VIRGINIA BEACH — More than a mile above sea level in the Afghan mountains, four SEALs on a reconnaissance mission on June 28 took enemy fire in terrain thick with Taliban and al-Qaida fighters.
A crew of eight Army Special Forces and eight Navy SEALs heard their emergency call, boarded a specially-equipped MH-47 Chinook helicopter and sped into the mountain fight. They would not return alive.
On Friday morning, the aftershock of the Afghan battle resonated through a naval base and a community 7,000 miles away.
Nearly 2,600 mourners converged on Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base to remember and grieve the lives of 10 SEALs killed last week fighting terrorists in a covert mission. Six were based at Little Creek.
Family, friends, service members, elected leaders and the tight, secretive community of SEALs filled the base theater and gymnasium to grieve the worst loss of Navy special forces since World War II.
“These men bravely and unselfishly answered the nation’s call to defend freedom and protect America and its allies from terrorism,” said Rear Adm. Joseph Maguire in remarks to reporters after the closed ceremony.
The 16 elite service men died when a rocket-propelled grenade apparently struck their helicopter. Two of the four SEALs on the reconnaissance mission were killed, and another wounded and rescued. A search operation remains active for the final man.
Six of the SEALs killed in the battle were based at Little Creek: Chief Petty Officer Jacques J. Fontan, 36; Lt. Cmdr. Erik S. Kristensen, 33; Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffrey A. Lucas, 33; Lt. Michael M. McGreevy, 30; Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffrey S. Taylor, 30; and Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny P. Dietz, 25.
Dietz was one of the four SEALs conducting intelligence operations in Kunar Province. The other men were killed in the helicopter crash.
Kunar sits along the Pakistani border in eastern Afghanistan, and is considered a lawless stretch of rugged lands controlled by local warlords and tribes.
It is reputed to hold the lair of Osama bin Laden, and has been the focus of several U.S. military operations.
Maguire said that the mission, known as Operation Red Wing, was an effort to defeat terrorists operating in the region. Maguire oversees the Naval Special Warfare Command.
Maguire said the rescued SEAL is in good condition at the military medical center in Landstuhl, Germany.
The SEAL survived for three days eluding and sometimes engaging enemy fighters before being rescued.
Maguire said the lessons learned from the operation will pay “tremendous dividends.”
On Friday, the military community was devoted to mourning and remembrance. Maguire said the two-hour service paid honor to the fallen men and the history and loyalty of Navy frogmen.
The ceremony also honored the Army Special Forces. “We are one team, one force,” Maguire said.
A family member or a close friend eulogized each of the six local men. Video screens flashed pictures and tributes.
A small display of memorabilia from each of the 10 fallen men was built from swim fins, life jackets, masks, wet belts, CO2 cartridges and engraved K-Bars .
The K-Bars are special knives given to new SEALs. Each is engraved with the name of a former SEAL, and where they died in combat.
Maguire said the men took on a difficult mission without hesitation. “The loss of these brave warriors will only strengthen our resolve.”
You've been listening to too many liberals ... Getting UBL wouldn't do crap except give the liberals the task of finding some new thing to bash Bush about... ( That said, I wish UBL was our only problem. He's not. I also wish this war was as easy as the liberals think it is... How brain dead does a person have to be to believe that arresting one person would end a war? Stunning.
We want to get UBL, but not because we believe they'll all quit and go home. Stunning, Really stunning.
Do you also think the US military would shut down and go home if Rumsfelt was captured by their side?
I've contended that of you for a long time.