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[52] This required a longer journey down the trails of the Shuryek valley to Matin, where he then hired a cab to drive the Pech road to Nangalam. The enemy took heavy losses according to Luttrell, due to the superb marksmanship of our Spec Ops guys. If you're talking about the movie, yeah whatever, Hollywood's got a right to tell their own story. [46] The Taliban leader, Ahmad Shah, knew that the wounded man he was tracking had to have passed through the village of Salar Ban as he made his way downhill. This is my opinion. Even before deploying to Afghanistan 2/3's, intelligence officer Captain Scott Westerfield and his assistants had been tracking a small cell led by a man named Ahmad Shah, based on intelligence sent back by 3/3's intelligence officer. [2][7][31], 3/3 tracked a number of known ACM groups they determined to be possibly seeking to fill the power void in the region. After refusing to open fire on civilians who discovered his SEAL team, Murphy and his unit found themselves confronted by many Taliban and al-Qaeda infantry who were determined to wipe out the small force. Marcus Luttrell (born November 7, 1975) is a retired United States Navy SEAL who received the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his actions in June 2005 against Taliban fighters during Operation Red Wings in which he was the lone survivor. He let them go. Look, with all due respect, so what if it's not exactly true, but just 'loosely' true? They had connections with the Taliban and other militant groups close to the Pakistani border. We reverence the ultimate sacrifice they made while engaged in that fierce firefight on the global wars front lines on terrorism (GWOT). All the obvious bs in his book, makes me wonder just how Luttrell managed to be the only one to make it off that mountain. Al Blake must be filled with a terrible amount of hate. [2][27] Operations that 3/3 conducted based on this model proved successful in disrupting ACM activity. Using imagery intelligence taken from an unmanned aerial vehicle on June 17, 2005, Westerfield identified likely structures used for housing his team, IED making, and overwatch of the area below for IED strikes. These "presence operations" achieved the goal of disrupting ACM activity but at great cost, and upon the exfiltration of troops, Ahmad Shah and his reinforced cell were able to return to the area weeks later. They were ambushed by a dozen Talis with bigger guns, better positions, and knowledge of the terrain, and got schwacked. He regained consciousness and was rescued by local Pashtun, who ultimately saved his life. As the wounded Luttrell descended the gulch, he encountered a Pashtun named Mohammad Gulab Khan from the mountain village of Salar Ban. [citation needed]. Marcus Luttrell writes the book Lone Survivor about Operation Red Wings. Approximately 45 minutes into the fight, pinned down by overwhelming forces, Danny Dietz, the communications petty officer, sought open air to place a distress call back to the base. U.S. Navy SEALs from SEAL Team 10 and SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1 expressed interest.[1][2]. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and accomplish our mission. Type your new password and hit button below to confirm it. The men had positioned themselves on the shale mountainside in the Hindu Kush east of Asadabad when they were compromised by a trio of supposed goatherders. His overall intelligence picture of Shah took a substantial leap when 2nd Lieutenant Regan Turner, a platoon commander with 2/3's "Whiskey Company" a weapons company augmented to function like an infantry line company, gathered a wealth of human intelligence about Shah during a patrol including his full name: Ahmad Shah Dara-I-nur (Ahmad Shah of the Valley of the Enlightened ones); his birthplace, the Kuz Kunar District of Nangarhar Province; his primary alias: Ismael; his chief allegiance: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who was based out of the Shamshato Refugee Camp near Peshawar, Pakistan; his group's size: fifty to one hundred fighters; and his goals: to impede the upcoming elections and attempt to aid a resurgent Taliban in the region. During the following weeks of Red Wings II, ground units of 2/3 undertook a number of patrols, as did members of the Afghan National Army, Army Special Operations units, and Navy Special Operations units. Jeff took a facet of his brother's life - a love of firearms - and created an awesome, badass living memorial (just like Matt would have loved). In my 14 years of Navy experience, I've never seen or heard of anything like that. [2] The team could not establish consistent communication other than for a period long enough to indicate that they were under attack. He began the foundation to help service members and their families who were and are recovering from combat trauma. In reply to Mike Washburne I think you are too harsh on LT Murphy, according to Mohammed Gulab the local tribesman who saved Lutrell the Taliban were already aware of the SEALs insertion and had heard the Helicopters and were close to being in a position to attack at the time the SEALs were debating what to do with goatherders. Luttrell said one of the last things Axe said to him in that hollow was, You stay alive, Marcus.. [4] A descent down the east side of the ridgeline leads into the Shuryek Valley. [1][2] With the goal of successful elections in Kunar, military operations in the area focused primarily on the disruption of ACM activity, and these military operations utilized a number of different units and operational constructs to achieve this goal. So what if its not exactly true? Are you serious? It was only several months later that the truth came out that he was killed by friendly fire. You see the 8 Taliban fighters that ambushed him were yelling over gun fire in Pashto and English for Murphy and his team to surrender and drop their guns. It is one of the first sculptured memorials to those who served in the War in Afghanistan. It has become known for the heavy loss suffered by U.S. Navy SEALs. I spent 3 years with a support team of Operation Enduring Freedom mostly at Bagram. They knew the tremendous risk of going into an active enemy area in daylight without their attack support and the cover of night. Ed's a photographer and the author of "Victory Point: Operation Red Wings and Whalers - The Marine Corps' Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan," as well as his latest, "The Final Mission . It would be several days before a team of U.S. Army Rangers would arrive to extract Luttrell. In that incident, sixteen Navy SEALs and Army special operations troops were killed, and three more SEALs were killed in subsequent fighting on the ground. His book says they fought, what, 100 insugents, killing 35? Operation Red Wings was a combined/joint military operation conducted in the Pech District of Kunar Province, Afghanistan. 2/3's operations officer, Major Thomas Wood, began planning the five-phase Red Wings operation off the Operation Stars model. Throughout my career Ive been fortunate to have the opportunity to get to know quite a few American heroes and Luttrell is one of them. Luttrell's claim that the mission was to hunt down a key ally of. But he only hesitated one horrifically painful moment before he picked them back up, finished the call, and resumed fighting. She is a contributor for an array of major industry publications including USCCA Concealed Carry Magazine, Outdoor Life, and SHOT Business. But i will tell you this! Battle of wanat for example was in korengal and the 173rd are without saying some of the best warriors the army produces but they were attacked by a battalion size element in this remote area you claim cant support those numbers. In an article by Sean Naylor, Army Times senior correspondent, Navy Special Warfare Command spokesman Lieutenant Steve Ruh stated that with respect to making command decisions in the field, "Whether they're officer or enlisted, the senior guy ultimately has the ultimate authority." My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. All content is protected by copyright and may not be used for commercial purposes without prior written permission. Contents Theres a movie, too, and its fairly well done but the book is much better and Marcus Luttrell himself wrote it with established author Patrick Robinson. Luttrell's own AAR said 20-35. Personalize your experience. The 3/3, which deployed to Regional Command East (which included Kunar Province) in late 2004 to conduct stability and counterinsurgency operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, identified a number of operational barriers because of Special Operations Command doctrine for the battalion's counterinsurgency work in the area. Gulab would spend the next 10 years fighting for his life and the lives of his family. There was occasional claims. [2], Significant international media attention was focused on the ambush and the MH-47 shootdown. With the withdrawal of American and Coalition troops at the end of Red Wings II, Shah and his group were able to return to the Kunar Province and begin attacks again. There was no signal at all where the men were positioned; Murph needed to find an open, high point, and so he went. [45], Since the SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team had been ambushed, the focus of the operation immediately shifted from disrupting ACM activity to finding, aiding, and extracting the team members. The battalion began planning a new operation, tentatively called Operation Stars, which was named after the Dallas Stars professional hockey team (3/3's battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Norman Cooling, hailed from Texas,[32] hence most operations were named after Texas sports teams)[33] Stars, like the other operations before it, focused on disrupting ACM activity, although Najmudeen's surrender caused activity to drop, and specific groups proved difficult to pinpoint. "Operation Red Wings" Navy SEAL "Matthew Axelson" recovery 92,724 views Jan 21, 2016 460 Dislike Share Save Downrange Film 29K subscribers Anyone who claims Matthew Axelson was beheaded is a. It utilized special operations forces (SOF) units and assets, including members of the U.S. Navy SEALs and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) 160th Airborne Special Operations Aviation Regiment (160th SOAR), for the opening phase of the operation. Military protocol, United States and international military doctrine, and rules of engagement strictly forbid harming unarmed non-combatant civilians, with one of the specific rules of engagement in effect at the time stating, "Civilians are not targets! Operation Red Wings is one of the darkest times in SEAL team history and the inspiration behind the movie Lone Survivor. Medical services had been provided and a girls' school was built at Nangalam. An MH-47 Chinook helicopter, with eight additional SEALs and eight Army Night Stalkers aboard led by Lt. [69] Proctor offered his opinion to the Tallahassee Democrat that it is "my best work yet". While Larry Wilson was a great football player for the Cardinals, and was inducted into the pro football Hall of Fame, he was not killed in action by friendly fire. He calmly provided his units location and the enemy forces size while requesting immediate support for his team. As the Chinook raced to the battle, a rocket-propelled grenade struck the helicopter, killing all 16 men aboard. SO2 Danny Dietz. He was shot in the back at one point, causing him to drop the transmitter. He was in mental and physical agony but he refused to give up. guns & All of these soldiers, are far better than me. While one of the aircraft performed a number of "decoy drops" to mislead any enemy observers, the other inserted a four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team via fast rope in a saddle between Sawtalo Sar and Gatigal Sar, a peak just to the south of Sawtalo Sar. Bronze Star. The insert point was roughly one and one half miles from the nearest Named Area of Interest. I couldnt put it down. It felt disrespectful to the other 3 guys. Basic Details: A four-person recon element comprised of LT Michael P Murphy, HM1 Marcus A Luttrell, STG2 Mathew G Axelson, and GM2 Danny P Dietz was Inserted (MGRS: 42S XD 78186 58123) via Fast-Rope at approximately 27170ZJUN05 to conduct a sensitive recon (SR) mission. In reply to Mike Washburne, Im afraid you did not research this quite as well as you said you did. It was the third bullet wound he suffered. [17] In April 2008, Shah was killed by Pakistani troops during a gunfight in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. "Lone Survivor," the story of SEAL heroism in the mountains of Afghanistan, resurfaced in May 2016 after an article in which Mohammed Gulab, the man who saved lone SEAL survivor Marcus Luttrell, disputed some of the most important aspects of Luttrell's story.Lone Survivor was eventually made into a major motion picture, but that . There is staggering power to the sacrifice of the brotherhood. You could ask Luttrell what he learned from Operation Red Wings, what he would change, and whether he is happy with the choices he made that day but it all comes down to this: never quit. His goal was simple: protect his brothers. In his condition, without assistance, he would probably have been killed or captured by the Taliban. Yet it seems they fought on and all died except Luttrell. I watched the taliban video on youtube and it changed my mind. [52], Not long before Operation Red Wings, relations with the Americans had improved in the Shuryek Valley and the greater Pech River region because of humanitarian work that had taken place. By June 2005, 2/3 had relieved-in-place 3/3 and, using the Stars concept, had developed a comprehensive operation which they called Operation Red Wings. And I don't care how pious these guys were, a reinforced company-sized element that was mauled the way Luttrell claims (at least 50% casualties) does not bury 40 bodies in a few hours (graves no one ever finds) and then vanishes with all their wounded. I persevere and thrive on adversity. [69] Because of his scrupulous devotion to realistic depictions of humans, Proctor was the personal choice of Axelson's family for the project, and they made that recommendation to the committee. [4] The team members were team leader Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1, based out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Petty Officer Second Class Danny Dietz from SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2, based out of Virginia Beach, Virginia; Petty Officer Second Class Matthew G. Axelson from SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1; and Navy Hospital Corpsman Second Class Marcus Luttrell, of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1. If you want to hear more in his own words, Luttrell has a podcast through his foundation Team Never Quit. Reich played for the "Team USA" baseball team in 1993, and has more wins than any other pitcher . They were carless and paid for it. I stood up, best I could, walk-crawled for at least four miles off that mountain and then onto another one. Thanks! The man has skills borne of experiences that will never be replicated and guess what, they have practical applications. [18], On September 14, 2006, Dietz and Axelson were posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for "undaunted courage" and heroism. The fourth SEAL, Luttrell, was blasted over a ridge by a rocket-propelled grenade and was knocked unconscious. [61] In addition, the United States Navy Parachute Team, the Leap Frogs, brought in the American flag, the POW/MIA flag and the San Diego Padres flag. In a country full of nothing but goats and goat-herds? To the west of the Sawtalo Sar ridgeline is the Korangal Valley. This deliberate and heroic act deprived him of cover and made him a target for the enemy. [56], Ahmad Shah and his group recovered a large amount of weapons, ammunition, and other materials, including three SOPMOD M4 Carbines fitted with M203 40mm grenade launchers, a ruggedized laptop with an intact hard drive containing maps of embassies in Kabul, night-vision devices, and a sniper spotting scope, among other items from the Navy SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team,[58] items which they could then use against American, Coalition, and Afghan government entities. The 4 SEALS members that were inserted and the Quick Reaction Force that were killed in the helicopter attack were from SEAL TEAM 10. The purpose of Operation Red Wings, which began on June 28, 2005, was first to identify Ahmad Shah, a key Taliban loyalist and leader believed to be hiding on the slopes of a mountain named Sawtalo Sar, located in the Pech District of Afghanistan's Kunar Province. They were not members of SEAL Team 6. There are hopefully few among us unfamiliar with Operation Red Wings. And just like Pat Tillman, the DOD needed up a hero story to cover up a goatf@ck, except this time here's Luttrell already on the spot trying to cash in with a ghost written book so bad it can't even get the mission name right (it's Red Wings after the hockey team, not Redwing). All eight 160th SOAR aviators and crew and all eight Navy SEALs onboard were killed, including commander of the 160th, Major Stephen C. Reich, and ground commander LCDR Erik S. Kristensen, of SEAL Team 10. Add in all the other ridiculous bits in the book, like out of four SEALs on a mountain recce, not *one* of them carried anything to tie up the goatherds, and you gotta wonder what kind of people just swallow this self-serving fable whole. The battle, known as Operation Red Wings, was the worst single-day death toll of U.S. forces since Operation Enduring Freedom began six years before. That's not the point. (SEAL) Erik S. Kristensen, 33, of San Diego, Calif. Electronics Technician 1st Class (SEAL) Jeffery A. Lucas, 33, of Corbett, Ore. Lt. (SEAL) Michael M. McGreevy Jr., 30, of Portville, N.Y. Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (SEAL) Jeffrey S. Taylor, 30, of Midway, W.Va. Staff Sgt. Because persons like you, never will understand! This reminds of of when Larry Wilson was killed. No doubt he was a helluva runner when he was still in shape. And stay in touch with newsletters of our best articles on techniques, guns, & gear. The operation then became known as Red Wings II and lasted approximately three more weeks,[1][2] during which time the bodies of the killed SEALs and Army Special Operations aviators were recovered and the only surviving member of the initial SEAL team, Marcus Luttrell, was rescued. [2], As with 3/3 before them, 2/3 sought to use Special Operations Forces assets for Red Wings but, unlike 3/3, they sought only the use of Special Operations Aviation assets, specifically, MH-47 Special Operations Aircraft of the 160th SOAR, not any ground forces.