Orders Were Ignored And 11 Men Died In A Black Hawk Training Exercise

Kevin Lilly, Military Times: Black Hawk tragedy: Orders were ignored and 11 men died

Inside one Of The Most Devastating Military Training Missions In Recent Memory.

Seconds after his Black Hawk helicopter took off for a March 10 training mission — filled with seven Marine special operators and three fellow Louisiana Army National Guardsmen — the pilot remarked: "Gee, it's dark as [expletive]."

Less than five minutes later, after a series of maneuvers and radio transmissions that suggested both helo pilots were disoriented by the lack of visibility, the UH-60M hit the waters of Santa Rosa Sound at an unsurvivable speed.

Everyone on board was killed, marking the single deadliest day for Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command since its creation in 2006.

Marines who'd been expecting to provide maritime support for the exercise would instead pilot their watercraft through a debris field.

WNU Editor: A reminder that even military training missions can be fatal. Our prayers are with the families and loved ones.