{"product_id":"the-final-mission-of-extortion-17","title":"The Final Mission of Extortion 17 - Special Ops, Helicopter Support, SEAL Team Six, and the Deadliest Day of the U.S. War in Afghanistan","description":"On August 6, 2011, a U.S. Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter approached a  landing zone in Afghanistan 40 miles southwest of Kabul. The helicopter,  call sign Extortion 17, was on a mission to reinforce American and  coalition special operations troops. It would never return. Insurgents  fired at the Chinook, severed one of its rear rotor blades, and brought it  crashing to the ground. All 38 onboard perished instantly in the single  greatest moment of sacrifice for Americans in the war in Afghanistan.  Those killed were some of the U.S.'s most highly trained and  battle-honed commandos, including 15 men from the Gold Squadron of the  Naval Special Warfare Development Group, known popularly as SEAL Team 6,  which had raided a Pakistan compound and killed Osama bin Laden just  three months earlier. The downing of Extortion 17 spurred a number of  conspiracy theories, such as the idea that the shootdown was revenge for  bin Laden's death. In\u003ci\u003e The Final Mission of Extortion 17\u003c\/i\u003e, Ed  Darack debunks this theory and others and uncovers the truth behind this  mysterious tragedy. His account of the brave pilots, crew, and  passengers of Extortion 17 and the events of that fateful day is  interwoven into a rich, complex narrative that also discusses modern  joint combat operations, the history of the Afghan war to that date,  U.S. helicopter use in Afghanistan, and the new and evolving military  technologies and tactics being developed to mitigate such tragedies now  and in the future.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmazon Best History Book of the Month - September 2017\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50957816430880,"sku":"9781588345585","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0836\/3661\/7504\/files\/9781588345585.jpg?v=1763763506","url":"https:\/\/creativebysanchez.com\/products\/the-final-mission-of-extortion-17","provider":"Creative By Sanchez","version":"1.0","type":"link"}