Mason, Matthew David
Male
Verified Chief Petty Officer Matthew David Mason, 37, of Holt, Missouri, was a U.S. Navy SEAL assigned to a Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU). He was killed in Wardak province, Afghanistan, on August 6, 2011.
Their Story
Chief Petty Officer Matthew David Mason was from Holt, Missouri. He served in the United States Navy and was a member of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, commonly known as SEAL Team Six. According to public records, his service included deployments to Afghanistan, the Philippines, and the Horn of Africa.
On August 6, 2011, Mason was killed in the Tangi Valley of Wardak province, Afghanistan. He was aboard a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, which was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Taliban insurgents. The crash resulted in the single greatest loss of American life in the Afghan war, killing all 38 people on board, including 30 U.S. service members, seven Afghan commandos, and an Afghan interpreter.
Mason died during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. The operation focused on dismantling al-Qaeda and removing the Taliban from power. By 2011, the conflict was in its tenth year, with U.S. and NATO forces engaged in counterinsurgency and special operations missions.
The Pentagon officially notified Mason's next of kin. His death was widely reported in U.S. media, which detailed the scale of the Extortion 17 crash. A memorial service was held for the fallen service members at Bagram Airfield. The incident prompted congressional hearings and ongoing investigations into the circumstances of the mission and the shoot-down.
Mason's name is inscribed on the National Navy SEAL Museum's memorial wall in Fort Pierce, Florida, and on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Museum of the Forgotten Warriors in California. He is remembered alongside the other service members lost in the Extortion 17 crash.
Explore Further
Matthew Mason 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.
