How Operation Red Wings Went Down 💔

Operation in Afghanistan

In 2005, Navy SEAL Lieutenant Michael Murphy led a four-man team into Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush mountains to locate a senior Taliban commander. After local goat herders discovered them, the team let the herders go, and a large Taliban force soon surrounded them.

Murphy moved into an exposed clearing to call for help and was shot multiple times. He and the other two SEALs were killed. A rescue helicopter was also shot down, killing 16 more people.

The sole survivor, Marcus Luttrell, escaped through the mountains and was sheltered by a local villager for five days until U.S. forces found him. Murphy was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Presenters or Contributors

None identified in the subtitles.