Read Call Sign Extortion 17 Online
Authors: Don Brown
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
Taliban infiltration
, 252â53
US military alliance with
, 73â74
, 259â64
Afghan passengers (Mystery Seven)
congressional hearing and media questions on
, 236
cremation of remains and DNA destruction
, 42
, 65
, 73
, 231
, 243â47
identification repercussions
, 64
identity of
, vii
, 19
, 23â26
, 45
, 47â53
, 56â57
, 283
, 284
Karzai loyalty of
, 255
Mattis's report and omissions on
, 65â66
no identifiable remains
, 25
, 41
, 42
, 245
ramp ceremonies for
, 241â42
remains, handling of
, 242
security breaches and
, 57â59
, 64â65
tracking device theories
, 238â39
, 257
unauthorized swap-out
, 25
, 52
, 67â72
Air Weapons Team
, 195â97
, 207
Allen, John
, 78
Apache (AH-64D) helicopters and crew
aircraft risk assessments
, 110
enemy combatants and assault
, 187â88
, 191â94
ground illumination
, 136â40
as investigation witnesses
, 38
, 44â45
landing zone confusion
, 126â31
mission
, 127
night conditions and visibility
, 172â77
pre-assault fire permission denial
, 158
, 185
, 189â90
, 193
shoot-down accounts
, 146â49
sparkle request
, 125
, 126â27
, 135â36
Armstrong, Neil
, 121
Article 31 (UCMJ)
, 58â59
, 61
, 63
, 64
autopsies
bullets
, 41
, 65
, 265â78
, 281
, 283
, 284
metal fragments
, 275â76
, 280â81
Â
ballistics testing
, 266â76
, 280
Benghazi terrorist attack
, 40
, 45
, 286â87
Bennett, Alexander
, 8
, 9â10
, 94
Betrayed
(Vaughn, B., with Morrill and Blake)
, 69
, 70
Biden, Joe
, 29
, 30
, 31â32
, 33
, 35
Bin Laden, Osama, killing of
announcement of
, 27â28
helicopter attacks as retaliation for
, 115â17
operation planning and execution
, 28
, 29â35
, 52
, 86
SEAL identity security and confidentiality breach
, 28â30
black box (flight data recorder)
description and purpose
, 198
, 233â34
disappearance of
, 203â16
, 234
, 280
, 284
Executive Summary omission
, 65
, 215â16
, 222
flood theory
, 201â2
, 216
, 223â24
, 240
function and purpose
, 233â34
not on aircraft explanation
, 229â30
, 233
, 239â40
recovery attempts
, 198â203
Blake, Cari
, 69
Brennan, John
, 31
British press
, 41
, 43
, 169
, 237â38
, 248â51
, 256
, 262â63
, 284
Brodsky, Aaron
, 227
Brown, Kirk
, 227
bullets
, 41
, 65
, 265â76
, 280
, 281
, 283
, 284
burn (ground illumination)
, 135â40
, 142â45
, 152
, 161
Â
Carter, David
, vi
, 8
, 21
, 84
, 87
, 88
, 178â83
Carter, Laura
, 87
CENTCOM (US Central Command)
, 37â38
.
See also
Mattis, James
Chaffetz, Jason
, 225â26
, 236â40
, 243
Chinook (CH-47D) helicopters
, 96â111
, 114
, 118â19
.
See also
Extortion 16; Extortion 17
Colt, Jeffrey.
See also
Colt Report; Executive Summary
black box briefing information
, 215â16
, 222â24
investigation conclusions and military contradictions
, 42
investigation orders and restraints
, 19
, 22â23
, 54â59
, 63
investigation report submission
, 23
, 37
Colt Report.
See also
Executive Summary
Afghan government relationship with Taliban
, 257
Afghan interviews
, 257â58
, 262
Afghan military alliances
, 260
Afghan passengers identity investigation
, 23â26
, 45
, 47â53
, 68
background on
, 37â39
black box information
, 199â203
, 211â16
burn time and illumination
, 135â40
, 142â45
, 152â53
chronology details
, 221
classification and declassification of
, 22
, 38â39
, 45â46
communication loss and delay
, 119â23
confidentiality methods
, 44â45
day of shoot-down chronology
, 19â21
description and contents
, 22
, 38
distance-to-shooter forensics
, 40â41
, 158â71
Extortion 17 missions
, 178â83
helicopter safety record
, 96â111
investigation for
, 19
, 22â23
, 37
, 54â59
landing zone confusion
, 130â31
, 178
Lima Bravo unit crash site arrival time
, 210
military's official position
, 39
night conditions and visibility
, 172â77
no identifiable remains
, 41
, 42
pilot qualifications
, 89â95
post-shoot-down response and investigation
, 21â24
recovery operation
, 199
, 218
, 219â20
, 221
rules of engagement
, 36
, 41
, 43
, 114
, 127â28
, 158
, 188â92
security breaches
, 42
shoot-down account and testimony
, 146â54
shooter point of origin
, 40â41
, 228â29
sparkle request
, 124â40
Taliban intelligence
, 115â17
versions of
, 55
Combat Assessment Team (CAT)
, 22
, 158â59
, 166
, 194
, 228â29
congressional hearings
, 43
, 225â41
, 242
, 243
, 252
convening authority
, 63
cook-off rounds
, 266â76
, 280
cover-up, overview, and summary
, 281â85
, 286
Crocker, Ryan
, 79â80
, 259
, 261
Crozier, Ezekiel
, 97
, 100
, 102
, 108
Â
Daily Mail
(newspaper)
, 169
, 171
, 231
, 237â38
, 249
, 251
, 255
, 257
, 263
dereliction of duty
, 57â59
, 62
Devillier, John
, 226â27
Di Maio, Vincent J. M.
, 269â71
, 282
distance-to-shooter forensics
, 40â41
, 158â71
, 194
, 228â29
, 284
DNA destruction
, 42
, 65
, 73
, 231
, 243â47
, 284
Doherty, Glen
, 46
Duncan, Spencer C.
, vi
, 8
, 9â10
, 94
, 287
Â
enemy combatants
, 187â94
enlistment expectations
, 9
Executive Summary (Colt Report, Enclosure C)
Afghan passenger identities
, 45
, 65â66
, 181
, 283
Afghan-Taliban negotiations
, 257
autopsy results
, 65
cremation of remains
, 65
description and contents
, 22
ground illumination
, 144
identifiable remains
, 245
Mattis's final report contradictions
, 22â23
, 40â41
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
, 208â9
, 210
, 211
, 221
shooter point of origin
, 158
, 169
, 170
, 229
unidentified coalition group
, 199
explosions
, 275â76
, 280
, 281
Extortion 16 (Chinook transport helicopter, CH-47D)
day of shoot-down chronology
, 20â21
purpose
vs.
mission use
, 82â86
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
, 47â53
, 57
, 63
helicopter description
, vi
, 9
, 118
pilots of
, 2â3
, 5â6
, 20
, 84
, 87â95
purpose
vs.
mission use
, 82â86
, 112â14
, 118â19
Ranger transport mission
, 2
, 5â6
, 8
, 12
, 178â83
, 185
safety record and risk assessments
, 96â111
, 113â14
single helicopter use and overload
, 18â19
, 20
Â
flight data recorders.
See
black box
flooding
, 201â2
, 216
, 223â24
, 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
, 126â27
, 135â36
, 146â49
Â
Gates, Robert
, 29â34
, 30
, 33
Green-on-Blue violence
, 23
, 73â81
, 261
gun tapes
, 125
, 126â27
, 135â36
, 146â49
Â
Hamburger, Doug
, 235
, 236
, 238â39
Hamburger, Pat
, 5
, 7â8
, 9â11
, 12
, 89
, 150
Hatcher, Julian
, 267â69
, 270
, 271
, 282
helicopters.
See also
AC-130 gunship and crew; Apache (AH-64D)
helicopters and crew; Extortion 16; Extortion 17
communication protocols
, 119â20
for Special Operations
, 86
, 110
Taliban attacks on
, 35â36
, 95â111
, 115â17
transport
, 2
, 5
, 82â86
, 96â111
, 114
, 118â19
, 185
Hindu-Kush mountain range
, 3â4