The Night Stalkers again loaded their Chinooks with Rangers and SEALs and took off toward the mountains. As he watched the two Chinooks taxiing onto the runway, he locked eyes with Russell, his platoon sergeant. Disappointed, Brady followed the order and got off the aircraft. Brooks was an incoming freshman at the University of Arizona when Al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four airliners to carry out the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. They then used explosives to clear out a large enough area for Chinooks to land when they came back. A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from 1-228th Aviation Regiment conducting hoist operations. Receiving the transmission, Brady couldnt believe it. "Lone Survivor" included a shot of Kristensens Birkenstock-clad feet trudging out of his quarters after Murphy's call for help is received in the tactical operations center in Jalalabad. He and Eicher hurried back to the operations center. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . Brooks also described the difficulty of navigating the mountain terrain and scrambles up hillsides covered in loose rocky scree as well as dramatic weather changes. Matt Bradys MH-47 Chinook helicopter on Bagram Air Base. They finalized plans and sent the Night Stalkers on their way. That meant if the SEALs got into trouble, extraction would potentially require the use of a hoist to pull the SEALs out, which was a time-consuming and dangerous option. Flying toward Jalalabad en route to the last known position of the SEALs, they received word from Bagram on the number of men they could have on board each aircraft and still fly at the extreme elevation. Brady rushed to the operations center where Chief Warrant Officer 4 Chris Eicher was telling the task force commander that they should wait until dark before sending the QRF because going in during daylight would subject them to more danger. Photo by Cpl. Its not glamorous. The new mission, dubbed Operation Red Wings II, was to recover the fallen heroes and the lone survivor Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell. "We're so over this. Thats not possible, Brady replied, confused at how quickly the SEALs had become compromised. The SEALs did their best to hide the rope and keep their presence on the ridgeline hidden from enemy fighters. Box 4666, Ventura, CA 93007 Request a Quote: taurus 1911 45 acp extended magazine CSDA Santa Barbara County Chapter's General Contractor of the Year 2014! He asked Graham to repeat, unable to register what he had just heard. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Matt Rogie arrived in Bagram just before the Night Stalkers came back after dropping off the recovery force. He went on to work in paramedicine for more than five years, much of that time in the North Minneapolis area, before transitioning to a career in multimedia journalism. Soldiers sit on the rear deck of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter while flying over southern Afghanistan Oct. 19, 2010. Graham watched from Turbine 34 as Turbine 33s ramp lowered and the crewman walked onto it to observe the landing zone below. A glimmer of metal caught a Rangers eye and he picked up a stainless steel dogtag bearing not a name but the Armys Warrior Ethos: I will always place the mission first. Follow @CoffeeOrDieMag on Twitter. The remaining Night Stalkers prepared for a rescue operation. Smith said he saw a line of armored vehicles full of troops. Were completely separate commands. Flying toward Jalalabad en route to the last known position of the SEALs, they received word from Bagram on the number of men they could have on board each aircraft and still fly at the extreme elevation. He didnt think much of it at the time, but many years later he found out a new platoon leader came into their company within the 160th and was responsible for those Black Hawks. We would have to drop a man down with a hoist in that hole of an LZ, Brady explained. Photo courtesy of DVIDS. We reverence the ultimate sacrifice they made while engaged in that fierce firefight on the global war's front lines on terrorism (GWOT). Kristensen confronted him about the decision to cut the rope at the LZ and asked if the Night Stalkers would go back and retrieve it. He asked the AC-130 crew for one final report on the four potential landing zones the Night Stalkers had identified for the mission. Smith said everyone on the Chinook was angry. An MH-47 Chinook with 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and a KC-130J Super Hercules with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 conduct aerial refueling during Exercise Yuma Horizon 19. My eyes were fixed in the distance, scanning, sweeping back and forth. The entire operation followed Project 56 and preceded Project 57.The primary intention was to test new, second-generation thermonuclear weapons.Also tested were fission devices intended to be used as primaries for . Lt. 28, 2005 in Afghanistan. Hoisting a man at that altitude on that kind of terrain at night is a dangerous operation. When I met him there on the ground in Jalalabad, Graham was fairly shaken to say the least, Brady recalled. Brady said he pleaded with Reich to at least let him come with and act as an extra gun and set of eyes. Soldiers and Sailors from the Task Force saying their final goodbyes. Night-vision goggles, weapons and helmets from both sites were recovered over the next two years from Taliban fighters killed in firefights and found in arms caches in the Korengal Valley. Its extremely rare to have something that high-profile as your first mission, I recognize that, Brooks said. The commandos would have to descend from a rope fast-rope while the helos hovered high above the trees. The weather was turning bad again as they offloaded Marines to assist with security. The three-phase plan called for inserting a four-man SR team the first night, then inserting the second element of, This was a desolate part of the Hindu Kush, and at night, you wouldnt really expect to see much, Brady told, . It doesnt make sense., But he knew and lived by the Night Stalkers promise to every customer: If we put you in, well stop at nothing to get you out even if its technically someone elses job.. After refueling, he continued on to Jalalabad and offloaded. The C-17 closed its ramp and taxied down the runway and took flight. He was wickedly smart, but more on the creative side. It didnt look like there was any way anybody could have survived, Graham said. I find it all really strange, all the hero talk. They only attended one memorial dinner in San Diego last week to mark the tenth anniversary of the Red Wings tragedy and turned down other invites to ceremonies. The projectile flew through the open ramp of the Chinook and exploded inside. Good, Brady recalled Reich saying. They would have to offload eight SEALs from each helicopter before continuing. Having walked that ground, it blows my mind that he got out of there alive. 2023 Getty Images. In January 2003, Brooks quit college and within a few months, he joined the Army. Brady knew that surveillance aircraft going off station without backup was supposed to result in aborting the mission. He and Eicher hurried back to the operations center. To me at the moment, it was just another mission, we didnt recognize the importance of it until years later.. They rode it all the way in that way.. The remaining Night Stalkers prepared for a rescue operation. Back at Jalalabad, the commanders decided they had no choice but to wait for better weather and try again the next night. Turbine 34 started taking heavy gunfire from unseen fighters below. In unpublished photos taken of the crash site by an Army photographer, blackened tree stumps poke up from the flattened slope. Steven K. Young, courtesy of DVIDS. They shared a laugh as they loaded up for the flight back to Bagram. Then the realization hit: He was now in charge. The 2007 book "Lone Survivor" was later adapted into a movie of the same name in 2013. Brady told his operations NCO to give him a minute to gather more information to get the next plan of action in place. I will never quit. His creative outlets include Skovlund Photography and Concentrated Emotion, where he publishes poetry focused on his life experiences. One of the SEALs even drew his pistol and attempted unsuccessfully to force the Chinook to land so they could try to save their friends. From left, SGT Carlos Pacheco (3/160 medic, former 3/75), SFC Marcus V. Muralles (Legend 3/160 medic), MAJ Sam Sauer (3/160 flight surgeon), SFC L.E. All of us were pretty broken up at that point, Rogie said. Russell went to work right away getting the crews together to prep the aircraft for the mission. They ascended back into orbit and remained there for an hour until the task force commander ordered them back to Jalalabad. As the Night Stalkers approached Bagram they could see what looked like everyone on base standing outside, showing their respect for the fallen. Nope, I want you to take my spot as the operations officer and monitor from here, Reich replied. There was still some smoldering from the crash site, and I could see the glow from the heat through my night vision.. They only discussed his SEAL career once -- when he told her he was going to Afghanistan. At Jalalabad, Brady was approached by SEAL Commander Erik Kristensen in the command operations center. As the Night Stalkers slept, the SR team was discovered by a numerically superior force of enemy fighters. Photo courtesy of Matt Rogie. "Before he left, I tried to convince him not to go," she said. Not wanting to burn valuable time waiting on approval from the task force commander for the audible, the Night Stalkers continued on without the Apaches. Photo courtesy of Matt Rogie. The mission was to capture or kill Ahmad Shah, a Taliban commander. Bradys maintenance officer woke him and said the SR team was in trouble and the Night Stalkers had orders to spin up and pull the team out. The 2007 book Lone Survivor was later adapted into a movie of the same name in 2013. Brady knew that surveillance aircraft going off station without backup was supposed to result in aborting the mission. Graham reported the situation back to Bagram. Search for jobs related to Operation red wings crash site photos or hire on the world's largest freelancing marketplace with 21m+ jobs. Before and after his presidency were some of the greatest contributions Jimmy Carter made to the world we know today. Three war-weary escorts one of them a SEAL and the other two Night Stalkers Daniel Bell and Chris Eicher sat off to the sides, grimly staring off into space. Kristensen and his SEALs were waiting on the ramp, standing in a circle. battle. ", "I would've hated it if anyone had been killed on that recovery mission," she said after viewing the grim scene the young paratroopers had to sift through in July 2005. When the ramp lowered, the Night Stalkers on the Chinooks stood tall and proud for their fallen brethren as task force members boarded and began solemnly moving each remains bag to the mortuary affairs building. We argued for what seemed like 10 minutes but was actually about 30 seconds, Brady recalled. Brady had no way of knowing at the time, but it would be the last time anyone at Bagram would ever see three of those four Americans alive. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Kristensen confronted him about the decision to cut the rope at the LZ and asked if the Night Stalkers would go back and retrieve it. Search for jobs related to Operation red wings news coverage or hire on the world's largest freelancing marketplace with 22m+ jobs. Then there was NFL football player Pat Tillmans decision to give up his football career and become an Army Ranger. They would have to offload eight SEALs from each helicopter before continuing. The Armys elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) is known for having some of the most skilled aviators in the world, who fly the most elite special operators into some of the most austere environments on earth using the most advanced aircraft in the U.S. military inventory. A dog tag with the "Warrior Ethos" inscribed on it, discovered in the wreckage of a shot down MH-47 helicopter in Operation Red Wings on June 28, 2005. I dont really care, Matt, he told Brady, just get your stuff and get off the airplane. Children of varying ages ran around the coffins, playing and yelling, not yet old enough to understand the sacrifices these warriors made. They shared a laugh as they loaded up for the flight back to Bagram. A lot of guys really wanted to stay on the mission, recalled Chief Warrant Officer 3 Tim Graham, one of the pilots on Turbine 34. Ariann Harrison was an old friend in Washington who said he was sweetly absent-minded, once showing up for a swing dance class in flip-flops and yet "he made it work." We would have to drop a man down with a hoist in that hole of an LZ, Brady explained. Hovering for that long over the same spot would burn the LZ and likely alert the enemy to the SR teams presence.. Cummings, Michael "Multiple Blogs on Operation Red Wings . Standing 6' 4", he is remembered as gregarious and embraced a Jesuit ideal by being a "Man For Others," friends and family said. For the Night Stalkers of the famed 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the war on terror continued. The back of the aircraft contained the flag-draped coffins of 16 great Americans: the fallen Night Stalkers and SEALs from Turbine 33. As a pilot in the 160th, Brady was the air mission commander for the operation. I will never leave a fallen comrade. The determination to not leave their fallen comrades was true of all 16 in Turbine 33 -- and was a promise fulfilled by their Jesuit-taught commander, Kristensen. of 1 Then the realization hit: He was now in charge. I could see the grass being blown by the rotor wash and all the remains bags being lined up in a row 16 of them, Rogie recalled. Wikipedia. The task force commander debriefed the men and then focused on planning their next steps. Since the SEALs werent sure where exactly the compromised team was located, Kristensen believed inserting at a position of tactical advantage was the best option. The sun was fading behind Afghanistans Hindu Kush mountains the evening of June 27, 2005, as a team of four U.S. Navy SEALs walked up the ramp and into the back of U.S. Army Captain Matt Bradys MH-47 Chinook helicopter on Bagram Air Base. They finalized plans and sent the Night Stalkers on their way. The plan was for the SEALs to fast-rope onto the ridgeline above the original LZ. The fallen warriors were now on their way home. Troops searching for the KIA and survivors. Rogie met Eicher on the flight line when he landed after returning from the mission. Smith and the others in Turbine 34 watched helplessly as the Chinook full of their fellow aviators their friends crashed into the mountain and erupted in a ball of flames. We've hated to say no because people are very kind, Sam said. He walked out of the operations center and found Eicher. Not wanting to burn valuable time waiting on approval from the task force commander for the audible, the Night Stalkers continued on without the Apaches. Brady said he estimated the AC-130 would only be off station briefly and that the crew had reported no hostile activity on the LZ. "Erik did what any SEAL would do: go help SEALs in trouble," Navy Capt. However unusual a personality he had, those who knew him agree that he fell in battle personifying the words stamped into that dogtag picked up by the paratrooper in the grime of Turbine 33's wreckage ten years ago. Navy SEAL Lt. He asked the AC-130 crew for one final report on the four potential landing zones the Night Stalkers had identified for the mission. Monitored and controlled by a Joint Terminal Attack Controller at Forward Operating Base Shank via a General Atomics MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle, all six were positively confirmed killed by the bomb strike and subsequent attacks by a Lockheed AC-130 gunship and two Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopter gunships. Reich, who had been designated mission commander for phase two of the operation, felt the QRF was his responsibility. Photo by Spc. The Taliban had pilfered the site, as well as the remains of Murphy -- they even stole his wristwatch -- and fellow SEAL operators Matthew Axelson and Danny Dietz in another location down the mountain in the forest. As Brady climbed into Turbine 33 and started strapping in, Reich tapped his shoulder and asked what the plan was. Brooks said he reached out to Luttrell for his inputs about how to handle the story, but that Luttrell declined to discuss the events of that day. This was a desolate part of the Hindu Kush, and at night, you wouldnt really expect to see much, Brady told Coffee or Die Magazine. When we landed, we just saw a row of Night Stalkers and Rangers and SEALs for as far as I could see, lined up and ready to help transport the remains off and take them to the mortuary affairs section, Brady recalled. I will never accept defeat. The 160th had only lost helicopters during daylight missions at that point theyre called, Combat Engineer: The Unsung Hero of the Battlefield, Troops Who Refused COVID Vaccine Still May Face Discipline, New Statue Will Pay Tribute to Vietnam-Era Military Wives Who Took on the US Government, Heroism & Guts What It Takes To Earn the Navy Cross, From the Silent Service to the Presidency: The Life of Jimmy Carter, Nolan Peterson, Coffee or Dies Ukraine Reporter, Addresses DC, Prosecutors: Marine Threatened To Chop Wife With Machete, Eddie Rickenbacker: Americas Most Decorated World War I Ace, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Thunder boomed as lightning struck all around them. The men of the task force saying their final goodbyes to the fallen before they are flown home to their final resting place. As they were turning around, Graham saw five Black Hawks performing a star-cluster evasion. This is my mission.. It means you cant drift any direction without crashing.. There were 100-foot-tall trees on all sides of the Chinook, and they were so close the pilots had no room to sway as they descended. This is my mission.. Each of the five Black Hawks was loaded with Marines and had flown out thinking they were the QRF for the SR team. The back of the aircraft contained the flag-draped coffins of 16 great Americans: the fallen Night Stalkers and SEALs from Turbine 33. The JSOC troops, along with their newly arrived reinforcements, went to work recovering those killed in action as well as sensitive equipment that could not fall into enemy hands. Kristensen agreed with Bradys evaluation, and after the SR team radioed that they would be lying down for the day in their hide site, Brady and Kristensen called it a night. "Erik was just his own man. — -- When Ed and Suzanne Kristensen first heard about a Chinook helicopter being shot down in eastern Afghanistan on June 28, 2005, at first they feared for their Navy SEAL son Erik, who was deployed there at the time, but were reassured by a Navy friend that he likely wouldn't have been aboard. They ascended back into orbit and remained there for an hour until the task force commander ordered them back to Jalalabad. In an interview with American Military News, Brooks said the motto leave no man behind was drilled into our heads as U.S. Army Rangers and his first real mission instilled the importance of that motto as he and his unit risked their own lives trying to find the members of Operation Red Wings. He walked out of the operations center and found Eicher. Shroades (medic R/160), SGT Dan Bell (E Co/160) during during the timeframe of Operation Red Wings. The recent major motion picture "Lone Survivor" tells the story of Operation Red Wings, an ill-fated 2005 Navy SEAL reconnaissance operation in Afghanistan. Commander Erik Kristensen died trying to rescue his fellow SEALs in the Operation Red Wings disaster 10 years ago. Our plan of action is for you to get us to the high ground as close to the troops in contact as you can, and were going to fight our way downhill, Brady recalled Kristensen saying. Chris, Turbine 33 has just been shot down, he told Eicher, whod earned the nickname Iceman for his always cool demeanor. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. The mission was to capture or kill Ahmad Shah, a Taliban commander. Hold your right and left; hold your front and rear, came the internal radio traffic from the flight engineer to Brady. . The C-17 closed its ramp and taxied down the runway and took flight. But we think about it all the time.". OPERATION RED WINGS began with an insertion of a four-man NAVSOF reconnaissance and surveillance team near the summit of Sawtalo Sar late in the night of 27 June 2005. (Diversion Books image/Released). 1st Class Mike Russell, was sleeping and updated him on what had unfolded. It would take them until . Graham and his co-pilot whipped their Chinook around to look for survivors. But Reich cut the debate short. That weather out there is unbelievable. The pilots descended to the point where the Chinooks front rotor was just a few feet away from the mountainside with tall trees all around the aircraft. The Navy Cross the branchs second-highest award for valor in combat isnt handed out to just anybody. Operation Red Wings was a pyrrhic victory U.S. victory. When Turbine 33 was shot down, they received orders to fly back along with Turbine 34 and the Apache gunships until the next phase of the mission was developed. The SEAL commander broke down and cried at the desperately needed positive news. Smith said everyone on the Chinook was angry. The task force commander denied the request and ordered Turbine 34 back to Jalalabad. Were completely separate commands. They finalized plans and . So the enemy is one factor, but the terrain and weather are now a huge factor, and theyre starting to overtake the enemy in terms of danger to the force, Brady said. As the Night Stalkers approached Bagram they could see what looked like everyone on base standing outside, showing their respect for the fallen. The League of Wives Memorial will be the first public memorial in the country to recognize military spouses, its planners say. He and some of his fellow Night Stalkers felt the SEALs plan was too risky. After several tense moments of struggling to bring in the rope, they decided to cut it loose. They were exhausted and angry with the mistake the U.S. Air Force had made when they allowed Space-A seating to be filled on this leg of the flight home. From there, he made his way through the rigorous training to become a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment. Then the helos blades started hitting each other, and the aircraft rolled to the right before inverting as it descended to the mountainous terrain below. Once on the ground, theyd have to pick up the rope, hook it to themselves, and get hoisted back up. Chris, Turbine 33 has just been shot down, he told Eicher, who earned the nickname Iceman for his always cool demeanor. Thats not possible, Brady replied, confused at how quickly the SEALs had become compromised. He didnt think much of it at the time, but many years later he found out a new platoon leader came into their company within the 160th and was responsible for those Black Hawks. You are giving solace to someone other than yourself, and yet you are helping yourself," she said. : r/CombatFootage by GGdigger NSFW Rare footage of the disastrous Operation Red Wings from the Taliban PoV. The two Apaches had arrived on station, drawing heavy gunfire, but nonetheless giving Turbine 34s crew back in the operations center a good look at the crash site. And that's what happened here. The movie is based on Marcus. They were exhausted and angry with the mistake the US Air Force had made when they allowed Space-A seating to be filled on this leg of the flight home. Finally, 150 US Marines would come in to establish blocking positions for the SEALs assault on Shahs compound. As the cases were being loaded, a SEAL ran up to the new SEAL commander and placed a written note in his hand. Its in an area where, if someones above you on the high ground, youve got nowhere to go.. ", "But he wasn't a non-conformist just to be a non-conformist," Ismay explained. Photo courtesy of Matt Rogie. It just didnt look good.. Photo courtesy of Matt Rogie. Graham reported the situation back to Bagram. It was this sort of behaviour from SEALs at the time, which seemed to be rampant across all NATO ops, which caused army SF to constantly hate on them and talk shit. "It is very redeeming thing. Joshua is married with two children. Guys gave him a lot of grief but he was witty about it," Redman, author of "The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy SEAL Leader," said in an interview. A down to earth, happy-go-lucky guy," Roth said. Photo courtesy of Matt Rogie. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. As they were turning around, Graham saw five Black hawks performing a star-cluster evasion. As Brady approached the Chinook hed be flying, he noticed the tail number: 1-4-6.