PRESS TV: SEAL Team 6 - The Ultimate Burn

Will a House Committee further burn the legacy of SEAL Team 6?

U.S. Navy SEAL Michael Strange was lost with other SEAL Team 6 members. Photo provided by Charlie Strange

(SALEM) - (Editor's note: This article was first published by Press TV; the Salem-News.com version contains more reference information about the death of Osama bin Laden.)

The crash was the costliest in the history of U.S. Naval Special Warfare, but what really happened to 17 members of U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6? Is Congress really going to investigate? These nagging questions are part of a scheduled U.S. House of Representatives probe in January, that may be nothing but smoke and mirrors.

This brings little solace to the families of warriors who were credited with capturing and killing bin Laden.

The truth about their reported fiery death that resulted from a "lucky" strike from a Taliban rocket launcher may be the last thing Congress wants to expose.

As the Western Center for Journalism reports, "After the families attended a several hour military briefing about this 'lucky shot,' describing what happened and why their sons died, they smelled a rat and started digging around." ¹

Charles and Michael Strange

Charlie Strange is the father of Navy SEAL Michael Strange, who lost his life on that tragic day, along with 16 other members of SEAL Team 6 and air crew members from the U.S. Army.

He told me that after the families were gathered by the government after the incident to hear the "details" of their son's deaths, U.S. officials delivered the most stunning blow... the families were told their sons were all cremated immediately due to the severe burns suffered in the crash.

Understanding that many families are very remote from the process of handling military dead, let's just say it is one of the most emotionally taxing missions that can be assigned. In the movie "Taking Chance," Kevin Bacon plays a Marine lieutenant colonel who escorts the remains of a 19-year old Marine back to his family in Wyoming. The emphasis on the handling of the bodies is enormous and overwhelming. Each aspect, from the uniform to the handing of the casket, is taken seriously. They don't take the fallen and toss them in an oven².

The mortal remains of all sailors and soldiers aboard the ill-fated helicopter, named "Extortion 17" were immediately cremated without permission from the families. Families were told this happened because the bodies were badly burned in the crash. But Charles Strange calls foul. In fact he says the story is a complete lie. Taliban on the ground in fact found the bodies of the crew. The Obama administration cremated everyone in order to cover up something, Western Center for Journalism writes.

No matter what the government tries to say, protocol was totally violated in the handling of the remains of SEAL Team 6 and the aviation soldiers. Charlie Strange discovered the truth of his son's death when he requested a copy of the autopsy report, and unexpectedly received a CD with a photo of his son's body on the ground in Afghanistan. This shocking image shattered the false U.S. claim of the SEALs dying in an aircraft crash and fire. His son's body had damage to one leg but no burns at all.

According to funeralwise.com, the process for returning remains from the war involves ice, not fire:

"The service member’s remains are packed in ice inside an aluminum, flag-draped “transfer case” and transported by military cargo plane. When fallen troops return home, they enter the U.S. through Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Del. Upon arrival they are greeted and transferred with great dignity by hearse to the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations center at Dover, a short distance away. Those in attendance, including the carry guard, chaplain, and any family members, VIPs, or journalists, follow on foot. The remains undergo all of the necessities of burial preparation at this time, including being clothed in full dress uniform." ³

Where is the part about burning bodies? How do you put a dress uniform on a pile of ashes? "By tradition, the remains travel feet-first whenever they must be moved, and there are military personnel on hand to render honors—standing at attention and saluting—at each transfer point," funeralwise.com further reports.

But how can you tell where the feet are pointing if the fallen servicemember has been reduced to a can of ash?

Most religions call for intact remains to be buried in the ground. This most basic right was denied. The practice of returning intact military remains began during the first two World Wars.

According to the Wall Street Journal, during WWII, almost 80,000 Americans died fighting in the Pacific. 65,000 bodies first buried in almost 200 battlefield cemeteries, were returned home, and they weren't burned. "Once the fighting ended, the bodies were dug up and consolidated into larger regional graveyards," WSJ explains, "Eventually, 171,000 of the roughly 280,000 identified remains were brought back to the U.S." ⁴

The National Funeral Director's Association writes of the critical handling of remains:

"After preliminary identification is made, the bodies will be transported to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware where final identification and preparation will take place. At Dover, embalming, dressing, and casketing will occur. Bodies released from Dover will be rendered safe." ⁵

Embalming? Shouldn't the paragraph begin with, "Unless the remains of the soldier are cremated against the wishes of the family...?" No, of course not, because the remains of fallen U.S. military are brought home intact.

This is a scandalous story as is the death of the Navy SEAL Team in the first place. I have read before that these SEAL's are trained to a cost of $1.5 million each. yet they were loaded into a pre-Vietnam War CH-47 helicopter and flown into the most dangerous part of Afghanistan without a gunship escort? Many speculate that the SEAL team credited with the killing of bin Laden have been played.

My regular readers know I don't believe anything to do with the story of bin Laden living in Abbottabad, Pakistan. There is strong evidence indicating that Osama bin Laden was suffering end stages of kidney failure as far back as 2000. People have no problem believing politicians lie about so many things, yet they knee jerk react to any idea of the U.S. govt. lying about bin Laden's role in the 11 September 2001 attacks. Regardless of what people would like to believe, bin Laden fiercely denied involvement in 9/11 and it isn't likely that he received kidney dialysis in a Middle eastern cave.

He was never listed by the FBI as a suspect in the 11 Sept. attacks. His alleged claims of having attacked the United States were delivered by former U.S. President George W. Bush.

In fact on the same exact days that bin Laden's denials were being printed in world newspapers everywhere, Bush was on American TV saying bin Laden claimed credit. He never did, and since we know that, we also have to believe that the most painful terrorist attacks on U.S. soil were the work of a man who would deny it all afterward, that does not make sense.

I have been writing about this for years, citing CNN and AP articles that verify my statements, and lo and behold, the U.S. government has obvious been pressuring these agencies, the U.S. versions are all leading to dead links now, but the powers are ineffective with groups like The BBC and The Telegraph in the UK.

A BBC article that is still online states, "The reclusive Taleban leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, said Mr Bin Laden could not have masterminded the attacks because he lacked the capacity do so."

In his statement from 2001, bin Laden said:"The U.S. government has consistently blamed me for being behind every occasion its enemies attack it.

"I would like to assure the world that I did not plan the recent attacks, which seems to have been planned by people for personal reasons."

"I have been living in the Islamic emirate of Afghanistan and following its leaders' rules. The current leader does not allow me to exercise such operations."

From: Bin Laden says he wasn't behind attacks - CNN

(In keeping with their role as a mainstream U.S. news agency, oops I mean mainstream news organization, CNN has removed the link to the article featured above. The original link was http://articles.cnn.com/2001-09-16/us/inv.binladen.denial_1_bin-laden-taliban-supreme-leader-mullah-mohammed-omar?_s=PM:US

The U.S. govt. needs an honest member to push this into public view. Glenn Beck has written about it on The Blaze but Beck and his followers adamantly refuse to believe that bin Laden was not behind the attacks that led the U.S. into a series of unending wars in the Middle east. Below are examples of the published mainstream media articles regarding bin Laden's denial of involvement in 9/11.

September 12, 2001: Aide Says Bin Laden Denies Role in 9/11 Attacks

A close aide to Osama bin Laden reports that bin Laden denies any role in the previous day’s attacks on the United States, but has praised those responsible for them. [Associated Press, 9/12/2001] The aide, one of bin Laden’s senior lieutenants, speaks by satellite telephone with Palestinian journalist Jamal Ismail, who is the Islamabad bureau chief of Abu Dhabi Television. [Associated Press, 9/12/2001; Daily Telegraph, 9/13/2001] Ismail has long-standing ties with bin Laden and has conducted several interviews with him over the last few years. [Associated Press, 9/13/2001] The aide, who does not want to be publicly named, calls Ismail early in the day from a hideout somewhere in Afghanistan. He quotes bin Laden as calling the attacks on the US “punishment from almighty Allah” for America’s attempt to “control the entire world by force.” He tells Ismail, “Osama bin Laden thanked Almighty Allah and bowed before him when he heard this news [of the attacks].” But, the aide says, bin Laden has stated, “I have no information about the attackers or their aims and I don’t have any links with them.” [Associated Press, 9/12/2001; Daily Telegraph, 9/13/2001; Reuters, 9/13/2001; BBC, 9/14/2001]

September 13, 2001: Taliban Says Bin Laden Denies Role in 9/11 Attacks

Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef. [Source: Robert Nickelsberg / Getty Images]

Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban says that Osama bin Laden has told them he played no role in the September 11 attacks on the United States. Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, the Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, tells Reuters, “We asked from him, [and] he told [us] we don’t have any hand in this action.” [Reuters, 9/13/2001] Zaeef says bin Laden has been cut off from all outside communication, including telephone and the Internet, and so it would have been impossible for him to have coordinated the attacks. [Reuters, 9/13/2001; Los Angeles Times, 9/15/2001] Zaeef says the Taliban is willing to cooperate with the US in investigating the 9/11 attacks, stating, “We are ready for any help according to [Islamic] Sharia law.” But he stresses that if America has any evidence against bin Laden, it should provide it to the Taliban, which has sheltered him as a “guest.” [Reuters, 9/13/2001]

September 16, 2001: Bin Laden, in Statement Read on Al Jazeera, Denies Involvement in 9/11 Attacks

Osama bin Laden, the exiled Saudi multimillionaire considered by the United States to be the prime suspect for the 9/11 attacks, issues a statement through the Arabic satellite television channel Al Jazeera, in which he denies responsibility for those attacks. [CNN, 9/17/2001; Washington Post, 9/17/2001] In the statement, which is read out by an Al Jazeera announcer, bin Laden says: “The US government has consistently blamed me for being behind every occasion its enemies attack it. I would like to assure the world that I did not plan the recent attacks, which seems to have been planned by people for personal reasons. I have been living in the Islamic emirate of Afghanistan and following its leaders’ rules. The current leader does not allow me to exercise such operations.” The statement is signed “Sheik Osama bin Laden.” [Associated Press, 9/16/2001; CNN, 9/17/2001] President Bush dismisses bin Laden’s denial. Asked whether he believes it, Bush responds: “No question he is the prime suspect. No question about that.” [White House, 9/16/2001; Baltimore Sun, 9/17/2001] Vice President Dick Cheney says he has “no doubt that [bin Laden] and his organization played a significant role” in the 9/11 attacks. [NBC, 9/16/2001; Washington Post, 9/17/2001] On this day, bin Laden also faxes a statement to the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) agency, in which he denies responsibility for the 9/11 attacks (see September 16, 2001). [Guardian, 9/17/2001] Previously, on September 12, he denied any involvement, according to a close aide of his (see September 12, 2001). [Associated Press, 9/13/2001] On September 13, Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban said bin Laden told them he had played no role in the attacks (see September 13, 2001). [Reuters, 9/13/2001] But in mid-December 2001, the Pentagon will release a video which apparently shows bin Laden indicating his complicity (see Mid-November 2001). [BBC, 12/14/2001; Fox News, 12/14/2001] However, there will be questions about the authenticity of this film (see December 13, 2001). [Guardian, 12/15/2001]

September 28, 2001: Bin Laden Again Denies Involvement in 9/11 Attacks

Osama bin Laden denies his involvement in the 9/11 attacks. In an interview with the Daily Ummat, a Pakistani newspaper, he says: “I have already said that I am not involved in the September 11 attacks in the United States (see September 16, 2001). As a Muslim, I try my best to avoid telling a lie. I had no knowledge of these attacks, nor do I consider the killing of innocent women, children, and other human beings as an appreciable act. Islam strictly forbids causing harm to innocent women, children, and other people. Such a practice is forbidden even in the course of battle.… The United States should try to trace the perpetrators of these attacks within itself; the people who are a part of the US system but are dissenting against it. Or those who are working for some other system; persons who want to make the present century as a century of conflict between Islam and Christianity so that their own civilization, nation, country, or ideology can survive. They may be anyone, from Russia to Israel and from India to Serbia. In the US itself, there are dozens of well-organized and well-equipped groups capable of causing large-scale destruction. Then you cannot forget the American Jews, who have been annoyed with President Bush ever since the Florida elections and who want to avenge him.… Then there are intelligence agencies in the US, which require billions of dollars worth of funds from Congress and the government every year.… They needed an enemy.… Is it not that there exists a government within the government in the United Sates? That secret government must be asked who carried out the attacks.” [Daily Ummat (Karachi), 9/28/2001] The newspaper says it conducted the interview with bin Laden by submitting questions for him to Taliban officials and then receiving written replies. [Ananova, 9/28/2001]

October 7, 2001: Bin Laden Issues Video, Warning the US, but Does Not Claim Responsibility for 9/11

Bin Laden appears on Al Jareeza, in a taped statement broadcast shortly after US-led strikes on Afghanistan begin. [Source: Al Jazeera]

In a recorded statement broadcast on television worldwide, Osama bin Laden issues a strongly worded message to the United States, but makes no claim of responsibility for 9/11. The recording is broadcast on the Al Jazeera television network within an hour of the first US strikes on Afghanistan, and is then shown by CNN. There is no date on the tape and no immediate way of determining where it was made. [New York Times, 10/8/2001] Bin Laden is shown sitting in a stone cave. His top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, appears at his side. [Associated Press, 10/8/2001] Referring to the 9/11 attacks, bin Laden says, “What the United States tastes today is a very small thing compared to what we have tasted for tens of years.” He praises those responsible, saying, “I ask God Almighty to elevate their status and grant them paradise.” [BBC, 10/7/2001] It is the first time he has spoken publicly about 9/11. But he makes no claim in his statement of having been responsible for the attacks. [Associated Press, 10/8/2001] He has previously explicitly denied responsibility for 9/11 (see September 16, 2001 and September 28, 2001). Bin Laden concludes his message warning, “[N]either the United States nor he who lives in the United States will enjoy security before we can see it as a reality in Palestine and before all the infidel armies leave the land of Mohammed.” [BBC, 10/7/2001] The following day, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer will tell reporters that, after watching this message, President Bush concluded that bin Laden “virtually took responsibility” for 9/11. [CNN, 10/8/2001]

Mid-November 2001: Bin Laden ‘Confession’ Video Made, according to US

Khaled al-Harbi (right) talking to Osama bin Laden or one of his doubles. [Source: US Department of Defense]

A conversation between Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda spokesman Suliman abu Ghaith, and Khaled al-Harbi, a veteran of al-Qaeda’s jihad in Bosnia, is videotaped. A portion of the taped conversation is later said to be found by the US and will be used as evidence of bin Laden’s involvement in 9/11. [Unknown, 2001; Guardian, 12/13/2001; Kohlmann, 2004, pp. 28-9] According to a translation released by the Pentagon, the man said to be bin Laden says: “[W]e calculated in advance the number of casualties from the enemy, who would be killed based on the position of the tower. We calculated that the floors that would be hit would be three or four floors. I was the most optimistic of them all… (inaudible)… due to my experience in this field, I was thinking that the fire from the gas in the plane would melt the iron structure of the building and collapse the area where the plane hit and all the floors above it only. This is what we had hoped for.” He continues: “We had notification since the previous Thursday that the event would take place that day. We had finished our work that day and had the radio on. It was 5:30 p.m. our time.… Immediately, we heard the news that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. We turned the radio station to the news from Washington.… At the end of the newscast, they reported that a plane just hit the World Trade Center.… After a little while, they announced that another plane had hit the World Trade Center. The brothers who heard the news were overjoyed by it.” [US Department of Defense, 12/13/2001 ]

The release of the tape, which is said to be found by US intelligence officers in Jalalabad, will be a major news story, and the tape will be taken by the media as proof of bin Laden’s responsibility for 9/11. President Bush will comment, “For those who see this tape, they’ll realize that not only is he guilty of incredible murder, he has no conscience and no soul, that he represents the worst of civilization.” British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw will add, “By boasting about his involvement in the evil attacks, bin Laden confirms his guilt.” [BBC, 12/14/2001; Fox News, 12/14/2001; CNN, 12/16/2001] However, the tape will later be disputed from three points of view:

• The accuracy of the translation will be questioned (see December 20, 2001). For example, the man thought to be bin Laden does not say “we calculated in advance the number of casualties,” but “we calculated the number of casualties”;
• An analyst will conclude that the tape was actually made earlier as a part of a US-run sting operation (see (September 26, 2001));
• Some commentators will question whether the person in the video is actually bin Laden (see December 13, 2001). In mid-2002, Al Jazeera reporter Yosri Fouda will allegedly interview al-Qaeda figures Ramzi bin al-Shibh and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (see April, June, or August 2002). In a 2003 book he will co-write, Fouda will claim that he asked an unnamed al-Qaeda operative who was setting up the interview if the bin Laden video was fake. This person will supposedly reply: “No. The tape, the brothers said—I am not sure whether they left it behind or not—but the Sheikh [bin Laden], yes, was talking to someone from Mecca.” [Fouda and Fielding, 2003, pp. 135]

December 13, 2001: Authenticity of Bin Laden ‘Confession’ Video Is Disputed

The man in the picture on the left is supposed to be bin Laden in October 2001. The picture on the right is undisputendly bin Laden in December [Source: Reuters]

Following the release of a home video in which Osama bin Laden apparently confesses to involvement in 9/11 (see Mid-November 2001), some commentators question its authenticity, as a number of strange facts about the video soon emerge. For example, all previous videos had been made with the consent of bin Laden, and usually released to the Arabic television channel Al Jazeera. This video was supposedly recorded without his knowledge, found in a house in Afghanistan, and then passed to the CIA by an unknown person or group. Experts point out that it would be possible to fake such a video. So many people doubt the video’s authenticity that President Bush soon makes a statement, saying it was “preposterous for anybody to think this tape was doctored. Those who contend it’s a farce or a fake are hoping for the best about an evil man.” [Guardian, 12/15/2001] Some commentators will suggest that the person thought to be bin Laden is not actually the al-Qaeda leader. For example, arabist Kevin Barrett will say that the person in the video is “at least 40 or 50 pounds heavier, and his facial features [are] obviously different.” [Capital Times (Madison), 2/14/2006] The man said to be bin Laden also makes some questionable statements in the video:
“I was thinking that the fire from the gas in the plane would melt the iron structure of the building…” [US Department of Defense, 12/13/2001 ] The jet fuel spilled from the planes burned up about 10 minutes after impact (see 8:57 a.m. September 11, 2001), the towers’ structure did not melt (see September 12, 2001-February 2002), and the towers were not made of iron, but steel. [National Institute of Standards and Technology, 9/2005, pp. 6] Bin Laden had studied civil engineering at university and had experience as a construction contractor. [Burke, 2004, pp. 47; Laden, 2005, pp. xii-xiii] It is unclear why he would think the towers were made of iron.
“We did not reveal the operation to [the brothers who conducted the operation] until they are there and just before they boarded the planes.” [US Department of Defense, 12/13/2001 ] All the hijackers purchased tickets for the 9/11 flights about two weeks in advance (see August 25-September 5, 2001). The six plot leaders had flight training (see July 6-December 19, 2000, (June 28-December 2000), January-February 2001, and May 5 and 10, 2000), and some of the other 13 are thought to have assisted with target surveillance and casing flights (see May 24-August 14, 2001, August 1, 2001, June 2001 and August 2001).
“Those who were trained to fly didn’t know the others. One group of people did not know the other group.” [US Department of Defense, 12/13/2001 ] The opposite is true: the pilots intermingled with the muscle and the teams for the various planes mixed (see April 23-June 29, 2001, April 12-September 7, 2001, and June 27-August 23, 2001).
There are reports that bin Laden had from four to ten look-alike doubles at the time. [Agence France-Presse, 10/7/2001; London Times, 11/19/2001]

December 26, 2001: Bin Laden Again Denies 9/11 Involvement, but Praises Hijackers

Osama bin Laden making his “Nineteen Students” speech. [Source: Al Jazeera]

Osama bin Laden makes a new video statement about 9/11, again denying the US has enough evidence against him to warrant an attack on Afghanistan (see September 16, 2001 and September 28, 2001), which he calls “a vicious campaign based on mere suspicion.” However, in what Professor Bruce Lawrence calls “his most extended and passionate celebration of the hijackers of 9/11,” he praises the 19 who carried out “the blessed strikes against global unbelief and its leader America.” He says of the hijackers, “It was not nineteen Arab states that did this deed. It was not Arab armies or ministries who humbled the oppressor who harms us in Palestine and elsewhere. It was nineteen post-secondary school students—I beg Allah almighty to accept them—who shook America’s throne, struck its economy right in the heart, and dealt the biggest military power a mighty blow, by the grace of Allah Almighty.” He continues by saying that the hijackers “are the people who have given up everything for the sake of ‘There is no Allah but Allah.’” He also criticizes Israel’s occupation of Palestine, and suggests that Israel is trying to expand its borders to Medina, currently in Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden also attacks the sanctions against Iraq, which he notes have resulted in “the murder of over a million children.” [Laden, 2005, pp. 145-157] Bin Laden’s left arm appears to be injured in the video, fueling speculation he was wounded in the battle for Afghanistan [CNN, 7/23/2002] No new videotapes of Bin Laden speaking are released for nearly three years after this (see October 29, 2004). [BBC, 10/30/2004]

Ask the question, "Why would anyone attack the United States, of all places, with a hot button president like George W. Bush in office?" You will not find any suitable answers. The only possible reaction to such an attack would be what it was, the unwarranted deaths of hundreds and hundreds of thousands of Middle eastern people.

¹ Western Center for Journalism - Obama’s SEAL Team 6 Coverup

² IMDB - Taking Chance

³ funeralwise.com

⁴ Wall Street Journal - How We Bury the War Dead

⁵ bobmccarty.com - SOURCE: House Committee to Ignore ‘Smoking Gun’ Evidence Tied to SEAL TEAM SIX Deaths

Articles by Tim King about bin Laden:

May-01-2013: Rumsfeld Announced $2.3 TRILLION Was Missing from Pentagon One Day Before 9/11

Feb-21-2013: Waging War Over Natural Gas

Feb-03-2013: Another Navy SEAL, Another Violent Death

Dec-17-2012: 'Tere Bin Laden' is Paralyzingly Funny! (Unlike the True Story)

Sep-11-2012: SEALed & Delivered: Account of Abbottabad Ensnares Obama in Impossible bin Laden Scenario

Sep-11-2012: 9/11 Hijackers Passports were Issued by CIA - US Consulate Whistleblower

Jul-19-2012: Former CIA Agent Publicly States: Osama bin Laden Died Five Years Ago

Jun-19-2012: Bombshell: Newly Released CIA Documents Prove Bush Could have Killed Bin Laden; Prevented 911

May-07-2012: Abandoning Afghanistan, Great Job America

Sep-08-2011: Ahmad Massoud: the Lion in the Path of Understanding 9/11

Sep-03-2011: Gearing Up for 911

Jul-16-2010: The Tragic Red Sacrifice in Afghanistan

May-06-2011: 'Lion Sheik' bin Laden and the Confused American Public

May-01-2011: Osama Bin Laden's Death Claimed, But How Does One Kill a Corpse?

Jan-21-2011: Terrorism by the Numbers

Aug-01-2010: Great American Heroes: Ho Chi Minh, Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden

Jun-18-2010: A Colorado Ex-Con's Quest to Kill bin Laden

Sep-11-2007: Afghanistan: Is Osama bin Laden Alive and Well? (VIDEO)

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/12/24/341678/seal-team-6--the-ultimate-burn/default.html

TK/NN

Tim King specializes in writing about political and military developments worldwide. His years as a Human Rights reporter have taken on many dimensions. His background includes covering the war in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, and reporting from the Iraq war in 2008. Tim is a former U.S. Marine. Tim is the news editor for Salem-News.com and holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing from traditional mainstream news agencies like The Associated Press and Electronic Media Association; he also holds awards from the National Coalition of Motorcyclists, the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs; and The Red Cross More articles by Tim King