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KABUL, Afghanistan The last radio contact was an urgent appeal for help. Night was falling, a rainstorm threatening, and four Navy SEAL commandos were surrounded by about a dozen militants in rugged, wooded mountains. They needed reinforcements.
That hurried call set in motion a chain of events that would lead to the U.S. military's deadliest blow in Afghanistan, and the greatest loss of life ever for the elite force of SEALs.
Nine days after the ambush and subsequent downing of a U.S. special forces helicopter with 16 troops aboard, U.S military officials in Kabul and Washington are starting to draw a clearer picture of what happened and have revealed some details.
The four commandos one has been rescued, two were killed and one is still missing were on a reconnaissance mission June 28 as part of Operation Red Wing, searching for Taliban-led rebels and al Qaeda fighters in Kunar province, military spokesman Col. James Yonts said.
The region's rugged, wooded mountains are popular with militants because they are easy to infiltrate from neighboring Pakistan and have plenty of places to hide.
The SEAL team specially trained "not only in the art of combat, but also in medicine and communications" were attacked by a "pretty large force of enemy terrorists" and radioed for reinforcements, Yonts said at a press conference.
After the radio call for help, eight Navy SEALs and an eight-member crew from the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers, flew toward the mountains in a special forces MH-47 Chinook helicopter.
It was dusk as they neared the high-altitude battlefield. Suddenly, militants hiding in the thick forest fired what is believed to have been a rocket-propelled grenade at the massive chopper, hitting it, he said. Lt. Gen. James Conway, director of operations for the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the shot as "pretty lucky."
Though damaged, the chopper flew on for about a mile before landing badly on a small ledge on the side of the mountain, then tumbling into a steep ravine. All 16 onboard are thought to have died in the crash. Militants then swarmed over the wreckage.
U.S. warplanes, more helicopters and forces on the ground were dispatched to the site, but they were hampered by the approaching rainstorm that lashed the mountains for 24 hours. In the meantime, there was no contact from the four commandos. U.S. forces finally reached the wreckage of the helicopter last Thursday, 36 hours after it went down. The bodies of the 16 ages 21 to 40 were recovered and flown to Bagram, the main U.S. base in Afghanistan, before being transported to Dover, Del.
Then on Saturday, a breakthrough came in the search for the four commandos. A friendly tribal elder living in the nearby mountains told authorities he was caring for one of them in his house, Kunar Gov. Asadullah Wafa said. It wasn't clear how the commando got there, he said. U.S. forces rushed to the site and found the commando, wounded, but in stable condition.
On Sunday, U.S. troops in the area spotted the bodies of two of the commandos in a deep ravine. It took another 24 hours to recover their remains and fly them to Bagram. About 300 troops and numerous aircraft were still searching for the fourth missing SEAL Wednesday.
Ceremony honors 11 SEAL commandos killed in Afghanistan fighting
(AP) - BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Hundreds of U.S. troops gathered Wednesday at
the main American military base in Afghanistan for an emotional tribute to 11
Navy SEAL commandos killed in recent fighting, honoring them as "the very
best of the best."
Three of the 11 were members of a four-man special forces unit that disappeared
June 28 in mountains in Kunar, an eastern province near the border with
Pakistan. All are believed to have died in a firefight with militants on the day
they disappeared. The fourth was rescued July 3.
The eight others killed were on a special forces helicopter shot down while
trying to rescue the four. Also killed on the chopper were eight members of the
3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, a unit of elite Army
helicopter crews that flies commandos behind enemy lines under cover of night.
"Our hearts are heavy with grief and the overwhelming sense of complete
loss of our friends who were with us and then taken all at once," said Col.
Pat Higgins, special forces commander in Afghanistan. "No words of mine can
adequately express the sorrow we feel at the loss of so many."
About 700 troops attended the service at Bagram air base, 30 miles north of
Kabul, the capital. Photographs of the 11 men and 11 rifles stood in a row.
Many troops cried as a slide projector flashed photos of the 11 on a screen -
some showing the men standing and smiling with Afghan civilians or posing in
front of a helicopter. The closing image showed a line of caskets draped in U.S.
flags in a transport airplane.
"Each one of these men was a unique and gifted individual with hopes and
dreams and fears," Higgins said. "They came from different homes and
different backgrounds. They came together to be part of an elite brotherhood of
warriors to rise to the challenge of being the very best of the best. And they
were the best of the best."
- Article submitted at 12:26 PM (CST) on 7/14/2005
Back to the home
page.
Special Ops Rescue in Afghanistan Sunday, July 03, 2005
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan Rescue teams found a member of a missing elite military team in the mountains of Afghanistan Sunday, senior military commanders told FOX News.
The soldier was wounded and will be transferred to Germany's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (search ) at Ramstein Air Base (search), the senior commanders told FOX News.
The three others that make up the rest of the special forces team remain missing and U.S. forces continue the search. Defense Department officials declined to confirm specific reports that three Seals were being sought.
The military commanders told FOX News they believe the rest of the special forces team is alive but refused to discuss details of the operation.
The elite troops were reported missing in mountains in Kunar province, near the border with Pakistan, a week ago.
A rescue attempt Tuesday ended in tragedy when a transport helicopter seeking to extract the team was shot down, killing 16 troops aboard.
The deaths brought to 45 the number of U.S. forces killed in Afghanistan over the past three months amid a surge in fighting ahead of fall elections.
Pro-Government Cleric Killed
Meanwhile, gunmen on motorcycles shot a senior pro-government cleric to death Sunday in the second such attack in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar in just over a month.
The cleric, Mohammed Nabi Misbah, a senior member of Afghanistan's Islamic clergy, the Ulema Council, was shot Sunday as he drove from his office to his home in Kandahar, according to city police chief Gen. Ayub Salangi.
He was taken to a nearby U.S. military base for treatment but died, Salangi said.
In late May, cleric Abdul Fayaz, also a supporter of U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai, was shot dead. At his funeral, a suicide bomber killed 20 people.
Hitting back at the insurgency, U.S. and Afghan forces killed five suspected Taliban rebels Saturday in mountains east of Kandahar, local police chief Gulam Rassol said. Ten suspected rebels also were captured. U.S.-led coalition troops and Afghan police had raided a rebel camp in the area and were still searching Sunday for more insurgents, he said.
Taliban-led rebels have targeted hundreds of people linked to Karzai's government in an unprecedented surge in violence since March which has left nearly 700 people dead and threatened three years of progress toward peace.
FOX News' Bret Baier, Andrew Hard and The Associated Press contributed to
this report.
Monday, July 11, 2005; Posted: 3:41 a.m. EDT (07:41 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The body of a U.S. Navy SEAL has been found and recovered in Afghanistan, a senior defense official said Sunday.
This would account for the fourth member of a reconnaissance team that disappeared two weeks ago in Afghanistan. Only one of the four survived.
The body of the SEAL was found near the other two bodies and all three had died in a shootout with insurgents, according to an initial assessment from the field, the senior official said.
"The final member was located during a combat search-and-rescue operation July 10 in Kunar province," the military said in a statement early Monday. "The location and disposition of the service member's remains indicate he died while fighting off enemy terrorists on or about June 28."
This senior official said that "no way" had the SEAL ever been in captivity, contrary to Taliban claims that he had been abducted.
The Taliban is the fundamentalist Islamic faction that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until late 2001 when a U.S.-led coalition knocked it from power.
It continues to conduct guerrilla operations in the country, particularly along the border with Pakistan.
The lone SEAL survivor -- whom the military has not identified publicly -- was aided by Afghans who found him and sheltered him until he could be rescued by the U.S. military, the senior official said.
Military officials said the survivor was knocked off his feet by the blast of a rocket detonation during fighting with insurgents, and slid down a mountainside in the steep terrain.
When he came to a stop, he was out of sight of the insurgents, the officials said.
The SEALs made up a four-man reconnaissance team that called for reinforcements last week near the Afghan-Pakistan border.
A U.S. military helicopter crashed June 28 while bringing in those reinforcements, killing all 16 service members on board.
The U.S. military has said it believes insurgents shot down the chopper.
Meanwhile, suspected Taliban gunmen ambushed a border patrol in the desert near the frontier with Pakistan, killing and beheading 10 Afghan soldiers, a provincial governor said Sunday, the Associated Press reported.
Violence elsewhere in the troubled country on Sunday left 15 rebels and soldiers dead.
CNN's Barbara Starr contributed to this report
Afghans
decry deaths by U.S. airstrike; 2 SEALS are dead
Posted 7/4/2005 9:56 AM Updated 7/5/2005 10:14 AM
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) Afghanistan on Tuesday condemned the killing of up to 17 civilians in a U.S. airstrike, and a senior American defense official confirmed the deaths of two Navy SEALs who were missing in action in the country's northeast.The airstrike came Friday in Kunar province, which borders Pakistan, the area where a U.S. transport helicopter was downed late last month, killing 16 troops in the deadliest single blow to American forces since they ousted the Taliban in 2001.
"The president is extremely saddened and disturbed," said Jawed Ludin, President Hamid Karzai's chief of staff. "There is no way ... the killing of civilians can be justified. ... It's the terrorists we are fighting. It's not our people who should suffer."
A government team is on its way to the site to investigate the bombing, a Defense Ministry statement said.
Meanwhile, two members of the U.S. Navy's elite special forces branch who were missing in Kunar have been found dead, a senior U.S. defense official in Washington said Monday night. Another SEAL was rescued Saturday and the fate of a fourth was unknown.
The official who confirmed the recovery of the two bodies spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing effort to account for the missing U.S. servicemen in Afghanistan.
The team of SEALs was reported missing on June 28. A rescue effort that day ended in tragedy when the transport helicopter seeking to extract the team was shot down.
The serviceman rescued Saturday had taken shelter in a village elder's home before American forces were notified of his location and picked him up, said Kunar provincial Gov. Asadullah Wafa.
Speaking about the U.S. airstrike, Wafa told The Associated Press that an initial strike destroyed a house, and as villagers gathered to look at the damage, a U.S. warplane dropped a second bomb on the same target, killing 17 of them, including three women and children.
He said it was unclear who was killed in the initial attack in the tiny village of Chechal. "Maybe some militants were killed, but I don't know," he said. "The 17 people were killed in the second bombing."
The U.S. military said the attack was carried out "with precision-guided munitions that resulted in the deaths of an unknown number of enemy terrorists and noncombatants."
"The targeted compound was a known operating base for terrorist attacks in Kunar province as well as a base for a medium-level terrorist leader," it said. "Battle damage assessment is currently ongoing."
The statement added U.S. forces "regret the loss of innocent lives and follow stringent rules of engagement specifically to ensure that noncombatants are safeguarded. However, when enemy forces move their families into the locations where they conduct terrorist operations, they put these innocent civilians at risk."
The civilians are the latest victims in an unprecedented spate of violence that has left about 700 people dead and threatened to sabotage three years of progress toward peace. Afghan officials insist the violence will not disrupt landmark legislative elections slated for September.
A purported Taliban spokesman, Mullah Latif Hakimi, claimed last week that militants had captured one of the SEALs. He said the "high-ranking American" was caught in the area where the helicopter went down.
Hakimi, who also claimed insurgents shot down the helicopter, often calls news organizations to take responsibility for attacks, and the information frequently proves exaggerated or untrue. His exact tie to the Taliban leadership is unclear.
U.S. officials said they had no evidence indicating any service members had been taken into captivity.
At Watering Hole, SEALs' Sad Tidings
Members
gather at McP's to recall those killed in Afghanistan plane crash -- the
worst one-day toll in the elite Navy group's history. July 25, 2005
TRIBUTE TO U.S. NAVY SEALS Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to
recognize and pay tribute to the 10 courageous sailors who lost their lives
in Afghanistan
during Operation Enduring Freedom on 28 June 2005 by printing the
eloquent words of U.S. Navy RADM Joseph Maguire, Commander, Naval Special
Warfare Command, during a memorial speech at Naval Amphibious Base Little
Creek on July 8, 2005. I ask unanimous consent to print this tribute in
the RECORD. There being no objection, the material was
ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows: (By Rear Admiral Joseph Maguire) Good Morning. On behalf of the
Commander, United States Special Operations Command, General Doug Brown, the
United States Navy, the proud men and women of Naval Special Warfare, I'd
like to welcome everybody to this morning's memorial service for our ten
fallen Sailors. We're honored to have with us
today the leaders of our nation and our Navy. We are joined this morning in
grief. The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator John
Warner, Congresswoman Thelma Drake, our local Congresswoman, Ambassador
Joseph Prurer and Mrs. Prurer, Undersecretary of the Navy Aviles, the Vice
Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Willard and Mrs. Willard. The Commander
Fleet Forces Command, Admiral Nathman and Mrs. Nathman, and the General
Council of the United States Navy, Mr. Mora. In addition to that we have
many general officers [From the joint services, retired community, retired
Flag Officers. I'd also like to extend a welcome to our many veterans here
today, our combat veterans. I would also like to extend a
warm welcome to our families in Naval Special Warfare, especially to the
families of Squadron Ten, whose husbands are still deployed and engaged in
combat operations far away. But most importantly I'd like to welcome the
families of the ten SEALs that we honor here today. Earlier in this week I
along with General Brown and many others have been attending memorial
services for our United States Army Special Operations Aviation Regiment,
the 160th, located at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Hunter Army Air Field,
where as you all know we lost eight brave Special Operations Aviators. This morning we pause to honor
the memory of ten Navy SEALS, in particular the six SEALS who were home
ported here at the Naval Amphibious Base in Little Creek. I'd also like to
extend a welcome to those who can't be with us physically in this theater
right now. The theater holds 1800 people and we filled that up earlier this
morning. And for those of you in the overflow where we have nearly 2000
people seated, I welcome you this morning and I apologize that we did not
have space for everybody to be in here physically. But I know, spiritually,
that you're with us and we sincerely appreciate you being part of the
ceremony this morning. My remarks will be short. I think
it's important that you hear from the friends and loved ones, and also
Commodore Pete Van Hooser has got some very important things to say. But what I would like to say as
the Commander for Naval Special Warfare and the head of this community, how
proud I am to be the Commander for Naval Special Warfare and have the
opportunity to lead and serve with these ten fine men. Naval Special Warfare
is the smallest war fighting community in the Navy. There's 1750 enlisted
men and six 600 officers. We're a small town, we literally know each other,
and honestly, for those of you it may be hard to believe if you see the way
we act with each other, we love one another. Everything that you see here and
everything this morning was put together by their Teammates. I'd like to
call your attention to the operational equipment that we have forward here
on stage. It traces its proud heritage back to World War II. The Underwater
Demolition Teams and the Navy Combat Demolition Units and you'd have to go
all the way back to World War II to get the number of Naval Special Warriors
who died in one day in one military operation. The loss of one SEAL, the
loss of one military man is more than we could possibly bear, but to have
ten or our brave men perish in one day along with eight of our Nightstalkers
is truly a remarkable day and one that will always be etched in our memory. But before you though you have
UDT swim fins, a UDT lifejacket, a web belt and a mask. And it may seem
strange to you knowing that these Naval commandos died on a mountain top
7,500 feet in elevation in a country 300 miles from the sea. But our nation
called. These are the same people that flew the planes into the Twin Towers
that flew the plane into the Pentagon that also flew the plane into the
ground in Pennsylvania. The Al Qaeda and the Taliban are barely
distinguishable and these are the people that these brave men, these ten
men, went out to meet and engage in combat. So although the operational
equipment that they had on them that day on the 28th of June was not swim
fins, not a UDT life jacket, not a mask, perhaps a K-Bar. We thought it's
appropriate because we are first and foremost warriors from the sea, Navy
men, that we honor them today as SEALs and Navy men. The last thing I'd like to just
mention is the knife that's on the web belt. The K-Bar also dates back to
the knife used by the UDT in World War II. And a tradition in Naval Special
Warfare when a young man finishes his training and is awarded his trident,
when he is awarded his trident he is also presented a K-Bar, and on that
K-Bar is inscribed the name of a SEAL who went before him, where he died,
and the date he died on. So that knife would always link him to the past and
serve as an inspiration to him as a SEAL in combat in the future. These ten
knives that we have up here are now etched with your husbands, your son,
your brother, your father, your uncle, your nephew, your neighbor, your
friend, and to us our Teammates names. You can take these home with you
today, and I hope that you treasure them, but what I want you to know is
that in the future when fellow SEALs become SEALS and they are presented
with their K-Bars, the name of these men will be engraved to serve as an
inspiration to future SEALs in combat, our teammates. And I want to leave you with
this. We have a creed, we have many things in Naval Special Warfare, but to
sum it up, it is loyalty to our teammates dead or alive. These ten men are
no longer with us, that doesn't mean that our allegiance and our covenant
ends with them today. We will remain their teammates forever and to the
family members sitting here, always know that we will always be there from
them, always there for you and, we will always stay connected. God bless and
thank you. I'd like to go into the awards
presentation now and I ask all of the guests and military to remain seated
as we make the presentations so that all can see. The Silver Star Medal, Bronze
Star Medal with Valor, Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon and Afghanistan
Campaign Medal will be presented posthumously for the actions in the
following citation below. On Tuesday 28 June 2005, thirty
members of Naval Special Warfare Task Unit-
By Tony Perry, Times Staff Writer
CORONADO The music was loud and the beer was
flowing, but there was an undercurrent of sadness this weekend at McP's, a
legendary hangout for Navy SEALs.
One of the U.S. military's smallest and most secretive combat units, the
SEALs had just suffered the worst one-day death toll in the group's history.
Eight SEALs were killed last week in the crash of a Chinook helicopter in
the mountains of Afghanistan while on a rescue mission. But the news may get
worse.
Although one SEAL being sought by the troops on the downed helicopter has
been found, three others may still be missing.
"The entire SEAL community is devastated," said a SEAL who, true
to SEAL secrecy, would only give his name as David. "It's devastating,
but it's also humbling. It shows you how dangerous this job is."
McP's, a block from the landmark Hotel del Coronado, is a short drive from
the SEALs' base, one of two in the United States.
The SEAL unit was formed in 1963 at the urging of President John F. Kennedy.
Until last week's helicopter crash killed eight SEALs and eight Army
soldiers, the largest loss of life among the Navy commandos was during the
Vietnam War, when five SEALs were killed in a helicopter crash.
In 1983, four SEALs drowned during the U.S. offensive in Grenada and in
1989, four were killed in a firefight as U.S. forces in Panama captured Gen.
Manuel Noriega. No SEALs have been reported killed in Iraq or during the
1991 Persian Gulf War.
The SEALs killed in the Chinook crash were from squads based in Virginia
Beach, Va., and Pearl Harbor. There has been no announcement where the
missing SEALs were stationed.
"We're a small community, very tight, and everybody feels each
loss," said Brian Cooper, who retired last year as a SEAL and comes to
McP's to see friends who are on active duty.
While there are other watering holes favored by SEALs including Danny's
Palm Bar and Grill in Coronado and Ye Olde Plank Inn in Imperial Beach
McP's Irish Pub & Grill remains the most popular.
It's here that SEALs come when they return from an overseas mission. This is
the place where newly initiated SEALs celebrate after completing the
grueling 26-week basic training at the Naval Special Warfare Center here.
Owned by former SEAL Greg McPartlin, the walls of McP's are covered with
SEAL memorabilia, including a picture of McPartlin and his SEAL team in
Vietnam. Navy blue T-shirts are sold with the name of the bar and the words
"U.S. Navy SEALs."
McP's was even mentioned in the 1997 movie "G.I. Jane" starring
Demi Moore in the fictional story of first female SEAL. "McP's is a
legend," David said.
Split between West Coast and East Coast teams, there are 2,400 SEALs, backed
by 600 special warfare combat craft crewmen and 2,000 support personnel.
The Bush administration wants to increase the number of SEALs by 15%. The
dropout rate during SEALs training is said to exceed 50%. To encourage SEALs
to reenlist, the Navy offers bonuses of more than $45,000.
Even by the standards of other special operations units, the SEALs the
name comes from sea, air and land are secretive. In Iraq and
Afghanistan, reporters traveling with Army and Marine Corps units are
required to promise not to mention the presence of SEALs.
In war zones, the SEALs avoid wearing recognizable insignia, but McP
T-shirts are often a giveaway.
For years, SEALs staged a demonstration each Fourth of July to give the
public a glimpse of their skills, such as "fast roping" from
helicopters into San Diego Bay. The demonstrations were canceled after the
Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as SEALs deployed abroad.
Even before the U.S. invasion, SEALs slipped into Iraq, assessing the
strength of bridges and roads, and testing the Euphrates and Tigris rivers
for poison gas. SEALs seized dams, secured oilfields and assisted in the
2003 rescue of Jessica Lynch.
SEALs were assigned to work with the CIA to capture suspected terrorists, a
fact that was unknown until eight SEALs were accused of mistreating
prisoners. The charges were handled administratively; in the only
court-martial, a SEAL lieutenant was acquitted last month by a jury whose
foreman was a SEAL officer.
The mission in Afghanistan was one for which the SEALs are known to train
extensively, rescuing and reinforcing other troops in rugged terrain
surrounded by enemy forces.
The SEAL named David said he believes the deaths in Afghanistan will only
increase the desire of SEALs to "get into the action."
"It will show the guys that this thing isn't over," he said.
"I don't know a guy who isn't motivated to get over there."
Cooper agreed. "I think the general mood is 'mourn quickly and move
on,' " he said. "There's a job to be done."
KIA Erik S. Kristinsen (SEAL)
We
have a good friend, Michael Weiner, whose son is a team member of the
SEALS recently
lost in
on the loss.
It shows great wisdom and sadness. The test of his email
follows:
Capt. Norman Olson (SEAL) USN Ret.
Subject: fallen
brothers
Most of you
heard of the CH-47 helicopter that was shot down over the
mountains of
SEALs, in
addition to the crew of the special forces helicopter, "The
Nightstalkers".
All were answering the call of a 4-man SEAL element
engaged in a
gunfight with the Taliban. All soldiers onboard the
helicopter
perished. Three out of the four on the ground lost their lives,
while one
narrowly escaped. Eleven SEALS dead. It was the worst loss of
life in a
single day over the last four d ecades for Naval Special Warfare.
These are the
details that come across the news wire.
I'd like to
share a few words with you on a more personal note. Five of
those SEALs
were teammates, friends, and brothers of mine at SEAL Delivery
Vehicle Team
ONE in
Axelson, and
Michael Murphy.
Senior Chief
Dan Healy was a resident SDV guru among other things.
Everyone loved
his Irish personality. I went to him many times for help,
and he always
took time out of his day to show me the right way to do
things.
He was a true professional, never taking any shortcuts to save
time. He
was a family man more than anything else. As friend
put it,
"if I were to point to a guy I wanted my son to be like, I would
point to Dan
and say, be like that guy son"
Petty Officer
2nd Class James Suh was the ultimate perfectionist, spending
hours playing
with hi s gear. James and I were in the same stick of five
guys going
through free fall school last September. As it took me three
attempts to
pass our last graded jump, James was the first guy on the
ground to help
me re-pack my parachute and offer words of encouragement.
In what little
time James had away from training, he moved his father out
to
Petty Officer
2nd Class Shane Patton? you can't help but start laughing
when speaking
of Shane as a result of his flamboyant personality. I first
met Shane in
BUD/s.
There were many young guys to start first phase, but
he was the only
18 year-old on the other side of Hell Week. Shane and I
went through
all phases of our training and checked into SDVT-1 together
We were
neighbors in
charisma about
him, oozing of confidence. He was a fri end to everyone, and
he was always
true to his word. As Shane would say, "Tee-Rue". Never
once
did I see him
get mad, a sense of humor about everything! The youngest of
the group,
Shane was 22.
Petty Officer
2nd Class Matt Axelson or "Cool-Hand Luke" as his
platoon-mates
referred to him. A very calm guy, Matt kept true to the SEAL
motto, "a
quiet professional". All the guys looked up to Matt and sought
his insight on
most everything. A sage of many sorts, Matt had creative
solutions to
everything. Matt was the last guy recovered on July 10th. Up
to that point,
his platoon expressed that they were fully expecting a call
from him,
saying, "hey guys, bring me some more ammunition, I've found a
cave and I'm
having fun out here".
Lieutenant
Michael Murphy or "Murph," the Fiery Irishman from
Murph moved
fast. He was the most selfless guy I've ever met, and he kept
hims elf on a
busy agenda to help as many people as he could. I met Murph
back in April
2003 when I checked in. Our work at the team kept us around
each other a
lot. Though a peer in age and rank, I looked up to him a
great deal.
His strong sense of character, sound moral and ethical
standards,
toughness in the face of adversity, and good sense of humor
throughout it
all were the qualities Mike displayed on a daily basis.
Murph was a
family-man, caring fiancι, great friend, concerned citizen,
warrior,
admired by those who knew him, and inspiring to those who were
close to him.
Those thoughts
are just a snapshot, and obviously do not do justice to
adequately
describe who these men were to their family and friends.
I had the honor
and privilege to attend Shane's funeral in
July 13th.
Both were extremely well done and I am grateful and thankful
for those
responsible.
These men did
not die in vain. The four guys on the ground, severely
outnumbered,
fought and killed numerous Taliban. The guys on the
helicopter were
aware of the situation and acted without hesitation in an
attempt to save
their buddies. The question that pains every American
during a time
of war all the sudden takes new meaning to me "Is war worth
the cost of
American life?" As a pallbearer walking Murph down the isle in
his
into tears, the
feeling of sadness and loss was never more real to me. As
I stood at
attention and watched our SEAL Admiral present the Silver Star,
Purple Heart
and American Flag to Murph's mother, speaking the words, "On
behalf of a
grateful nation?we are sorry?" total helplessness overwhelmed
me.
To their family
and friends, an unbearable feeling of loss? and to a
nation? an
equally great loss. For these men, already Great Americans were
to go on and be
contributing citizens for a better society, a better
future.
They were the men that would champion a cause to benefit the
greater good.
Individuals like that cannot be replaced. They are
extremely rare,
and
worth it?
In my humble opinion, there is no rationale way to justify their
sacrifice.
To me, the loss of Dan, James, Shane, Matt, and Murph is a
painful
exchange for the gains that come from this war, but at the end of
the day, there
is bigger problem that this war plays a critical role in?
there is still
a bill to pay. That bill takes into account your great
education, your
childhood sports team, your peaceful neighborhood, your
first car, your
first road-trip through the
State of
barbeque, and
most importantly, your ability to choose whatever you want to
do or say.
That
bill is the price of our freedom, and while I am still trying to
understand all
of this, four words remain. Freedom is not free.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-liseal0714,0,7813906.story?coll=ny-
SENATE
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July 29, 2005
The reconnaissance element was bravely fighting Anti-Coalition Militia, who held both a numerical and positional advantage. The ensuing firefight resulted in numerous enemy personnel killed, with several of the SEALs suffering casualties.
After receiving the task to reinforce, the Quick Reaction Force loaded aboard two MH-47 U.S. Special Operations Army helicopters planning to air assault onto a hostile battlefield, ready to engage and destroy the enemy in order to protect the lives of their fellow SEALs. Demonstrating exceptional resolve and fully comprehending the ramifications of the mission, the Quick Reaction Force, while airborne, continued to refine the plan of attack to support both the reinforcement task and hasty execution of their intended deliberate assault.
As the helicopter approached the nearly inaccessible mountainside and hovered in preparation for a daring fast-rope insertion of the SEALs, the aircraft was struck by an enemy rocket-propelled grenade fired by Anti-Coalition Militiaman. The resulting explosion and impact caused the tragic and untimely death of all SEALs and Army Night Stalkers onboard.
These men answered the call to duty with conspicuous gallantry. Their bravery and heroism in the face of severe danger while fighting a determined enemy in the Global War on Terror was extraordinary. Their courageous actions, zealous initiative and loyal dedication to duty reflected great credit upon themselves, Naval Special Warfare, and the United States Navy. For the President, Vern Clark, U.S. Navy, Chief of Naval Operations.
The presentations this morning will be made by Commodore Pete Van Hooser, Commander, Naval Special Warfare Group Two and Master Chief Chuck Williams, Command Master Chief of SEAL Team Ten.
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The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, and <Afghanistan> Campaign Medal posthumously to LCDR Erik Kristensen, United States Navy.
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon and <Afghanistan> Campaign Medal posthumously to LT Mike McGreevy, United States Navy.
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, and <Afghanistan> Campaign Medal posthumously to Chief Fire Controlman Jacques Fontan, United States Navy.
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, and <Afghanistan> Campaign Medal posthumously to Electronics Technician 1st Class Jeffrey Lucas, United States Navy. Accepting his father's awards is his son, Seth Lucas.
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon and <Afghanistan> Campaign Medal posthumously to Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Jeffrey Taylor, United States Navy.
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Silver Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, and <Afghanistan> Campaign Medal posthumously to Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Danny Dietz, United States Navy.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I would like to associate myself with these exceptional remarks by Admiral Maguire. Our great country will forever owe these courageous SEALs a debt of gratitude for their selfless actions in battle on June 28, 2005. While I am sorry that the families of these men have suffered such an irreplaceable loss, I am proud that America produced such fine gentlemen who valiantly answered the call to defend these United States. Recalling our national anthem, I say, we would not be "the land of the free" were we not also the "home of the brave."
Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and pay tribute to the 10 courageous sailors who lost their lives in <Afghanistan> during Operation Enduring Freedom on June 28, 2005, by reading the eloquent words of U.S. Navy CAPT Pete Van Hooser, Commander, Naval Special Warfare Group Two, during a memorial speech at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek on July 8, 2005.
I ask unanimous consent to print this tribute in the RECORD.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
(By CAPT Pete Van Hooser)
I am always humbled in the presence of warriors. We have been in sustained combat for over 3 years-things have changed.
I find myself speaking in public a lot more than I would like, but I always start by thanking four groups of people. The first are our warriors who haven fallen; the second, those who have guaranteed that those who have fallen will not be left behind. Some with their bravery, others with lives.
I thank those who have selflessly pulled themselves off the line to train the next warriors to go forward-so that they may surpass the prowess of those currently engaged.
And I am thankful for the families that nurture such men.
My remarks will be focused on these families and the men who wear the trident. We would not be able to do our jobs without the brave men and women of the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Task Unit-<Afghanistan> of Naval Special Warfare Squadron Ten, was comprised of SEAL Team Ten and SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two and One, had many U.S. Navy rates other than SEALs that trained and deployed by our side, and we recognize and are grateful for the professional efforts of all. But this time and this place is about the SEALs.
Leonidas, the Spartan King, hand-picked and led a force to go on what all knew to be a one-way mission. He selected 300 men to stand against an invading Persian force of over 2 million. They were ordered to delay the advance the Persian Army. Selecting the battlefield was easy-the narrow mountain pass at Thermopylae restricted the combat power that the enemy could apply-allowing the superior fighting skills of the 300 Spartans to destroy the will of this Persian Army to fight. These Spartan warriors died fighting to the last man.
The Persian invaders were defeated by the Greek Army in later battles. Democracy and freedom were saved.
Most know this story. But most of us don't know how Leonidas selected the 300 men. Should he take the older seasoned Warriors who had lived a full life, should he take the young lions that felt they were invincible, should we take the battle-hardened, backbone-proven warrior elites in their prime, or should he sacrifice his Olympic champions?
The force he chose reflected every demographic of the Spartan Warrior class. He selected those who would go based solely on the strength of the women in their lives. After such great loss, if the women faltered in their commitment, Sparta would falter and the rest of Greece would think it useless to stand against the Persian invaders. The democratic flame that started in Greece would be extinguished.
The Spartan women were strong. They did not falter. I would even argue that we live in a democracy and have freedom because of the strength, skill, and courage of these 300 men and the extraordinary will and dedication of the women in their lives.
The women in our lives are the same. I see the pride in their wearing of the Trident symbol-I hear it in their voices when they are asked what is that symbol, and they say my husband, my son, my brother, or my dad is a Navy SEAL-usually they say nothing more.
If I were to say to the families, I feel your pain, that could not be so. I can never know the depth of your relationship or the anguish of your personal loss. What I can say is the truth I know. Those who wear the trident provide only brief glimpses into our world to those on the outside. Even our families see only a limited view of the path we have chosen. We are all different, but on the inside we share many common beliefs and actions. We spend most of our adult lives with other SEALs preparing for battle.
On this occasion I feel compelled to share our innermost thoughts. I want to show you a little more of our world so you can understand the way we see, the way we feel about what happened.
There is a bond between those who wear a trident-that is our greatest strength.
It is unique to this very small community. It is unique in its intensity. It is nurtured by the way we train-the way we bring warriors into the brotherhood. This bond is born in BUD/S. It starts to grow the first time you look into the eyes of your classmate when things have gone beyond what you or he thinks is possible. It grows in the platoon as you work up for deployment, and it grows around the PT circle. It's the moving force behind every action in a firefight. This bond is sacred. This bond is unspoken, unconditional, and unending.
When it comes to fighting we are all the same inside. During the first stages of planning, at the point where you know you are going into the battle, we think about our families. The master chief passing the word to the boys sums it up, "I am going home to my kids and you are going home to yours. Here is our next mission."
We never stop planning-we never stop thinking through every contingency-we want to cover every anticipated enemy action. This is the way we face the risk.
There is a significant difference between inserting on a mission where there may or may not be enemy contact or serious resistance and inserting into a fight where forces are already engaged. On 11 April, the men of this task unit-during their initial week in <Afghanistan>, immediately shifted from a helicopter training scenario directly into the fight as a quick response force to help soldiers and marines in a desperate battle. They made the difference-saving the lives of our fellow servicemen and destroying the enemy.
Last week when these fallen warriors launched on this mission, their SEAL teammates were fighting the enemy-fellow SEALs were in peril-as always in the teams-in this-situation there is no hesitation. It is not about tactics-its about what makes men fight.
As you are going in hot-you can't help it-you must allow one more small block of personal time. You think of those at home-the people you-the people you left behind. For this brief moment, there is no war.
Our souls have touched a thousand times before this moment
Boundless undefined shadows quietly surging through and waking each other
On a moonless star rich night we patiently wait for the dawn
There is no distance
You smile a cool wind that takes away thirst
I will never know hunger
I have never known fear
Unspoken-Unconditional-Unending
It's the same bond-now your focus returns to your SEAL teammates. Total focus on the approaching fight is all that exists.
In April, when I heard of the Task unit's first contact that very first week in country-when I saw the reports of the enemy casualties they had inflicted-I was happy but not too happy. Its was more of a quiet internal sharing of a sense of satisfaction they had executed flawlessly.
Last week when I was told of their deaths and saw what they were trying to accomplish, I was sad-but not too sad. It was more of a quiet and internal recognition that they had gone to the wall, and there was no hesitation. They were warriors-they are SEALs
We are not callous. We don't have the luxury of expressing our emotions at will. In these times our duty is to press on and finish the fight, for all depends on each man's individual actions.
We answer to a higher moral calling on the path that requires us to take and give life. It is this dedication to ideals greater than self that gives us strength. It is the nurturing of our families that gives us courage. Love is the opposite of fear-it is the bond that is reinforced when we look in the eyes of another SEAL that drives super human endurance. My teammate is more important than I.
[Page S9431]
The enemy we face in <Afghanistan is as hard and tough as the land they inhabit. They come from a long line of warriors who have prevailed in the face of many armies for centuries. It is their intimate knowledge of every inch of the most rugged terrain on earth that is matched against our skill, cunning, and technology.
They are worthy adversaries and our intelligence confirms that they fear and respect us. They have learned to carefully choose their fights because as SEALs we answer the bell every time.
When you see the endless mountains-the severe cliff-the rivers that generate power that can be felt while standing on the bank-the night sky filled with more stars then you have ever seen-when you feel the silence of the night were no city exists-when the altitude takes your breath away and the cold and heat hit the extreme ends of the spectrum-you cannot help being captured by the raw strength of this place.
This is a great loss. These men were some of the future high-impact leaders of naval special warfare, but I take refuge in the thought that there is no better place a warrior's spirit can be released then the Hindu Kush of the Himalayas.
In their last moments, their only thoughts were coming to the aid of SEAL brothers in deep peril. I can say that any one wearing a trident would gladly have taken the place of these men even with full knowledge of what was to come.
Some of those on the outside may understand that the one man who was recovered would possibly make this loss acceptable. Only those who wear the trident know, if no one had come back, it would all have been worth the cost.
These men are my men. They are good men. The SEAL teams-this path is my religion. This loss will not go unanswered.
I am always humbled in the presence of Warriors.
Mr. President, I would like associate myself with these exceptional remarks by Captain Van Hooser. Our great country will forever owe these courageous SEALs a debt of gratitude for their selfless actions in battle on June 28, 2005. While I am sorry that the families of these men have suffered such an irreplaceable loss, I am proud that America produced such fine gentlemen who valiantly answered the call to defend these United States. Recalling our national anthem, I say, we would not be "the land of the free" were we not also the "home of the brave."
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By Andrew North
BBC News, Kabul |
The death of the Seals was a major setback for US troops
|
The four American commandos were approaching a small Afghan village of tightly-packed wood and mud-brick houses, deep in the mountains of Kunar province.
They were close to their target, according to an Afghan official from the area.
What the commandos - all from the elite US Navy Seals - did not know was that the target, a Taleban commander suspected of close ties to al-Qaeda, was waiting for them.
"Informers in the village saw them coming, with their backpacks," the official said. "They told Ismail's men."
But several Afghan sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, say the
mission was compromised even before that. The four Seals had landed in a trap.
'Tipped off'
It was 28 June. Within hours, three would be dead and a US Chinook helicopter sent in to rescue them shot down, with the loss of all 16 troops on board.
It was the deadliest day for the US military in Afghanistan since its overthrow of the Taleban in late 2001.
For the Seals, it was the deadliest in their entire 42-year history. In
addition to the three on the ground, there were eight more commandos on the
helicopter.
Relatives grieve for one of the Seals
|
And the target - Ismail - got away. Not once but twice. Three days later, he escaped a US air strike on a compound where he was hiding - because yet again he was tipped off, according to the official from Kunar.
From interviews with several different Afghan and US officials and sources, the BBC has pieced together a more detailed picture of the operation and what went wrong.
What emerges are strong indications of a renewed campaign by al-Qaeda to rebuild its influence inside Afghanistan more than three years since it was expelled from the country.
It also gives greater insight into why the US-led coalition is still struggling to resist such incursions and subdue an insurgency that has gripped much of eastern and southern Afghanistan for the past two years.
The US military says that it has reduced the capability of the militants to operate in Kunar, but recently six US troops were injured in the area after a bomb attack followed by small arms fire blamed on militants.
'Mid-level Taleban'
Before 28 June, few had heard the name Ismail outside the steep wooded valleys and pinched mountain villages of central Kunar. Even fewer his real name - Ahmad Shah. Ismail, Afghan officials say, is an alias.
Overnight that changed - because it was Ismail's or Ahmad Shah's men who shot down the Chinook as it tried to land.
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It was an act ensuring instant fame and notoriety among the various militant groups battling US forces in this frontier region - especially as it was the first American helicopter shot down in Afghanistan since 2002.
Yet even now US and Afghan officials regard Shah as only a mid-level Taleban figure, with his committed followers estimated at around 200.
A higher priority in the region is finding Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former US-backed mujahideen commander who turned against the Americans after 2001.
He leads another militant group called Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin and his home turf is Kunar.
Changed sides
What made Ahmad Shah significant, US officials say, was evidence he had developed close ties with al-Qaeda and was helping its followers establish a new foothold inside Afghanistan.
"We had that information," said Afghan Defence Minister Gen Rahim Wardak, when asked to confirm this account, "and also of more infiltration by foreign fighters."
But the catalyst for this burgeoning relationship, officials in the province say, has not been ideology but money.
The US admits Afghan civilians died in bombing raids
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"He may be with the Taleban, but he is a mercenary," said one dismissively, "and al-Qaeda has been paying him a lot of money."
In fact, it is believed Shah fought against al-Qaeda and its Taleban allies in Afghanistan before they were toppled in 2001. When he changed sides - following in a long tradition of Afghan commanders - is not known.
But Ahmad Shah has something very valuable for al-Qaeda: his influence over a slice of inhospitable territory in Kunar bordering Pakistan.
From early spring, reports started coming in from informants in Kunar of growing numbers of Arabs arriving from across the border with Pakistan.
"We had reports of Arabs paying hundreds of dollars a week," said one Kunar provincial official. In an area where an average household survives on less than $200 a year, that kind of money buys a lot of help.
Defence Minister Wardak said they had also gathered evidence of different militant groups working together.
"Wahabi elements [from Afghanistan], Hekmatyar followers all together have teamed up in this part of the country," he said.
Civilian deaths
And just days before the arrival of the Seals, sources in the province say Shah's men arrested and executed several locals suspected of being US informers.
"They were found with communications equipment given to them by the Americans," one of the sources said.
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That incident, he believed, gave the Taleban commander his first warning he was being hunted. When he got word of a small unit of US troops moving towards the compound where he was sheltering on 28 June, he was already prepared, the source said.
Late that afternoon, the Seals fell into Ahmad Shah's ambush. Within minutes, they were under a barrage of sustained and accurate fire - some of it reportedly coming from Shah's Arab allies.
Hundreds of extra troops were scrambled from US bases in eastern Afghanistan to search for survivors. The hunt for Ahmad Shah continued.
Late on 1 July, a B-52 dropped at least two guided bombs on a residential
compound in a village called Chechal. It soon became clear many of those inside
were women and children.
Unusually in such cases, the US military admitted some "non-combatants" had died. But it insisted its intelligence was sound and that "enemy terrorists" had also been killed. American spokesmen refuse to give details of their identities.
Local fears
Two Afghan sources have since told the BBC Ahmad Shah was in that compound until just minutes before the strike. Somehow, they say, he had been warned. He was seen leaving with three Arab men, according to one of the sources.
The US military refused to comment. But its chief spokesman at Bagram air base, Lt Col Jerry O'Hara, did confirm for the first time a direct link with the shooting down of the Chinook.
"Enemy that were involved in the helicopter incident were in that
compound."
But for the moment, the key target appears to have slipped away. And officials in Kunar say villagers are fearful Ahmad Shah and his supporters will simply bide their time and then return to revive their operations.
Hundreds of personnel searched for the missing troops
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Lt Col O'Hara rejects that: "We have dramatically reduced the enemy's ability to operate in that area." One example he pointed to was a drop in the number of attacks along the road between Asadabad, Kunar's provincial centre, and the city of Jalalabad to the south.
However, US operations in the province would continue, he said. "It's a
work in progress. We are not done."
But neither, it seems from recent events, is al-Qaeda.
Gen Wardak agrees. There has "definitely been more focus" by al-Qaeda on Afghanistan," he says, "because of its symbolic significance for them as the birthplace of this international terrorism."
He argues though that any success it has is increasingly dependent on cash handouts to poor people in these remote border areas "who don't know what they are doing".
"This is not a cause to fight for," he says. "It has become a kind of business."
Yet with so much money still flowing, he admits there is no sign of this
business fading.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4712885.stm
Pentagon IDs remains of two Navy SEALs
They are Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny P. Dietz, 25, of Littleton, Colo., and Lt. Michael P. Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y.
Dietz was assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two, based at Virginia Beach, Va. Murphy was assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One, based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
A brief Pentagon statement said the two men "died while conducting counter-terrorism operations in Kunar Province, Afghanistan." It provided no other details on the circumstances of the deaths.
One other member of the four-man SEAL team was recovered safely last Saturday and the fourth man is still unaccounted for.
A transport helicopter sent in to rescue the four was shot down the day the team went missing, killing all 16 U.S. servicemen aboard.
Friendship beyond school rivalries By Thom Loverro THE WASHINGTON TIMES September 29, 2005
By
Thom Loverro
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
September 29, 2005
Matt Krimm looked forward to the arguments with Erik Kristensen.
Mr. Krimm graduated from DeMatha Catholic High School,
and his friend graduated from Gonzaga.
The schools share a long football rivalry, one with a
history of tales. There was, for example, the time Gonzaga supporters placed a
deer carcass on the front steps of DeMatha, home of the Stags.
The schools take the rivalry seriously, and it is not
something that simply goes away after graduation. That is one of the beauties of
high school sports -- a connection of youth that never fades, something that, 30
years later, Gonzaga and DeMatha grads still can talk about.
It was that way with Mr. Krimm and Mr. Kristensen, who
died this summer. They had known each other for 25 years through their families,
and though they were friends they embraced the competition between their
schools.
"It's a huge rivalry, something that you never
forget," said Mr. Krimm, the owner of W. Curtis Draper cigar store in the
District.
Mr. Krimm, however, no longer will be able to give his
friend a hard time about Gonzaga.
Mr. Kristensen, a lieutenant commander in the Navy
SEALs, died at age 33 while serving in Afghanistan, one of 16 Navy and Army
personnel killed in a helicopter crash.
His death inspired Mr. Krimm to do something that
supercedes any high school rivalry, even that of Gonzaga and DeMatha.
Mr. Krimm has added a scholarship fund in Mr.
Kristensen's name at Gonzaga as part of "The Little Puff," the annual
cigar charity event he is holding tomorrow night at Charlie Palmer's steakhouse.
The event traditionally raises money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but Mr.
Krimm wanted to expand it this year to honor his fallen friend.
"This was somebody I knew for three-quarters of my
life doing something that I can't even imagine," Mr. Krimm said. "He
died defending our rights and freedoms that people take for granted.
"I went to his funeral and listened to people talk
about Erik and what he did and what he meant to all of us. I heard about the
scholarship fund, and thought, 'I got my event coming up. I wonder if I can make
this work?' ... This is kind of personal to me, so we want to include this in
the event as well."
Mr. Krimm told Mr. Kristensen's father, Edward, a retired Navy rear admiral,
"As a good DeMatha guy, I have a hard time with this. But I am totally
behind it."
So are officials at Gonzaga, who are elated Mr. Krimm is
raising money for the scholarship, which will pay tuition to the school for the
child of a military family. They are happy even though Mr. Krimm is a DeMatha
grad.
"That a DeMatha guy like Matt is doing this for a
guy from Gonzaga really speaks volumes about Erik and what kind of person he
was," said Andy Battaile, director of admissions at Gonzaga. "We are
thrilled."
Mr. Battaile also was a teammate of Mr. Kristensen's and
recalled his love for sports.
"He loved being part of a team," Mr. Battaile
said. "He was a defensive and offensive lineman, a big kid. On the field,
he was a very imposing presence because he was so large. Off the field, he was a
very gentle person."
Mr. Kristensen went on to the Naval Academy, following
in the footsteps of his father, who played football there with the great
quarterback Roger Staubach. Mr. Kristensen competed in crew, but he had ideas of
making another team.
"We didn't think he had much of a chance when he
said he wanted to try out for the SEALs," Mr. Battaile said. "We
didn't think he had the strength he needed to be a SEAL. He didn't make it the
first time. The second time he hurt himself, and he tried it again and he made
it. It was that kind of determination to win that athletics breeds into
you."
Athletics also breeds the kind of connections that last
a lifetime -- and beyond. Those connections will help raise money tomorrow night
in the memory of Erik Kristensen, who once did what boys from Gonzaga will do
two weeks from now: Play DeMatha in what will someday be the time of their
lives.
http://washingtontimes.com/sports/20050929-121308-7394r.htm