In Memory of Extortion 17 American Force

On 6 August 2011, a U.S. Boeing CH-47 Chinook military helicopter, call sign Extortion 17 (“one-seven”), was shot down while transporting a quick reaction force attempting to reinforce an engaged unit of Army Rangers in Wardak province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan.

It was the single greatest loss of American life in the Afghan war.

Among the 38 occupants inside the Chinook were some of the most highly trained and battle-seasoned fighters in the U.S. military, including 15 commandos from the Navy’s SEAL Team 6, the unit that three months earlier had killed Osama bin Laden. Their target was a Taliban commander responsible for ambushes and other attacks against U.S. and Afghan forces.

The resulting crash killed all 38 people on board—25 American special operations personnel, five United States Army National Guard and Army Reserve crewmen, seven Afghan commandos, and one Afghan interpreter—as well as a U.S. military working dog.

Please help us honor them so that they are not forgotten. Pass this along so others know about these brave warriors.

SGT Alexander J. Bennett SPC Spencer Duncan CWO Bryan J. Nichols CWO David R. Carter SSG Patrick D. Hamburger TSgt John W. Brown SSgt Andrew W. Harvell TSgt Daniel L. Zerbe PO1 (SEAL) Darrick C. Benson CPO (SEAL) Brian R. Bill PO1 (SEAL) Christopher G. Campbell PO1 Jared W. Day PO1 John Douangdara & Navy SEAL Dog “Bart” CPO (SEAL) John W. Faas CPO (SEAL) Kevin A. Houston Lt. Cmdr. (SEAL) Jonas B. Kelsall MCPO (SEAL) Louis J. Langlais CPO (SEAL) Matthew D. Mason CPO (SEAL) Stephen M. Mills CPO Nicholas H. Null PO1 (SEAL) Jesse D. Pittman SCPO (SEAL) Thomas A. Ratzlaff CPO (SEAL) Robert J. Reeves CPO (SEAL) Heath M. Robinson PO2 (SEAL) Nicholas P. Spehar PO1 Michael J. Strange PO1 (SEAL) Jon T. Tumilson PO1 (SEAL) Aaron C. Vaughn SCPO Kraig M. Vickers PO1 (SEAL) Jason R. Workman

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