SEAL of Honor (31 page)

Having completed his call, he knew help was on the way. Luttrell saw Murphy pick up his weapon and flank to his left out of the line of sight. Luttrell then saw Axelson take another round and rushed over to him, but he could do nothing to help without his medical supplies. Axelson was unable to hold his weapon, but despite his mortal wounds, he placed his weapon on a rock and continued to return fire. Luttrell moved to another location and continued to fight on.

After about another thirty minutes the sound of gunfire diminished. Luttrell heard only the familiar sound of the AK-47s, which continued to fade, then ceased altogether. All around him Luttrell heard enemy voices yelling, screaming, and chanting. After several minutes, he heard several more rounds from an AK-47, followed by dead silence. He was alone.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

—CAPTAIN JOHN MCCAIN, USN (ret.),
Why Courage Matters

 

 

 

I
n response to Michael Murphy’s call for assistance, the Marine QRF at J-bad loaded onto four aircraft, two UH-60 Blackhawks and two Apache assault helos. As they awaited orders to deploy, the four aircraft sat on the tarmac with rotors turning. Having monitored the radio call from Lieutenant Murphy to J-bad, Lieutenant Commander Kristensen ordered the assault force (AF) troops to extract his fellow SEALs. Senior Chief Healy located Petty Officer Second Class Ben Sauers and told him, “Our guys are in a TIC, we gotta go ... now!” (TIC is an acronym for troops in contact or combat.) Sauers ran for the line of B-huts and alerted the SEALs, who immediately began preparations while the call went out to the flight crews of the 160th Night Stalkers.

Not scheduled in the rotation for another three hours, Captain Bradley was asleep in his B-hut when he was awakened by his maintenance officer. “Sir, you gotta get up, we have to go get those SEALs you dropped in, they’re in real trouble.” After springing from his bed, Bradley quickly dressed. He then ran out the door to the next B-hut to awaken Platoon Sergeant Michael Russell, who immediately got up, dressed, and began to muster the flight crews. After awakening Russell, Bradley ran to the Operations Center. First to arrive at the flight line was Sergeant First Class Marcus Muralles, a senior combat medic preparing for his last mission before going home. He opened each helicopter and prepared for the rescue attempt by loading the medical supplies he hoped he would not need.

In the Operations Center Kristensen met Major Reich and other mission commanders. After a brief discussion, Kristensen, Lieutenant Mike McGreevy, and
Reich came to the conclusion that this was not a QRF mission, but rather an acceleration of the planned mission. The plan in place was quickly adapted. Quite simply, the revised plan was for the rescue team to take the high ground at the point of insertion on Sawtalo Sar and fight its way down to the SEALs. The original plan had been to move in that night; however, waiting until the cover of darkness was not an option.

While the rescue plan was being finalized, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Cory Goodnature worked with Senior Flight Leader Chad Easter and made the required adaptations and calculations. The responding assault force consisted of thirty-two troops, sixteen in each helo. With the heat of the day exceeding 100° and the thin atmosphere at ten thousand feet, the helos would not be able to carry such loads to the insertion point on Sawtalo Sar. In addition, anticipating that they would find wounded SEALs, medics were needed to treat the injured.

Reich and McGreevy decided to drop half of the AF at the forward operating base (FOB) at J-bad, then proceed to the extrication site, locate and extract Lieutenant Murphy’s SEALs, return to J-bad, pick up the remaining troops, and finally come back to finish off Shah and his militia. Additional plans would be made in the air. Kristensen, Reich, and McGreevy then began the short trip to the flight line, where the flight crews had already loaded each helo with eight Night Stalkers. They were ready for take off and the chance to prove the Night Stalkers slogan: “If we put them in, we take them out.”

The lead helo, an MH-47E Chinook, call sign Turbine 33, was piloted by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Chris Scherkenbach and copiloted by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Cory Goodnature, both Night Stalkers. Standing directly behind Scherkenbach was Captain Bradley, the air mission commander. The other Night Stalker crew members were Sergeant First Class Marcus V. Muralles, Master Sergeant James W. “Tre” Ponder, Platoon Sergeant Michael Russell, Staff Sergeant Shamus Goare, and Sergeant Kip Jacoby.

Coordinating the SEAL boarding of Turbine 33 was Chief Petty Officer Jacques Fontan. As the SEALs ran for the helos, Fontan directed Jeffrey Lucas, Jeffrey Taylor, Michael McGreevy, and Ben Sauers on board, then climbed on himself. After boarding Fontan recognized Sauers and yelled, “You’re SDV. You’re in the other helo.” Sauer exited and ran toward Turbine 34, another Chinook.

Senior Chief Healy directed SEALs James Suh and Shane Patton to board Turbine 34.
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Just as Healy was about to climb on board, he heard Sauers yelling. Healy stopped and motioned for Sauers to get on board, then climbed on himself and secured the side door behind him.

As the two helos sat fully loaded and running on the tarmac, Kristensen and Reich boarded the lead helo, Turbine 33. Reich approached Captain Bradley behind the cockpit and said, “What’s your plan, Captain?”

Bradley responded, “Insert the QRF on the high ground near the insertion point and work our way down to our guys.”

“Excellent, but this isn’t a QRF. We’ve accelerated the planned mission. I’ve got this one. You stay here!” Bradley insisted on going as the air mission commander, to which Reich responded, “Captain, I said I’ve got this one. You’re staying here.”

Although frustrated, Bradley acknowledged Reich’s order: “Yes, sir. Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

Bradley gathered his weapon and jumped off the helo. At a safe distance from the aircraft, he turned and saw the helos reach skyward, then ran to the Operations Center and assumed command. As the operations officer, he would monitor the rescue effort.

After the sixty-minute flight to J-bad, as planned, both helos flew over the still waiting QRF and touched down on a different flight line. As Sauers and some of the SEALs and Night Stalkers jumped off, they were told, “Don’t go anywhere, we’ll be back for you in ten minutes.” While both aircraft rested on the tarmac, Healy, Suh, and Patton exited Turbine 34 and ran and boarded Turbine 33. Once the two helos had taken off again and gained altitude, the QRF commander ordered his units into the air, but by that time the two MH-47Es were well out in front as they raced toward the LZ.

While Scherkenbach and Goodnature flared and maneuvered their Chinook over the landing zone, Turbine 34 did a quick flyby to check out the area. Because the area was heavily forested, very little, if anything, could be seen on the ground. As Scherkenbach and Goodnature held their position at an altitude of about fifty feet and with the ramp open for deployment of the fast rope, the call came: “Thirty seconds!” At that, the others on board lined up for the insertion.

On the ground almost directly below and slightly behind Turbine 33, an RPG was fired. It penetrated the middle of the aircraft on the underside, creating an instant fireball and causing the aircraft to turn on its right side. Within seconds it crashed into the side of the nine-thousand-foot mountain. The entire incident was captured on both video and still photography by an MQ-1 Predator.

Back at the 160th’s Operations Center, Captain Bradley was stunned. He knew that Major Reich and the other fifteen men on board Turbine 33 were gone. He also realized that Major Reich’s assuming command of the mission had saved him.

On the ground, Luttrell heard cheers and yelling from the Taliban. He knew that something had happened, but he had no idea what had caused the fighters’ excitement. In his critically wounded state, however, he was in no condition to investigate.

On board Turbine 34, the crew was also stunned. The pilot radioed back to both J-bad and Bagram: “Turbine 33 is down. Repeat, Turbine 33 is down!” Turbine 34 and the four QRF aircraft requested permission to insert, check for survivors of the crash, and locate the SEALs. The commanders back at Bagram denied the request. Despite calls from the troops in the rear of the remaining aircraft, the pilots followed orders and aborted the mission. The helos started on their way back to J-bad.

Back in the Operations Center, Bradley had sent for Chad Easter, who was in disbelief when he arrived. They heard the commanders order Turbine 34 to abort the mission and return to J-bad just as Lieutenant Colonel Dunson arrived. Dunson, Bradley, Easter, and several other SOF operators loaded into a helo and departed for J-bad to link up with the returning helos and their crewmen.

On the tarmac at J-bad, Sauers and the others learned of the shootdown. Sauers immediately asked, “Before or after the QRF insertion?” “Before,” they were told. Incensed, the entire group demanded to be flown to the crash site and inserted so they could look for and treat survivors and to find the SEALs. They were ordered to stand down and directed into the Operations Center, where they monitored the actions on the ground through the video and photographs sent by the MQ-1 Predator. As they watched the video of the shootdown, they knew that little hope existed for those on board Turbine 33. However, they remained optimistic about the four SEALs in Murphy’s team, although no communication had been received from them for several hours.

Upon arriving at J-bad just before dark, Dunson, Bradley, Easter, and other operational planners assembled in the Operations Area and developed a plan to go back up the mountain. Easter then went outside and advised the waiting troops from the QRF and Turbine 34. Everyone headed to the flight line and loaded into the five awaiting MH-47Es, designated Turbines 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45. The helos then took off.

Turbine 41
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the lead helo, piloted by Easter, headed up the mountain with the other aircraft close behind. Soon they found themselves in an ever-thickening fog bank and heavy rain. As the aircraft neared the crash site, the fog was so thick and the visibility so poor that the pilots were flying blind, unable to see the other aircraft, the mountains, or the ground below. Back at Bagram, the commanders
monitoring the radio traffic aborted the mission. All pilots acknowledged the abort order. Easter and the other pilots now faced making a 360-degree turn in formation with no visibility, an extremely dangerous maneuver that increased the already high level of tension in the aircraft. All five aircraft performed the difficult maneuver without incident and returned safely to J-bad.

At the start of the next operational period twelve hours later, the same five aircraft headed up the mountain toward a new LZ just south of where they made their last attempt. In addition, Marine ground forces were dispatched on foot up the mountain toward the crash site from the southeast.

The aircraft split formation and headed for their designated LZs. The mood of the men on the flight was somber and intense. All contact with Murphy’s SEALs had been lost, and sixteen of their fellow special operators had died the previous day.

The two LZs for this mission were called Napier and Stork. Turbine 41, Turbine 42, and Turbine 45 approached LZ Napier, while Turbine 43 and Turbine 44 headed to LZ Stork. The LZs were along the Sawtalo Sar ridgeline above the crash site. The crewmen of Turbine 41 utilized the FRIES and dropped its ninety-foot rope to the ground below, then dispatch the assault force. Turbine 42 and Turbine 45 followed suit. At LZ Stork, the troops on board Turbine 43 and Turbine 44, piloted by Captain Bradley, were similarly inserted.

The assault force began the treacherous decline toward the crash site, which took them just over three hours. After they reached the crash site, they secured both the inner and outer perimeters. The remains of all eight SEALs and all eight Night Stalkers were recovered. The Marine ground forces coming from the southeast, who were still several hours from the site due to the terrain, were instructed to abort and return to J-bad.

Due to the terrain, no suitable LZ was available in which to land the helos. To accommodate the aircraft, the AF detonated several large charges and cleared a functional evacuation LZ, which was given the code name Thresher.

The remains of all sixteen American troops were evacuated back to Bagram Airfield on Turbine 41 and Turbine 42. Escorting the fallen was the air mission commander, Captain Myron Bradley.

At Bagram, Commander Kent Paro and all of the remaining special operations forces were waiting on the flight line to meet Captain Bradley and the sixteen lost SEALs and soldiers. While the remains were being transferred into waiting ambulances, Petty Officer Second Class Eugene Bryant ran toward Paro holding a piece of paper. As Bryant got within hearing distance, Paro heard him yell, “They’ve got him sir, they’ve got him. Marcus has been found. He’s in pretty rough shape, but
he’s alive. We have him.” Paro’s spirits were lifted by the news. Perhaps the other three missing SEALs were also alive. He then redirected his attention to the remains of the sixteen men being transferred from the helos.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

—CAPTAIN JOHN MCCAIN, USN (ret.),
Why Courage Matters