The Night Stalkers job was to insert the SEALs on a ridgeline where the terrain left few options for landing zones. Kristensens cousins led the Pledge of Allegiance and a former SEAL who served with the mourned guest of honor strummed a guitar in sing-alongs. WARNING: NSFW footage of dead Navy SEALS and gore. The mission was to capture or kill Ahmad Shah, a Taliban commander. As the pilots climbed the last 1,000 feet of elevation, the AC-130 crew providing overwatch on their destination radioed to say they had to leave their position due to a mechanical issue. He said visibility got so bad that he couldnt see the heat glow of the engines from the Chinook in front of him. He could relate to the most junior guy and to a general or admiral," Paro said. 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. The distinctive black MH-47G Chinook special operations helicopter. 1st Class Mike Russell, was sleeping and updated him on what had unfolded. A new book released Tuesday tells the story of the efforts U.S. Army Rangers made in summer 2005 to recover the casualties of Operation Red Wings and to rescue the missions lone survivor, U.S. Navy SEAL Petty Officer Marcus Luttrell. Graham and his co-pilot whipped their Chinook around to look for survivors. 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. And if we just glamorize war all the time, I think thats a problem. They then used explosives to clear out a large enough area for Chinooks to land when they came back. 12 Operation Redwing Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images EDITORIAL All Sports News Archival Browse 12 operation redwing stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Many of the men suffered scorched hands from gripping the rope through gloves for such a long descent. "From a loyalty standpoint, he said he trained those guys and he was going.". He and Eicher hurried back to the operations center. Doc's platoon was alerted . It didnt look like there was any way anybody could have survived, Graham said. Family, friends remember SEAL Erik Kristensen, 10 years after doomed mission. Hoisting a man at that altitude on that kind of terrain at night is a dangerous operation. "I will never leave a fallen comrade, it read. They are famous for the roles they played in both the Battle of Mogadishu and the mission to kill Usama Bin Laden but are revered throughout the special operations community for acts of valor that often never see the light of day due to the classified nature of their work. The plan was for the SEALs to fast-rope onto the ridgeline above the original LZ. Tasked with inserting the SEAL special reconnaissance (SR) team deep into enemy territory in unforgiving terrain, Brady knew the SEALs Lt. Michael Murphy, Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny Dietz, Petty Officer 2nd Class Marcus Luttrell, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Axelson had a difficult mission ahead. Back at Jalalabad, the commanders decided they had no choice but to wait for better weather and try again the next night. On April 6, 15 U.S. service members and three American civilians were killed when their chopper went down in a sandstorm. Running around in the woods is kind of cool once in awhile, camping is kind of cool once in awhile. In his book, Brooks wrote, I got my first real look at Afghanistan from the side of the mountain after offloading from a helicopter onto the Sawalto Sar, a mountain in Afghanistans Kunar Province. Hovering for that long over the same spot would burn the LZ and likely alert the enemy to the SR teams presence.. 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. As the lead aircraft descended, it became clear the LZ was on a steep slope of the mountain, making descent difficult due to the front rotors approaching the mountainside faster than the rear of the aircraft. The SEALs did their best to hide the rope and keep their presence on the ridgeline hidden from enemy fighters. It wasnt an ideal insertion, but the Night Stalkers had accomplished their mission. They would have to offload eight SEALs from each helicopter before continuing. All of us were pretty broken up at that point, Rogie said. For the Night Stalkers of the famed 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the war on terror continued. July 1, 2015, 6:11 AM. Then the realization hit: He was now in charge. 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. Soldiers sit on the rear deck of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter while flying over southern Afghanistan Oct. 19, 2010. He would have been on that bird were it not for the last minute change. Reich, who had been designated mission commander for phase two of the operation, felt the QRF was his responsibility. CA License # A-588676-HAZ / DIR Contractor Registration #1000009744 He and Eicher hurried back to the operations center. Brady stood next to a SEAL commander both had to take command of their respective units when Reich and Kristensen were killed on Turbine 33. 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. The birds call sign was Turbine 33. 2023 Getty Images. They ascended and flew back to Jalalabad to link up with another group of SEALs and stand by as a quick-reaction force (QRF) in case the SR team was compromised. Once on the ground, they started their search for casualties, potential survivors, and sensitive equipment. The Naval Special Warfare (NSW) community will forever remember June 28, 2005, and our special operators' heroic efforts and sacrifices. Thats when Staff Sergeant Steven Smith, the flight engineer in the rear of Turbine 34, saw a smoke trail emerge from the tree line directly toward Turbine 33. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Search instead in Creative? Their war-weary faces were chiseled stone as they watched the task force solemnly load 16 flag-draped internment cases into the C-17. As they were turning around, Graham saw five Black Hawks performing a star-cluster evasion. 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. Kind of like SEALs.. Ammunition magazines for M4 rifles, springs and un-fired cartridges litter the sooted ground. His unusual personality and fateful heroism has remained largely unknown in public compared to Luttrell and Murphy's legend, despite courageously leading the ill-fated rescue mission. To cope with the catastrophic loss, she long ago befriended other moms who lost children inside the Pentagon on 9/11 and in Operation Red Wings, and a few years ago began volunteering to be an "Arlington Lady," a liaison to families of the fallen during Navy funerals at Arlington National Cemetery near their home on Capitol Hill. It didnt look like there was any way anybody could have survived, Graham said. The SEALs did their best to hide the rope and keep their presence on the ridgeline hidden from enemy fighters. Once on the ground, theyd have to pick up the rope, hook it to themselves, and get hoisted back up. Brady told his operations NCO to give him a minute to gather more information to get the next plan of action in place. 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. 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. As he watched the two Chinooks taxiing onto the runway, he locked eyes with Russell, his platoon sergeant. The SEAL commander broke down and cried at the desperately needed positive news. Smith said he saw a line of armored vehicles full of troops. 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. The projectile flew through the open ramp of the Chinook and exploded inside. The rescue operation, known as Operation Red Wings II, continued for weeks. Assigned to replace Eicher as senior flight lead, he was trying to learn as much as he could before hopping into an aircraft and joining the mission. On battlefields throughout history, the combat engineer has proven time and again to be a decisive factor in victory and defeat. Photo courtesy of Matt Rogie. The mission was to capture or kill Ahmad Shah, a Taliban commander. Its not glamorous. 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. During the flight, the Night Stalkers passed two Apache gunships whose pilots asked if they wanted to slow down so they could provide surveillance and support for the operation. Join our brand new verified AMN Telegram channel and get important news uncensored. After covering his landing, Brooks book goes through a nearly hour-by-hour recounting of the rescue and recovery mission that lasted almost two full days. They participate in a golf tournament in Erik's name that helps military kids attend Gonzaga but the annual event they truly enjoy is "E-Day," a simple bar-b-que in Maryland hosted by Jennifer Casey and her siblings that brings together Erik's friends, family, Naval Academy classmates and SEAL teammates. They are famous for the roles they played in both the Battle of Mogadishu and the mission to kill Usama Bin Laden but are revered throughout the special operations community for acts of valor that often never see the light of day due to the classified nature of their work. "That was the one part of the movie that I enjoyed. Once on the ground, theyd have to pick up the rope, hook it to themselves, and get hoisted back up. He served as a surface warfare officer at sea before finally making it through BUD/S at 26, considered an "old man" and just under the wire of the SEALs' age cut-off. Photo by Spc. This article originally appeared on Coffee or Die. Theyve got their own quick reaction force. The Navy's summary of action of Operation Red Wings states that an MH-47 Chinook helicopter, with eight additional SEALs and eight Army Night Stalkers aboard, was dispatched as part of an extraction mission to pull out the four embattled SEALs. The Chinooks took off toward the mountains once again, but as they climbed in elevation, severe weather rolled in. He told Reich pushing the mission back would allow Shah to continue his terrorist activities, likely leading to the death of locals and U.S. military in the area. As Brady climbed into Turbine 33 and started strapping in, Reich tapped his shoulder and asked what the plan was. 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. There was still some smoldering from the crash site, and I could see the glow from the heat through my night vision.. When you hear all four directions, everyone gets pretty tense, Brady said. Commander Erik Kristensen died trying to rescue his fellow SEALs in the Operation Red Wings disaster 10 years ago. Soldiers and Sailors from the Task Force saying their final goodbyes. 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. Troops searching for the KIA and survivors. The plan was for the SEALs to fast-rope onto the ridgeline above the original LZ. After landing, Graham saw the same five Black Hawks that had peeled off earlier parked on the runway. The Night Stalkers job was to insert the SEALs on a ridgeline where the terrain left few options for landing zones. The commandos would have to descend from a rope fast-rope while the helos hovered high above the trees. Hoisting a man at that altitude on that kind of terrain at night is a dangerous operation. Finally, 150 US Marines would come in to establish blocking positions for the SEALs assault on Shahs compound. Graham watched from Turbine 34 as Turbine 33s ramp lowered and the crewman walked onto it to observe the landing zone below. Photo courtesy of DVIDS. 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.