In the late evening of March 3, two SEAL teams from
DEVGRU, MAKO 30 & MAKO 21, led by Lieutenant Commander
Vic Hyder (MAKO 21) and Senior Chief Petty Officer
Britt K. Slabinski (MAKO 30), were to arrive in Gardez for immediate insertion into the Shahi-Kot Valley. MAKO 21 planned to link up with AFO team Juliet at the northern end of the valley, resupply it and then establish a hide site/observation post on the eastern ridge above Task Force Rakkasan's blocking position; while MAKO 30 planned to establish an observation point on the peak of
Takur Ghar, which commanded a view of the Shahi-Kot valley. Due to time constraints, a helicopter insertion would be needed for the team to reach the peak before dawn. The AFO suggested insertion at a point east of the peak, but due to a delayed B-52 bomber sortie in the area, the team was told to turn back and land at the airstrip near Gardez. Further complications arose during the second lift off as they were delayed due to an air assault in proximity of the LZ. With the threat of daylight getting near, the SEALs chose the peak itself as the insertion point. The two teams were picked up by two
MH-47 Chinook helicopters of the
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Razor 03 and Razor 04, at 11:23 PM on March 3. However, Razor 03 experienced engine difficulties, and two new MH-47s were dispatched to replace the original helicopters. This delay meant that the SEALs could not be inserted into the landing zone east of the peak until 2:30 AM on March 4, with not enough time to reach the peak before daylight. An
AC-130H Spectre, about away. Roberts fell into the snow covering Takur Ghar and activated his infrared strobe to mark his position. Razor 04, piloted by Chief Warrant Officer Jason Friel, returned to the peak to attempt to rescue Roberts, as the Chinook offloaded MAKO 30, they came under immediate fire from the DShK, though it was relatively unscathed and left the AO after MAKO 30 successfully disembarked. At first, the insurgents didn't spot MAKO 30 in the early morning darkness, MAKO 30 split up into two-man pairs to conduct
bounding movements, making good ground until the enemy spotted them. One team ran across a concealed al-Qaeda bunker and killed 3 fighters before the SEALs were suppressed by other fighters with a PKM machine gun. The firefight lasted 20 minutes before the team leader decided to order his team to break contact, USAF
combat controller Master Sergeant
John A. Chapman (then Technical Sergeant) and two SEALs were wounded. MAKO 30 was forced off the peak due to its losses and requested the assistance of the quick-reaction force mainly made up of Rangers from the
1st Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment located at
Bagram Air Base, led by Captain
Nate Self. Master Sergeant Chapman was mistakenly believed to have been killed prior to MAKO 30 withdrawing from the peak. Alone and wounded twice in the torso, facing superior numbers of enemy insurgents, drone footage showed Sergeant Chapman killing at least two of the insurgents, one who was charging at him, one in hand-to-hand combat, before being killed by a single gunshot wound to the heart after being wounded 16 times while providing covering fire to distract Taliban fighters from an approaching rescue helicopter. The
quick reaction force (QRF) consisted of 19 Rangers,
Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) Staff Sergeant Kevin Vance, and a three-man USAF
special tactics team (
PJs and
Combat Controllers) carried by two Chinooks, Razor 01 and Razor 02. Due to satellite communications difficulties, Razor 01 was mistakenly directed to the "hot" LZ on the peak at . As Air Force rules prohibited AC-130 aircraft from remaining in hostile airspace in daylight after the crash of an AC-130 during the
Battle of Khafji in the
Gulf War, the AC-130 support (callsign GRIM-32), whose protecting MAKO 30 was forced to leave before Razor 01 reached the LZ. During the flight, the Ranger commander was informed that his team was to land and extract a "SEAL sniper team" that was in contact with the enemy, which was false. Further communications difficulties meant that the pilot of the AC-130, GRIM-32, was unaware that Razor 01 was incoming. At approximately 0610 hours, Razor 01, under the command of Captain Nate Self, reached the landing zone. The aircraft immediately began taking fire from RPG, DShK and small arms fire, and the right door
minigunner, Sergeant Philip Svitak, was killed and the helicopter pilots, Chief Warrant Officers Greg Calvert and Chuck Gant, were seriously wounded by the small arms fire. An RPG then hit the helicopter, destroying the right engine and forcing it to crash land. As the Rangers and special tactics team exited the aircraft, Private First Class Matt Commons (posthumously promoted to Corporal), Sergeant Brad Crose, and Specialist Marc Anderson were killed (Anderson was shot and killed inside the helicopter while Commons and Crose were gunned down on the helicopter ramp). The surviving crew and quick-reaction force took cover behind a hillock and a fierce firefight began. CPT Self decided to suppress the enemy firing points and launch a counterattack against the peak, bounding forward in subteams (one team firing while the other moved forward). They advanced about 20m before the weight of enemy fire forced them into cover. This report has not been confirmed. MG Frank Hagenbeck did confirm that al Qaeda fighters were seen (on live video feed from a
Predator drone orbiting the firefight) chasing Roberts, and later dragging his body away from the spot where he fell. Another feed from the same Predator showed a puff of heat [from a rifle] and the indistinct figure in front of it fall. Other reports have Roberts surviving for nearly an hour and inflicting serious casualties on opposing forces with his pistol and grenades before his death.
Fate of Chapman Reports immediately following the battle stated Chapman was killed shortly after he returned to the peak of Takur Ghar with MAKO 30 to rescue Roberts. Several years later Slabinski changed his story, stating he crawled over Chapman's body and Chapman did not react, leading Slabinski to think Chapman was dead. The footage also shows that Slabinski never comes close to Chapman's body as he claimed, instead he crawled over Robert's body and in the confusion of the battle he assumed it was Chapman. After being left, and regaining consciousness, Chapman was seen fighting in a bunker against multiple enemies before stepping into the open and braving enemy small arms fire one last time to allow the quick reaction force helicopter coming to rescue him and Roberts a bit of breathing room. Air Force Secretary
Deborah Lee James began attempting to have Chapman's Air Force Cross upgraded to the Medal of Honor, the military's highest award, using the new technology that allowed a deeper analysis of video of the battle arguing it showed Chapman regain consciousness after being left on Takur Ghar and resume fighting
Al-Qaeda members who were coming toward him from three directions. The Air Force stated Chapman crawled into a bunker, shot, and killed an enemy charging at him and then killed another enemy fighter in hand-to-hand combat and ultimately left the safety of the bunker to provide covering fire for Razor 01 as it too attempted to land on the mountain peak. When it became apparent that Chapman's Medal of Honor could not be blocked, it was further alleged that the Navy requested Slabinski's Navy Cross be upgraded to a Medal of Honor as well, which he received in May 2018 before Chapman received his. and the White House announced on July 27, 2018, that Chapman would posthumously receive the Medal of Honor at an August 22, 2018, ceremony. Colonel Andrew N. Milani (former commander of the
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment) and Dr. Stephen D. Biddle noted in their 2003
United States Army War College publication that the Predator was on station 90 minutes after Roberts had fallen; the images that were shot before the Predator had arrived were shot by GRIM-32's infrared cameras, although this has not been confirmed by commanders. But in 2016, Milani submitted an addendum to his paper. "With some of the original uncertainty removed, I can state that the probability now lies more in favor of Chapman surviving the original assault", he wrote.
U.S. casualties Killed SEAL Team Six: •
Petty Officer First Class Neil "Fifi" C. Roberts
USAF 24th Special Tactics Squadron: •
Master Sergeant John A. Chapman USAF 38th Rescue Squadron: •
Senior Airman Jason D. Cunningham
75th Ranger Regiment: • Corporal Matthew A. Commons • Sergeant Bradley S. Crose • Specialist Marc A. Anderson
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne): • Sergeant Philip "Spytech" Svitak
Wounded SEAL Team Six: • Aviation Boatswain's Mate 1st Class Stephen "Turbo" Toboz Jr., wounded in the left lower leg. • Electronics Technician 2nd Class Brett Morganti, wounded in both legs.
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne): • Chief Warrant Officer Donald Tabron, wounded by a single gunshot wound in the index finger. • Sergeant First Class Cory Lamoreaux, wounded by a single gunshot wound in the abdomen. • Staff Sergeant David Dube, wounded by a single gunshot wound in the left leg. • Chief Warrant Officer Greg Calvert, wounded by small arms fire to the left arm and hand, and RPG shrapnel to both legs. • Chief Warrant Officer Chuck Gant, wounded by heavy machine gun fire to the left leg.
75th Ranger Regiment: • Captain Nate Self, wounded by RPG fragments. • Staff Sergeant Ray DePouli, wounded by RPG fragments. • Private First Class David Gilliam, wounded by RPG fragments. • Specialist Aaron Totten-Lancaster, wounded by RPG fragments.
USAF 17th Air Support Operations Squadron: • Staff Sergeant Kevin Vance, wounded by RPG fragments. ==In popular culture==