First images of Chinook wreckage revealed as Pentagon names all 30 heroes who died at site - while roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan kills five more troops

  • Serial number of helicopter visible in remains spread across woodland

  • Soldiers killed in Chinook shot down on Saturday came from 24 U.S. states

  • First full list of names, ages and hometowns revealed - 17 were Navy SEALs

  • Eye witnesses to the crash describe seeing the chopper burst into flames and break apart before falling from the sky

The first images of the Chinook wreckage were revealed today, at the same time five more American troops were killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb that exploded in the southern part of the country.

The news was confirmed as the Pentagon released the names of the 30 soldiers who died when the Chinook they were flying in was shot down by Taliban militants.

The U.S. military and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) did not give details regarding the five troops who were killed in the roadside bomb other than it happened in the south of the country.

A Pentagon spokesman in Washington said all the victims were Americans.

Rubble: Souvenirs from the wreckage of the Chinook helicopter shot down last week are being collected at the site of the crash by Afghan children

Rubble: Souvenirs from the wreckage of the Chinook helicopter shot down last week are being collected at the site of the crash by Afghan children

Remains: A part of a gun stamped 'Made in Germany' is seen among the wreckage of the Chinook helicopter shot down last week at Tangi Valley in Wardak province

Remains: A part of a gun stamped 'Made in Germany' is seen among the wreckage of the Chinook helicopter shot down last week at Tangi Valley in Wardak province

It means that at least 50 foreign troops have been killed so far in August.

Coalition forces finished recovering the victims' remains and big sections of the Chinook wreckage yesterday. Yet small, twisted pieces of the CH-47 remain scattered on both sides of a slow-flowing river in Wardak province where it crashed before dawn on Saturday.

Eye witnesses to the crash describe seeing the chopper burst into flames and break apart before falling from the sky.

Farhad, a local resident, said that the helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade fired from a nearby knoll as it was preparing to land.

 

 

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'As soon as it was hit, it started burning,' he said, standing in a field still littered with small pieces of the chopper, including a part of a scorched rifle stamped 'Made in Germany' and a piece of charred paper with typewritten first aid instructions.

'After it started burning, it crashed. It came down in three pieces,' he added. 'We could see it burning from our homes.'

Gul Agha, another resident of Tangi Valley, also said that after the helicopter crashed, parts were burning on either side of the Tangi River. Some of the debris also ended up on a nearby hillside, he said.

'When the helicopter came at night, the Taliban were hiding in the bushes around the area,' he said.

He said coalition forces worked several days to remove victims' remains. Then they blew up sections of the helicopter into smaller pieces, loaded them on trucks and took them from the site, he said.

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

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

Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class, Aaron C. Vaughn, 30, of Stuart, Florida, left,  and Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class SEAL Jason R. Workman, 32, of Blanding, Utah

 

Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 2nd Class Nicholas P. Spehar, 24, of Saint Paul, Minn.

It's being reported that Saturday, August 6 has become the deadliest single loss for American forces

Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 2nd Class Nicholas P. Spehar, 24, of Saint Paul, Minnesota, left, and Chief Warrant Officer Bryan J. Nichols, 31, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment of Hays, Kansas

 

Petty Officer First Class Michael Strange

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

Cryptologist Technician (Collection) Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) Michael J. Strange, 25, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, left, and Tech Sgt John W. Brown, 33, of Tallahassee, Florida 

Violence is at its worst in Afghanistan since U.S.-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban government in late 2001, with record civilian casualties and high levels of foreign troop deaths during the first half of 2011.

On Wednesday, a NATO service member died in a roadside bomb blast and five Afghan policemen were killed when their checkpoint was attacked by Taliban insurgents, the coalition and Afghan police said.

The Chinook attack was the deadliest single mission of the Afghanistan war and the names.

The troops came from two dozen states and all corners of the nation, mostly young men in their twenties and thirties. Florida, Minnesota, Hawaii and Massachusetts are just some of the states represented.

Some of the names of troops killed in the helicopter crash were already known because their families have spoken about them since the Saturday downing of their helicopter by insurgents. Eight Afghans also died.

 

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

Navy SEAL Jonas Kelsall, 33,

Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer, Louis J. Langlais, 44, of Santa Barbara, California, left, and Lt. Cmdr. (SEAL) Jonas B. Kelsall, 32, of Shreveport, Louisiana

 

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 Kevin A. Houston, 35, of West Hyannisport, Mass.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Senior Chief Petty Officer, Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist, Kraig M. Vickers 36, of Kokomo, Hawaii, left and Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Kevin A. Houston, 35, of West Hyannisport, Massachusetts

 

US Navy shows Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class, Jesse D. Pittman, 27, of Ukiah, Calif.

Sgt. Patrick Hamburger, 30, of Grand Island, Neb.

US Navy shows Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class, Jesse D. Pittman, 27, of Ukiah, California, left, and Sgt Patrick D. Hamburger, 30, 2nd batallion, 135th Aviation Regiment, of Grand Island, Nebraska

There had been internal discussion over whether to identify those who were covert special operations troops. The Special Operations Command had asked officials to withhold the names because of security worries.

The majority of the dead were special operations forces, including members of SEAL Team 6, the unit that killed Osama bin Laden. Military officials said none of the crash victims were on that mission in Pakistan against the al- Qaida leader.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta decided to hold to Pentagon policy of releasing names.

Those killed were 17 members of the elite Navy SEALs, five Naval Special Warfare personnel who support the SEALs, three Air Force Special Operations personnel and an Army helicopter crew of five.

 

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

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

Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Parachutist) Christopher G. Campbell, 36, of Jacksonville, North Carolina, left, and Master-at-Arms Petty Officer 1st Class, Expeditionary Warfare Specialist, John Douangdara, 26, of South Sioux City, Nebraska

 

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

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

Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Darrik C. Benson, 28, of Angwin, California, left, and  Information Systems Technician Petty Officer 1st Class, Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist,  Jared W. Day, 28, of Taylorsville, Utah

 

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

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

Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Stephen M. Mills, 35, of Fort Worth, Texas., left, and Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) John W. Faas, 31, of Minneapolis, Minnesota 

The crash comes amid fears that the country is far from stable even though U.S. and NATO forces have begun to leave Afghanistan. U.S. military officials have tried to counter those fears, saying that while the downing of the Chinook was a tragic setback, one crash will not determine the course of the war.

Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said Wednesday that F-16 fighter jets killed the insurgents responsible for the crash. But the military provided few details to back up the claim.

The U.S.-led coalition has also said the helicopter was apparently shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade. But Allen said the military will investigate whether other causes contributed to the crash.

 

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

Petty Officer 1st Class Jon T. Tumilson, 35, of Rockford, Iowa.

Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Robert J. Reeves, 32, of Shreveport, Louisiana. left, and  Petty Officer 1st Class Jon T. Tumilson, 35, of Rockford, Iowa

 

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

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

Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Matthew D. Mason, 37, of Kansas City, Missouri, left, and Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer, Brian R. Bill, 31, of Stamford, Connecticut

 

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

Chief Petty Officer Nicholas H. Null, 30, of Washington, W.Va.

Tech Sgt Daniel L. Zerbe, 28, of York, Pennsylvania, left, and Chief Petty Officer Nicholas H. Null, 30, of Washington, West Virginia

Alam Gul, chief of the local council in Sayd Abad district where the crash occurred, said many villagers were up at the time because it is the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims fast during the day, break fast in the evening and then get up and eat again around 2am for sustenance to make it through the day.

He said people in the Tangi Valley worry that the U.S. will take revenge and bomb their villages. He insisted that no major Taliban figures were living or hiding out in the area, where many locals don't side with the U.S.-led coalition or the Afghan government.

'The foreigners are guests, but what has changed in ten years?' Gul said residents ask. 'Yes, you are our guests, but you have done a lot of bad things.'

He said frequent night raids in and around his district have angered local residents, who are offended by knocks on their doors in the middle of the night when families are sleeping.

 

Army Specialist Spencer Duncan, 21, Bravo Company, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment based at New Century AirCenter in Gardner.

Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 David R. Carter. Carter, a 47-year-old pilot from Aurora, Colo.

Army Specialist Spencer Duncan, 21, Bravo Company, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, of Olathe, Kansas, left, and  Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 David R. Carter, from Aurora, Colorado

 

Chief Warrant Officer Sgt. Alexander J. Bennett, 24, of Tacoma, Wash.

Senior Chief Petty Officer Thomas A. Ratzlaff, 34, of Green Forest, Ark.

Chief Warrant Officer Sgt Alexander J. Bennett, 24, 7th Batallion, 158th Aviation Regiment, of Tacoma, Washington , left, and Special Warfare Operator Senior Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Thomas A. Ratzlaff, 34, of Green Forest, Arkansas

 

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

Chief Petty Officer Heath M. Robinson, 34, of Detroit.

Staff Sgt Andrew W. Harvell 26, of Long Beach, California, left, and Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Heath M. Robinson, 34, of Detroit, Michigan

Coalition forces left a combat outpost in Tangi, less than a mile (about 1 kilometre) from the crash site, in the spring.

They took their expensive equipment, but left other items, like freezers, Gul said. The Taliban retrieved the items and had a yard sale, he said. Afghans from the surrounding area came to shop. Then, instead of occupying the outpost, Gul said the Taliban booby-trapped it with bombs.

The latest deaths, which raised to 374 the number of international forces killed so far this year, underscored the tenuous nature of the war.

THE FULL LIST OF THE 30 HEROES KILLED IN CHINOOK CRASH

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, California;

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

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, Connecticut;

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

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

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

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, West Virginia;

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

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

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

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

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, Nebraska;

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

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, Florida;

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, California, and

Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 2nd Class (SEAL) Nicholas P. Spehar, 24, of Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The soldiers killed were:

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

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

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

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

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

The airmen killed were:

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

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

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

All three airmen were assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Field, North Carolina.