Today in Military History, October 3, 1993: The Battle of Mogadishu is fought by Soldiers of the U.S. Army in Mogadishu, Somalia. They will unexpectedly face great odds in a mission that was supposed to be in and out but turned into a two day battle. Little needs to be told about the battle as most of us watched it on T.V. and saw the fight that our Soldiers faced. Most know it simply as Black Hawk Down. The mission was to capture lieutenants of warlord and self-proclaimed president-to-be Mohamed Farrah Aidid and went horribly wrong from the start. The Battle of Mogadishu cost us the lives of 18 of our U.S. Army Soldiers and was a main reason that U.S. President Bill Clinton pulled U.S. troops out of Somalia shortly afterwards. As rescue attempts were made to rescue the airmen from two downed Black Hawk helicopters our men took a beating in the attempt. Two Soldiers of the Special Forces were awarded the Medal of Honor, although sadly posthumously, for their gallant efforts. Master Sergeant Gary Ivan Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart were the first members of the U.S. military to be awarded the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. All other lost Soldiers were awarded to some degree for their actions during the Battle of Mogadishu. (1) The U.S. Army crew of Super 64 a month before the Battle of Mogadishu. The crew will become famous as the Black Hawk Down crew. They are from left to right, Winn Mahuron, Tommy Field, Bill Cleveland, Ray Frank and Michael Durant. Michael Durant, the pilot, will be the only survivor and he will be taken prisoner by the enemy. He will be held for eleven days before he is released through the efforts of the Red Cross. (2) U.S. Soldiers from Task Force Ranger take cover and return fire during the battle as they fight their way out of Mogadishu after the unexpected two day battle. Photos courtesy of the U.S. Army.
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 23:24:54 +0000
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