PROGRAMMING ALERT: The Fox Nation special "Final Flight: The Men of Extortion 17" is available to stream now on Fox Nation.Fifteen years after Extortion 17 became the deadliest single incident for U.S.forces in the war in Afghanistan — and the greatest loss of life in Naval Special Warfare history — our duty is to ensure the men aboard are never forgotten.There is an old saying that a soldier dies twice: first, when he draws his final breath; and again, when his name is spoken for the last time.On Aug.
6, 2011, some of America’s finest warriors died their first death.It is a cliché to say these men were the best of us, but in this case, it is simply true.
Gen."Wild Bill" Donovan, founder of the World War II-era Office of Strategic Services, once described such operators as "Ph.D.s who can win a bar fight" — individuals possessing brilliant, highly specialized intellects while also having the grit to get their hands dirty.SEAL TEAM 6 MEMBER EXPLAINS BLUNT REALITY OF COMBAT AND EXPECTATIONS IN THE BLACK OPS WORLDThirty-one Americans, including Navy SEALs, Air Force special operators and Army aviation soldiers, alongside their Afghan commando counterparts, boarded a CH-47 Chinook helicopter to answer a call for support.
The helicopter was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan’s Wardak province, killing everyone aboard.In an instant, they were gone.
But their stories remain.Extortion 17 is not merely a call sign, a date or an entry in the history of a long war.It was personal.
The Navy SEALs aboard that helicopter belonged to SEAL Team 6’s Gold Squadron.I knew these men.
They were my brothers-in-arms.FOREIGN BLACK OPS MEMBER REVEALS THE SECRET AMERICAN UNIT HE LOVED WORKING WITH IN COMBATThey were among the most elite warriors our nation has ever produced — highly trained men who operated in the shadows, accepted long periods away from their families and carried burdens most Americans will never fully understand.They were also among th...