Monday, August 6 marks
one-year anniversary of helicopter attack in Afghanistan
PHILADELPHIA – August 3, 2012 – On August 6, 2011, a U.S. Boeing
CH-47 Chinook military helicopter was shot down while transporting
reinforcements west of Kabul, Afghanistan. The crash killed all 38 people on board.
America lost 30 warriors, and Philadelphia lost one of our own. It was the
worst single-day loss of life in the Afghanistan campaign, as well as the worst
single loss of Special Forces personnel in U.S. history.
Among the
victims were American special operations personnel, including Philadelphian
CTR1 Michael J. Strange, 25, a member of the Naval Special Warfare Development
Group—known as SEAL Team Six. Michael’s father, Charles Strange, is a
table-games dealer at SugarHouse Casino, and his brother, Chas, has also
recently joined this team as a security officer.
To ensure
those heroes are never forgotten, a group of Philadelphia business and civic
leaders today announced plans for a permanent memorial alongside the Delaware
River, just north of the Ben Franklin Bridge. The memorial will be dedicated to
all those killed in the tragic events of August 6, 2011, in the Wardak
Province, Afghanistan.
The Penn
Treaty Special Services District (SSD), funded annually by SugarHouse, has
expressed interest in supporting this project, and SugarHouse Casino has
offered a site on its waterfront property. A local board of active duty and
retired military have partnered with area veterans’ organizations and community
leaders to spearhead the development effort.
“The lessons
of history can be found throughout Philadelphia, some are ancient and some are
painfully recent,” said LtCol Kevin Kelly - USAF. “This one hit particularly close to home, and
now it’s our duty to honor their sacrifice.”
A dedicated
nonprofit organization is being formed to raise funds for design and
construction. For more information or to get involved, call local attorney
Eileen Hurley at 215-280-1854 or sign up online to receive information at www.6august11.org.
6 AUGUST
11 WARRIOR MEMORIAL SUPPORTERS (partial list):
Boeing Company
City of Philadelphia Veterans Advisory Commission
Liberty USO
Local 98
Office of Councilman Jim Kenney
Office of Councilman David Oh
Office of Councilman Mark Squilla
Office of Senator Pat Toomey
Penn Treaty Special Services District
Puente Construction
PZS Architects
SugarHouse Casino
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Leigh Whitaker
SugarHouse Casino / 6 August 11 Warrior
Memorial Association
215-300-9413 (mobile)
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