08/06/2026
15 years ago today, America suffered the greatest single-day loss of U.S. military lives in Operation Enduring Freedom when a CH-47D Chinook military helicopter operating with the call sign Extortion 17 was shot down while transporting an Immediate Reaction Force attempting to reinforce a Joint Special Operations Command unit of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the Tangi Valley in Maidan Wardak province, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan. The resulting crash killed all 38 people on board - 23 Navy SEALs, 2 United States Air Force Pararescue, 1 United States Air Force Combat Control Team, one pilot and two crewmen of the United States Army Reserve, one pilot and one crewman of the United States Army National Guard, seven members of the Afghan National Security Forces, one Afghan interpreter, and one military working dog. Today we remember their lives and their sacrifice:
Alexander J. Bennett, SGT US Army
Darrik C. Benson, SO1 US Navy
Brian R. Bill, SOC US Navy
John W. Brown, TSgt US Air Force
Christopher G. Campbell, SO1 US Navy
David R. Carter, CW5 US Army
Jared W. Day, PO1 US Navy
John Douangdara, MA1 US Navy
Spencer C. Duncan, SPC US Army
John W. Faas, SOC US Navy
Patrick Hamburger, SSG US Army
Andrew W. Harrell, SSgt US Air Force
Kevin A. Houston, SOC US Navy
James B. Keisall, LCDR US Navy
Louis J. Langlais, SOCM US Navy
Matthew D. Mason, SOC US Navy
Stephen M. Mills, SOC US Navy
Bryan J. Nichols, CW2 US Army
Nicholas H. Null, CPO US Navy
Jesse D. Pitman, SO1 US Navy
Thomas A. Ratzlaff, SOCS US Navy
Robert J. Reeves, SOC US Navy
Heath M. Robinson, SOC US Navy
Nicholas P. Spehar, SO2 US Navy
Michael J. Strange, PO1 US Navy
Jon T. Tumilson, SO1 US Navy
Aaron C. Vaughn, SO1 US Navy
Kraig M. Vickers, SCPO US Navy
Jason R. Workman, SO1 US Navy
Daniel L. Zerbe, TSgt US Air Force
MWD Bart, US Navy (dog)
Til Valhalla!