What really happened to Navy SEAL Team Six?In August 2011, the elite special forces unit suffered the worstbattlefield calamity in its history. A Taliban fighter shot down aChinook helicopter carrying 22 Navy SEAL Team Six members inAfghanistan. All 38 persons on board — the Navy SEAL warriors, otherU.S. military personnel and 7 Afghan soldiers — were killed. Grievingfamily members have been demanding answers. They may now get some asCongress finally opens an investigation.Navy SEAL Team Six has attained international prominence for onereason: They were responsible for killing Osama bin Laden. They areAmerican heroes. Yet, their own government betrayed them. Several daysafter the bin Laden operation, Vice President Joe Biden — in a patheticattempt to spike the football and gloat — publicly revealed theircentral role in the raid. His revelations put a giant target on thebacks of every Navy SEAL Team Six member.A covert unit, whose mission is to operate in the murky shadows, wasexposed as the group that eliminated Al Qaida’s chief mastermind. Mr.Biden’s reckless actions — followed by President Obama’s own wordsacknowledging the secret unit’s operation — jeopardized the Navy SEALs’safety. Jihadists bent on revenge began an intense manhunt. The huntersnow became the hunted.Upon hearing of Mr. Biden’s disclosure, SEAL members were stunned.Many of them immediately contacted family members, warning them toeradicate all personal information from social media sites. AaronVaughn, one of the SEALs eventually killed in the ambush, told hismother, Karen Vaughn, to delete every reference to SEAL Team Six fromher Facebook and Twitter accounts.“I never heard Aaron this concerned and worried in his entire life,”Mrs. Vaughn said in an interview. “He called me and said ‘mom, you anddad have to take everything down. Biden has just put a huge target oneverybody.’ ”Tragically, Aaron Vaughn was right. Mr. Biden is often portrayed inthe liberal media as an amiable buffoon. His gaffes are written off asJoe simply being Joe — a loveable uncle figure, who has a tendency toshoot his mouth off. That is pernicious nonsense. Mr. Biden is a cynicalopportunist, who will say — and do — anything to advance Mr. Obama’sagenda.He hung the SEALs out to dry in order to score cheap politicalpoints. He compromised a highly sensitive, covert operation that endedup costing dozens of U.S. lives. He has American blood on his hands.SEALgate is potentially a bigger scandal than Benghazi. Theadministration — along with the top military brass — are desperatelytrying to cover-up what took place on that fateful raid. Talibanguerrillas were waiting for the Chinook as it approached the landingsite. Apparently, someone tipped them off that the SEALs were coming;the helicopter was attacked from three sides in a coordinated ambush.The U.S. military claimed that the Chinook was blown to pieces by ashoulder-fired missile, in which everyone on board was burned beyondrecognition. Hence, senior military officials ordered the Americanbodies cremated without the prior approval of their family members.The military’s narrative, however, is false. Charles Strange, whoseson, Michael, died during the attack, says he viewed the pictures of thecrash site. “I saw Mike’s dead body,” Mr. Strange said in an interview.“It was clearly recognizable. He was clutching his gun. He wasn’tburned to a crisp. Why did they cremate my boy? They didn’t need to dothat. Something’s not right.”There are numerous questions that need to be answered. Why was theChinook’s black box never found? The military claims it was washed awayin a flash flood. Impossible. Flash flooding is extremely rare — almostunheard of — in that part of Afghanistan. Why was the Chinook not givenaerial backup, which is standard military procedure when special forcesare deployed?Even more alarming, why were the 7 Afghan soldiers who boarded theChinook at the last minute different from those on the flight manifest?This clearly violated U.S. military protocol. Afghan strangers (Al Qaidasuicide bombers?) got on that Chinook, and potentially sabotaged theraid.Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai is venal, corrupt and treacherous.He has forged alliances with certain segments of the Taliban. Hedespises America and our military influence in his country. His regimehas been infiltrated with Al Qaida sympathizers. Only a naïve, pro-Obamahack could dismiss the possibility of an inside job: Jihadi cash inexchange for information about the whereabouts — and upcoming mission —of our SEALs.That our supposed ally cut a deal with the Taliban, resulting in theslaughter of U.S. troops, would be a humiliating blow to Mr. Obama’sfailed Afghanistan policy. It would expose the administration’sincompetence and duplicity in prosecuting the Afghan war.Yet, the most important question of all remains the strict rules ofengagement. Why were U.S. soldiers deployed into battle in a Chinookjalopy made in the 1960s, in which they were ordered not to fire backagainst Taliban snipers?The dirty secret of the Afghan war is that our troops have foughtwith both hands tied behind their backs; Washington has imposed suchsevere rules of engagement — the inability to fire into civilian areas,the refusal to conduct night operations, and the reluctance to confrontthe regular occurrence of Afghan soldiers deliberately shooting Americanpersonnel — that defeat is not only likely. It is inevitable. The Obamaadministration has sacrificed American blood in an unwinnable war.Congressional Republicans must get to the bottom of this burgeoningscandal. Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah and Rep. Darrell Issa of Californiahave now launched an official probe into the deaths of the SEALs.Thirty brave warriors honorably served their country — only to bebetrayed. Those responsible must be exposed and punished. Justicedemands it.Jeffrey T. Kuhner is a celebrated talk radio host at Boston’sWRKO and a columnist for The Washington Times and WorldTribune.com.Be Sociable, Share!