Call Sign Extortion 17 (31 page)

Authors: Don Brown

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-Âcapped Hindu-ÂCush Mountains a half-Âworld 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-Âup 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-Âbite 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-Âdown. 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-Âbites 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-Âfive-Âyear-Âold 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-Âone-Âyear-Âold 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-Âprofile 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-Âand-Âpony 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
, 135â40
, 142â45
, 152â53
, 161

mission
, 127

pre-assault permission denials
, 127â28
, 158
, 185
, 188â89
, 193

Afghanistan, history of
, 3â4

Afghan military

flight swap-out
, 25
, 52
, 69â70

Green-on-Blue violence
, 23
, 73â81

investigation and interviewing of
, 257â58
, 262
, 284

mission knowledge of
, 19