The incident known as Extortion 17 occurred on August 6, 2011.
This date marks when a U.S. CH-47D Chinook military helicopter, operating under the call sign Extortion 17, was shot down in Afghanistan.
The helicopter was on a mission to reinforce American and coalition special operations troops and was approximately 40 miles southwest of Kabul when it crashed.
The event resulted in the largest single-incident loss of American lives in Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan, with 30 American military personnel and a total of 38 people on board killed.
Please take a moment and pause to honor and remember these heroes.
The following sailors assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit were killed:
Lieutenant Commander (SEAL) Jonas B. Kelsall, 32, of Shreveport, Louisiana
Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Louis J. Langlais, 44, of Santa Barbara, California
Special Warfare Operator Senior Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Thomas A. Ratzlaff, 34, of Green Forest, Arkansas
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Senior Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Kraig M. Vickers 36, of Kokomo, Hawaii
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Brian R. Bill, 31, of Stamford, Connecticut
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) John W. Faas, 31, of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Kevin A. Houston, 35, of West Hyannisport, Massachusetts
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Matthew D. Mason, 37, of Kansas City, Missouri
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Stephen M. Mills, 35, of Fort Worth, Texas
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Chief Petty Officer(Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist/Diver) Nicholas H. Null, 30, of Washington, West Virginia
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Robert J. Reeves, 32, of Shreveport, Louisiana
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Heath M. Robinson, 34, of Detroit, Michigan
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Darrik C. Benson, 28, of Angwin, California
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Parachutist) Christopher G. Campbell, 36, of Jacksonville, North Carolina
Information Systems Technician Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Jared W. Day, 28, of Taylorsville, Utah
Master-at-Arms Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) John Douangdara, 26, of South Sioux City, Nebraska
Cryptologist Technician(Collection)Petty Officer 1st Class(Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) Michael J. Strange, 25, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist) Jon T. Tumilson, 35, of Rockford, Iowa
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL)Aaron C. Vaughn, 30, of Stuart, Florida
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL)Jason R. Workman, 32, of Blanding, Utah
The following sailors assigned to a West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit were killed:
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL)Jesse D. Pittman, 27, of Ukiah, California
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 2nd Class (SEAL)Nicholas P. Spehar, 24, of Saint Paul, Minnesota
The soldiers killed were:
Chief Warrant Officer David R. Carter, 47, of Centennial, Colo. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), Aurora, Colorado
Chief Warrant Officer Bryan J. Nichols, 31, of Hays, Kan. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment(General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kansas
Staff Sgt. Patrick D. Hamburger, 30, of Lincoln, Neb. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), Grand Island, Nebraska
Sergeant Hamburger was posthumously promoted to Staff Sergeant
Sgt. Alexander J. Bennett, 24, of Tacoma, Wash. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kansas
Spc. Spencer C. Duncan, 21, of Olathe, Kan. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kansas
The airmen killed were:
Tech. Sgt. John W. Brown, 33, of Tallahassee, Florida
Staff Sgt. Andrew W. Harvell, 26, of Long Beach, California
Tech. Sgt. Daniel L. Zerbe, 28, of York, Pennsylvania
All three airmen were assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Field, North Carolina.
Seven Afghan National Army commandos and one Afghan civilian interpreter were also killed in the crash.
Criticism of the Obama Administration's Handling of Extortion 17
The Obama administration was accused of stonewalling and violating a judge's order to release documents concerning the Extortion 17 crash.
Some family members of the Extortion 17 victims believe that President Obama's revelation about SEAL Team 6's involvement in the bin Laden raid made the team a Taliban target, leading to the shootdown.
Some have claimed that the Obama administration's actions or rules of engagement contributed to the disaster, with some sources explicitly stating that the men died because of Obama's Rules of Engagement.
Fathers of fallen Navy SEALs have accused the Obama administration of a "cover-up" regarding the Extortion 17 incident and have criticized the administration's handling of the bodies of the deceased.
Claims of Obama's Treason or Involvement in a Conspiracy
Donald Trump has accused President Obama of treason, alleging he led an effort to link Trump to Russia and undermine his 2016 presidential campaign, without providing evidence.
Tulsi Gabbard has accused President Obama and top officials from his administration of orchestrating a treasonous conspiracy to undermine Donald Trump's 2016 election victory.
Following a Trump administration report accusing Obama of orchestrating a coup, there has been a surge in social media calls for the imprisonment or execution of
A conspiracy theory retweeted by Donald Trump baselessly claims that "Hiden Biden and Obama may have had Seal team 6 killed," referring to the Extortion 17 incident.
Shawn has MULTIPLE interviews concerning Extortion 17; click the button below to see the listing on YouTube…
