re: The Desperate Fight of MSgt John Chapman on Takur Ghar (Video)

The Red Wings team at least walked a couple of klicks to their OP and had three dummy insertions to try to mix thing up. These frickers flew straight to the mountain top.

Keep in mind, it is a Wikipedia article. Take it with a grain of salt.

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If Chapman had been a SEAL they wouldn't have been so quick to abandon him.

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I dunno. I think they just realized the operation was going south and simply was not worth it. It's one thing to go through SEAL training (it's hard, but it's still training) and it's another to be facing off against three real machine guns firing at your arse and killing people standing beside you. That'll make any man think twice, I don't care who you are.

It was just a shite position to be in for the SEALS. It was a mountain, there was snow on the ground, it was very rough terrain. People were falling, being shot, killed, slipping down hills, etc. Just a clusterfrick. I suspect the SEALS just wanted to salvage what they could and get out. It's not worth being pinned down by machine guns with position on you just to sit there and die. There's a difference in bravery and stupidity.

So, no, I don't think Chapman being Air Force had anything to do with his being left behind. I don't think the SEALS wanted to leave him, but they had no choice. I believe their plan was to regroup and go get him, sorta like what happened in Mogadishu in the 90's (with Delta Force and the Rangers). Besides, the SEALS knew another chopper was on its way already.

Question: was this the mission that the Green Berets refused to take? There was a mission where that happened. Army's SF said hell no and the SEALs took it and ended up getting shredded.

Kid I grew up with died on that mountain that day. We weren't super close, but Brad was a really good dude. Sobering af to lose a buddy in the first 10 deaths of a war.

OPs Juliet and India, I think were the names. The OP at the southern mouth of the valley was defended by well camoflauged heavy machine gun crew. The Delta/AFO team walked in behind and above them. It almost certainly would have caused problems for the force being inserted by helicopter had it not been taken out.

If I recall correctly, that team was composed of two Delta, a SEAL, and some secret squirrel character from Ft Myers - I think they were called Gray Squirrel or Orange Squirrel.

I just finished reading a long article by Sean Naylor. It was published in the 5/7/18 issue of Newsweek. It's pretty eye-opening to the lengths the Navy went to protect their reputation. It's titled something like "Navy SEALs Accused Of Leaving A Man Behind In Afghanistan. Did They Also Try To Block His Medal of Honor?"

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s - I think they were called Gray Squirrel or Orange Squirrel

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Oh. So you're some kind of special forces huh?

Yep

What are you let me guess. uh er uh. Are you one of them seals?

Nope, not a seal.

Ok uh er green beret.

Nah, not a green beret.

Delta Force.

Wrong again cowboy. I'm actually in an elite unit called the gray squirrels. We will frick you up.



Note: just to let everyone know that I'm in awe of David Chapman and his accomplishments. I hold men of his calibre in the highest regard and I'm thankful for the sacrifices that these heroes make on a daily basis while we live our mundane lives. The truth is it's because of their sacrifices that we're able to go about our boring lives unmolested by the horrors of this world. Thank you doesn't seem enough.

Thanks for posting the link. I've got an Android phone and don't know how to use it well.

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Senseless war, fighting a figment if George Bush’s imagination.

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Doesn't matter. The nation called and Chapman answered

RIP

if shite politicians hadn't sent them over there nobody would have been hurt. he is a badass, 100%.