
, 5
, 6

Freedom of Information Act
, 34

friendly killed in action (FKIA)
, 205
, 217
, 221

full motion video feeds (FMVs)
, 125
, 126–27
, 135–36
, 146–49

 

Gates, Robert
, 29–34
, 30
, 33

Green-on-Blue violence
, 23
, 73–81
, 261

gun tapes
, 125
, 126–27
, 135–36
, 146–49

 

Hamburger, Chris
, 10
, 11

Hamburger, Doug
, 235
, 236
, 238–39

Hamburger, Pat
, 5
, 7–8
, 9–11
, 12
, 89
, 150

Hamburger, Payton
, 10
, 150

Hatcher, Julian
, 267–69
, 270
, 271
, 282

helicopters.
See also
AC-130 gunship and crew; Apache (AH-64D)
helicopters and crew; Extortion 16; Extortion 17

communication protocols
, 119–20

for Special Operations
, 86
, 110

Taliban attacks on
, 35–36
, 95–111
, 115–17

transport
, 2
, 5
, 82–86
, 96–111
, 114
, 118–19
, 185

Hindu-Kush mountain range
, 3–4

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