operation red wings, a counter insurgent mission in kunar province, afghanistan, involved four navy seals and took place on 28 june 2005. the seals were on a mission to try to find a key taliban leader. however, goat herders stumbled upon their hiding place and alerted local taliban fighters, and they were subsequently surrounded by taliban forces. the four seals requested back up after the taliban had surrounded them. in the attempt to rescue the four seals on the ground a boeing ch-47 chinook containing members of seal delivery team one and several army "nightstalker" pilots was shot down. at the time, this was the biggest single loss of life for naval special warfare forces since world war ii. a firefight ensued, killing three seals. the fourth, marcus luttrell, was protected by local villagers and later rescued by the u.s. military. the team leader, seal lieutenant michael p. murphy, was posthumously awarded the medal of honor.