Sgt Z's Page Round 3

“Sunrise & Sunset“ by | Courtney Wilson

August 7th is National Purple Heart Day.

First created on this day in 1782 by the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, General George Washington.

On August 6, 2011, a U.S. CH-47D Chinook helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, was shot down while transporting a Quick Reaction Force attempting to reinforce a unit of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the Tangi Valley in Maidan Wardak province, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan.

The resulting crash killed all 38 personnel on board, which included: 19 U.S. Navy SEALs 2 U.S. Navy EOD 1 U.S. Navy Cryptologist Technician 2 U.S. Air Force Pararescue 1 U.S. Air Force Combat Control Team member 1 pilot and 2 crewmen of the U.S. Army Reserve 1 pilot and 1 crewman of the U.S. Army National Guard 7 members of the Afghan National Security Forces 1 Afghan interpreter 1 U.S. military working dog

U.S. Navy SEALs: PO1 Darrick C. Benson CPO Brian R. Bill PO1 Christopher G. Campbell PO1 Jared W. Day PO1 John Douangdara & Navy SEAL Dog “Bart” CPO John W. Faas CPO Kevin A. Houston Lt. Cmdr. Jonas B. Kelsall MCPO Louis J. Langlais CPO Matthew D. Mason CPO Stephen M. Mills PO1 Jesse D. Pittman SCPO  Thomas A. Ratzlaff CPO Robert J. Reeves CPO Heath M. Robinson PO2 Nicholas P. Spehar PO1 Jon T. Tumilson PO1 Aaron C. Vaughn PO1 Jason R. Workman

U.S. Navy EOD: TCOP Nicholas H. Null SCPO Kraig M. Vickers

U.S. Navy : PO1 Michael J. Strange

U.S. Army: SGT Alexander J. Bennett SPC Spencer Duncan CWO Bryan J. Nichols CWO David R. Carter SSG Patrick D. Hamburger

U.S. Air Force: TSgt John W. Brown SSgt Andrew W. Harvell TSgt Daniel L. Zerbe

On August 5, 2004, the Battle of Najaf began between U.S. forces and the members of the Mehdi Army who were loyal to the radical cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr.

The battle would eventually end on August 27, 2004 with a negotiated ceasefire: Mahdi army fighters left the Imam Ali shrine among the Pilgrim crowd and none of them were detained; The Iraqi police took control of the security in the city.

Sporadic fighting continued for some months. Some Mahdi Army fighters from Najaf went to Sadr City in Baghdad, where there had also been heavy fighting, to help the Mahdi Army in their guerrilla activities against U.S. and Iraqi forces.