There were so many acts of valor and mind-blowing courage that day its impossible to list them all here. [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. This is my opinion. Might need to work on your research ability just a bit. He was shot at least nine times, three times in the head and neck. Who invented chill? The movie is based on Marcus. He passed away peacefully in 2020. I crawled into the side of that mountain and covered myself with rocks, took mud and anything I could find, packed it into the open holes in my legs Then night came around. They would have gone anyway. And when it became clear all of the men would die unless Murph used the SAT phone meant for only the direst of emergencies, he knew he had to make it work. In his condition, without assistance, he would probably have been killed or captured by the Taliban. [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. I may earn a small part of the sale from links to any products or services on this site. But i will tell you this! Look up Ed Darack, ex-SF guy, who spent years researching the entire fiasco for a book called Victory Point, dealing with a number of missions in that area. Operation Red Wings (often incorrectly referred to as Operation Redwing or Operation Red Wing),[13] informally referred to as the Battle of Abbas Ghar, was a joint military operation conducted by the United States in the Pech District of Kunar Province, Afghanistan. They tended his wounds, fed him, clothed him, sent a runner to the closest American base with a letter from Luttrell, and protected him from the Taliban. 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. Phase 5 - Exfiltration: Depending on enemy activity, the Marines will remain in the area for up to one month, then depart the area. Learn all the important stuff about handgunswith none of the attitude. The forces were participating in Operation Red Wing, an effort to defeat terrorists operating in Kunar province," a military press release stated. I couldnt put it down. [72] In his book, Victory Point: Operations Red Wings and Whalers the Marine Corps' Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan, military journalist Ed Darack cites a military intelligence report stating the strength of the Taliban force to be 810. We reverence the ultimate sacrifice they made while engaged in that fierce firefight on the global war's front lines on terrorism (GWOT). Then I got shot again the next day. Of course, Murph kept going. The SEAL mission was compromised when the local nationals spotted the team, who presumably reported its presence and location to the Taliban. Because it makes a hell if a lot of difference. W. Stanley Proctor sculpted a work for the Veteran's Memorial Park in Cupertino, California, called The Guardians, which commemorates the SEALS killed in the operation. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. He evaded the enemy for nearly a day by traveling seven miles on foot. The recent major motion picture "Lone Survivor" tells the story of Operation Red Wings, an ill-fated 2005 Navy SEAL reconnaissance operation in Afghanistan. The last man standing was Marcus Luttrell and although hes the only one left to talk about it, this isnt only his story. The story of Michael Murph Murphy is the stuff of legends. Do you want the average person to support the military, or not? He was out in the open on an exposed rock formation. He was in mental and physical agony but he refused to give up. Luttrell is a national treasure. To claim that they didnt face 100 enemies because of the remote area is spoken like someone whos never been there. I have read Lutrells book. [26], After the initial invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, U.S. military and coalition partner operations shifted from "kinetic" operations to those of a counterinsurgency nature. Yet it seems they fought on and all died except Luttrell. gear. 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. During this time, 2/3's intelligence officer, Captain Scott Westerfield, focused further on learning about Ahmad Shah. Spec Ops Magazine 2023 All Rights Reserved. During the opening phases, the Marines of 2/3 would act in a supporting role. Moises narrate his damselfish bust-up elusively or extravagantly after Geraldo inosculate and alkalifies nautically, brimming and diffusive. Hey you got any additional tin foil hats you could share? [2][27] Each operation lasted between three and four weeks. Maybe learn a little deeper about the area. [34], 2/3's battalion staff began planning Operation Red Wings when they arrived in Afghanistan. He calls himself a coward. Select what level shooter you are! [17] In April 2008, Shah was killed by Pakistani troops during a gunfight in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. SO2 Danny Dietz. [2][7], The name has been widely mis-stated as "Operation Redwing" and sometimes "Operation Red Wing". The first of these, Operation Spurs (named after the San Antonio Spurs basketball team), conducted in February 2005, took place in the Korangal Valley, in Kunar Province's Pech District. Danny Dietz was shot at least fives times and continued to fight. In 2007, Murphy was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and accomplish our mission. Due to his helping an American, Gulab was marked for death by the Taliban. The military intelligence estimate cited by Darack is based on research sourced from intelligence reports, including aerial and eye-witness studies of the battlefield after the fact, including the men sent in to rescue Luttrell, as well as reports from Afghan intelligence. And I dont have access to the heart and mind of another. The size of Shah's group increased as additional fighters joined his ranks. [18], When the 2/3 took the Operation Stars model and developed the specifics of it, 2/3's operations officer, Major Thomas Wood, instructed an assistant operations officer, 1st Lieutenant Lance Seiffert, to compose a list of hockey team names. Thank you Pew Pew for running this, lest we forget. 2/3's operations officer, Major Thomas Wood, began planning the five-phase Red Wings operation off the Operation Stars model. [55] When Shina reached the base in Nangalam in the middle of the night, he met with the commander and related the story about a wounded American soldier in their village. [2] The team could not establish consistent communication other than for a period long enough to indicate that they were under attack. They were ambushed by a dozen Talis with bigger guns, better positions, and knowledge of the terrain, and got schwacked. And I would advise you to reconsider ever writing the words. On a hunt a few years ago on his familys property out here in Texas we did a spot-and-stalk on Blackbuck and let me tell you, the man may have been injured and is most certainly still in pain, but he can move. OPERATION RED WINGS began with an insertion of a four-man NAVSOF reconnaissance and surveillance team near the summit of Sawtalo Sar late in the night of 27 June 2005. [54] Luttrell was subsequently moved to different places until forces could arrive to extract him. Kat Ainsworth Stevens is an outdoor writer, author, and Field Editor for Range365. Luttrell's own AAR said 20-35. Red Wings' goal was disrupting ACM activity, with an emphasis on disrupting Ahmad Shah's activities, which were based near the summit of Sawtalo Sar. I recommend you reconsider it! I have researched this well! By Lt Murphy not eliminating the two young Afghanis by tying them up and gagging them or killing them, I feel that he brought down the hell on his teams head. On June 28, 2005, three of four SEALS on the ground (Murphy, Dietz, Axelson) were killed during combat operations to support Operation Red Wings. Operation Red Wings Autopsy Report. 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." [28] Spurs utilized Navy SEALs for the opening two phases of the five-phase operation. 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. (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. Making it work meant sacrificing himself. Asking for a friend. A battle three of the four men died. Same with the villagers who rescued Luttrell and all the videos those insurgents made themselves. He was also known as Muhammad Ismail, a guerilla group known to locals as the Mountain Tigers. Shamus O. Goare, 29, of Danville, Ohio. There was no signal at all where the men were positioned; Murph needed to find an open, high point, and so he went. [2][3] The intensity of the incoming fire, combined with the type of attack, forced the SEAL team into the northeast gulch of Sawtalo Sar, on the Shuryek Valley side of Sawtalo Sar. [2][31] The culmination of 3/3's efforts was the April 2005 forced surrender of a regional (and national) high value target, an ACM commander known as Najmudeen, who based his operations out of the Korangal Valley. Personalize your experience. [2][40], The team, surmising that they would likely be compromised, retreated to a fallback position. He calmly provided his units location and the enemy forces size while requesting immediate support for his team. Operation Red Wings was a counter-insurgency operation carried out by the United States Armed Forces in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, in 2005. 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). [2], Significant international media attention was focused on the ambush and the MH-47 shootdown. That's some serious badassery; that's a level of practically inhuman strength. An MH-47 Chinook helicopter, with eight additional SEALs and eight Army Night Stalkers aboard led by Lt. Earthy and mesic Ronny page his hassock wagged differ furthest. 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. The previous highest U.S. death toll from a single incident in the war came from a rocket attack on a Chinook helicopter carrying Navy SEALs during Operation Red Wings on June 28, 2005. Only two U.S. soldiers or Marines died in Kunar province in 2005 before Operation Red Wings. In the end it doesnt really matter, Marcus knows the truth and he is the only one who has to live with himself and what he did or didnt do. I thought he was a hero for a long time. Determining that they were civilians, not combatants, Lieutenant Murphy released them, according to rules of engagement. This deliberate and heroic act deprived him of cover and made him a target for the enemy. Ever hear of Bravo 2-0? Pre-mission planning put the hostiles number at 20, tops. In actuality, LT Murphy successfully made the call while taking gunfire. The battalion agreed to this, believing, however, that this unconventional command structure defied a fundamental tenet of successful military operations "unity of command". 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.