Continuous Soffit Vent, Open Casting Calls Atlanta, Lance Mackey Wife, Tonya, Downers Grove Dui Arrests, Articles O

2023 Getty Images. After several tense moments of struggling to bring in the rope, they decided to cut it loose. Not wanting to burn valuable time waiting on approval from the task force commander for the audible, the Night Stalkers continued on without the Apaches. And we experienced that on that mountain.. Soon they learned that their son Erik was among those killed in action. Brooks said he felt inspired to record his first-hand account of the mission to rescue Luttrell because most war stories are about the fighting and the glorious victory of battle, but I think this kind of tells another side of war that kind of really doesnt get much attention., This was ugly, this was an ugly event, Brooks added. I could see the grass being blown by the rotor wash and all the remains bags being lined up in a row 16 of them, Rogie recalled. All the men were anxious, angry, and ready to retrieve their brothers in arms. Im glad youre here because I am spent, Eicher told him. Luttrell wrote of his own experience surviving through Operation Red Wings, a 2005 special operations mission in Afghanistan to stop Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. RMW0HEG2 - Air Force flight surgeon Patrick Whitney visits the grave site of SFC Marcus V. Muralles, on Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., May 26, 2014. It was a gut-wrenching decision for everyone on the mission, as they knew the original SEALs on the SR team were fighting for their lives and one of their own aircraft and crew was burning on the side of a mountain. I will never leave a fallen comrade. The determination to not leave their fallen comrades was true of all 16 in Turbine 33 -- and was a promise fulfilled by their Jesuit-taught commander, Kristensen. Part of. I will never accept defeat. They finalized plans and sent the Night Stalkers on their way. Back at Jalalabad, the commanders decided they had no choice but to wait for better weather and try again the next night. military operation during the War in Afghanistan. Brady ran over to where his platoon sergeant, Sgt. Ed Kristensen is a retired rear admiral who had led the Navy's 1996 recovery of TWA 800 which had crashed off New York with 230 souls lost. When we landed, we just saw a row of Night Stalkers and Rangers and SEALs for as far as I could see, lined up and ready to help transport the remains off and take them to the mortuary affairs section, Brady recalled. Brady stood next to a SEAL commander both had to take command of their respective units when Reich and Kristensen were killed on Turbine 33. These are the first photos released by the military of the . I dont really care, Matt, he told Brady, just get your stuff and get off the airplane. Flying toward Jalalabad en route to the last known position of the SEALs, they received word from Bagram on the number of men they could have on board each aircraft and still fly at the extreme elevation. Soldiers sit on the rear deck of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter while flying over southern Afghanistan Oct. 19, 2010. I will never quit. Running around in the woods is kind of cool once in awhile, camping is kind of cool once in awhile. Assigned to replace Eicher as senior flight lead, he was trying to learn as much as he could before hopping into an aircraft and joining the mission. Instance of. Children of varying ages ran around the coffins, playing and yelling, not yet old enough to understand the sacrifices these warriors made. 1st Class Mike Russell, was sleeping and updated him on what had unfolded. The Night Stalkers job was to insert the SEALs on a ridgeline where the terrain left few options for landing zones. Ariann Harrison was an old friend in Washington who said he was sweetly absent-minded, once showing up for a swing dance class in flip-flops and yet "he made it work." Operation Redwing was a United States series of 17 nuclear test detonations from May to July 1956. The back of the aircraft contained the flag-draped coffins of 16 great Americans: the fallen Night Stalkers and SEALs from Turbine 33. When the ramp lowered, the Night Stalkers on the Chinooks stood tall and proud for their fallen brethren as task force members boarded and began solemnly moving each remains bag to the mortuary affairs building. It didnt look like there was any way anybody could have survived, Graham said. Ten years doesn't make any difference.". Kristensen, 33, was portrayed in the film by Australian actor Eric Bana in a relatively small part. "That was the one part of the movie that I enjoyed. As he approached the insertion site, Brady could see lights dotting the mountains below through his night-vision goggles. Turbine 33s nose dipped down, and the aircraft slid to the left, appearing to almost recover. 8 to 12 estimated Taliban walked up the mountain and capitalised on every poor decision the seals made. Many of the men suffered scorched hands from gripping the rope through gloves for such a long descent. Joshua Skovlund has covered the 75th anniversary of D-Day in France, multinational military exercises in Germany, and civil unrest during the 2020 riots in Minneapolis that followed the death of George Floyd. Were completely separate commands. Troops searching for the KIA and survivors. . During the flight, the Night Stalkers passed two Apache gunships whose pilots asked if they wanted to slow down so they could provide surveillance and support for the operation. Even after a decade, his only child's loss "is still a very raw thing. A Taliban high-value target (HVT) sat tucked into the corner away from them all, guarded by other soldiers. "It is very redeeming thing. The fallen Night Stalkers of the 160th SOAR included: Chief Warrant Officer Corey J. Goodnature, Chief Warrant Officer Chris J. Scherkenbach. Each of the five Black Hawks was loaded with Marines and had flown out thinking they were the QRF for the SR team. Upload media. "The complexity of who he is, to me, is bigger than his being a SEAL. The commandos would have to descend from a rope fast-rope while the helos hovered high above the trees. Arriving on site, the task force members fast-roped in. Graham made a stop at a Forward Arming and Refueling Point (FARP) just outside of Jalalabad. Kent Paro, who led SEAL Team 10 at the time and was Kristensen and Murphy's commander in Afghanistan, told ABC News last week. He asked the AC-130 crew for one final report on the four potential landing zones the Night Stalkers had identified for the mission. The remaining Night Stalkers prepared for a rescue operation. military operation. Nope, I want you to take my spot as the operations officer and monitor from here, Reich replied. The odds of enemy fighters hearing the echo of the dual-rotor helicopter increased every second it remained in a hover. After refueling, he continued on to Jalalabad and offloaded. At the Bagram operations center, Maj. Stephen Reich approached Brady urgently, asking why he didnt follow abort criteria and fly back with the SR team after the AC-130 had to leave the airspace. The SEALs did their best to hide the rope and keep their presence on the ridgeline hidden from enemy fighters. Born and raised in small-town South Dakota, he grew up playing football and soccer before serving as a forward observer in the US Army. Grahams aircraft pulled off to the right to circle around and insert their payload of SEALs after Turbine 33 moved off to allow their entrance. Photo courtesy of Steven Smith. The task force commander denied the request and ordered Turbine 34 back to Jalalabad. I could see the grass being blown by the rotor wash and all the remains bags being lined up in a row 16 of them, Rogie recalled. But seeing the site, even so long after, was helpful. They shared a laugh as they loaded up for the flight back to Bagram. Children of varying ages ran around the coffins, playing and yelling, not yet old enough to understand the sacrifices these warriors made. "Erik did what any SEAL would do: go help SEALs in trouble," Navy Capt. Approaching the insertion point, the pilots flared the Chinook and came into a hover. Coffee Or Die Kristensen applied but wasn't selected for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL school out of the academy. They ascended and flew back to Jalalabad to link up with another group of SEALs and standby as a quick reaction force (QRF) in case the SR team was compromised. They are famous for the roles they played in both the Battle of Mogadishu and the mission to kill Usama Bin Laden but are revered throughout the special operations community for acts of valor that often never see the light of day due to the classified nature of their work. His parents buried Kristensen -- wearing his beloved Birkenstocks -- at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, which his father had also graduated from three decades earlier. I could see a lot of vehicles with troops armed to the damn teeth, Smith recalled. battle. Pastors from the task force lead the caskets onto the C-17. Navy SEALs operating in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Graham and his co-pilot whipped their Chinook around to look for survivors. Almost every variety of special operations troops in the U.S. military inventory participated in a coordinated effort through some of Afghanistans most dangerous and austere terrain during the search for their brothers both alive and fallen. The 160th had only lost helicopters during daylight missions at that point theyre called Night Stalkers for a reason. As he approached the insertion site, Brady could see lights dotting the mountains below through his night-vision goggles. Not really sure who they were, but there was more activity than I expected.. The C-17 sat on the runway with the ramp down, waiting to receive the 16 interment cases containing the fallen warriors. Photo courtesy of Matt Rogie. davenport, fl crime rate P.O. Believing the gunship could make it back on station in time for the insertion, Brady made the call to continue the mission. They engaged in a fierce firefight, and at some point the task force lost contact with them. Chris, Turbine 33 has just been shot down, he told Eicher, whod earned the nickname Iceman for his always cool demeanor. With that, they retired to their rooms to rest for phase two of the operation the following night. The majority of his book focuses on his first deployment out of Ranger training. The weather was turning bad again as they offloaded Marines to assist with security. This is my mission.. Its earned. The memorial service display in Bagram, Afghanistan. The Night Stalkers flew back to their newly forged landing zone the following night. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell was the only survivor from the initial four-man SEAL reconnaissance element. Based on the non-fiction book by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson, the acclaimed, 2013 American biographical military action movie Lone Survivor dramatizes the US Navy SEALs counter-insurgent mission Operation Red Wings which took place on Jun. He was wickedly smart, but more on the creative side. Brady knew that surveillance aircraft going off station without backup was supposed to result in aborting the mission. Believing the gunship could make it back on station in time for the insertion, Brady made the call to continue the mission. Kristensen confronted him about the decision to cut the rope at the LZ and asked if the Night Stalkers would go back and retrieve it. Brady said it seemed like the whole base turned out to give the fallen a proper sendoff. That meant if the SEALs got into trouble, extraction would potentially require the use of a hoist to pull the SEALs out, which was a time-consuming and dangerous option. They then used explosives to clear out a large enough area for Chinooks to land when they came back. They only discussed his SEAL career once -- when he told her he was going to Afghanistan. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Matt Rogie arrived in Bagram just before the Night Stalkers came back after dropping off the recovery force. They were conducted at Bikini and Enewetak atolls by Joint Task Force 7 (JTF7). From left, SGT Carlos Pacheco (3/160 medic, former 3/75), SFC Marcus V. Muralles (Legend 3/160 medic), MAJ Sam Sauer (3/160 flight surgeon), SFC L.E. Brooks told American Military News his experience on that mission added to his appreciation for Luttrells survival. As the Night Stalkers approached Bagram they could see what looked like everyone on base standing outside, showing their respect for the fallen. Having walked that ground, it blows my mind that he got out of there alive. The C-17 closed its ramp and taxied down the runway and took flight. Thunder boomed as lightning struck all around them. On April 6, 15 U.S. service members and three American civilians were killed when their chopper went down in a sandstorm. Search instead in. One of the SEALs even drew his pistol and attempted unsuccessfully to force the Chinook to land so they could try to save their friends. Photo courtesy of Matt Rogie. Doc's platoon was alerted . One by one, the Rangers and SEALs loaded the fallen onto the Chinooks and headed back to Bagram with their brothers. WARNING: NSFW footage of dead Navy SEALS and gore. Theyve got their own quick-reaction force. -- When Ed and Suzanne . "It gets tiring. Commander Erik Kristensen was a senior commander in SEAL Team 10 in Afghanistan and didnt go on as many ground combat operations as those in the platoons under him. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Search for jobs related to Operation red wings news coverage or hire on the world's largest freelancing marketplace with 22m+ jobs. The mission was to capture or kill Ahmad Shah, a Taliban commander. It just didnt look good.. The order was given to again abort the mission and return to base. Brady said it seemed like the whole base turned out to give the fallen a proper sendoff. After leaving the service, he earned his CrossFit Level 1 certificate and worked as a personal trainer while earning his paramedic license. That's who Erik really was," said Jason Redman, who served in SEAL Team 10 as an officer with Kristensen at the time of the Operation Red Wings disaster and had once been in Murphy's platoon. A California Marine remains in the brig, accused of threatening to chop up his wife with a machete. Marcus Luttrell, to get out of that thing alive, its a miracle, I mean I dont know how, Brooks said. This is my mission.. Thats when Staff Sergeant Steven Smith, the flight engineer in the rear of Turbine 34, saw a smoke trail emerge from the tree line directly toward Turbine 33. Monitored and controlled by a Joint Terminal Attack Controller at Forward Operating Base Shank via a General Atomics MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle, all six were positively confirmed killed by the bomb strike and subsequent attacks by a Lockheed AC-130 gunship and two Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopter gunships. Soldiers and Sailors from the Task Force saying their final goodbyes. Ammunition magazines for M4 rifles, springs and un-fired cartridges litter the sooted ground. When you hear all four directions, everyone gets pretty tense, Brady said. "Erik leaned to the left. The surviving SEAL, Marcus Luttrell, ended up being recovered by a platoon from the 2nd Ranger Battalion that was wrapping up its rotation.. Primary and secondary zones appear to be clear of potential threats.. They rode it all the way in that way.. The Night Stalkers flew back to their newly forged landing zone the following night. The loss weighed heavy on the men. Kristensens cousins led the Pledge of Allegiance and a former SEAL who served with the mourned guest of honor strummed a guitar in sing-alongs. A glimmer of metal caught a Rangers eye and he picked up a stainless steel dogtag bearing not a name but the Armys Warrior Ethos: I will always place the mission first. Thats not possible, Brady replied, confused at how quickly the SEALs had become compromised. The news about the chopper crash came while the Kristensens were, coincidentally, attending the retirement of a Navy diver in Norfolk who had served under Ed during the recovery of the passenger jet in the ocean. Then the realization hit: He was now in charge. Kind of like SEALs.. "But he was on the helo," his mother told ABC News, as the family marked the tenth anniversary of Erik's death in Operation Red Wings last weekend. The Night Stalkers again loaded their Chinooks with Rangers and SEALs and took off toward the mountains. As he watched the two Chinooks taxiing onto the runway, he locked eyes with Russell, his platoon sergeant. The Armys elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) is known for having some of the most skilled aviators in the world, who fly the most elite special operators into some of the most austere environments on earth using the most advanced aircraft in the US military inventory. In an interview with American Military News, Brooks said the motto leave no man behind was drilled into our heads as U.S. Army Rangers and his first real mission instilled the importance of that motto as he and his unit risked their own lives trying to find the members of Operation Red Wings. ", "But he wasn't a non-conformist just to be a non-conformist," Ismay explained. Since the SEALs werent sure where exactly the compromised team was located, Kristensen believed inserting at a position of tactical advantage was the best option. Its not glamorous. He could play the trumpet, he could sing, he could write," recalled his first cousin, Jennifer Casey. The pilots descended to the point where the Chinooks front rotor was just a few feet away from the mountainside with tall trees all around the aircraft. Brady rushed to the operations center where Chief Warrant Officer 4 Chris Eicher was telling the task force commander that they should wait until dark before sending the QRF because going in during daylight would subject them to more danger. That meant if the SEALs got into trouble, extraction would potentially require the use of a hoist to pull the SEALs out, which was a time-consuming and dangerous option. This was a desolate part of the Hindu Kush, and at night, you wouldnt really expect to see much, Brady told Coffee or Die. The commander explained that the ground force commander had already rejected that plan and didnt want to wait any longer. archive.org 244 140 comments Best Add a Comment Brady rushed to the operations center where Chief Warrant Officer 4 Chris Eicher was telling the task force commander that they should wait until dark before sending the QRF because going in during daylight would subject them to more danger. Kristensen and his SEALs were waiting on the ramp, standing in a circle. I felt like I was in the wrong place, I was doing the wrong things and I could do more, Brooks said. The flight back was pure silence. "I will never leave a fallen comrade, it read. Graham reported the situation back to Bagram. The three-phase plan called for inserting a four-man SR team the first night, then inserting the second element of, This was a desolate part of the Hindu Kush, and at night, you wouldnt really expect to see much, Brady told, . [2] [38] The Chinooks took off toward the mountains once again, but as they climbed in elevation, severe weather rolled in. Photo courtesy of Daniel Bell. "He was just a wonderful person. When we landed, we just saw a row of Night Stalkers and Rangers and SEALs for as far as I could see, lined up and ready to help transport the remains off and take them to the mortuary affairs section, Brady recalled. Tasked with inserting the SEAL special reconnaissance (SR) team deep into enemy territory in unforgiving terrain, Brady knew the SEALs Lt. Michael Murphy, Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny Dietz, Petty Officer 2nd Class Marcus Luttrell, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Axelson had a difficult mission ahead. Photo courtesy of Matt Rogie. Search instead in Creative? Hovering for that long over the same spot would burn the LZ and likely alert the enemy to the SR teams presence.. He didnt think much of it at the time, but many years later he found out a new platoon leader came into their company within the 160th and was responsible for those Black Hawks. Good, Brady recalled Reich saying. Looking over the grim images for the first time, after an ABC News reporter provided them, Sam Kristensen said if conditions were ever safe enough and she had the opportunity to walk the ground where her son and his fellow warriors perished, "I'd be on the next plane -- a mother wants to know everything. "With my experience with TWA 800, I knew what an aircraft crash does to people. We reverence the ultimate sacrifice they made while engaged in that fierce firefight on the global war's front lines on terrorism (GWOT). Graham watched from Turbine 34 as Turbine 33s ramp lowered and the crewman walked onto it to observe the landing zone below. The Night Stalkers would then circle back and pick up the remaining SEALs who offloaded at Jalalabad. The crash was the second of a Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan this year. Standing 6' 4", he is remembered as gregarious and embraced a Jesuit ideal by being a "Man For Others," friends and family said. A Taliban high-value target sat tucked into the corner away from them all, guarded by other soldiers. With that, they retired to their rooms to rest for phase two of the operation the following night. Then the helos blades started hitting each other, and the aircraft rolled to the right before inverting as it descended to the mountainous terrain below. I dont really care, Matt, he told Brady, just get your stuff and get off the airplane. When the ramp lowered, the Night Stalkers on the Chinooks stood tall and proud for their fallen brethren as task force members boarded and began solemnly moving each remains bag to the mortuary affairs building. Were completely separate commands. The C-17 closed its ramp and taxied down the runway and took flight. Since the SEALs werent sure where exactly the compromised team was located, Kristensen believed inserting at a position of tactical advantage was the best option. Guys gave him a lot of grief but he was witty about it," Redman, author of "The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy SEAL Leader," said in an interview. As they were turning around, Graham saw five Black Hawks performing a star-cluster evasion. Night-vision goggles, weapons and helmets from both sites were recovered over the next two years from Taliban fighters killed in firefights and found in arms caches in the Korengal Valley. This article originally appeared on Coffee or Die. The Burma Campaign is an often overlooked front Sign up for our newsletter and receive the mighty updates! Once on the ground, theyd have to pick up the rope, hook it to themselves, and get hoisted back up. When the crew chief tried to pull the rope up, they found it was entangled below. It would take them until . Reich, who had been designated mission commander for phase two of the operation, felt the QRF was his responsibility. Share This: Rangers, Special Forces, and PJs were already moving up the mountain toward the crash site. The 2007 book Lone Survivor was later adapted into a movie of the same name in 2013. Weve got two military-aged males, possibly armed, on the northernmost LZ, the crew reported. The fact that the task unit commander had personally led the mission with seven other highly experienced SEAL operators in broad daylight to rescue Murphy's team and kill Shah -- the leader of the "Mountain Tigers" local militia who Murphy had been sent to locate on the Pakistan border -- didn't surprise those who knew Kristensen. There were no survivors. Reich, who had been designated mission commander for phase two of the operation, felt the QRF was his responsibility. After refueling, he continued on to Jalalabad and off-loaded. Each of the five Black Hawks was loaded with Marines and had flown out thinking they were the QRF for the SR team. As the next night approached, the task force went to work, planning another insertion onto the deadly ridgeline. You are giving solace to someone other than yourself, and yet you are helping yourself," she said. The Navy named a guided missile destroyer for him. Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, and other Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) personnel loaded onto five Chinooks. SEALs: Who's Had More Impact in the War on Terror? WARNING: NSFW footage of dead Navy SEALS and gore. Matt Bradys MH-47 Chinook helicopter on Bagram Air Base. Robert Thaler, courtesy of DVIDS. The 2007 book "Lone Survivor" was later adapted into a movie of the same name in 2013. Kristensen confronted him about the decision to cut the rope at the LZ and asked if the Night Stalkers would go back and retrieve it. The remaining Night Stalkers prepared for a rescue operation. Bradys maintenance officer woke him and said the SR team was in trouble and the Night Stalkers had orders to spin up and pull the team out. As I stared into the maze of pines, my heart rate increased, the sweat still pouring down my browine. "Next year, I'm giving him up," Sam Kristensen said, half joking, of future tributes for her son. 28, 2005 in Afghanistan. 12 Operation Redwing Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images EDITORIAL All Sports News Archival Browse 12 operation redwing stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Brooks was an incoming freshman at the University of Arizona when Al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four airliners to carry out the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. My eyes were fixed in the distance, scanning, sweeping back and forth. Commander Erik Kristensen died trying to rescue his fellow SEALs in the Operation Red Wings disaster 10 years ago. One of Bradys soldiers in the operations center was asking him a question, but Brady was momentarily frozen with shock. As the pilots climbed the last 1,000 feet of elevation, the AC-130 crew providing overwatch on their destination radioed to say they had to leave their position due to a mechanical issue. For the Night Stalkers of the famed 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the war on terror continued. Franais : L'Opration Red Wings est une opration de contre-insurrection mene par l'arme amricaine le 28 juin 2005 contre les talibans de la province de Kounar. I don't know if I want to do this the rest of my life. At the Bagram operations center, Major Stephen Reich approached Brady urgently, asking why he didnt follow abort criteria and fly back with the SR team after the AC-130 had to leave the airspace. Photo by Mark C. Olsen, courtesy of DVIDS. Smiling as he looked over the crowd and placing his hand on the shoulder of a first-time E-Day guest, his father Ed said, "He's amongst us all, right here. A new book released Tuesday tells the story of the efforts U.S. Army Rangers made in summer 2005 to recover the casualties of Operation Red Wings and to rescue the missions lone survivor, U.S. Navy SEAL Petty Officer Marcus Luttrell. So the enemy is one factor, but the terrain and weather are now a huge factor, and theyre starting to overtake the enemy in terms of danger to the force, Brady said. SFC Muralles died June 28, 2005, in eastern Afghanistan when his MH-47E Chinook Helicopter was shot down by enemy fire during combat rescue operations, since come to be known by 'Operation Red Wings.' Brooks said all of those events, happening within a matter of months, had been the momentum changer that inspired him to join the Army Rangers. Kristensen agreed with Bradys evaluation, and after the SR team radioed that they would be lying down for the day in their hide site, Brady and Kristensen called it a night. Not wanting to burn valuable time waiting on approval from the task force commander for the audible, the Night Stalkers continued on without the Apaches. One of the SEALs even drew his pistol and attempted unsuccessfully to force the Chinook to land so they could try to save their friends. The JSOC troops, along with their newly arrived reinforcements, went to work recovering those killed in action as well as sensitive equipment that could not fall into enemy hands. Hold your right and left; hold your front and rear, came the internal radio traffic from the flight engineer to Brady. Kristensen Family. They were exhausted and angry with the mistake the U.S. Air Force had made when they allowed Space-A seating to be filled on this leg of the flight home. It was this sort of behaviour from SEALs at the time, which seemed to be rampant across all NATO ops, which caused army SF to constantly hate on them and talk shit. Hoisting a man at that altitude on that kind of terrain at night is a dangerous operation. Photo courtesy of Daniel Bell. The weather was turning bad again as they offloaded Marines to assist with security. To cope with the catastrophic loss, she long ago befriended other moms who lost children inside the Pentagon on 9/11 and in Operation Red Wings, and a few years ago began volunteering to be an "Arlington Lady," a liaison to families of the fallen during Navy funerals at Arlington National Cemetery near their home on Capitol Hill. Erik Kristensen and the fallen of Turbine 33 did not. Leave No Man Behind: The Untold Story of the Rangers Unrelenting Search for Marcus Luttrell, the Navy SEAL Lone Survivor in Afghanistan by Dr. Tony Brooks provides the first-hand account of Brooks very first mission as a Ranger. As Brady climbed into Turbine 33 and started strapping in, Reich tapped his shoulder and asked what the plan was. Brady persisted with the details. It was a matter of seniority. Walking toward the flight line, the SEAL commander quipped, What made you want to fly such ugly helicopters?, Theyre not much to look at, but they get the job done, Brady fired back. Lt. Kind of like SEALs.. After landing, Graham saw the same five Black Hawks that had peeled off earlier parked on the runway.