Remembering The Battle Of Mogadishu, Oct. 3rd, 1993

Tighe

103439

1553

Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Task Force Ranger, Operation Gothic Serpent

Today is a very important day in the history of the United States Army's 75th Ranger Regiment. On October 3rd, 1984 3rd Ranger Battalion was stood up at Fort Benning, GA. However, 26 years ago elements of the Battalion would conduct a daylight raid into the heart of the city of Mogadishu as part of Operation: Gothic Serpent.
Task Force Ranger engaged in the most intense ground combat the US Military had experienced since Vietnam. The Battle of Mogadishu began as a raid to capture High Value Targets (HVT), but quickly changed when two US Army Blackhawk helicopters belonging to the elite 160th SOAR were shot down. I write this to honor the memory of the Airborne Rangers in the Sky and the SOF community members.

Super 6-4 flying over the city of Mogadishu. This was the second helicopter to be shot down during the raid.

The crew of Super 6-4 from left to right: Winn Mahuron, Tommy Field, Bill Cleveland, Ray Frank, Mike Durant

The fallen Rangers from B Co, 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, known as Airborne Rangers in the Sky. Their memory lives on to this day in Regiment, with every new Ranger of B Co, 3/75 memorizing their names:

• CPL James "Jamie" E. Smith, 21, Killed around crash site one. Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device and Oak leaf cluster, Purple Heart

• SPC James M. Cavaco, 26, Killed on the Lost Convoy. Bronze Star with Valor Device, Purple Heart

• SGT James Casey Joyce, 24, Killed on the Lost Convoy. Bronze Star with Valor Device, Purple Heart

• CPL Richard "Alphabet" W. Kowalewski, Jr. 20, Killed on the Lost Convoy by an RPG. Bronze Star with Valor Device, Purple Heart

• SGT Dominick M. Pilla, 21, Killed on Struecker's convoy. Bronze Star with Valor Device, Purple Heart

• SGT Lorenzo M. Ruiz, 27, Mortally wounded on the Lost Convoy, died en route to a field hospital in Germany. Bronze Star with Valor Device, Purple Heart

U.S. Army Special Operations Command (Delta Force, although they change their name often):

• MSG Gary Ivan Gordon, 33, Killed defending Super Six-Four's crew, Medal of Honor, Purple Heart

• SFC Randy Shughart, 35, Killed defending Super Six-Four's crew, Medal of Honor, Purple Heart

• SSG Daniel D. Busch, 25, Crashed on Super Six-One, mortally wounded defending the downed crew. Silver Star, Purple Heart

• SFC Earl Robert Fillmore, Jr. 28, Killed moving to the first crash site. Silver Star, Purple Heart

• MSG Timothy "Griz" Lynn Martin, 38, Mortally wounded by an RPG on the Lost Convoy, died while en route to a field hospital in Germany. Silver Star, Purple Heart

SSG Matthew Rierson was killed during a follow on Mortar attack on Oct 6, 1993

A view of the streets from a Rangers point of view

160th Memorial, with AH-6J/MH-6 Little Birds. The MH-6s were used to insert Delta Operators, while the AH-6s were used to provide fire support

160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Nightstalkers)

• SSG William "Wild Bill" David Cleveland, Jr. 34, Crew chief on Super Six-Four, killed.. Silver Star, Bronze Star, Air Medal with Valor Device, Purple Heart

• SSG Thomas "Tommie" J. Field, 25, Crew chief on Super Six-Four, killed Silver Star, Bronze Star, Air Medal with Valor Device, Purple Heart

• CW4 Raymond "Ironman" Alex Frank, 45, Super Six-Four's copilot, killed Silver Star, Air Medal with Valor Device, Purple Heart

• CW3 Clifton "Elvis" P. Wolcott, 36, Super Six-One's pilot, died in crash Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Air Medal with Valor Device, Purple Heart

• CW3 Donovan "Bull" Lee Briley, 33, Super Six-One's copilot, died in crash Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Air Medal with Valor Device, Purple Heart

10th Mountain Division Memorial, a very cool depiction of a World War 2 mountaineer aiding his legacy up the mountain.

10th Mountain, along with international UN forces were involved in the later stages of the Battle. Their contributions shall not be forgotten.

2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division

• SGT Cornell Lemont Houston, Sr. 41st Engr BN, 31, Killed on the rescue convoy Bronze Star with Valor Device, de Fleury Medal, Purple Heart

• PFC James Henry Martin, Jr. 23, Killed on the rescue convoy, Purple Heart

I share this in hopes that their memories live on; that they are not forgotten outside of Regiment or the Special Operations Community .

One for the Airborne Ranger in the Sky!

RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!
NIGHTSTALKERS DONT QUIT

FP EDIT: If anyone has any questions about the 75th Ranger Regiment or Special Operations as a whole, and would like more posts or to message me, I'd be happy to help. There is alot of misinformation or just plain unknown things about Special Operations. I have some pretty good fast roping footage...

history

military_history

rltw

rangers

memorial

Lobbinglawbombs

My dad flew in the C-5 they used to bring the bodies back to the states. They were shot at by RPG's coming in. Missed them, but still scary

7 years ago |

RobearGWJ

Quiet professionals.

thekirk

SGT Houston was a guy I served with at Fort Lewis in the 1980s. I remember him pretty well--Along with his wife and kids. He left a hole.

TupacAintDead

I was really hoping Hoot Gibson was a real person. May be he is and they just had to protect his true identity.

RednapxpandeR

You and I remember Mogadishu very differently... (no look arrow shot)

kittiekomander

Who tf down voted this. Meet me outside.

CoryBarker127001

Where we goin?

peeweesweden

https://youtu.be/P2FKSGQIFQI I'm not crying. Not. At. All.

TheYoungerLance

I know a guy in my hometown from this division. Was on leave when this happened, fucking traumatized. Forever wishing he'd been there...

TheBeardlyOne

Survivors guilt is very real and I've lost Marines to it.

Donttouchthatwithoutgloves

Fuckin Irene.

Pokegeologist

I remember reading the entire Mark Bowden book in about six days while in high school. Crazy how much of a CF this was.

MrPuckett

Appreciate the work you put into this @OP, I didn't know a thing about it until now

AstroFizX

Also crazy; Pakitan answered the rescue call and sent elite commandos who fought the battle and brought out US troops

AOIMCubanJ

the movie Black Hawk Down is about this battle

IHaveTwoCuteDoggies

Are you an American? if so that is genuinely surprising

ATonicForFun

If you can read the book “In the company of heroes” written by Mike Durant, an amazing book about his capture and rescue.

NotoriousBadassWhoLovesMusicals

History is written by the victors, and the fallen ones on the losing side stay unnamed.

155DangerClose

Weird. Considering that's not the way it works. Considering I can name a multitude of famous WWII German and Jap soldiers

Meloncov

The U.S. lost. American and UN forces withdrew from Somalia, leaving it to the various warlords to duke it out.

RagingSlab

This is how you convey the memory of the fallen.

Mjrdrous

Black Hawk Down

F to pay respects

joerozzell17

Bill Cleveland and I flew Dustoff in Korea on the DMZ in '87-88. Good guy, always thinking...

WeezyWee

Gordon and Shughart knowing they were going to their deaths to protect Super Six is heartbreaking

Texrep

True Heros for sure.

panamjck

Gordy's gone, I'll be outside

Thank you.

CheekyNand0s

RLTW

sandanbeekeeper

My ship pulled into Somalia in the 80’s. I thought Gitmo was the worst place until I saw Somalia. Extreme poverty - dirt was a luxury.

JudgeMentaI

Operation: Gothic Serpent? really?

LiteralVampirePotBellyGoblins

Random adjective noun combo is how a lot of these are named.

TheWombatStrikesAgain

Most of the time these names are chosen randomly, so they don't tell much in case they get leaked.

SternoTesticularLigament

BLACK HAWK DOWN, WE WILL NOT LEAVE YOU

n0n53n53

Black Cock Down

Oh ok, Riding Miss Daisy

hauntedzombie

There were also a LOT of future Hollywood stars in that battle, crazy how many have special forces backgrounds.

184

OHGODBEEEES

You know what else is crazy? a LOT of them also fought at Pearl Harbor together earlier that year!

133

They did indeed. I think one of them was in both conflicts and barely aged a day. Such heroes

TrueLegateDamar

Factoid: Nikolaj Coster Waldau and Ewan McGregor were the protagonists in the Danish and American remake of the movie Nightwatch 1/2

And when they played a match of tennis, other cast and crew called it the Battle of the Nightwatchmen 2/2

hetriedtokillmewithaforklift

I think one of them was a jedi too

General...something

EladMan

Ok, why was the US military going into Somalia anyway? What was the purpose?

wraith3

The warlords were seizing and stockpiling the UN food aid.

PickleWatcher

Initially to provide aid for the Somalis that were being starved to death by the warlord Aidid. Then to remove Aidid from power.

Protecting UN aid workers providing food and medial aid to civilians.

Cavalrysword

Thank you for this post. Favorited, upvoted & shared.

nolyininbed

a horrible loss of life, who were these hvt's? were they ever captured?

Look up the movie movie: Black Hawk down

The HVTs were members of warlord Aidid inner circle, who helped him run his operations. They were captured at the start of the raid

Pretty sure they were given up in order to get back Mike Durant

There was no exchange for Mike Durant. They gave him up as a sign of good faith but really for fear of US attacking again.

It might not have been a direct exchange but Im damn sure we gave up either those captured in this raid or someone else. let me look

Nope, he was released without conditions. I just checked in the book.

CommonRazorKyleWhite1000AnalGirlCornQueen

My uncle was supposed to be there he got hurt the day before and wasnt able to go and still feels guilty. He refused to see black hawk down

brutalwookie

As a young man I wanted to join up,but now as I grow older I realise how stupid war is. Why can’t everyone stop being fuckwits to each other

what a deep and intelligent thought. Sounds like young you was a bit smarter

PaladinIndustries

Because it is the politicians that wage war with the youth of future generations.

shortcakechuckles

Estimates vary, but there were also at least a few hundred Somali people killed in the battle.

The estimate is somewhere between 1500-3000 Somali casualties

vast majority of them being terroristic cunts? yes

Perhaps, but Mogadishu is a big city. The whole war was devastating to the Somali people. It's heartbreaking stuff.

drunkhistorian

If a foreign government's army lands in your neighborhood and you attack it, you're a terrorist?

RobertDeal

OP change your tag to dumfuchistorian and you will be on target.

They were commiting genocide against innocent people. Yeah, they were terrorist and deserved to die.

OneOfEarthsGreenLanterns

You are fully aware that Aidid was starving the population and casually attacking UN peacekeepers that delivered food, right?

If you are defending a warlord who terrorizes your people under brutal rule and intentional starvation? Absofuckinglutely

Become informed or stay ignorant, your choice really https://seanmunger.com/2015/02/25/the-hunger-of-war-the-somali-famine-of-1991-92/

natachan

That was a big turning point in US foreign policy for a while, part of the reason for the delay in responding to Rwanda genocide

All of the "delay" in responding to Rwanda stemmed from the essential impossibility of actually being able to do anything about it...

No ports; no airfields, no railways, no roads... Getting American troops into Rwanda in any number to do anything at all effective was

logistically impossible. We could have dropped the 82nd Airborne into the country, but every one of those guys would have died when their

food and ammo ran out. You could not deploy and support much of anything beyond a token force that would have been able to do much of

anything about the whole thing. Rwanda was not something we could have done, period. Christ, just clearing the roads from the ports in

(also, thank you for your detailed reply)

That may be true but also the Clinton admin has been blamed for over a decade for not being interested in Africa after Somalia -

https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/04/05/rwanda-revisited-genocide-united-states-state-department/

Trust me... They wanted to do something. They had the military spun up to do it, and then it was like "OK, so... You wanna go on national TV

and explain to the nation why we have video of the 82nd Airborne getting whacked by guys with machetes after their ammo ran out...? Oh, and

while they're starving and suffering from dehydration 'cos we can't keep them supplied with food and water, let alone ammo...?".

I'm curious what position you were in to know this, or was it quite obvious from TV etc?

I was on staff at a Corps Headquarters unit that was tasked with doing the work for an intervention. The Clintons wanted one; the Army was

Comments (158)