SEAL Team 6 Operators Reccount the Biggest Loss in SEAL Team History: Extortion 17

Please take a moment and pause to honor and remember these heroes.

The following sailors assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit were killed:
Lieutenant Commander (SEAL) Jonas B. Kelsall, 32, of Shreveport, Louisiana
Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Louis J. Langlais, 44, of Santa Barbara, California
Special Warfare Operator Senior Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Thomas A. Ratzlaff, 34, of Green Forest, Arkansas
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Senior Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Kraig M. Vickers 36, of Kokomo, Hawaii
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Brian R. Bill, 31, of Stamford, Connecticut
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) John W. Faas, 31, of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Kevin A. Houston, 35, of West Hyannisport, Massachusetts
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Matthew D. Mason, 37, of Kansas City, Missouri
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Stephen M. Mills, 35, of Fort Worth, Texas
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Chief Petty Officer(Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist/Diver) Nicholas H. Null, 30, of Washington, West Virginia
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Robert J. Reeves, 32, of Shreveport, Louisiana
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Heath M. Robinson, 34, of Detroit, Michigan
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Darrik C. Benson, 28, of Angwin, California
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Parachutist) Christopher G. Campbell, 36, of Jacksonville, North Carolina
Information Systems Technician Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Jared W. Day, 28, of Taylorsville, Utah
Master-at-Arms Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) John Douangdara, 26, of South Sioux City, Nebraska
Cryptologist Technician(Collection)Petty Officer 1st Class(Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) Michael J. Strange, 25, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist) Jon T. Tumilson, 35, of Rockford, Iowa
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL)Aaron C. Vaughn, 30, of Stuart, Florida
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL)Jason R. Workman, 32, of Blanding, Utah

The following sailors assigned to a West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit were killed:
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL)Jesse D. Pittman, 27, of Ukiah, California
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 2nd Class (SEAL)Nicholas P. Spehar, 24, of Saint Paul, Minnesota

The soldiers killed were:
Chief Warrant Officer David R. Carter, 47, of Centennial, Colo. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), Aurora, Colorado
Chief Warrant Officer Bryan J. Nichols, 31, of Hays, Kan. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment(General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kansas
Staff Sgt. Patrick D. Hamburger, 30, of Lincoln, Neb. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), Grand Island, Nebraska

* Sergeant Hamburger was posthumously promoted to Staff Sergeant
Sgt. Alexander J. Bennett, 24, of Tacoma, Wash. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kansas
Spc. Spencer C. Duncan, 21, of Olathe, Kan. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kansas

The airmen killed were:
Tech. Sgt. John W. Brown, 33, of Tallahassee, Florida
Staff Sgt. Andrew W. Harvell, 26, of Long Beach, California
Tech. Sgt. Daniel L. Zerbe, 28, of York, Pennsylvania

All three airmen were assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Field, North Carolina.

Seven Afghan National Army commandos and one Afghan civilian interpreter were also killed in the crash.

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Vigilance Elite/Shawn Ryan Links:

[michaelmcpherson]

I was a Ranger involved in this OP. The Rangers were on the ground before Extortion 17 went down. The Ranger force was hitting an objective when the Seals were called in as a QRF. We had ISR picking up a fighting force gathering that was getting ready to attack. The Ranger force dropped their objective and ran non-stop to the crash site.

Because of the known enemy in the area, and high potential for contact, the plan was to conduct a false infill with the empty bird and then insert the team if/when the area was clear. As the birds were approaching the LZ they were flying rather low over a village and two RPGs were fired from the roof top of a building. The first one missed. The second was a devastating direct hit. We spent 3 days meticulously going through the crash site.

This event sent shockwaves through the special ops community. I had lost buddies in previous deployments, but nothing compared to the significance of the loss sustained on this day. I was at the ceremony at Bagram when we put our fallen on the planes to send them home. That ceremony was by far the most difficult event of my military career. I commend you gentlemen for having the courage to share your experiences. I know first hand how difficult it can be to open up, but somehow it helps soothe the sole.
Rest in peace brothers.
RLTW

[danielwhite]

John "Jet Lee" Douangdara, was K-9 handler on Extortion 17. He was from my home town. This still looms over his parents who are good hardworking people who came to this country in 1972 as refugees. John said once that he volunteered for the Navy to payback for the kindness this country had shown his family. Truly a great hero, we lost

[arizonasquatch]

JT Tumilson is my wife's cousin. The 1st time I met Jon was right before I deployed to Desert Shield/Storm. He was a young teen and told me he was going to be a SEAL. WE WILL NEVER FORGET...

[mattmutert]

Im from a really small town in arkansas. One of the men in that helo was from there. Tommy Ratzlaff. It definitely hit that town pretty hard. They renamed the street that connects main street to the school to his last name. They also do a 5k "rat" race every year that raises money for his legacy foundation that provides scholarships and supports youth sports in the area. Never forget. He left behind 3 kids. One who his wife was about 6 months pregnant with when he died. I shared this in hopes that more people will know and remember our hometown hero.

[mwhitelaw]

I was a civilian dispatched to dover with a rented reefer trailer .
I got these men home as fast as possible. I'd never had a trailer loaded with such precious cargo in my entire 34 years behind the wheel.
I never stopped until the task was complete. 5 solid days and nights
I never cried that much in my life

[josephdow]

When you guys feel unappreciated and alone- know you are loved by a grateful nation.

[danielwalker]

Shawn never interrupts and you can feel the emotion and investment in listening. Giving these men a pressure valve is great viewing and helps healing

[michaelmccurry]

Rob Reeves lived a few houses down from me taught me how to play soccer he is the reason I played soccer in college RIP the the best human I’ve ever known

[Daddy]

When I started losing teammates (like we all do) one of the biggest standouts for me was the theretofore unappreciated new level of respect and empathy for the WWII guys like my grandfather.
Trying to imagine those guys going through the same things as the guys in this video, and all of us who lose teammates,
But on a mind blowing scale, is hard to even get my head wrapped around.
I mean we all know those guys had some hard bark on ‘em, but they had to have had cast iron spines to be able to pick themselves up off the ground, snatch their rifles up and keep moving forward.

[benchenzo]

I went through the Warrant Officer course with Bryan Nichols. He was my gym buddy and an all around awesome guy. The fact that he was flying Tier 1 guys is a testament to his skill and ethic. RIP, brothers.

[stephaniee]

It’s so very hard to watch a strong grown man cry because it’s so raw . God bless all those who lost their loved ones.

[pjg_]

This hit me hard, I’m a Brit & the story is so profound I feel like they were our own lads we lost. My wife is American & I love that country & it’s people!! Much love Shawn 😊

[Voyager-dzdr]

Shawn, I really appreciate how you sit there quietly and let these men say what they need to say. I’m sure they appreciate it more than you know. We all do.

[ShagWitTheBag]

The people in our country don’t understand how good we have it because of the brave men and women who give their lives for our freedom

[jimjustice]

Shawn, my hat is off to you. You may have trained with some of those guys, but you maintained a strong, stone face. Which, in retrospect, may have allowed these men to speak from their hearts. I’m sure you have stories of your own, but you allow these brave men to relive their darkest moments without judgement, opinions, or comparisons. You’re awesome as an interviewer, and an awesome man. Thanks for what you do.

[spoolinsrt]

Shawn, your ability to just sit there and listen, is so underrated.

[papperman]

The amount of courage these 2 already had, is nothing compared to opening up on a massive podcast. These guys are fkng DEVGRU. Toughest of the tough, the ones our country calls when failure is not an option. Shedding tears on SRS for their brothers. Seeing tough men cry always makes me tear up but seeing these guys do it had me bawling. I can’t even imagine going through something like that. Rest in Peace Extortion 17. You will never be forgotten.

[cyclingtj]

Thank you. Some years ago I was in Arlington to visit the grave of my Uncle, a WWII Veteran. As my wife and I tried to find his came across Section 60. We saw a row of new markers. Then we saw the main Extortion grave. This retired Paratrooper was honored to Salute these Warriors.

[shaunkirby]

I’m almost afraid to leave a comment, these men have seen such sadness and chaos, there are no words to express how deeply grateful for them, thank you for your service

[michaelnegron]

Sad day. I was there helping with recovery. I escorted the mortuary affairs team out to ensure all remains were recovered. Road with the Engineers clearing the route to the crash site. Ranger company pulling security with a couple of team guys out there. Not much talk, just a lot of action to get the site cleaned up. Much respect to the fallen.