McNett Assists Families of Fallen Soldiers
In June 2008, McNett Corporation was honored to make a donation towards a four day memorial for the families of fallen Navy SEALs and Army 160th SOAR Soldiers who lost their lives during Operation Redwing. Operation Redwing was a four man team of Navy SEALs led by Marcus Luttrell into the mountains of Afghanistan on a mission to find an insurgent leader who was orchestrating bombings of civilian and military targets. The SEALs were compromised by civilians and were subsequently engaged by nearly 200 insurgents with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades. US Navy SEAL LT Michael P. Murphy risked and ultimately surrendered his life calling for help from a nearby military base. The call was received by a Boeing Chinook MH-47 Helicopter piloted by the US Army 160th SOAR Aviation, carrying a total of 16 SEALs and US Army 160th SOAR Special Forces Soldiers. Upon landing to assist the 3 remaining SEALs, the helicopter was hit with an RPG and all 16 soldiers were instantly killed. US Navy SEALs Danny Dietz and Matt Axelson succumbed to their wounds leaving Marcus Luttrell as the only survivor.
Operation Redwing is to date the largest loss of Special Forces personnel in a single incident in the history of the United States dating back to World War II. The donation made by McNett Corporation went to support one of the families of the lost soldiers and enabled the family to travel from their home to San Diego where the memorial was held. This was the first time all of the families had been brought together. McNett’s Rick Arnold was solely responsible for reaching out to companies and securing donations, enabling all 19 families to be fully funded for the memorial. Rick also participated in the memorial, which included visiting the Navy SEAL BUDS training center where all SEALs start their career, the memorial aboard the aircraft carrier Midway, a salute to the families at a San Diego Padres baseball game (where Marcus Luttrell threw out the first pitch), and the U.S. flag being jumped by the Navy SEALs LeapFrog Parachute team. Also included was the presentation of the Medal of Honor, Navy Crosses and Bronze Stars. The events were designed to bring closure and understanding for the families of all those who were lost during this operation.