Dietz, Danny Phillip Jr
Male
Verified Petty Officer Second Class Danny Phillip Dietz Jr., a 25-year-old U.S. Navy SEAL from Littleton, Colorado, was killed in a firefight in Asadabad, Afghanistan, on June 28, 2005.
Their Story
Danny Phillip Dietz Jr. was born on January 26, 1980, in Aurora, Colorado, and grew up in Littleton. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1999 and graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training with Class 232. He was subsequently assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two (SDVT-2), based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Dietz deployed multiple times in support of the Global War on Terrorism, including to Afghanistan, the Philippines, and the Horn of Africa.
On June 28, 2005, Dietz was part of a four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance team operating in the Hindu Kush mountains near Asadabad, Kunar Province. The team's mission, Operation Red Wings, was compromised when they encountered local goat herders. After a debate, the team released the herders. The team was soon surrounded and engaged by a large force of Taliban and anti-coalition militia fighters. Dietz was killed in the ensuing firefight, along with two other SEALs, Matthew Axelson and Michael Murphy. A quick-reaction force helicopter sent to extract them was shot down, killing all 16 personnel aboard.
Dietz died during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the 9/11 attacks. By 2005, the conflict had entered a phase of intense counterinsurgency operations in the country's eastern mountainous regions, where Taliban and allied forces maintained strongholds.
Dietz was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the nation's second-highest award for valor in combat, for his actions during the firefight. The citation states he fought with exceptional courage, providing covering fire for his teammates despite being wounded multiple times. His remains were recovered days after the battle.
Dietz is memorialized at the Navy SEAL Museum and in the 2013 film 'Lone Survivor,' which depicted the events of Operation Red Wings. A memorial park in his hometown of Littleton, Colorado, is named in his honor.
Explore Further
Danny Dietz was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001?2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.
