This QRF was going in to recover a SEAL Recon Team who's location had been overrun (by over a hundred al Qeade / Taliban)
The number "missing" is not openly known. It is not 16, however. It is between 4 an 8 SEALs.
In the east, US aircraft bombarded militant positions on a mountain between the Nangalam and Shorai areas of Kunar, the province where a small team of US soldiers has been missing since Tuesday, a senior Afghan police officer said
This sounds like its new..
This is great news in this horrible tragedy.
The Mayor of our town in Tennessee lost his son-in-law in the crash of the helicopter. James "Tre" Ponder III left behind a wife and 2 children, ages 6 and 7. He has just recently been sent to Afghanistan.
http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20050701&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=507010425&SectionCat=MTCN01&Template=printart
Son-in-law was 'warrior,' mayor says of Afghanistan crash victim
Franklin official thanks public for show of support
A somber Mayor Tom Miller talks about his son-in-law James William "Tré" Ponder III at a news conference at Franklin City Hall. JOHN PARTIPILO / STAFF
By NELLANN METTEE
Staff Writer
Published: Friday, 07/01/05
FRANKLIN — Tré Ponder is an unlikely hero.
"Not real tall, somewhat thin, but tough as nails," said his father-in-law, Franklin Mayor Tom Miller. "He was a warrior, and the warrior in him is what has made this whole situation somewhat comforting for the family."
Sgt. 1st Class James "Tré" Ponder III, a 36-year-old flight engineer based out of Fort Campbell, was riding in a Special Forces helicopter when it crashed into a mountain ravine in eastern Afghanistan earlier this week. The military confirmed yesterday that all 16 service members aboard the helicopter died.
Ponder left three weeks ago for the temporary deployment, where he joined with soldiers from outside Fort Campbell, Miller said.
Miller met with media and his friends yesterday afternoon at Franklin City Hall to talk about his son-in-law, and share his gratitude for the outpouring of support he had received.
After speaking, Miller visited Franklin's new Veterans Park, where a floral arrangement had been placed by the city of Franklin's adopted military unit, D Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry out of Fort Campbell.
Miller's daughter, Leslie, and his two grandchildren — ages 6 and 7 — live in Clarksville. Ponder's parents also are residents of the Clarksville area, Miller said.
"It's a very tough time. It's somewhat surreal," Miller said. "I see this stuff happening to other people, and now I see it happening to me."
Ponder was a 1987 graduate of Franklin's Battle Ground Academy who briefly attended Auburn University before joining the military. Miller said he and his wife would often come home to find a slew of kids in their home. Ponder was among them.
"Tré kind of grew up in my house," Miller said. "My daughter was somewhat of a tomboy. She had a number of girlfriends, but she had a lot of male friends."
Miller described Ponder as someone who loved his children but could go out and fight.
"Another thing that gives us comfort is that he knew that Jesus Christ is his savior," Miller said. "Faith, and knowing that Tré is doing what God wanted him to do, is sustaining the family."
Miller reminded the crowd that there were other families experiencing the same thing.
"It is not an easy time, but it is a time where God can be praised," he said. •
Afghan Rebel Site Bombed, U.S. Says
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Sunday, July 3, 2005; Page A21
KABUL, Afghanistan, July 2 -- U.S. aircraft bombarded a suspected insurgent compound in a mountainous area of northeastern Afghanistan where a military team has been missing since Tuesday, military officials said Saturday.
A purported spokesman for the ousted Islamic Taliban militia called news organizations and claimed that 25 civilians had died in the airstrike on the compound in Konar province, a rugged region near the Pakistani border.
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And from the end of the article:
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The missing team was made up of fewer than 10 Special Operations troops and was participating in a mission against al Qaeda fighters, U.S. officials have said.
The Chinook helicopter sent to extract the team appeared to have been downed by a rocket-propelled grenade, military officials said.
The air attack on the compound Friday night was part of an ongoing military mission in the area, O'Hara said. "That operation was still ongoing all the while we were conducting search and recovery for our 16 that we lost, and while searching for the missing service members that haven't been accounted for," he said.