The excellent 2001 movie Black Hawk Down, directed by Ridley Scott, is an adaptation of Mark Bowden’s book of the same name about a real life traumatic event — the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia which took place in the first year of Bill Clinton’s presidency.
As recounted by The Aviationist’s Jacek Siminski and Wikipedia:
The Battle of Mogadishu was a part of the U.S. Army’s infamous Operation Gothic Serpent that aimed at capturing the Mogadishu Warlord, Mohammed Farrah Aidid.
On Oct. 3, 1993, a team of “Delta Force” U.S. Army Rangers in Super 61 Black Hawk helicopters went on a raid to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid.
But the operation that was to last only a few minutes dramatically extended to over 17.5 excruciating hours when one of the Black Hawks was shot down by the Somali rebels. Later a second Hawk was shot down as well.
Delta Force’s Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart volunteered heroically to secure the crash site. The Somalis killed Gordon and Shughart, taking Michael Durant, the pilot, a hostage (who later was released).
The remaining Delta operators and US Rangers fought their way to the crash site. They were eventually rescued by the US Army 10th Mountain Division with the help of the UN forces consisting of Pakistani and Malaysian soldiers.
Both Shughart and Gordon received posthumous Medals of Honor.
Two days ago, CBS aired the actual footage of what happened.
After the traumatic “Black Hawk down” incident, no U.S. soldier goes to fight without NVG (Night Vision Goggles) and water supply.
~Eowyn
