Operation Red WIngs

Today, we remember the valor and sacrifice of those brave Navy SEALs and Army aviators who lost their lives during Operation Red Wings, in 2005, Afghanistan. The night of the 27th of June, 4 Navy SEALs were inserted via Night Stalker helos between Sawtalo Sar and Gatigal Sar. Soon after, the mission was compromised when a group of locals inadvertently stumbled upon the SEALs' position. After determining that the locals were civilians and not combatants, the goatherders were allowed to live and the SEALs moved onward to their primary surveillance position. After close to an hour, the operators were surrounded and ambushed by their original target (Ahmad Shah) and a large group of his men. As the fire increased in volume and intensity, the operators were forced to continually fall back. Eventually, every single one of the men had been either shot, or injured terribly, but they still kept fighting on. Danny Dietz was shot multiple times in the torso area and once in the neck, Matt Axelson was also wounded similarly, but took a round to the side of his head as well, Marcus Luttrell had broken a number of bones and Mike Murphy had taken a bullet to the stomach. Nevertheless, they fought back with the ferocity expected of these elite warriors.

Outgunned and surrounded, with one operator succumbing to his injuries, Lt. Murphy made a heroic decision to use his last-resort Iridium sat-phone to attempt to place a call to base, alerting the QRF. He moved onto higher ground, so as to get a signal for the phone and exposed himself to enemy fire from all sides. He was able to get through to his CO and quickly explain the situation, then sign off. During all of this, Murphy was shot a few more times, but finally managed to drag himself back to a covered position. He was later surrounded and brutally executed by Taliban fighters in the area, and the remaining two members of the reconnaissance team, Luttrell and Axelson, both seriously wounded were hit by an RPG. Luttrell was flung out of the covered spot where he and Axe were pinned down, and tossed into a gully. He later extracted himself and was eventually recovered by locals, tortured by the Taliban, then rescued. Axe's fate was unknown till after the operation ended and recovery efforts were fully underway. Luttrell had notified the recovery team that Axe had around 3 full magazines remaining when they were separated by the RPG blast, but when the team found him, he had a single magazine left and his body was a few hundred yards away from where the RPG hit, indicating that the man continued to fight back, even after all his injuries.

Sadly, the loss of life wasn't limited to these 3 brave SEALs of the SRT. The QRF lead by LCDR Erik Kristensen, flown by Army Night Stalkers was shot down, all hands lost, when an RPG hit their Chinook.

• LT Michael P. Murphy
• STG2 (SEAL) Matthew Axelson
• GM2 (SEAL) Danny Dietz
• FCC (SEAL/SW) Jacques J. Fontan
• ITCS (SEAL) Daniel R. Healy
• LCDR Erik S. Kristensen
• ET1 (SEAL) Jeffery A. Lucas
• LT Michael M. McGreevy Jr.
• QM2 (SEAL) James E. Suh
• HM1 (SEAL) Jeffrey S. Taylor
• MM2 (SEAL) Shane E. Patton
• SSG Shamus O. Goare
• CWO3 Corey J. Goodnature
• SGT Kip A. Jacoby
• SFC Marcus V. Muralles
• MSG James W. Ponder III
• MAJ Stephen C. Reich
• SFC Michael L. Russell
• CWO4 Chris J. Scherkenbach

Gentlemen, your sacrifice will live on forever. 

Thank you. 

Iceman out. 

Lone Survivor

About a week ago, I saw the SEAL Trident on a the face of a book at one of the book stores in the mall. As it turns out, it was the cover of Lone Survivor, the account of Operation Red Wings from the only surviving SEAL involved, Marcus Luttrell. I didn't have the chance to start it till a couple days ago, but ever since I picked it up, I couldn't put it down.

Marcus starts off with a brief explanation of his early life, BUD/S (for any of us SEAL hopefuls out there, any information you can get from a guy who's been through the ordeal is invaluable) and his initial experience of life as a SEAL when he joined the teams.

Then, comes the story of Operation Red Wings. From insertion, to where it all when wrong. It's the gripping account of true heroism in the face of death. The love of one brother warrior for another. The desire of patriots, and the ferocity of the warrior elite. The struggle to stay alive, for the single surviving member of the mission. 

The more I read about Mikey, Danny and Axe, the more my hands started to shake in awe of these great men. Meet any one of their SEAL brothers on the streets today, and they'd doubtlessly give the same response as those fallen heroes: "Just doing my job, no recognition required". Truly amazing.

This is a MUST READ.




Iceman out.

The Red Circle

Have you ever wondered what life as a SEAL is really like? You can find the sensationalized version in movies where the "SEALs" run around with shiny, futuristic weaponry, make things go boom and never have to reload once (Tears of the Sun, anybody? I don't think Bruce Willis and his platoon ever had to jack a new mag in, they just went cyclic with those poor guns).

You can find the real, gritty details of life in the Teams here. Brandon Webb was a former Navy SEAL sniper with service overseas, especially in the Middle East. Later on in his career in the Navy, he went on to become an instructor at the SEAL's elite sniper school. As you'll find out in the book, the SEAL sniper school is no joke. Compared to the other sniper schools around the world, it is one of the toughest, most grueling courses, designed to teach special warfare operators advanced sniping techniques, stalking, etc. in a variety of settings. Brandon Webb was not only a graduate of the course, but he went on to become an instructor later on, and was instrumental in reforming the school to adapt to 21st Century warfare.

His book is nothing short of inspirational. The lessons he has to offer us are invaluable, and throughout, you can learn the value of perseverance and dedication, traits of a true leader, and the importance of keeping your cool under fire.

It is a must read!

BUY IT HERE!

For God and country—Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo.

A year ago, on the 2nd of May, just after 0100 hrs in the morning, two teams of Navy SEALs from the elite and secretive US Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) were inserted by US Army Night Stalkers into a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Within that compound, was the world's most wanted man, his thugs and some of his family. Within minutes, the operators covered ground, methodically engaged and took out the armed hostiles and entered the private room of the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. The SEAL who pumped the rounds into the man's chest and head with his suppressed H&K 416 immediately radioed in, "For God and country- Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo" then confirmed "Geronimo E.K.I.A".

Within 38 minutes, Osama bin Laden was dead, and those who he brutally murdered in his attacks on the innocent were avenged.

38 minutes. Months of planning, and within a half hour, the operation was over and the teams were extracted.

Multiple units were involved, including Air Force CSAR helos and personnel, Army SOAR Chinooks loaded with SEALs and refueling bladders for the other helos involved in the raid, fighter jets and drones providing cover and aerial surveillance and a QRF (Quick Reaction Force) consisting of Army Rangers. All, loaded for bear, with the intent to take out the man who had cause the world so much grief.

Iceman's Answers: Is special ops for me?

I see this question popping up a lot. I guess, these days, even more often, because of the release of Act of Valor. Everyone wants in on the action, and that's understandable. These guys do some of the most amazing jobs in the world, they get the best training, get use highly advanced equipment, etc. They look awesome, rising from the water with their rifles, or doing HALO or HAHO jumps out the back of C-130s, etc. But, what most don't realize, is that it is a thankless, hard job, that keeps you away from your family for months at a time, and it's extremely dangerous. You don't know that the next operation you go on will be your last, or if you'll ever get to come home to your family.

You have to figure out if you're mentally capable. Physically, the only thing hindering you, will be injuries you've sustained earlier on. Whether they're from sports, or accidents around the house, any injury can hold you back if you go through enough physical activity (a core part of training). Fractures, sprains, weakened joints, muscles, etc, get worsened, easily. Mentally, it's all up to you. Can you handle what your instructors will throw at you? Can you take the torment that comes down on you during the testing phases (e.g. Hell Week during BUD/S)?
You also have to realize this also affects your personal life immensely. You'll be away from your family for extended periods of time, you'll have to drop what you're doing and leave on short notice, all the while, your family (i.e. wife, kids, parents) won't be aware of your whereabouts. You might miss the birth of your kids, or be unable to attend family events, birthdays, etc. That's also something you have to consider.

Check out Military.com and SOFREP. Those are two websites that'll give you a ton of wisdom from ex Special Forces, SEALs, MARSOC, etc. They are invaluable resources!

The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday

I'm sure a lot of you, by now, have heard of, and seen the trailers for, the movie Act of Valor. It's a movie about the infamous secretive special warfare group, the US Navy SEALs, and their (fictionalized) fight against a drug-smuggler and a Chechen terrorist. Get this, the guys playing the SEALs.... are real-life active SEALs! You get an unparalleled and highly accurate insight into the way the SEALs operate. Here's the thing though, a lot of it, is in fact, extremely watered down. That's not a bad thing, I found the movie to be an instant favorite, not to mention one that drove me to tears! Watered down, as in, the movie is highly accurate, but the true way SEALs operate is kept from public view, for obvious reasons

It is an amazing testament to the sacrifice these special warfare operators make, and the fact that they're always at war in the defense of the United States. Truly amazing. I highly recommend this movie, to all of you! Take a box of tissues, or a handkerchief... you'll definitely shed a tear or two!