Operation RED WINGS War Monument Installed In Littleton

LITTLETON, CO – A new war memorial was dedicated in Berry Park Monday, Nov. 12 to honor 19 service members who died in a 2005 Afghan counter-insurgency mission, including Littleton native Danny Dietz. [See the memorial dedication in the City of Littleton video above].

The new monument pays tribute to the service members who took part in an attempted mission in Kunar Province, Afghanistan on June 28, 2005 known as Operation RED WINGS. The incident was the worst single-day death toll of U.S. forces since Operation Enduring Freedom had begun six years before. Three members of the team of four Navy SEALS were killed, including Dietz, and 16 other U.S. Special Operations soldiers and Navy SEALS died in a helicopter that members of the Taliban shot down with rocket launchers while they tried to make a rescue.

The site already has a memorial to Dietz.

The memorial was donated by Matthews International supported by the Dietz family and Veteran’s Funeral Care, according to a press release by the City of Littleton. Speaking at the dedication were Danny’s mother Cindy Dietz-Marsh, United States Congressman and military veteran Mike Coffman, Littleton Mayor Pro Tem Jerry Valdes, Gary Weber from Matthews International, and a representative from Navy Special Warfare Command.

Image via City of Littleton

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