30 U.S. troops die in Afghanistan

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oceanblueeyes

oceanblueeyes

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Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- In the single deadliest loss for U.S. troops since the Afghan war began in late 2001, 30 service members died early Saturday when a helicopter carrying them went down while they were reinforcing other troops, officials said.

Insurgents are believed to have shot down the CH-47 Chinook, a U.S. military official said. The Taliban claimed militants downed the helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade.

Among the 25 U.S. special operations forces killed in Wardak province were 22 Navy SEALS, considered to be the "best of the best." Seven Afghan troops also died.

The majority of the Navy SEALs who died belonged to the same covert unit that conducted the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May, though they were not the same men, the military official said.


http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiap...n=Feed:+rss/cnn_topstories+(RSS:+Top+Stories)

:heartbeat::heartbeat::heartbeat::heartbeat:
 
I don't know why we are still fighting in Afghanistan and I don't know how we are to get out without leaving the Afghans to slaughter each other.

But while I can only honor and be grateful for the service of the 30 who died, I find it harder and harder to justify the spending of their lives.
 
That is so very sad. I'd heard about this earlier today and just felt devastated for all those family members and friends of these guys.

They train so long and so hard to be Navy Seals and Special Operations, and then they give heart and soul to it.

I hope there are many special ceremonies and much national recognition for these brave men who have given their lives for our country.

I did not personally know any of these men, but my heart is breaking for their families. They did truly give their all.

:praying:
 
May they all rest in peace.
Support our troops but get them home!!!
 
Nova said:
I don't know why we are still fighting in Afghanistan and I don't know how we are to get out without leaving the Afghans to slaughter each other.

But while I can only honor and be grateful for the service of the 30 who died, I find it harder and harder to justify the spending of their lives.
Click to expand...

These heroes willing volunteer to do what they do. They know exactly how dangerous their jobs are. They are not blindsided. This is what they have chosen to do and that should never be forgotten, imo. We cannot take their honor or decision away from them. We must honor them and respect their decision and feel humbled that our country has people who exists like these special people in our armed services.

They don't whine that they should tuck tail and come home. That is what makes them very different than the ones who stays behind that enjoys the freedoms they fight for ......even if it means the ultimate sacrifice.

They walk the walk not talk the talk. They know if our country doesn't fight the terrorists on their own soil then they will come here and bring us to our knees once again. So they fight everyday trying to stop that from happening.

I stand in awe of these dedicated courageous men and women who fight gallantly even though the path is dangerous. They don't HAVE TO DO THIS.....they do this because they WANT TO DO THIS. They prove more than anyone just how much they love their country, imo.

God bless them all!

*Superheroes do not wear capes. Superheroes wear combat boots.*
 
oceanblueeyes said:
These heroes willing volunteer to do what they do. They know exactly how dangerous their jobs are. They are not blindsided. This is what they have chosen to do and that should never be forgotten, imo. We cannot take their honor or decision away from them. We must honor them and respect their decision and feel humbled that our country has people who exists like these special people in our armed services.

They don't whine that they should tuck tail and come home. That is what makes them very different than the ones who stays behind that enjoys the freedoms they fight for ......even if it means the ultimate sacrifice.

They walk the walk not talk the talk. They know if our country doesn't fight the terrorists on their own soil then they will come here and bring us to our knees once again. So they fight everyday trying to stop that from happening.

I stand in awe of these dedicated courageous men and women who fight gallantly even though the path is dangerous. They don't HAVE TO DO THIS.....they do this because they WANT TO DO THIS. They prove more than anyone just how much they love their country, imo.

God bless them all!

*Superheroes do not wear capes. Superheroes wear combat boots.*
Click to expand...

In democracies we honor our servicemen and women volunteers by not squandering their lives and years of service foolishly. To insure that we use them wisely, we have to constantly reevaluate what it is we ask them to do. Doing so in no way dishonors them or takes away from their service.
 
My deepest sympathy to all the Moms and Dads, Brothers and Sisters, Spouses, extended family members, friends but especially any children these troops may have left behind.

Thank you for your service and your sacrifices, both troops and families.
 
Kat said:
My deepest sympathy to all the Moms and Dads, Brothers and Sisters, Spouses, extended family members, friends but especially any children these troops may have left behind.

Thank you for your service and your sacrifices, both troops and families.
Click to expand...

Well said, Kat. I know I seem to have words for every occasion, but this sort of thing leaves me tongue-tied. Thanks for putting it so eloquently.
 
my question is who gave the terrorist the Intel that the navy seals would be on that helicopter? You cannot tell me this was a coincidence.

Afgan or another Terrorist who joined the military after 911.
 
oceanblueeyes said:
These heroes willing volunteer to do what they do. They know exactly how dangerous their jobs are. They are not blindsided. This is what they have chosen to do and that should never be forgotten, imo. We cannot take their honor or decision away from them. We must honor them and respect their decision and feel humbled that our country has people who exists like these special people in our armed services.

They don't whine that they should tuck tail and come home. That is what makes them very different than the ones who stays behind that enjoys the freedoms they fight for ......even if it means the ultimate sacrifice.

They walk the walk not talk the talk. They know if our country doesn't fight the terrorists on their own soil then they will come here and bring us to our knees once again. So they fight everyday trying to stop that from happening.

I stand in awe of these dedicated courageous men and women who fight gallantly even though the path is dangerous. They don't HAVE TO DO THIS.....they do this because they WANT TO DO THIS. They prove more than anyone just how much they love their country, imo.

God bless them all!

*Superheroes do not wear capes. Superheroes wear combat boots.*
Click to expand...

HOOYA!!!!!!!!

God Bless and Thank you fallen Hero's!
 
Nova said:
In democracies we honor our servicemen and women volunteers by not squandering their lives and years of service foolishly. To insure that we use them wisely, we have to constantly reevaluate what it is we ask them to do. Doing so in no way dishonors them or takes away from their service.
Click to expand...

I don't think that is true, Nova.

We honor them for their continuing sacrifices they make in order to protect our freedoms. That is who they are........that is what they do.

Those left behind unattached to the military have their own opinions about what the military should do but it is not held by those in the armed services. They don't pick and chose. It is not political to them. It is the decision they each made fully aware of the dangers ahead.

Not one of them thought their lives were squandered and the families who now mourn their loss knows their loved ones died doing what they wanted to do. Each and everyone of the armed service personnel has a purpose and they carry it out to the fullest. They know that and so does their family members.

I know because my son was a Marine and still will always be a Marine in his heart. He flew many dangerous missions overseas in an even larger helicopter than the CH-47 that went down. Many times they came back with bullet holes in the helicopter. It was dangerous but he knew that before he joined. I worried every second being his mother but he told me I must respect his decision and I did because I realized I had no right to second guess him. He was an adult with his own sharp mind who fully could decide what he wanted to do. I totally supported him because I learned it isn't about what I thought he should do but all about what he had chosen to do.

They lose many lives during training missions right here in the states. It is a very dangerous job but that does not stop them or make them cower.

To honor them means we have to understand how they feel.........not how we feel. Not one of the family members involved will think their loved ones died in vain. Not one.

IMO
 
oceanblueeyes said:
I don't think that is true, Nova.

We honor them for their continuing sacrifices they make in order to protect our freedoms. That is who they are........that is what they do.

Those left behind unattached to the military have their own opinions about what the military should do but it is not held by those in the armed services. They don't pick and chose. It is not political to them. It is the decision they each made fully aware of the dangers ahead.

Not one of them thought their lives were squandered and the families who now mourn their loss knows their loved ones died doing what they wanted to do. Each and everyone of the armed service personnel has a purpose and they carry it out to the fullest. They know that and so does their family members.

I know because my son was a Marine and still will always be a Marine in his heart. He flew many dangerous missions overseas in an even larger helicopter than the CH-47 that went down. Many times they came back with bullet holes in the helicopter. It was dangerous but he knew that before he joined. I worried every second being his mother but he told me I must respect his decision and I did because I realized I had no right to second guess him. He was an adult with his own sharp mind who fully could decide what he wanted to do. I totally supported him because I learned it isn't about what I thought he should do but all about what he had chosen to do.

They lose many lives during training missions right here in the states. It is a very dangerous job but that does not stop them or make them cower.

To honor them means we have to understand how they feel.........not how we feel. Not one of the family members involved will think their loved ones died in vain. Not one.

IMO
Click to expand...

I don't understand what we are arguing about, ocean.

I realize that servicemen and women risk their personal safety and give up a number of civil rights in order to protect us. In return, I think the rest of us have a sacred obligation to ensure that what we ask them to do is absolutely necessary and does indeed make us safer.

We have been in Afghanistan for nearly a decade now and we are the third superpower to try to bring order to the region. Both of the others (Britain and the Soviet Union) eventually withdrew after great loss of life. We went there in the first place to unseat the Taliban and capture or kill bin Laden. Bin Laden is dead, but according to many reports, the Taliban is as strong as ever (even if not in control of Kabul).

Why are we still there in such numbers? At the least, we should all be able to answer that question clearly.

I never said the 30 servicemen died in vain. I said I don't know any more why our men and women are dying there; and it isn't right that citizens in a democracy don't know such things. But assuming that all military casualties are automatically essential to protect "our freedom" is deadly nonsense that only gets more people killed. (Soldiers, sailors and marines know better. Much military humor is based on screw ups by those in charge, screw ups that end in servicemen and women unnecessarily killed.)

I absolutely honor and respect your son's service. It's precisely because I do that I believe we owe our military personnel great care and attention.
 
I keep looking for names and photos, states, since I know a green beret. Have not found anything yet.
 
Nova said:
I don't understand what we are arguing about, ocean.

I realize that servicemen and women risk their personal safety and give up a number of civil rights in order to protect us. In return, I think the rest of us have a sacred obligation to ensure that what we ask them to do is absolutely necessary and does indeed make us safer.

We have been in Afghanistan for nearly a decade now and we are the third superpower to try to bring order to the region. Both of the others (Britain and the Soviet Union) eventually withdrew after great loss of life. We went there in the first place to unseat the Taliban and capture or kill bin Laden. Bin Laden is dead, but according to many reports, the Taliban is as strong as ever (even if not in control of Kabul).

Why are we still there in such numbers? At the least, we should all be able to answer that question clearly.

I never said the 30 servicemen died in vain. I said I don't know any more why our men and women are dying there; and it isn't right that citizens in a democracy don't know such things. But assuming that all military casualties are automatically essential to protect "our freedom" is deadly nonsense that only gets more people killed. (Soldiers, sailors and marines know better. Much military humor is based on screw ups by those in charge, screw ups that end in servicemen and women unnecessarily killed.)

I absolutely honor and respect your son's service. It's precisely because I do that I believe we owe our military personnel great care and attention.
Click to expand...

Exactly. America's freedoms didn't disappear when its military lost against the Cubans, the Vietnamese, the Lebanese, and the Somalis. The Afghans and Iraqis aren't going to invade the USA, take away America's freedoms, and make Americans speak Pashto and Arabic.

However, history is repeating itself. The big, clumsy Soviet military bankrupted the USSR during its decade long war in Afghanistan. Now, the identical thing is happening to the USA.

The military induced collapse of the American economy is going to make Americans wish they had never gone into places like Vietnam and Afghanistan. America actually never recovered from the Vietnam War costs. It knocked the US dollar off of the gold standard, which caused inflation in the Carter era and massive debts from the Reagan era through the present and future.

If the military continues to cannibalize the American economy at the rate it's going, the dollar is going to collapse, the standard of living is going to plummet, the crime rate is going to explode, the food supply chain is going to break with unimaginable levels of hunger, and the sex trafficking of women is going to skyrocket in the USA.

The USA spends more on its military than the rest of the world combined. It is a very large fraction of the American budget and has to be financed with borrowing from China. Read the article below. By 2015, the interest Americans pay on the money it owes to the Chinese to finance the American military will completely finance the People's Liberation Army of China. That's right. Americans will be paying for communist China's armed forces because America had to borrow from them to fund the American military.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/273876/mad-debt-mark-steyn
 
Back on topic since this is not a political thread.


Aaron Vaughn called his wife's cell phone Friday afternoon and spoke to her and their 2-year-old son Reagan, she said.

"It was actually a great conversation -- probably just about time before he went out to work that night," she said. "We got to tell each other we loved each other, so it was a great conversation to have."

Aaron and Kimberly, married for three years, also have a 2-month-old daughter, Chamberlyn. He was stationed in Virginia Beach, Virginia,

"I want to tell the world that he was an amazing man, that he was a wonderful husband, and a fabulous father to two wonderful children," she said. "He was a warrior for Christ and he was a warrior for our country and he wouldn't want to leave this Earth any other way than how he did."

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/07/af...n=Feed:+rss/cnn_topstories+(RSS:+Top+Stories)
 
SEALs killed in crash were on rescue mission

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.S. Navy SEALs and other troops whose helicopter was shot down in eastern Afghanistan had rushed to the mountainous area to help a U.S. Army Ranger unit that was under fire from insurgents, two U.S. officials said Sunday.

The rescue team had completed the mission, subduing the attackers who had the Rangers pinned down, and was departing in a Chinook helicopter when the aircraft was apparently hit, one of the officials said.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/...+usatoday-NewsTopStories+(News+-+Top+Stories)
 
For some reason I was under the impression that the Chinook was in either a landing pattern or a ascending pattern when it took the hit.

Thank you for the article OCB. When a chinook is in that type of pattern it is particularily vunerable. It's a huge helicopter for one thing and that makes it bulky and difficult to do the evasive maneuvers that are used by all helicopters when flying over "combat" areas. I just used the word combat because I can't think of the one they use themselves. So they kind of got to get up in the air a bit to start the evasive maneuvering. KWIM? JMHO and we were with aviation for almost a decade and son is currently aviation but we aren't Navy and neither is a seal.

This has greatly upset me so I haven't read a lot or watched it on TV. Our son is due to return next year and I never watch the news about the deployments when my Husband is deployed either (he is right now but not to there). I know it sounds self centered and selfish but I can't function and do what I need to do here if I'm so upset about what is happening there.

This did make me cry hard for all those families.
 
OMG.

I have been incommunicado with news, etc.

:praying:

God bless all these families. I can't even comprehend this stunning loss. What a tragedy.

Heroes, all. The servicemen, their families, their babies...everyone...heroes of great sacrifice.

Let us now and may we always be a nation worthy of such sacrifice. :praying:
 
Kat said:
For some reason I was under the impression that the Chinook was in either a landing pattern or a ascending pattern when it took the hit.

Thank you for the article OCB. When a chinook is in that type of pattern it is particularily vunerable. It's a huge helicopter for one thing and that makes it bulky and difficult to do the evasive maneuvers that are used by all helicopters when flying over "combat" areas. I just used the word combat because I can't think of the one they use themselves. So they kind of got to get up in the air a bit to start the evasive maneuvering. KWIM? JMHO and we were with aviation for almost a decade and son is currently aviation but we aren't Navy and neither is a seal.

This has greatly upset me so I haven't read a lot or watched it on TV. Our son is due to return next year and I never watch the news about the deployments when my Husband is deployed either (he is right now but not to there). I know it sounds self centered and selfish but I can't function and do what I need to do here if I'm so upset about what is happening there.

This did make me cry hard for all those families.
Click to expand...

I don't think it's selfish at all, Kat. Don't servicemen and women have to do the same thing: concentrate on the job at hand and not think about all the things that could go wrong?

As far as I'm concerned, the family members of our servicemen and women also serve and sacrifice; we owe you a debt of gratitude as well. You are certainly not "selfish" for tending to business and caring for your family.
 
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