Earlier this week, I interviewed Major General Paul Vallely (US Army, Ret.) of Bigfork during a live show this week in Polson, Montana. We covered a lot of ground with General Vallely, starting with his two trips to Syria in the last year where he visited with opposition forces. (Click here to listen to the first half of the show. Click here to listen to the second half of the show.)
Then, General Vallely and I discussed his new book Betrayed. In the book, General Vallely says members of SEAL Team 6 were compromised by their political leaders, and misled by the Pentagon in the aftermath of the capture of Osama bin Laden and the attack on Extortion 17 just a few months later.
That was on Monday. On Wednesday, this story out of The Hill made national news: Congress to probe lethal crash that killed SEAL Team 6 members
Congress has launched an investigation of the helicopter crash that killed 30 Americans in Afghanistan, including members of the Navy’s elite SEAL Team 6 unit, The Hill has learned.
The victims’ families say the Pentagon hasn’t provided answers to their many questions about the deadly attack, which took place on Aug. 6, 2011, three months after Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan by Team 6 forces.
The Chinook was shot down by Afghan militants, and all 38 on board perished. Among the dead were 30 Americans, including 22 Navy SEALS, seven Afghan soldiers and one Afghan translator. Their bodies were later recovered, but the helicopter’s black box was not. Pentagon officials have said that it could not be recovered, citing a flash flood that happened soon after the assault.
Here’s more info on Gen. Vallely’s book:
Billy Vaughn, Aaron Vaughn’s father, and MG Paul Vallely are among them and they are bravely speaking out and telling the truth about this incident.
The book goes beyond what was discussed in the press conference of May 9th, 2013 at the National Press Club where family members of the fallen and noted members of the military spoke out on the tragedy. The book exposes the political policies and failed ideology that precipitated the unnecessary take down of Extortion 17. This heart-wrenching book of a father’s search for truth about his son’s death is a must-read.