On June 28, 2005, an MH-47 Chinook helicopter carrying a Quick Reaction Force of eight Navy SEALs and eight Army Night Stalkers (members of the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment) were killed in action during Operation Red Wings in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. This part of the operation was an attempt to rescue Lt. Michael Murphy, Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Danny Dietz, Sonar Technician 2nd Class Matthew Axelson, and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Marcus Luttrell, who had been cut off and outnumbered by Taliban fighters during a reconnaissance mission deep behind enemy lines. Three of the four SEALs on the ground were killed — Murphy, Axelson, and Dietz — with Luttrell being the lone survivor. The other eight SEALs and eight Night Stalkers were killed when the MH-47 Chinook, coming in to aid the ground team, was shot down by an enemy RPG and the helicopter broke apart, crashing...
Read more