The Defense Department on Aug. 11 announced the names of the three airmen and other US military personnel who were killed Aug. 6 when enemy forces shot down an Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter in Wardak Province, Afghanistan. The airmen were TSgt. John Brown, 33, of Tallahassee, Fla.; TSgt. Daniel Zerbe, 28, of York, Pa.; and SSgt. Andrew Harvell, 26, of Long Beach, Calif. All were assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command’s 24th Special Tactics Squadron at Pope Field, N.C. Brown, who had been selected for promotion earlier this month, was posthumously promoted to E-6. In addition to the airmen, 22 Navy SEALs, five Army aircrew, and eight Afghan soldiers perished, making it the single deadliest incident for US forces in Afghanistan since the beginning of the war in 2001. “This crash leaves us in AFSOC with heavy hearts,” said Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, AFSOC commander, in a release. “My deepest sympathies extend to the families of our fallen brethren and to their teammates. As we remember their sacrifice, we will press on and continue to provide unparalleled air support to our combatant commanders.” (Also see, A Deadly Mission)
U.S. military and law enforcement officials captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a high-stakes military operation on Jan. 3, a mission carried out by the Army's Delta Force and supported by extensive American airpower.
