Revisiting 'Black Hawk Down'

"Black Hawk Down" Site Revisited 20 Years Later -- CBS 60 Minutes

It was a defining moment in the history of U.S. Special Operations and it was the first time American forces faced al Qaeda in battle. You may remember it as "Black Hawk down," a phrase immortalized on the battlefield in Somalia 20 years ago this past week.

Super 6-1 was the call sign of the first Black Hawk helicopter to be shot out of the sky that day, setting in motion a series of events that remain seared into America's memory: the sight of U.S. soldiers being dragged through the streets, the capture of a badly wounded American pilot named Mike Durant.

When the fighting ended, America pulled out of Somalia with the dead and wounded, but left behind the wreckage of Super 6-1. Tonight, you are going to see and hear things about that day you never have before and meet an American couple determined to bring home a lost piece of American history.

To get to the crash site of Super 6-1, you have to travel into the Bakara market, the worst part of Mogadishu.

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My Comment: This is a must read report and video. Kudos to Lara Logan and her producers for this report.

Newly-Released Footage From The Battle Of Mogadishu 20 Years Ago (Black Hawk Down)

Black Hawk Down! Newly-Released Footage From The Battle Of Mogadishu Shows The Moment Helicopter Was Shot Down Stranding US Troops In Enemy Territory -- Daily Mail

* Twenty years after the Battle of Mogadishu, new footage sheds light on how a mission to kidnap two Somali lieutenants went awry
* The mission was 'flawless' until the men were ready to be airlifted out of the Somali capital
* That's the moment when two black hawk helicopters were shot down, stranding soldiers in the city hours
* Nineteen U.S. servicemen died in the overnight battle in enemy territory
* The 2001 film Black Hawk Down was based on the event

Yesterday marked the 20 year anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu. Two decades later, never-before-seen footage has been released of the operation that was depicted in the 2001 film Black Hawk Down.

The footage was obtained by CBS' 60 Minutes and will air this Sunday as part of a special segment on the mission that went awry in the capital of Somalia.

From 1993 to 1995, the United Nations had an operation in Somalia to create enough peace to continue humanitarian operations for civilians.

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WNU Editor: The CBS report is here. The fill 60 Minutes report will be broadcast on October 6.

Black Hawk Down And It's Lessons 20 Years Later

Black Hawk Down: 20 Years Later -- Dustin Walker, Real Clear World

Today marks the twentieth anniversary of a tragic episode in American military history popularly known as “Black Hawk Down.” Twenty years later, a small mission to capture two lieutenants of an obscure warlord in a little-known desert capital has become one of the most famous battles in American history, immortalized by author Mark Bowden and filmmaker Ridley Scott.

On October 3, 1993, 160 U.S. Army Rangers and other special operators in Task Force Ranger launched a raid into the heart of Mogadishu’s Bakaara Market to capture two subordinates of the Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. A routine mission was transformed into a desperate search and rescue attempt as an angry mob composed of thousands of heavily armed militiamen tried to swallow up the remains of two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters shot down providing air support. American troops, who had not seen this kind of fierce urban combat in more than a generation, battled through the night to save their brothers.

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More News On Remembering Black Hawk Down

Remembering 'Black Hawk Down', Somali leader vows never again -- Global Post/AFP
Fallout from Somalia still haunts US policy 20 years later -- Stars and Stripes
Return to Mogadishu: Former Army ranger revisits ‘Black Hawk Down’ 20 years later -- Yahoo News
Return to Mogadishu: Retired Army Ranger Revisits Black Hawk Down 20 Years Later -- ABC News
Never-before-seen military footage of "Black Hawk Down" -- CBS
20 Years After Black Hawk Down -- Heritage Foundation

Return to Black Hawk Down 20 Years Later

RIP
MSG Gary Gordon
SFC Randy Shughart
SSG Daniel Busch
SFC Earl Fillmore
MSG Timothy "Griz" Martin
CPL Jamie Smith
SPC James Cavaco
SGT Casey Joyce
PFC Richard "Alphabet" Kowalewski
SGT Dominick Pilla
SGT Lorenzo Ruiz
SSG William Cleveland
SSG Thomas Field
CW4 Raymond Frank
CW3 Clifton "Elvis" Wolcott
CW2 Donovan "Bull" Briley
SGT Cornell Houston
PFC James Martin Jr.

My Comment: A deeply moving video.

Hat Tip: Theo Spark

Update: YouTube has taken it down due to copyright issues. Too bad .... it is an excellent video. If you have the chance to catch it .... I strongly recommend watching it.

An Interview With (Ret. Col.) Danny R. McKnight, Convoy Commander In Black Hawk Down

Photo: COL Danny R. McKnight. U.S. Army (Ret.)

'Black Hawk Down' Commander On Winning The War On Terror -- Human Events

In the movie, Black Hawk Down, actor Tom Sizemore plays the role of real-life U.S. Army Ranger Lt. Col. (today retired Col.) Danny R. McKnight, the hard-bitten convoy commander whose inspirational leadership literally kept his men alive during the near-disastrous Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993.

Sizemore portrayed McKnight as an outspoken combat commander, who in action could be seen by his troops as being everywhere at the same time, fighting, directing the fight, and encouraging his men in the most desperate stages of the fight.

An accurate portrayal according to those who served with McKnight.

Today, nearly 17 years after one the bloodiest urban slugfests in contemporary military history, McKnight discusses what America is doing right in the global war on terror, what we are doing wrong, how the enemy perceives weakness in our desire to negotiate, and how political correctness is a fast-track to military disaster.

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My Comment: Col. Danny R. McKnight's web page is here.