Extortion 17 Memorial

On August 6, 2011, during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, a CH-47D Chinook helicopter with the call sign Extortion 17 was shot down in the Tangi Valley of Wardak Province while responding as a quick reaction force for the 75th Ranger Regiment, which was pinned down by enemy fire in a fierce firefight. An insurgent fired a rocket propelled grenade into the helicopter's aft rotor, bringing down the aircraft and killing thirty-one Americans, including seventeen Navy SEALs, Army soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division, Air Force Pararescue and Combat Controllers from the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, and a military working dog named Bart, along with eight Afghans from their Afghan partner unit. The loss was the single greatest loss of life in the history of the Naval Special Warfare community. Two days later, U.S. forces killed the insurgent responsible for the shoot down and his known associates in a strike.

Chisago City, Minnesota · United States