Green Berets Donate Never-Before-Seen Photographs To 9/11 Museum

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Green Berets who served in Afghanistan are donating never-before-seen photographs to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

Before the War in Afghanistan began -- only a month after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks -- less than 300 Special Forces soldiers went into Afghanistan on a mission that continues today, 1010 WINS' Roger Stern reported.

"It's not in the headlines, you don't see a lot of it, but right now in the dusty, remote villages of Afghanistan, Green Berets are living and working among Afghan villagers, continuing to try to find ways to help them stand up for themselves," retired Green Beret Col. Scott Mann said.

When those soldiers returned home, they realized they have a treasure trove of photographs, which they're now giving to the 9/11 museum.

"We started sharing our experiences and the first thing you do is say, 'Hey come on, check out this photo right here of Mullah Omar's house, check out when I was over at Bin Laden's compound,'" retired Green Beret Scotty Neil said.

Vince McGowan, chairman of the New York City Veteran's Advisory Board, said some of the pictures show pieces of the World Trade Center being buried in Afghanistan, WCBS 880's Ginny Kosola reported.

The Green Berets are also donating letters of thanks from people that were helped in the early days of the war, McGowan said.

Green Beret veteran William Lyles, who lost both legs to an improvised explosive device, said it's important for the photos and letters to be included in the museum.

"When I grew up, you read about World War II and Vietnam and the sacrifices that were made and its place in history and this is our place in history," Lyles said.

Chief curator Jan Ramirez agreed, saying this is a very little known chapter of the war that the public deserves to know.

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories: