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Marines involved in Osama's death killed

#1

ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/obama-says-deaths-special-ops-troops-marks-continued-141943799.html

I've probably hung out with a conspiracy nut for too long this past summer. Don't get me wrong, I'm always sorry to hear about any death of soldiers. My foremost thought goes to the families of those soldiers and their loss.

That said, given the lack of details we've heard on Osama's death, and now the people involved - who should be heroes - are suddenly dead? Ugh. Sorry, it's a really stupid conspiracy thought that entered my head. I blame my boss I worked under at the bike shop this past summer. Heh, then again, if I still worked there, it'd be great fuel to set him off.


Obama: Deaths of Americans in Afghan chopper crash shows 'extraordinary' cost of war


WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said Saturday that the deaths of Americans in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan are a reminder of the "extraordinary" price the U.S. military is paying in the decade-long Afghan war.

A military helicopter was shot down in eastern Afghanistan, killing 31 U.S. special operation troops, most of them from the elite Navy SEALs unit that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, along with seven Afghan commandos. It was the deadliest single incident for American forces in the decade-long war.

U.S. officials believe that none of those who died in the crash had participated in the bin Laden raid, although they were from the same unit that carried out that mission, two officials told The Associated Press. They spoke about matters of military security on condition of anonymity.

Obama, who learned of the incident at Camp David, issued a statement saying his thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who perished. The White House had no comment about the details of who died or what happened.

"Their deaths are a reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by the men and women of our military and their families, including all who have served in Afghanistan," the president said. "We will draw inspiration from their lives, and continue the work of securing our country and standing up for the values that they embodied."

Obama said he also mourned the loss of seven Afghans "who died alongside our troops in pursuit of a more peaceful and hopeful future for their country."

National security adviser Tom Donilon first notified Obama of the incident shortly after 8 p.m. EDT Friday. The president spoke again to Donilon later Friday night and received a paper briefing both that evening and Saturday morning.

Obama issued his written statement just shy of 10 a.m. Saturday. A half-hour later, Obama, at Camp David, was briefed via conference call by Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, White House chief of staff Bill Daley, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, Donilon and members of the president's national security staff.

Karzai sent his condolences to Obama, according to a statement issued by his office.
The Taliban claimed to have brought the helicopter down with a rocket attack, but similar claims in the past have proven to be exaggerated.

NATO officials in Afghanistan said they were trying to determine the details of what happened, but they acknowledged there was "enemy activity" in the area.
Panetta said he was saddened by the deaths of the Americans and Afghans.
"Their courage was exemplary, as was their determination to make this a safer world for their countries and for their fellow citizens," Panetta said in a statement. "We will stay the course to complete that mission, for which they and all who have served and lost their lives in Afghanistan have made the ultimate sacrifice. They and their families are in my thoughts, in my prayers and in my heart."

Mullen warned against jumping to conclusions about the incident before investigators have completed their work. He also asked that the process of informing family members be respected, no matter how long it takes, and that people remember that "the troops we lose in this war aren't just statistics or numbers on a wall."

"They were parents and siblings, and someone's child. We need to make sure we do all we can to comfort and support the families whose lives are now forever changed," he said in a statement.

Mullen also said Americans must remain committed to the mission.

"The fight goes on. These brave Americans volunteered to serve their country," he said. "They risked their lives doing it. They gave their lives doing it. The best way we can honour that sacrifice is to keep at it, keep fighting, keep moving forward. I'm certain that is what our fallen would have wanted, and it is certainly what we are going to do."
The toll Saturday surpassed the worst single-day loss of life for the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001 — the June 28, 2005, downing of a military helicopter in eastern Kunar province. In that incident, 16 Navy SEALs and Army special operations troops were killed when their craft was shot down while they were attempting to rescue four SEALs under attack by the Taliban.
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#2

strawman

strawman

Keep in mind that the phrase

"the elite Navy SEALs unit"

refers to the DEVGRU (collequially known as Seal Team 6) special operations group.

When originally formed it contained two platoons (30-100 soldiers).

So while the same unit that performed the operation to kill Osama, and the same unit may have had losses due to the crash noted in your article, it is not necessarily the same soldiers.


#3

ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

Wouldn't the same soldiers be on that unit for a considerably amount of time, though? I don't know much of anything about military rank/operations.


#4

Chad Sexington

Chad Sexington

U.S. officials believe that none of those who died in the crash had participated in the bin Laden raid, although they were from the same unit that carried out that mission...
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Literally beneath your own bolded line. ;) So it's saying they were members of, as stieny noted, Seal Team 6, but not the specific members who were in the raid. It's a shame regardless of who it was, and what unit they were in.


#5

ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

Ah. Scratch what I said, then. I blame the misleading headline I originally read, then.

"Most troops dead in crash from unit that killed bin Laden."


#6

Chad Sexington

Chad Sexington

Misleading and sensationalist! Who doesn't love the media.


#7

Officer_Charon

Officer_Charon

Also, while I appreciate the compliment on unit capabilities, SEALs are not Marines. *grins*


#8

Covar

Covar

Navy Seals aren't Marines.

Even though the Marines are part of the Navy, Naval infantry you might say. Right Dave? :whistling:


#9

Dave

Dave

Essentially correct. But it's just as close as saying that the Navy is the taxi service that takes the Marines where they need to go to fight.


#10

Krisken

Krisken

Hehe, water taxi.


#11

Frank

Frankie Williamson

Are there any units in any of the branches of the US military that have rougher training than the SEALs? Honest question here, I'm curious.


#12

Jay

Jay

Seals no doubt.... I'd place the Army Rangers a distant second.


#13

Tress

Tress

Frankie Williamson said:
Are there any units in any of the branches of the US military that have rougher training than the SEALs? Honest question here, I'm curious.
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Marine Force Recon. Okay, not rougher, but just as rough.


#14

Dave

Dave

As a Marine I hate to say it..but I think the SEALs are the best.


#15

Officer_Charon

Officer_Charon

SEALs are pretty much the roughest, with Special Forces coming in a close second, tied with Marine Force Recon. Rangers are about equivalent to Marine Infantry, with an airborne specialization. This fact has led to many bar brawls between Jarheads and Rangers - the tan-caps don't like it. *trollface*


#16

SpecialKO

SpecialKO

Frankie Williamson said:
Are there any units in any of the branches of the US military that have rougher training than the SEALs? Honest question here, I'm curious.
Click to expand...


#17

Frank

Frankie Williamson

United Nations Space Command is hardly a branch of the United States military.


#18

SpecialKO

SpecialKO

Oh, you know the US is running that operation.

The only alternative is to think that in the Halo-verse, the UN is controlled by China.


#19

Frank

Frankie Williamson

Kind of presumptuous considering the US's participation in the current UN.


#20

SpecialKO

SpecialKO

Frankie Williamson said:
Kind of presumptuous considering the US's participation in the current UN.
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Why do you think it took so long in the Halo-verse for the UN to get a military?


#21

Frank

Frankie Williamson

The UN has 100,000 soldiers and police, that's not a small amount.


#22

SpecialKO

SpecialKO

Well, it has to get a lot bigger to fight an interplanetary war.


#23

AshburnerX

AshburnerX

Frankie Williamson said:
The UN has 100,000 soldiers and police, that's not a small amount.
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It actually is. The US military has about 3 million troops (about half in active service). That's just us. There are 44 other countries with military forces over 100k. Most of them don't contribute huge amounts of troops to the UN. Certainly China, who has even more forces than the US (in people), doesn't.


#24

Frank

Frankie Williamson

Considering the UN runs at 125th the budget of the US military, that isn't so bad.


#25

Denbrought

Denbrought

Frankie Williamson said:
Are there any units in any of the branches of the US military that have rougher training than the SEALs? Honest question here, I'm curious.
Click to expand...
If I recall correctly, from when I last looked into it, Pararescue Jumpers have the toughest training all-around, but don't quote me on that.


#26

ThatGrinningIdiot!

ThatGrinningIdiot!

I love watching "Surviving the Cut" on the military channel. Ranger training is brutal, SEAL training is also very harsh but with the exception of enduring hell underwater. Pararescue Jumper training is madness, it's like all the training regimens of the military elite combined into one. :/


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