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Littleton memorial honors 19 servicemen killed during 'Operation Red Wings'

Among the 19 servicemen killed during "Operation Red Wings" was Littleton native Danny Dietz.

A memorial that was dedicated in Littleton Monday honors the 19 servicemen who gave their lives during “Operation Red Wings” on June 28, 2005.

Among them is Littleton native Danny Dietz. He was one of the three U.S. Navy SEALs killed during the initial operation. Other American Special Operations soldiers (eight SEALS and eight Army Special Operations Night Stalkers) lost their lives when their helicopter was shot down while flying to provide support and rescue to the team.

“It’s real important to our family that they are all remembered,” Dietz’s sister Tiffany Bitz said. “We’ve been so close with the other families and we all tried to do our due diligence to make sure that all of them are remembered because they all gave the ultimate sacrifice that day.”

The memorial was donated by Matthews International and supported by the Dietz family and Veteran's Funeral Care.

Jim Rudolph is the president of Matthews International and has a special connection with the Dietz family. When Rudolph read "Lone Survivor" by Marcus Luttrell, he was overwhelmed by the story of Operation Red Wings and the lost heroes of SEAL Team 10.

“I know that DJ is looking down and so proud that his brothers are going to be memorialized at his park with him forever now,” his mother Cindy Dietz-Marsh said. “It's going to make me very proud because I know it's kind of a sense of having them altogether.”

“We thought that it would be appropriate to have them alongside Danny, so I’m honored,” said Danny’s father Dan Dietz. “We need more of this throughout the year because one of the biggest problems that the human beings have is we forget….we cannot forget.”

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