That was one of the greatest losses in the SOF community and the highest single loss in Operation Red Wings. But knowing that their warrior brothers were shot, surrounded, and severely wounded, the rescue team opted to directly enter the oncoming battle in hopes of landing on brutally hazardous terrain.Īs the Chinook raced to the battle, a rocket-propelled grenade struck the helicopter, killing all 16 men aboard.
The risk would, of course, be minimized if they put the helicopter down in a safe zone. They knew the tremendous risk of going into an active enemy area in daylight without their attack support and the cover of night. The attack helicopters’ heavyweight slowed the formation’s advance prompting the MH-47 to outrun their armored escort. Entering a hot combat zone, attack helicopters are used initially to neutralize the enemy and make it safer for the lightly-armored, personnel-transport helicopter to insert. The MH-47 Chinook was escorted by heavily-armored Army attack helicopters. Kristensen, was sent as part of an extraction mission to pull out the four embattled Navy SEALs. Michael Murphy returned to his cover position with his men and continued the battle.Īn MH-47 Chinook helicopter, with eight additional SEALs and eight Army Night Stalkers aboard led by Lt. Murphy picked it back up, completed the call, and continued firing at the enemy closing in. He was shot in the back at one point, causing him to drop the transmitter. He calmly provided his unit’s location and the enemy force’s size while requesting immediate support for his team. They were part of the planned QRF in Operation Red Wings. Murphy contacted the SOF Quick Reaction Force at Bagram Air Base and requested assistance while continuing to be fired upon. This deliberate and heroic act deprived him of cover and made him a target for the enemy. He knowingly exposed himself to increased enemy gunfire, moving away from the protective mountain rocks. Murphy, intent on making contact with headquarters but realizing this would be impossible in the extreme terrain where they were fighting, unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his own life, moved into the open, where he could gain a better position to transmit a call to get help for his men. (Photo: Navy)ĭespite the intensity of the firefight and suffering grave gunshot wounds himself, Team Leader Michael Murphy is credited with risking his own life to save the lives of his teammates. Murphy and Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class Matthew G. But before he could, he was shot in hand, the blast shattering his thumb. Approximately 45 minutes into the fight, pinned down by overwhelming forces, Danny Dietz, the communications petty officer, sought open air to place a distress call back to the base. Trying to reach safety, the four men, now each wounded, began bounding down the mountain’s steep sides, making leaps of 20 to 30 feet. The firefight continued relentlessly as the overwhelming insurgents forced the SEALs deeper into a ravine. They launched a well-organized, three-sided attack on the SEALs. The SEAL mission was compromised when the local nationals spotted the team, who presumably reported its presence and location to the Taliban.Ī fierce firefight erupted between the four SEALs and a much larger enemy force of more than 50 anti-coalition insurgents. Under the assumed name Muhammad Ismail, Shah led a guerrilla group known to locals as the “Mountain Tigers,” aligned with the Taliban and other militant groups close to the Pakistani border. Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (SEAL) Marcus Luttrell, Medic.Sonar Technician 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew Axelson.Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Danny Dietz, Comms.
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