“Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never allow a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy, and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.”
5th stanza of the US Army Ranger Creed
DEDICATION
To the fallen, their families, friends and units and to the men still suffering the visible and hidden wounds from the battle of Mogadishu.
“When you go home, tell them of us and say
For their tomorrow, we gave our today.”
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Airborne)
Staff Sergeant Daniel Busch
Sergeant First Class Earl Fillmore
Master Sergeant Gary Gordon
Master Sergeant Tim Martin
Sergeant First Class Matt Rierson
Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)
Chief Warrant Officer Class 2 Donovan Briley
Staff Sergeant William Cleveland
Staff Sergeant Tommy Field
Chief Warrant Officer Class 4 Ray Frank
Chief Warrant Officer Class 3 Clifton Wolcott
10th Mountain Division
Sergeant Cornell Houston
Private First Class James Martin
75th Ranger Regiment
Corporal James Cavaco
Sergeant Casey Joyce
Private First Class Richard Kowalewski
Sergeant Dominick Pilla
Sergeant Lorenzo Ruiz
Corporal Jamie Smith
CONTENTS
Foreword
Dramatis Personae
CHAPTER 1: Gothic Serpent
CHAPTER 2: The First Six
CHAPTER 3: Lucy
CHAPTER 4: Big Sky, Small Bullet
CHAPTER 5: “We Are Their Only Hope”
CHAPTER 6: “Ranger, Ranger. You Die Somalia”
CHAPTER 7: The Long Night
CHAPTER 8: The Mogadishu Mile
CHAPTER 9: Maalintii Rangers
Illustrations
Appendices
Glossary
Notes
References
About the Author
Acknowledgments
FOREWORD
“That he which hath no stomach to this fight, Let him depart; his passport shall be made And crowns for convoy put into his purse: We would not die in that man’s company”
Shakespeare’s Henry V, Act IV, Scene III
I had never read the play nor heard the famous words until Major General Bill Garrison, the commander of Task Force Ranger, delivered an extemporaneous version of the St Crispin’s Day speech at the memorial service for our fallen comrades. We were still in country and he was the last to speak. I don’t recall what any of the other officers said but I remember him and his speech. It was fitting. When I look back almost 25 years I can still remember standing in the formation with all the members of the Task Force. I can see the podium where the commanders gave their eulogies. I see the boots of the fallen on the makeshift stage, a rifle between them, dog tags hanging off the pistol grips and the headgear on top. Some memories I will never forget.
The deployment to Mogadishu was a scary time; it was chaotic, it was exciting, and of course it was sad; but all those feelings and emotions, while very human, pale in comparison to the deep-rooted pride of being in the fight with this group of soldiers. I realized under the hot Mogadishu sun that we had the stomach for the fight. It was ugly. It was a brawl, but we, like the soldiers of King Henry, though outmanned and outgunned by a force estimated to number 10,000, stuck it out when everything went south. We stayed and we fought. The stories of those fights are extraordinary. Leigh Neville brings them to life in Day of the Rangers: The Battle of Mogadishu 25 Years On.
For many of the men from the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment this was the first combat deployment. The men from the other units, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta and the Task Force 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, had more operational experience. It was in some regards an odd mix of talent, yet despite all that happened in the fight against Aideed’s militia, this team of teams accounted for itself well. The lessons learned, both good and bad, impacted the way our forces have fought ever since. It may not have been textbook, but give credit to the men who “figured it out” on the battlefield. These stories deserve to be told and are very worthy of repeating.
It is hard to believe that the Battle of Mogadishu took place almost 25 years ago. The event on that day, October 3, 1993 has been called many things, some of them not all that nice. I still cringe when the newscasters or politicians recall “the disaster in Somalia.” Or, even worse, “the debacle where American soldiers died on the streets of Mogadishu.” In some regards I suppose it is true. It was a strategic failure. Our foreign policy changed overnight and it would haunt American policy for the next two and a half decades. It seems such a disservice to use words like those in the same breath as we honor the men who lost their limbs, spilled their blood, and made the sacrifice of sacrifices. Not a failure, any of them. Foreign policy is tough to understand and yet, in the end, when diplomacy does fail, they must turn to men like these to right a wrong. Aideed and his thug militia were bad men doing atrocious things and literally no other force in the world would go after him.
Eight years after this battle the United States itself was attacked and launched what has become the longest war in American history. For the past 17 years the stories from the battlefield have been everything from tragic to inspiring. We have a generation of citizens who have never known peace. I am hopeful that they will read this book. I wonder though, if we have learned the lessons from Mogadishu at the most senior level of politics. I am inclined to say no, we haven’t, as witnessed by the 2016 battle for Mosul, again. We left Mogadishu in 1993 and 25 years later al-Shabaab occupies and kills with ease. Much like in Mosul, American forces in Somalia are walking through bloody sand. The politicians of the new millennium need to read these stories before they send America’s sons and daughters to the four corners of the globe to fight. But politics is not for the soldier. The men of Task Force Ranger willingly said, “send me.”
At the tactical level though, at the place where soldiers roam, these stories are a lens to the warrior DNA, the ethos that leads average men to do extraordinary things in the crucible. Leigh’s investigation and follow up to Mark Bowden’s Black Hawk Down is timely and well written. This isn’t Black Hawk Down 2.0. It is another chance for incredible tales of valor to be told for the first time, as soldiers who did not have the opportunity to share their experience with Mark have the chance now.
For the past 25 years, war stories have become obviously more routine. But there is a common denominator and for a generation of warriors the similarities are profound. The faces and names of the heroic men and women who stand in harm’s way change like the geography but their actions are very much the same. They put the needs of others first, they act courageously and they fulfill their duties, without exception. These are very much the stories from Task Force Ranger.
I retired in 2008 and ten years of business life has certainly made me softer than I was back then. Even though the acuteness of combat has faded I still know that war is ugly. Movies and TV shows make it look so sexy, but the reality of combat hurts. However, it is often necessary and because of this we need young men and women who are ready to stomach the fight and stand in the furnace. Day of the Rangers tells t
heir story.
Matt Eversmann
West Palm Beach, FL
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Mohamed Farah Aideed, warlord of the Habr Gidr clan and target of Task Force Ranger. Killed in August 1996.
Les Aspin, US Secretary of Defense.
Osman Atto, Aideed’s Finance Minister, targeted and captured by Task Force Ranger on September 21, 1993.
Abdi Hassan Awale, Aideed’s Interior Minister, targeted and captured by Task Force Ranger on October 3, 1993.
Sergeant John Belman, 75th Rangers, Squad Leader, deployed on Super 68 CSAR.
Staff Sergeant Ray Benjamin, USAF Combat Controller, deployed on Super 63 C2 helicopter.
Private First Class Anton Berendsen, 75th Rangers, deployed with Chalk 4. Wounded in action at Chalk 4 blocking position.
Private Todd Blackburn, 75th Rangers, deployed with Chalk 4. Wounded in action after falling from fast rope.
Colonel William “Jerry” Boykin, Delta, Commander of Delta Force.
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, UN Secretary General.
Staff Sergeant Jeff Bray, USAF Combat Controller deployed with Assault Force. Passed away in October 2016.
Chief Warrant Officer Class 2 Donovan Briley, 160th SOAR, pilot of Super 61. Killed in action October 3, 1993 in the crash of Super 61.
Staff Sergeant Daniel Busch, Delta, member of 3 Troop (Sniper), deployed on Super 61. Killed in action October 3, 1993 after defending the Super 61 crash site.
Corporal James Cavaco, 75th Rangers, deployed on GRF #1. Killed in action October 3, 1993 whilst manning a heavy weapon during efforts to reach the Super 61 crash site.
Staff Sergeant William Cleveland, 160th SOAR, crew chief on Super 64. Killed in action October 3, 1993 after the crash of Super 64.
Lieutenant Colonel Bill David, 10th Mountain, Commander of 2-14 Infantry and Quick Reaction Force.
Lieutenant Tom DiTomasso, 75th Rangers, Commander 2nd Platoon, deployed on October 3 in command of Chalk 2.
Staff Sergeant Ray Dowdy, 160th SOAR, crew chief on Super 61. Wounded in action during Super 61 crash.
General Wayne Downing, Commander US Special Operations Command (SOCOM).
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Durant, 160th SOAR, pilot Super 64. Shot down and captured on October 3, 1993.
Major General Carl Ernst, Commander US Forces, Somalia from October 15, 1993.
Staff Sergeant Matt Eversmann, 75th Rangers, Squad Leader, deployed on October 3 in command of Chalk 4.
Master Sergeant Scott Fales, USAF Special Tactics Pararescueman Jumper, deployed on Super 68 CSAR. Wounded in action at Super 61 crash site.
Lieutenant Colonel James “Tommy” Faust, JSOC, J-2 Cell.
Staff Sergeant Tommy Field, 160th SOAR, crew chief on Super 64. Killed in action October 3, 1993 after the crash of Super 64.
Sergeant First Class Earl Fillmore, Delta, member of 1 Troop, deployed with Assault Force. Killed in action October 3, 1993 during foot movement to Super 61 crash site.
Chief Warrant Officer Class 4 Ray Frank, 160th SOAR, crew chief on Super 64. Killed in action October 3, 1993 after the crash of Super 64.
Major General William “Bill” Garrison, Commander Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and Commander, Task Force Ranger.
Chief Warrant Officer Class 3 Mike Goffena, pilot Super 62. Passed away in February 1998.
Private First Class Marcus Good, 75th Rangers, medic assigned to Chalk 4.
Master Sergeant Gary Gordon, Delta, member of 3 Troop (Sniper), deployed on Super 62. Killed in action October 3, 1993 defending the Super 64 crash site.
Master Sergeant Jon Hale, Delta, A-Team Leader, 1 Troop, deployed with Assault Force. Passed away in January 2016.
Lieutenant Colonel Gary Harrell, Delta, Commander of C-Squadron and deployed in Super 66 C2 helicopter as Ground Mission Commander on October 3.
General Joseph Hoar, Commander US Central Command (CENTCOM)
Sergeant First Class Norman Hooten, Delta, F-Team Leader, 2 Troop, deployed with Assault Force.
Admiral Jonathan Howe, United Nations Special Representative for Somalia.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 (P) Gerry Izzo, 160th SOAR, pilot Super 65.
Chief Warrant Officer Dan Jollota, 160th SOAR, pilot Super 68.
Chief Warrant Officer Keith Jones, 160th SOAR, co-pilot Star 41.
Chief Warrant Officer Randy Jones, 160th SOAR, pilot Barber 51.
Sergeant Casey Joyce, 75th Rangers, team leader, deployed with Chalk 4 blocking position. Killed in action October 3, 1993 during GRF #1 movement toward Super 61 crash site.
Sergeant First Class Gary Keeney, Delta, member of 1 Troop, deployed with Assault Force. Wounded in action on GRF #1 convoy.
Private First Class Richard Kowalewski, 75th Rangers, deployed on GRF #1. Killed in action October 3, 1993 during GRF #1 movement toward Super 61 crash site.
Lieutenant James “Jim” Lechner, 75th Rangers, B Company Fire Support Officer, deployed with Chalk 1. Wounded in action during foot movement to Super 61 crash site.
Sergeant First Class Paul Leonard, Delta, member of 1 Troop, deployed with Assault Force. Wounded in action on GRF #1 convoy.
Chief Warrant Officer Karl Maier, 160th SOAR, pilot Star 41.
Doctor John “Rob” Marsh, Delta, surgeon and commander of JSOC Joint Medical Augmentation Unit.
Master Sergeant Tim “Griz” Martin, Delta, member of 2 Troop, deployed with Assault Force. Killed in action October 3, 1993 during GRF #1 movement toward Super 61 crash site.
Lieutenant Colonel Tom Matthews, 160th SOAR, Commander 1st Battalion, 160th SOAR, deployed in Super 63 C2 helicopter as Air Mission Commander on October 3.
Lieutenant Colonel Danny McKnight, 75th Rangers, Commander 3rd Battalion, deployed to lead GRF #1 on October 3. Wounded in action on GRF #1 convoy.
Colonel David “Dave” McKnight, JSOC, J-2 Cell. Passed away in 1997.
Staff Sergeant Jeff McLaughlin, 75th Rangers, Forward Observer deployed with Chalk 4. Wounded in action at Chalk 4 blocking position.
Captain Drew Meyerowich, Commander of QRC, 2-14 Infantry.
Captain Austin “Scottie” Miller, Delta, Assault Force and Ground Force Commander, deployed with Assault Force.
Major General Thomas Montgomery, Deputy UN Force Commander and Commander US Forces, Somalia.
Lieutenant Larry Moores, 75th Rangers, Commander 3rd Platoon, deployed on October 3 with GRF #2 and Task Force David.
Staff Sergeant Michael Moser, Delta, member of 1 Troop, deployed with Assault Force. Wounded in action during foot movement to Super 61 crash site.
Chief Warrant Officer Jeff Niklaus, 160th SOAR, pilot of Super 67.
Lieutenant Larry Perino, 75th Rangers, Commander 1st Platoon, deployed on October 3 in command of Chalk 1.
Sergeant Dominick Pilla, 75th Rangers, deployed on GRF #1. Killed in action October 3, 1993 during GRF #1 MEDEVAC of wounded Ranger.
General Colin Powell, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Sergeant Randy Ramaglia, 75th Rangers, deployed with Chalk 3. Wounded in action during the “Mogadishu Mile.”
Sergeant First Class Matt Rierson, Delta, C-Team Leader, 1 Troop, deployed with Assault Force. Killed in action October 6, 1993 in mortar strike on Task Force Ranger hangar.
Major Herb Rodriguez, 160th SOAR, co-pilot of Super 68.
Technical Sergeant Pat Rogers, USAF Combat Controller, deployed on Super 68 CSAR. Passed away in November 2001.
Sergeant Lorenzo Ruiz, 75th Rangers, deployed on GRF #1. Killed in action October 3, 1993 whilst manning a heavy weapon during efforts to reach the Super 61 crash site.
Captain Lee Rysewyk, 75th Rangers, Executive Officer, B Company.
Omar Salad, Aideed’s principal political adviser, targeted and captured by Task Force Ranger on October 3, 1993.
Technical Sergeant Dan Schilling, USAF Combat Controller, deployed with McKnight command element on GRF #1.
Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart, Delta, member
of 3 Troop (Sniper), deployed on Super 62. Killed in action October 3, 1993 defending the Super 64 crash site.
Corporal Jamie Smith, 75th Rangers, deployed with Chalk 1 blocking position. Killed in action October 3, 1993 after foot movement to Super 61 crash site.
Sergeant First Class Jim Smith, Delta, member of 3 Troop (Sniper). Wounded in action defending the Super 61 crash site.
Staff Sergeant Kurt Smith, Delta, 2 Troop, deployed with Assault Force.
Captain Mike Steele, 75th Rangers, Commander B Company, deployed with Chalk 1 on October 3.
Sergeant Jeff Struecker, 75th Rangers, deployed on October 3 with GRF #1, led Blackburn MEDEVAC and returned to the city on GRF #2 and Task Force David.
Sergeant Keni Thomas, 75th Rangers, Squad Leader, deployed with Chalk 3.
Lieutenant Colonel Lee Van Arsdale, JSOC, deployed in command of Task Force Ranger element on GRF #2 and Task Force David.
Sergeant First Class Kelly Venden, Delta, deployed with A-Squadron to relieve C-Squadron after October 3.
Staff Sergeant Charlie Warren, 160th SOAR, crew chief on Super 61. Wounded in action during Super 61 crash.
Sergeant Sean “Tim” Watson, 75th Rangers, Squad Leader, deployed in command of Chalk 3.
Captain Michael Whetstone, Commander C-Company, 2-14th Infantry.
Chief Warrant Officer Class 3 Clifton Wolcott, 160th SOAR, pilot of Super 61. Killed in action October 3, 1993 in the crash of Super 61.
Technical Sergeant Timothy Wilkinson, USAF Special Tactics Pararescueman Jumper, deployed on Super 68 CSAR.
Captain Jim Yacone, 160th SOAR, co-pilot Super 62.
CHAPTER 1
GOTHIC SERPENT
“If you think the National Rifle Association has a fixation regarding weapons, it’s nothing compared to the Somalis. It is part of their manhood. And they learn how to use them. Like the Chechens, if there’s nobody else to fight they fight amongst themselves. But if there’s a foreigner who comes in, everybody is perfectly happy to fight him and fight even harder because he’s from the outside.”
Ambassador Robert Oakley, former Ambassador and Special Envoy for Somalia
In 1993, the East African nation of Somalia was the very definition of a failed state. Situated on the Indian Ocean, Somalia had suffered years of civil war leading to the downfall of President Siad Barre. Barre had come to power in a military coup in 1969, installing himself as head of a socialist Supreme Revolutionary Council, aligning himself closely to the Soviet Union and brutally suppressing all dissent.
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