This book provides an almost minute-by-minute account of the
events that occurred on 3 Oct. 1993 in Mogadishu, Somalia. The mission began
as a routine “arrest” attempt by U.S. Army Special Forces and
the secretive “Delta Force”. The mission should have taken approximately
one hour. The “Battle of the Black Sea” (the gang-ridden slum
where the battle took place) instead lasted for over a day. It ended as an
abject failure of the leadership responsible for these teams from the command
level up to the Commander-in-Chief. Decisions made at these levels doomed
the mission to failure from the start.
The heroism and performance of the troops involved is unquestioned. It shows
the commitment and spirit of a well-trained and professional fighting force.
The bravery and dedication of these men is attested by numerous decorations
including 2 Medals of Honor.
The majority of Americans have little or no memory of the events of 3 Oct.
1993. The Somalian warlords in power however commemorate this as the day they
took on America’s finest and won. As significant as that may be, this
event, along with others of not-so-military a nature were spun, sanitized
by the media and then, as planned, forgotten by us. It is indeed a pity we
did not consider these “thugs” to be a serious threat. Only recently,
a piece of military equipment that once belonged to one of the Somalian warlords
turned up in an Al Qaeda cave in Afghanistan.
One valuable lesson leaned was that an American presence does not automatically
insure a peaceful outcome, especially when the parties in question desire
victory more than they desire peace. Hopefully, we have learned this lesson,
as it is more than applicable to the present.
Neal
Thornton
Travis ’03, 10th Company