- Joined
- Aug 29, 2000
- Messages
- 70
I know this doesn't have anything to do with knives but it does have alot to do with the will to fight! It kinda reminds me of another incident that took place in Somalia.
What follows is an account of the fight in Afghanistan when a navy SEAL,
Neil Roberts, fell out of a helicopter and died fighting. The author is a
Navy SEAL officer. Here is his account.
A HERO STORY
"I have just gotten back from Neil's funeral. There were over 1,000 people in
attendance and needless to say, it was moving. I had the opportunity to speak
with several individuals, both in the Teams and in the Agency (CIA), who were
in country at the time of Neil's death and who had also viewed the Predator
video as well as another video. The following is merely a sanitized
compilation of the conversations I had and tid-bits from the eulogy. And I
know I will not do the story justice, nor could I ever hope to.
"As the helo was on final approach, it came under fire. An air-crewman fell
off the back ramp and was dangling by his tether. Neil reached down to pull
him back in. An RPG hit the nose of the helo (didn't explode) and the pilot
subsequently made an evasive maneuver. Neil tumbled out (the air-crewman may
have also mistakenly pulled Neil out while Neil was trying to recover him or
that may have not even happened -- doesn't matter -- bottom line, Neil fell
from about 10ft and was on the ground alone). It is unclear as to whether or
not the guys on board the helo knew that they lost a man. Helo peeled away,
developed hydraulic problems, and crash-landed about a click away.
"Neil turns on his beacon and low crawls to a position under fire. Neil takes
the offensive, firing and maneuvering against the enemy and allegedly storms
a machine-gun nest. Neil was shot several times, but continued the fight.
Apparently, the Predator video shows the mortal wound and Neil falls to the
ground (an hour after he fell from the helo).
"He had expended all of his ammo, both primary and secondary, as well as his
grenades. The video has Neil point shooting with his pistol at very close
ranges to the enemy.
"He was dead by the time the enemy arrived and dragged him off. Not sure on
whether they intended to use Neil's body as a decoy for an ambush or as a
bargaining chip or for another Somalia street dragging episode.
"Doesn't really matter. Then the boys came. The force was a mix of operators
and arrived about 2 hours later. As they expected, they encounter significant
hostile fire, but returned fire immediately.
"Apparently, a lot of undisclosed heroics occurred that night and there was
significant payback (and I mean significant). Several of our brothers were
wounded, two of which were flown back to CONUS (one of whom may lose a foot).
"People are talking CMH (Congressional Medal of Honor) level heroics -- we'll
see. After fierce fighting and a valiant rescue, Neil's body was recovered,
as were the other dead, and all were evacuated. Payback has continued in
various ways and that is the stuff I can't go into. But rest assured, what
comes around, is going around. Neil went down fighting and took many of those
@^%$ with him (an unconfirmed number). The ridge upon which he died is now
called Roberts Ridge. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with V and
a Purple Heart.
"Neil is now SpecOps folklore and a legend in the Teams for the rest of
eternity.
"Neil also left a wife, Patty, and an 18-month old son, Nathan. I believe
Patty intends to move to Pennsylvania to be with her family. Guys, I hope
this helps -- it has been cathartic for me, especially after the press has
royally screwed this one up (as expected). In the near future, several of us
who knew Neil and his family plan to work on the scholarship fund to ensure
that Nathan has anything he needs. More to follow on that --"
What follows is an account of the fight in Afghanistan when a navy SEAL,
Neil Roberts, fell out of a helicopter and died fighting. The author is a
Navy SEAL officer. Here is his account.
A HERO STORY
"I have just gotten back from Neil's funeral. There were over 1,000 people in
attendance and needless to say, it was moving. I had the opportunity to speak
with several individuals, both in the Teams and in the Agency (CIA), who were
in country at the time of Neil's death and who had also viewed the Predator
video as well as another video. The following is merely a sanitized
compilation of the conversations I had and tid-bits from the eulogy. And I
know I will not do the story justice, nor could I ever hope to.
"As the helo was on final approach, it came under fire. An air-crewman fell
off the back ramp and was dangling by his tether. Neil reached down to pull
him back in. An RPG hit the nose of the helo (didn't explode) and the pilot
subsequently made an evasive maneuver. Neil tumbled out (the air-crewman may
have also mistakenly pulled Neil out while Neil was trying to recover him or
that may have not even happened -- doesn't matter -- bottom line, Neil fell
from about 10ft and was on the ground alone). It is unclear as to whether or
not the guys on board the helo knew that they lost a man. Helo peeled away,
developed hydraulic problems, and crash-landed about a click away.
"Neil turns on his beacon and low crawls to a position under fire. Neil takes
the offensive, firing and maneuvering against the enemy and allegedly storms
a machine-gun nest. Neil was shot several times, but continued the fight.
Apparently, the Predator video shows the mortal wound and Neil falls to the
ground (an hour after he fell from the helo).
"He had expended all of his ammo, both primary and secondary, as well as his
grenades. The video has Neil point shooting with his pistol at very close
ranges to the enemy.
"He was dead by the time the enemy arrived and dragged him off. Not sure on
whether they intended to use Neil's body as a decoy for an ambush or as a
bargaining chip or for another Somalia street dragging episode.
"Doesn't really matter. Then the boys came. The force was a mix of operators
and arrived about 2 hours later. As they expected, they encounter significant
hostile fire, but returned fire immediately.
"Apparently, a lot of undisclosed heroics occurred that night and there was
significant payback (and I mean significant). Several of our brothers were
wounded, two of which were flown back to CONUS (one of whom may lose a foot).
"People are talking CMH (Congressional Medal of Honor) level heroics -- we'll
see. After fierce fighting and a valiant rescue, Neil's body was recovered,
as were the other dead, and all were evacuated. Payback has continued in
various ways and that is the stuff I can't go into. But rest assured, what
comes around, is going around. Neil went down fighting and took many of those
@^%$ with him (an unconfirmed number). The ridge upon which he died is now
called Roberts Ridge. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with V and
a Purple Heart.
"Neil is now SpecOps folklore and a legend in the Teams for the rest of
eternity.
"Neil also left a wife, Patty, and an 18-month old son, Nathan. I believe
Patty intends to move to Pennsylvania to be with her family. Guys, I hope
this helps -- it has been cathartic for me, especially after the press has
royally screwed this one up (as expected). In the near future, several of us
who knew Neil and his family plan to work on the scholarship fund to ensure
that Nathan has anything he needs. More to follow on that --"
