We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. We advocate for peace and an immediate withdrawal by Russian forces.
The Battle of Mogadishu
October 3rd is the anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu from which the movie Black Hawk Down is based. On that date, at 4:00 PM, 1600 hrs for those still in a military mindset,
we toast (usually with bourbon) the men who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. NSDQ
On 14 October 14th, 1993, CWO3 Michael Durant, a pilot with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), was released by Somali insurgents after being held captive for eleven
days following the crash of his MH-60L Blackhawk. The Blackhawk, Super 64, was the second helicopter shot down in the Battle of Mogadishu after a high-risk raid by Task Force (TF) Ranger
to capture two high value, Somali National Alliance (SNA) assets.
After successfully completing a high-risk raid to capture high-value SNA assets in the Habr Gedir sector of Mogadishu on 3 October, TF Ranger—a team of Army Special Operations Forces (SOF)
and support elements—was faced with a new mission after enemy insurgents shot down Super 61, a Blackhawk piloted by CWO4 Clifton “Elvis” Wolcott and CWO3 Donovan “Bull” Briley, who were
providing air support to the mission. As TF Ranger saw the helicopter crash, they diverted their resources to secure the crash site and rescue the crew.
As ground troops raced clan militias to the Super 61 crash site, in what became a baited ambush, Super 64, a second Blackhawk piloted by CWO3 Durant was shot down approximately twelve minutes
later. A Quick Reaction Force (QRF) comprised of infantry from 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry and 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry were deployed as combat support as well as search and rescue.
Supported by Pakistani tanks and Malaysian armored personnel carriers, the QRF teams eventually secured the Super 61 crash site, retrieved the dead and wounded, and provided support to
elements of TF Ranger as they redeployed to safety. However, by the time they reached the Super 64 crash site, the crew was missing. Read more.
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