June 28, 2005 was a dark day in the history of the United States military. An MH-47 Chinook helicopter, with sixteen U.S. troops on board, was on a mission to rescue a small team of Navy SEALs when it was shot down by insurgents near Asadabad in Afghanistan.
The attack has since been labeled as the biggest single loss of life in the Afghan war; on Saturday, however, that has been surpassed, as yet another Chinook helicopter met the same fate.
The crash on Saturday killed thirty Americans, 22 of whom were naval special warfare personnel. It is the now the biggest single loss of life in the history of the NSW community, and in the history of the U.S. Special Operations Command.
Needless to say, the tragedy has brought an already close-knit community even closer, as they mourn the loss of the fallen. The SEALs in Virginia Beach reached out to each other, as well as each other’s families, bearing sad news, and immediately mobilizing to provide support as families and loved one wait for official news.
Just as the community applauded the accomplishments of SEAL Team 6 not too long ago, they now join together in mourning. Mayor Will Sessoms issued an order to fly flags on city buildings at half-staff.
The SEALs have not been one to shine a spotlight on what they have done, but their accomplishments drew the attention of so many, although the SEAL community has warned against putting too much focus on the SEALs. There are those who are now wondering whether the attack that killed so many of SEAL Team 6 could have been avoided.
Vivian Greentree of Blue Star Families, a military support group, shared: “Here, in a military community, these casualties are not just statistics… They are family members, neighbors, someone’s child. When something like this happens, it’s so immediate nobody has time to process any emotions. We’re still reeling and waiting for information.”
August 7th, 2011 - 11:38 am
Veterans Today tells the truth about this giant establishment scam!
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/08/06/breaking-news-bin-laden-troops-probably-murderered-to-keep-them-quiet/comment-page-2/#comment-263969
August 9th, 2011 - 11:55 pm
Very sad news to lose these lads. Condolence to the families. All service men and women do a thankless task at times, but there are a lot of people who are appreciative of their sacrifice, not just the troops, but the families also.
Heads Up All.
August 10th, 2011 - 7:12 am
I was saddened by the loss, why were so many travelling together, most civilian corporations do not put all the company officers on one flight, they are split up.
My condolences
August 10th, 2011 - 7:12 am
Michael P. Murphy,Danny P. Dietz,Matthew G. Axelson……,operation redwing,sad memory.Now it happens again. Great man,for US.,devote their lives.
But no regrets,no regrets.Honor always belongs to them,we’ll never forget them,they will be deeply missed.
“Great love has no one than this,than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” sad is not long.SEAL will recover soon.They will be back to the battle,for honor,for country,for brothers.
May 16th, 2013 - 6:25 am
[...] ‘The August 6, 2011 Chinook shootdown in eastern Afghanistan is considered the worst loss of U.S. military life in the war-torn country since the Operation Red Wings in 2005. The crash killed all 38 people on board– twenty-five Navy SEALs, five U.S. Army National Guard and Army Reserve crewmen, seven Afghan commandos, one Afghan interpreter, and a U.S. military dog. For the families of the fallen special operations personnel, all they want is for Congress to investigate the tragic incident; but why is it so hard to make that happen? [...]
May 17th, 2013 - 9:11 pm
[...] The August 6, 2011 Chinook shootdown in eastern Afghanistan is considered the worst loss of U.S. military life in the war-torn country since the Operation Red Wings in 2005. The crash killed all 38 people on board– twenty-five Navy SEALs, five U.S. Army National Guard and Army Reserve crewmen, seven Afghan commandos, one Afghan interpreter, and a U.S. military dog. For the families of the fallen special operations personnel, all they want is for Congress to investigate the tragic incident; but why is it so hard to make that happen? [...]