Extortion 17 - 13th anniversary of the most tragic day in the U.S. Naval Special Forces history

Extortion 17

Today marks the 13th anniversary of the most tragic day in the U.S. Naval Special Forces history. 

On August 6, 2011. A U.S. military CH-47D Chinook helicopter, operating under the call sign Extortion 17, was shot down while transporting an Immediate Reaction Force (IRF) attempting to reinforce a unit of the Joint Special Operations Command's 75th Ranger Regiment conducting operations in the Tangi 3 valley in Wardak province, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan. Extortion 17 was shot down most likely by a Taliban rocket propelled grenade (RPG). U.S. forces later killed the Taliban responsible for the crash during an F-16 airstrike. 

The Extortion 17 crash killed all 38 people on board - 25 U.S. Navy Seals, a U.S. Army Reserve pilot and two crew members, a U.S. Army National Guard pilot and one crew member, seven members of the Afghan National Security Forces and one Afghan interpreter, and a U.S. military dog. 

The downing of 30 U.S. military personnel marks the highest number of American fatalities during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. It surpasses the 16 lives lost when a similar MH-47 helicopter, call sign Turbine 33, from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment was shot down during Operation Red Wings on June 2, 2005. Eight Army Special Forces Airmen and eight Navy SEALs were killed in the aftermath of that crash. 

Among the Extortion 17 victims were 15 Navy SEALs belonging to the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU, SEAL Team Six), Gold Squadron, and five U.S. Naval Special Warfare support personnel based in Virginia Beach: 

• Jonas B. Kelsall, 32, Lieutenant Commander (SEAL), Shreveport, Louisiana
• Louis J. Langlais, 44, Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL), Santa Barbara, California
• Thomas A. Ratzlaff, 34, Special Warfare Operator Senior Chief Petty Officer (SEAL), Green Forest, Arkansas
• Kraig M. Vickers, 36, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Senior Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist), Kokomo, Hawaii,
• Brian R. Bill, 31, Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL), Stamford, Connecticut
• John W. Faas, 31, Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL), Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Kevin A. Houston, 35, Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL), West Hyannisport, Massachusetts
• Matthew D. Mason, 37, Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL), Kansas City, Missouri
• Stephen M. Mills, 35, Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL), Fort Worth, Texas,
• Nicholas H. Null, 30, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist/Diver), Washington, West Virginia
• Robert J. Reeves, 32, Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL), Shreveport, Louisiana
• Heath M. Robinson, 34, Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL), Detroit, Michigan
• Darrik C. Benson, 28, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL), Angwin, California
• Christopher G. Campbell, 36, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Parachutist), Jacksonville, North Carolina
• Jared W. Day, 28, Information Systems Technician Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist), Taylorsville, Utah,
• John Douangdara, 26, Master-at-Arms Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist), South Sioux City, Nebraska
•  Michael J. Strange, 25, Cryptologist Technician (Collection) Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Jon T. Tumilson, 35, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist), Rockford, Iowa,
• Aaron C. Vaughn, 30, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL), Stuart, Florida,
• Jason R. Workman, 32, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL), Blanding, Utah. 

Also killed were Navy SEALs assigned to a Naval Special Warfare unit on the West Coast: 

• Jesse D. Pittman, 27, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL), Ukiah, Calif,
• Nicholas P. Spehar, 24, Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 2nd Class (SEAL), Saint Paul, Minnesota