Thats when Staff Sgt. He asked Graham to repeat, unable to register what he had just heard. Operation Red Wings II: Lone Survivor Recovery (Part II) Their war-weary faces were chiseled stone as they watched the task force solemnly load 16 flag-draped internment cases into the C-17. 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. Upload media. The projectile flew through the open ramp of the Chinook and exploded inside. Three war-weary escorts one of them a SEAL and the other two Night Stalkers Daniel Bell and Chris Eicher sat off to the sides, grimly staring off into space. Some of the fallen members of Turbine 33 prior to being flown out. They rolled out with a convoy and with some vengeance, and they fought their way up that mountainside, all the way up to the crash site.. Rare footage of the disastrous Operation Red Wings from the Taliban PoV. After landing, Graham saw the same five Black Hawks that had peeled off earlier parked on the runway. Photo courtesy of Matt Rogie. Born and raised in small-town South Dakota, he grew up playing football and soccer before serving as a forward observer in the US Army. Bradys maintenance officer woke him and said the SR team was in trouble and the Night Stalkers had orders to spin up and pull the team out. Were completely separate commands. Once on the ground, theyd have to pick up the rope, hook it to themselves, and get hoisted back up. Steven K. Young, courtesy of DVIDS. That's how I remember him.". Having walked that ground, it blows my mind that he got out of there alive. Its earned. They ascended back into orbit and remained there for an hour until the task force commander ordered them back to Jalalabad. An MH-47 Chinook with 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and a KC-130J Super Hercules with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 conduct aerial refueling during Exercise Yuma Horizon 19. The C-17 sat on the runway with the ramp down, waiting to receive the 16 interment cases containing the fallen warriors. Kristensen agreed with Bradys evaluation, and after the SR team radioed that they would be lying down for the day in their hide site, Brady and Kristensen called it a night. 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. "He was a very a selfless guy.". Flight line view of U.S. Army UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters. Search for jobs related to Operation red wings news coverage or hire on the world's largest freelancing marketplace with 22m+ jobs. Operation Red Wings II: Lone Survivor recovery operation (Part I) Paratroopers held up a pair of Oakley mirrored sunglasses with one lens missing, a flight crew helmet torn open, a bent and flattened tactical flashlight and the lining of a SEAL's helmet they found on the ground. Primary and secondary zones appear to be clear of potential threats.. Back at Jalalabad, the commanders decided they had no choice but to wait for better weather and try again the next night. Commander Erik Kristensen died trying to rescue his fellow SEALs in the Operation Red Wings disaster 10 years ago. CA License # A-588676-HAZ / DIR Contractor Registration #1000009744 Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. "Erik was just his own man. "Hoisting a man at that altitude on that kind of terrain at night is a dangerous operation. The Korengal and Shuryak valleysthe geographic region of Operation Red Wingsare sparsely populated and could not support an enemy force of 200 people. He asked the AC-130 crew for one final report on the four potential landing zones the Night Stalkers had identified for the mission. Photo courtesy of Matt Rogie. They rode it all the way in that way.. As he approached the insertion site, Brady could see lights dotting the mountains below through his night-vision goggles. Operation Red Wings Day 2: June 29 | SOFREP Marines in the area knew it was an extremely dangerous place filled with Taliban fighters. Graham watched from Turbine 34 as Turbine 33s ramp lowered and the crewman walked onto it to observe the landing zone below. Before and after his presidency were some of the greatest contributions Jimmy Carter made to the world we know today. New look at ill-fated '05 Afghan mission - San Diego Union-Tribune Arriving on site, the task force members fast-roped in. I could see the grass being blown by the rotor wash and all the remains bags being lined up in a row 16 of them, Rogie recalled. He asked the AC-130 crew for one final report on the four potential landing zones the Night Stalkers had identified for the mission. That's who Erik really was," said Jason Redman, who served in SEAL Team 10 as an officer with Kristensen at the time of the Operation Red Wings disaster and had once been in Murphy's platoon. Turbine 34 started taking heavy gunfire from unseen fighters below. The two Apaches had arrived on station, drawing heavy gunfire, but nonetheless giving Turbine 34s crew back in the operations center a good look at the crash site. We argued for what seemed like 10 minutes but was actually about 30 seconds, Brady recalled. The extreme height of the trees made the full length of rope approximately 90 feet necessary. Not really sure who they were, but there was more activity than I expected., Brady rushed to the operations center where Chief Warrant Officer 4 Chris Eicher was telling the task force commander that they should wait until dark before sending the QRF because going in during daylight would subject them to more danger. Thunder boomed as lightning struck all around them. This was a desolate part of the Hindu Kush, and at night, you wouldnt really expect to see much, Brady told Coffee or Die. A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from 1-228th Aviation Regiment conducting hoist operations. Not wanting to leave their brothers, the SEAL team commander hatched a plan with the Night Stalkers to insert higher up on the ridgeline and fight their way down to the crash site so Turbine 34 could fly back to Jalalabad, pick up as many SEALs as he could, and fly back to reinforce the eight SEALs. It wasnt an ideal insertion, but the Night Stalkers had accomplished their mission. Grahams aircraft pulled off to the right to circle around and insert their payload of SEALs after Turbine 33 moved off to allow their entrance. Kristensen agreed with Bradys evaluation, and after the SR team radioed that they would be laying down for the day in their hide site, Brady and Kristensen called it a night. Frustrated and angry, Graham followed the order. As the Night Stalkers flew back to Bagram, the JSOC ground force that had convoyed to the crash radioed to the task force that they had secured the site. Approaching the insertion point, the pilots flared the Chinook and came into a hover. Almost every variety of special operations troops in the US military inventory participated in a coordinated effort through some of Afghanistans most dangerous and austere terrain during the search for their brothers both alive and fallen. ", "Erik was probably the furthest from what you would have thought of a Navy SEAL. So the enemy is one factor, but the terrain and weather are now a huge factor, and theyre starting to overtake the enemy in terms of danger to the force, Brady said. Turbine 33s nose dipped down, and the aircraft slid to the left, appearing to almost recover. But Reich cut the debate short. The commander explained that the ground force commander had already rejected that plan and didnt want to wait any longer. From left to right, sonar technician (surface) Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew G. Axelson, of Cupertino, California; Senior Chief information systems technician Daniel R. Healy, of Exeter, New Hampshire; quartermaster Petty Officer 2nd Class James Suh, of Deerfield Beach, Florida; hospital corpsman Petty Officer 2nd Class Marcus Luttrell; machinists mate Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric S. Patton, of Boulder City, Nevada; and Lt. Michael P. Murphy, of Patchogue, New York With the exception of Luttrell, all were killed June 28, 2005, by enemy forces while supporting Operation Red Wing. Matt Bradys MH-47 Chinook helicopter on Bagram Air Base. I will never quit. Im glad youre a thinking air mission commander and not simply one that takes a black-and-white view of the situation.. They engaged in a fierce firefight, and at some point the task force lost contact with them. The remaining Night Stalkers prepared for a rescue operation. Flying toward Jalalabad en route to the last known position of the SEALs, they received word from Bagram on the number of men they could have on board each aircraft and still fly at the extreme elevation. He said visibility got so bad that he couldnt see the heat glow of the engines from the Chinook in front of him. Reich, who had been designated mission commander for phase two of the operation, felt the QRF was his responsibility. Smith and the others in Turbine 34 watched helplessly as the Chinook full of their fellow aviators their friends crashed into the mountain and erupted in a ball of flames. "The complexity of who he is, to me, is bigger than his being a SEAL. The only SEAL to make it out of the Red Wings incident alive, Navy Petty Officer Marcus Luttrell, went on to write the bestseller "Lone Survivor," which became a major motion picture of the same title last year. Category:Operation Red Wing - Wikimedia Commons Lone Survivor accuracy: Fact vs. fiction in the Mark Wahlberg and Peter Search instead in Creative? Navy SEALs Conduct an Impressive Capabilities Exercise Here's Rangers vs. "Before he left, I tried to convince him not to go," she said. Like any deployed troops, Russian soldiers make calls back home to reconnect with family, friends and other loved ones. And we experienced that on that mountain.. Share This: Rangers, Special Forces, and PJs were already moving up the mountain toward the crash site. . Joshua Skovlund has covered the 75th anniversary of D-Day in France, multinational military exercises in Germany, and civil unrest during the 2020 riots in Minneapolis that followed the death of George Floyd. The true story behind the famous sequence of Lone Survivor movie The three-phase plan called for inserting a four-man SR team the first night, then inserting the second element of, This was a desolate part of the Hindu Kush, and at night, you wouldnt really expect to see much, Brady told, . The extreme height of the trees made the full length of rope approximately 90 feet necessary. As the next night approached, the task force went to work, planning another insertion onto the deadly ridgeline. Two months after the Sept. 11 attacks, the film Black Hawk Down was released, telling the story of U.S. Army Rangers who fought in the Battle of Mogadishu and helped rescue the crew of a downed Black Hawk helicopter. A decade after the incident, Erik Kristensen, by many accounts an unconventional SEAL, remains a largely unknown figure in the public telling of one of U.S. special operations' most tragic -- but also most celebrated, for valor -- incidents in its history, despite bestselling books, websites and last year's hit movie "Lone Survivor.. Al and Kip were on the ramp when the RPG impacted, Smith, who witnessed the horrific event, recalled. And if we just glamorize war all the time, I think thats a problem. Operation red wings crash site photos jobs - Freelancer Showing Editorial results for operation redwing. Pastors from the task force lead the caskets onto the C-17. They would have to offload eight SEALs from each helicopter before continuing. As the Night Stalkers flew back to Bagram, the JSOC ground force that had convoyed to the crash radioed to the task force that they had secured the site. 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. Photo courtesy of Daniel Bell. Throughout the mission, as his unit patrolled along exposed mountainsides and ravines, Brooks described the feeling that he and his unit could be ambushed at any moment. As he watched the two Chinooks taxiing onto the runway, he locked eyes with Russell, his platoon sergeant. He and some of his fellow Night Stalkers felt the SEALs plan was too risky. Rogie met Eicher on the flight line when he landed after returning from the mission. The mission was to capture or kill Ahmad Shah, a Taliban commander. Brady told his operations NCO to give him a minute to gather more information to get the next plan of action in place. So the enemy is one factor, but the terrain and weather are now a huge factor, and theyre starting to overtake the enemy in terms of danger to the force, Brady said. Believing the gunship could make it back on station in time for the insertion, Brady made the call to continue the mission. He said visibility got so bad that he couldnt see the heat glow of the engines from the Chinook in front of him. 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. At the Bagram operations center, Maj. Stephen Reich approached Brady urgently, asking why he didnt follow abort criteria and fly back with the SR team after the AC-130 had to leave the airspace. Brooks told American Military News his experience on that mission added to his appreciation for Luttrells survival. He walked back to the operations center to monitor the situation and provide support from Bagram. Were completely separate commands. operation red wings crash site photos Photo courtesy of Daniel Bell. The flight crew kicked out the ropes, and the SEALs fast-roped down. A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from 1-228th Aviation Regiment conducting hoist operations. A Taliban high-value target sat tucked into the corner away from them all, guarded by other soldiers. Weve got two military-aged males, possibly armed, on the northernmost LZ, the crew reported. Hoisting a man at that altitude on that kind of terrain at night is a dangerous operation. 'Lone Survivor' uncovered: The ambush at Sawtalo Sar | SOFREP 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. His creative outlets include Skovlund Photography and Concentrated Emotion, where he publishes poetry focused on his life experiences. Even after a decade, his only child's loss "is still a very raw thing. Then the realization hit: He was now in charge. "There are some things you just don't delegate," Ed Kristensen said of his sons fateful action, at times welling up with emotion. (Dr. Tony Books photo/Released) Luttrell wrote of his own experience surviving through Operation Red Wings, a 2005 special operations mission in Afghanistan to stop Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. Follow @CoffeeOrDieMag on Twitter. They were exhausted and angry with the mistake the US Air Force had made when they allowed Space-A seating to be filled on this leg of the flight home. Steven Smith, the flight engineer in the rear of Turbine 34, saw a smoke trail emerge from the tree line directly toward Turbine 33. Navy SEAL Lt. There's no precedent for this. "He was just a wonderful person. Tim Graham standing by in Bagram. Turbine 33s nose dipped down, and the aircraft slid to the left, appearing to almost recover. All of us were pretty broken up at that point, Rogie said. The Night Stalkers job was to insert the SEALs on a ridgeline where the terrain left few options for landing zones. He asked Graham to repeat, unable to register what he had just heard. Soldiers sit on the rear deck of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter while flying over southern Afghanistan Oct. 19, 2010. They engaged in a fierce firefight, and at some point the task force lost contact with them. Drop us on the high ground, and well make our way to our swim buddies, Kristensen told Brady. "That was the one part of the movie that I enjoyed. It didnt look like there was any way anybody could have survived, Graham said. They ascended and flew back to Jalalabad to link up with another group of SEALs and standby as a quick reaction force (QRF) in case the SR team was compromised. Its not glamorous. military operation. As the next night approached, the task force went to work, planning another insertion onto the deadly ridgeline. Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, and other Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) personnel loaded onto five Chinooks. I dont really care, Matt, he told Brady, just get your stuff and get off the airplane. In unpublished photos taken of the crash site by an Army photographer, blackened tree stumps poke up from the flattened slope. "Erik did what any SEAL would do: go help SEALs in trouble," Navy Capt. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Theyve got their own quick-reaction force. The Taliban had pilfered the site, as well as the remains of Murphy -- they even stole his wristwatch -- and fellow SEAL operators Matthew Axelson and Danny Dietz in another location down the mountain in the forest. The C-17 sat on the runway with the ramp down, waiting to receive the 16 interment cases containing the fallen warriors. . The Night Stalkers would then circle back and pick up the remaining SEALs who offloaded at Jalalabad. Family, friends remember SEAL Erik Kristensen, 10 years after doomed mission. Ed Kristensen, quiet and soft-spoken, said he doesn't need to see that mountainside in Afghanistan to ease his grief, because he knows that Erik "was doing what he wanted to do. Night-vision goggles, weapons and helmets from both sites were recovered over the next two years from Taliban fighters killed in firefights and found in arms caches in the Korengal Valley. "Lone Survivor" included a shot of Kristensens Birkenstock-clad feet trudging out of his quarters after Murphy's call for help is received in the tactical operations center in Jalalabad. The back of the aircraft contained the flag-draped coffins of 16 great Americans: the fallen Night Stalkers and SEALs from Turbine 33. Graham watched from Turbine 34 as Turbine 33s ramp lowered and the crewman walked onto it to observe the landing zone below. This article originally appeared on Coffee or Die. Operation Redwing Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images The order was given to again abort the mission and return to base. Brady persisted with the details. Kristensen, 33, was portrayed in the film by Australian actor Eric Bana in a relatively small part. Not really sure who they were, but there was more activity than I expected.. As he approached the insertion site, Brady could see lights dotting the mountains below through his night-vision goggles. I find it all really strange, all the hero talk. Walking toward the flight line, the SEAL commander quipped, What made you want to fly such ugly helicopters?, Theyre not much to look at, but they get the job done, Brady fired back. 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. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell was the only survivor from the initial four-man SEAL reconnaissance element. Tasked with inserting the SEAL special reconnaissance (SR) team deep into enemy territory in unforgiving terrain, Brady knew the SEALs Lieutenant 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. To me at the moment, it was just another mission, we didnt recognize the importance of it until years later.. An Overlooked Hero of Navy SEALs' Operation Red Wings There were 100-foot-tall trees on all sides of the Chinook, and they were so close the pilots had no room to sway as they descended. Thats not possible, Brady replied, confused at how quickly the SEALs had become compromised. One by one, the Rangers and SEALs loaded the fallen onto the Chinooks and headed back to Bagram with their brothers. The Night Stalkers flew back to their newly forged landing zone the following night. Commander Erik Kristensen was a senior commander in SEAL Team 10 in Afghanistan and didnt go on as many ground combat operations as those in the platoons under him. Soldiers and Sailors from the Task Force saying their final goodbyes. The commandos would have to descend from a rope fast-rope while the helos hovered high above the trees. The movie is based on Marcus. "Someone said Erik wouldn't be on the helo, recalled his mother, who goes by Sam.