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DOD Identifies Service Members Killed In CH-47 Crash
Department of Defense ^ | 08/11/2011 | DoD

Posted on 08/11/2011 9:19:24 AM PDT by AnyStreetFL

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of 30 servicemembers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Aug. 6 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed.

The following sailors assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit were killed:

Lt. Cmdr. (SEAL) Jonas B. Kelsall, 32, of Shreveport, La.,

Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Louis J. Langlais, 44, of Santa Barbara, Calif.,

Special Warfare Operator Senior Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Thomas A. Ratzlaff, 34, of Green Forest, Ark.,

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Senior Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Kraig M. Vickers 36, of Kokomo, Hawaii,

Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Brian R. Bill, 31, of Stamford, Conn.,

Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) John W. Faas, 31, of Minneapolis, Minn.,

Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Kevin A. Houston, 35, of West Hyannisport, Mass.,

Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Matthew D. Mason, 37, of Kansas City, Mo.,

Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Stephen M. Mills, 35, of Fort Worth, Texas,

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist/Diver) Nicholas H. Null, 30, of Washington, W.Va.,

Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Robert J. Reeves, 32, of Shreveport, La.,

Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Heath M. Robinson, 34, of Detroit, Mich.,

Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Darrik C. Benson, 28, of Angwin, Calif.

Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Parachutist) Christopher G. Campbell, 36, of Jacksonville, N.C.,

Information Systems Technician Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Jared W. Day, 28, of Taylorsville, Utah,

Master-at-Arms Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) John Douangdara, 26, of South Sioux City, Neb.,

Cryptologist Technician (Collection) Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) Michael J. Strange, 25, of Philadelphia, Pa.,

Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist) Jon T. Tumilson, 35, of Rockford, Iowa,

Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Aaron C. Vaughn, 30, of Stuart, Fla., and

Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Jason R. Workman, 32, of Blanding, Utah.

The following sailors assigned to a West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit were killed:

Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Jesse D. Pittman, 27, of Ukiah, Calif., and

Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 2nd Class (SEAL) Nicholas P. Spehar, 24, ofSaint Paul, Minn.

The soldiers killed were:

Chief Warrant Officer David R. Carter, 47, of Centennial, Colo. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), Aurora, Colo.;

Chief Warrant Officer Bryan J. Nichols, 31, of Hays, Kan. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kan.;

Sgt. Patrick D. Hamburger, 30, of Lincoln, Neb. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), Grand Island, Neb.;

Sgt. Alexander J. Bennett, 24, of Tacoma, Wash. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kan.; and

Spc. Spencer C. Duncan, 21, of Olathe, Kan. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kan.

The airmen killed were:

Tech. Sgt. John W. Brown, 33, of Tallahassee, Fla.;

Staff Sgt. Andrew W. Harvell, 26, of Long Beach, Calif.; and

Tech. Sgt. Daniel L. Zerbe, 28, of York, Pa.


TOPICS: Announcements; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; chinook; extortion17; fallen; godblessourtroops; gwot; helicopter; military; oef; seals; specialforces; specialops
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Comment #1 Removed by Moderator

To: Jim Robinson; trooprally; seekthetruth; HonestConservative

FALLEN WARRIORS PING!


2 posted on 08/11/2011 9:20:27 AM PDT by AnyStreetFL (www.AnyStreet.org - Conservative Community Organizing, ACORN without the evil)
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To: AnyStreetFL

Doesn’t this put these Seal’s families in danger?


3 posted on 08/11/2011 9:21:36 AM PDT by caver (Obama: Home of the Whopper)
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To: caver
Doesn’t this put these Seal’s families in danger?

Media already had most of their names out in the open.
4 posted on 08/11/2011 9:22:59 AM PDT by AnyStreetFL (www.AnyStreet.org - Conservative Community Organizing, ACORN without the evil)
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To: caver

What about the thousands of other names already listed?


5 posted on 08/11/2011 9:23:31 AM PDT by Palter (Celebrate diversity .22, .223, .25, 9mm, .32 .357, 10mm, .44, .45, .500)
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To: AnyStreetFL
Unintended (at least I hope they were unintended) consequences. The RATS were so anxious to make sure they could club Bush with the details of all war deaths, they passed a law so the names must be released.

Now, those RATS have blood on their hands if anything happens to the families of any of these brave servicemen - and we can thank them for demoralizing special forces corps. This is the crap that happens when you use the law as a partisan weapon. Thanks Harry and Nancy!

6 posted on 08/11/2011 9:24:07 AM PDT by In Maryland ("The Federal Government is no longer one of limited and enumerated powers." -Justice Clarence Thomas)
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To: AnyStreetFL

“Media already had most of their names out in the open.”

I guess that makes it OK then.


7 posted on 08/11/2011 9:25:15 AM PDT by caver (Obama: Home of the Whopper)
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To: Palter

“What about the thousands of other names already listed?”

I don’t know, what about them?


8 posted on 08/11/2011 9:26:31 AM PDT by caver (Obama: Home of the Whopper)
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To: AnyStreetFL
Is Expeditionary Warfare Specialist considered the same as being a SEAL or is it different?
9 posted on 08/11/2011 9:26:56 AM PDT by JimC214
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To: caver

I had heard from one source that these were from the same unit, but none were on the mission that got Bin Laden.

How someone would know that I don’t understand.


10 posted on 08/11/2011 9:27:09 AM PDT by listenhillary (Look your representatives in the eye and ask if they intend to pay off the debt. They will look away)
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To: AnyStreetFL

the media was putting out stories, complete with details, within 24 hours of the helicopter going down.

i’d like to know how they were able to get the names and put together stories within that time frame... if it wasn’t known ahead of time

24 hrs is not enough time to get that background info, including interviews


11 posted on 08/11/2011 9:27:09 AM PDT by sten (fighting tyranny never goes out of style)
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To: listenhillary

I had heard that too.


12 posted on 08/11/2011 9:28:32 AM PDT by caver (Obama: Home of the Whopper)
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To: JimC214

I think this is just the “PC” term for all special forces personnel ..


13 posted on 08/11/2011 9:28:50 AM PDT by AnyStreetFL (www.AnyStreet.org - Conservative Community Organizing, ACORN without the evil)
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To: caver

Exactly right. Posting names and cities provides a way for those who hate our special ops folks to send a clear message to the remaining active duty men. This puts families at risk.

This is not honor. It’s the worst insult possible.

We really do have an intelligence gap in this nation, and I’m not referring to the government here.


14 posted on 08/11/2011 9:29:02 AM PDT by DoughtyOne (The Destroyer is anti-US, the West, Christian, Israel, banks, W.S., Corps, & the free enterpr systm.)
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To: caver

Exactly right. Posting names and cities provides a way for those who hate our special ops folks to send a clear message to the remaining active duty men. This puts families at risk.

This is not honor. It’s the worst insult possible.

We really do have an intelligence gap in this nation, and I’m not referring to the government here.


15 posted on 08/11/2011 9:29:05 AM PDT by DoughtyOne (The Destroyer is anti-US, the West, Christian, Israel, banks, W.S., Corps, & the free enterpr systm.)
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To: AnyStreetFL
One interesting thing is the ages. Only two young 20s in the group. These were not kids. A lot of irreplaceable experience went down with that chopper. I wonder if most Americans can grasp just how much this nation lost.
16 posted on 08/11/2011 9:30:16 AM PDT by GonzoGOP (There are millions of paranoid people in the world and they are all out to get me.)
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To: Palter

Some of us have made it a point to post their names as they are being released. Some of us are there to welcome home warriors, angel flights or regular flights and their interments.


17 posted on 08/11/2011 9:30:19 AM PDT by AnyStreetFL (www.AnyStreet.org - Conservative Community Organizing, ACORN without the evil)
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To: caver
So what's next....

We will read that Obama personally wrote and sent a letter of condolence to each of the families of the men killed.

In another month, we will read that Obama is presenting a Purple Heart to each family....aka photo op.

I hope not. These people need to heal in the arms of each other.

18 posted on 08/11/2011 9:31:06 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: AnyStreetFL
"Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Louis J. Langlais, 44, of Santa Barbara, Calif

Just, wow. I bet that 44 year old can run circles around the guys at BUD/S!

Respect +1000

19 posted on 08/11/2011 9:32:00 AM PDT by Soothesayer9
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To: Palter

SEALs have a special target on themselves

Especially SEAL Team 6, since biden and obama spiked the football in front of the world using their organization name

In 1989 Iranians attempted to murder (car bomb) the wfe of the Navy Captain of the USS Vincennes that shot down the Iranian airbus, and Oliver North’s family also had a price on their heads

so yeah there is a risk

I guess it is a level of risk small-initial men obama biden and panetta would be willing to take for their own families without secret service protection


20 posted on 08/11/2011 9:33:30 AM PDT by silverleaf (All that is necessary for evil to succeed, is that good men do nothing)
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