October 10, 1993: Operation Gothic Serpent, otherwise known as the Battle of Mogadishu, took place. During the battle, a MH-60 Nighthawk helicopter of the U.S. Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment was downed by enemy action. Several members of the crew were killed or injured; the pilot, CWO Clifton "Elvis" Wolcott was pothumsously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery and flying skill. Four Silver Star Medals - all awarded pothumously - were also earned that day in the defense of Freedom.
The crashed helicopter was beyond support. A relief convoy was having difficulty getting to them. In this fog of war and sting of battle, two great Americans - Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart of the Army's 1st Special Forces Operational Detatchment-Delta ("Delta Force") - asked commanders for permission to go to their aid.
Permission was denied.
They asked again; denied again.
They asked a third time - these brave soldiers would not let their comrades go - and permission was granted.
Sergeants Gordon and Shugart were inserted into the combat zone by helicopter. The odds were long. The opposition fierce. The danger severe. They both gave their lives in the defense of our Nation and Freedom, and they saved those on board the helicopter still alive through their indomitable courage. They fought until they ran out of ammunition, found other weapons, and continued to fight until both were cut down. Both were awarded the Medal of Honor for their valor and sacrifice. I'll let their citations speak for themselves:
*GORDON, GARY I.
Rank and organization: Master Sergeant, U.S. Army. Place and date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia. Entered service at: ----- Born: Lincoln, Maine. Citation: Master Sergeant Gordon, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as Sniper Team Leader, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Master Sergeant Gordon's sniper team provided precision fires from the lead helicopter during an assault and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. When Master Sergeant Gordon learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the second crash site, he and another sniper unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After his third request to be inserted, Master Sergeant Gordon received permission to perform his volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Master Sergeant Gordon was inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon and his fellow sniper, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. Master Sergeant Gordon immediately pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Master Sergeant Gordon used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers until he depleted his ammunition. Master Sergeant Gordon then went back to the wreckage, recovering some of the crew's weapons and ammunition. Despite the fact that he was critically low on ammunition, he provided some of it to the dazed pilot and then radioed for help. Master Sergeant Gordon continued to travel the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. After his team member was fatally wounded and his own rifle ammunition exhausted, Master Sergeant Gordon returned to the wreckage, recovering a rifle with the last five rounds of ammunition and gave it to the pilot with the words, "good luck." Then, armed only with his pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon continued to fight until he was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. Master Sergeant Gordon's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army.
*SHUGHART, RANDALL D.
Rank and organization: Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army. Place and date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia. Entered service at: ----- Born: Newville, Pennsylvania. Citation: Sergeant First Class Shughart, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team Member, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Sergeant First Class Shughart provided precision sniper fires from the lead helicopter during an assault on a building and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. While providing critical suppressive fires at the second crash site, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the site. Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After their third request to be inserted, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader received permission to perform this volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader were inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. Sergeant First Class Shughart pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Sergeant First Class Shughart used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers while traveling the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. Sergeant First Class Shughart continued his protective fire until he depleted his ammunition and was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. Sergeant First Class Shughart's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army.
Thanks to the United States' withdrawal from Somalia under the cowardly pseudo-leadership of President Bill Clinton, their sacrifice was ultimately in vain. Somalia today is still tormented by tyranny. President Clinton's cut and run from Somalia led directly to Al Qaeda thinking that the US was soft and the attacks on the USS Cole and 9/11.
However, on October 3, 1993 we saw the best of America. We saw the bravery of Americans who would not leave their comrades behind, and who would not give up the fight when the likely outcome was their own deaths.
On October 3, 1993 we saw the finest hour of Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart. I thank them both for their sacrifices and service. Our Nation, and the cause of Freedom, will forever be greatful for the valor and courage of such men.
Shugart and Gordon were saving the downed super 6-4 piloted by CWO Michael Durant, not super 6-1 piloted by CWO Cliff "Elvis" Wolcott. Wolcott was killed upon hitting the ground. He was the first one to go down.
ReplyDeleteAnother correction/enhancement received via email a few weeks ago:
ReplyDeleteAllan, appreciate your words about Gordon and Shughart, but a lot of people would appreciate it if you modified your post to get the facts right. I first became a TF 160 NightStalker in 1990. Cliff Wolcott's helicopter was the first Blackhawk down; Donovan Briley was his co-pilot. However, it was the second Blackhawk that was shot down, flown by Mike Durrant, where Gordon and Shughart were inserted. They bought Mike Durrant about 20 minutes and that was just enough time for a Habr Gedir clan senior to make his way down the street and through the crowds in order to prevent the crowds from killing Mike the same way they had killed his co-pilot, 2 x crew chiefs, Gordon, and Shughart so the Habr Gedir could use Mike as a hostage to bargain with.
Ted Jordan
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I appreciate the input and corrections. Rather than making changes to the original post, I will incorporate the information into post(s) for the 20th anniversary of the battle next fall.