Humpday History Highlight
By Wyatt Earp | October 7, 2009
Mike Durant's Super 64 over Mogadishu, Somalia
October 3-4, 1993 – The Battle of Mogadishu
On 3 October 1993 Garrison ordered Task Force Ranger to conduct a “snatch and grab” at the Olympic Hotel. If successful, this operation would decapitate the top leadership of Aidid’s party and hopefully eliminate him as a threat.
Deploying as they had on previous assignments, Ranger and Delta Force units began the mission with an air assault on the target, capturing twenty-four Somalis. As they waited for extraction by a convoy of trucks and HUMVEE’s, Army Black Hawk and Special Operations helicopters provided air support. Unlike previous operations, however, this attack was conducted near the Bakara market, the heart of Aidid’s domain, precipitating a furious response. The ground convoy met strong resistance, taking heavy casualties. Worse, lucky hits with Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG’s) felled two supporting Black Hawk helicopters, jeopardizing the entire mission. The details of the battle are well documented in books and film.
Suffice it to say that over the next seventeen hours, Task Force Ranger fought a running gun battle with an enraged mob many times its number. In the course of the melee Task Force Ranger suffered 18 dead and 84 wounded, while inflicting hundreds of Somali casualties. After a lengthy but understandable delay, given the dual chain of command, a rescue force comprised of two rifle companies from 10th Mountain Division, two Malaysian mechanized companies with Armored Personnel Carriers (APC’s), an ad hoc platoon from Task Force Ranger and one Pakistani tank platoon, supported by army and special operations aircraft, was finally able to extract the stranded troops. The infamous “Mogadishu Mile” began at 0542 as the Ranger and Delta Force rear guard trailed out of the city. (H/T – MHO)
In March of 1994, President Clinton pulled the final troops out of Somalia, and emboldened al Qaeda more than anyone ever thought possible.
Topics: HHH | 4 Comments »
October 7th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
There are SO many other things that played out there… Many of which will never be known… Les Aspin and Clinton should be charged with felony misconduct for what happened, if not Murder…
October 7th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
I remember this like it was yesterday. I remember reading the initial reports of the incident. The Army Command had requested Armored vehicles and AC-130 Gunship support and the Clinton White House said no because they did not want the US looking like bullies to the rag tag Somalis. Well it does not matter what you look like when you get shot with a 7.62mm round it kills you and that is what happened there. After 12 years of Reagan and Bush not taking shit, after a few months of Clinton we were right back in the Jimmy Carter days.
Our boys bodies were drug through the streets by these savages. I think I was and still am more pissed about this operation than what happened on 9/11. At least that was a coordinated planned sneak attack. Mogadishu was a failure based on explicit actions of our own Commander in Chief.
Sorry for the long rant, it just really gets me going.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Good rant…. saved me some typing.
October 8th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Old NFO – He didn’t want armor because he didn’t want to be offensive. Are you freakin’ kidding me? Appearances should take a back seat to the safety of our armed forces!
Ingineer66 – Don’t apologize. I’m just happy we gave out more than we got. But losing one soldier was too many that day.
Sully – Agreed.