Bestselling author of upcoming ‘Targeted’ nonfiction series reflects on the operation in which 18 US Army soldiers were killed and 73 wounded in action

“It was midafternoon, October 3, 1993. Eversmann’s Chalk Four was part of a force of U.S. Army Rangers and Delta Force operators who were about to drop uninvited on a gathering of Habr Gidr clan leaders in the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia.”

Those lines are from the book “Black Hawk Down” by Mark Bowden.

Task Force Ranger … Operation Gothic Serpent … The Battle of the Black Sea … Ma-alinti Rangers (The Day of the Rangers), as it is called in Somalia.

Black Hawk Down. 

Eighteen U.S. Army soldiers were killed in action.

Seventy-three U.S. Army soldiers were wounded in action.

Writes bestselling novelist and former Navy SEAL Jack Carr in remembrance of October 3, 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia, and what came after it, “I am honored to know some of the men who fought on October 3rd and 4th, 1993, in the streets of Mogadishu.” On the right, a scene from the film “Black Hawk Down,” which was released in December 2001 about the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu. The story was first immortalized by journalist Mark Bowden in his book “Black Hawk Down.” (Jack Carr/Revolution Studios/Getty Images)

In 2021, the U.S. Army approved the upgrade of 60 awards for soldiers who fought during Operation Gothic Serpent.

Fifty-eight were upgraded to Silver Stars.

Two were upgraded to Distinguished Flying Crosses.

On October 1, 2021, 28 years after the operation, 18 U.S. Army Rangers received Silver Stars in a ceremony at Fort Benning, Georgia, for their actions in the battle.

In his remarks, General Richard Clarke, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), said, “Few missions have left as enduring a legacy as the mission we’re recognizing today … Put this in perspective: 18. Eighteen Silver Stars. Our nation’s third-highest award all being presented for one action, primarily from one company, over one 24-hour period.”

Two helicopters joined together as they approach combat in a scene from the film “Black Hawk Down,” released in December 2001. (Revolution Studios/Getty Images)

The lessons learned from that fateful mission are etched into the annals of special operations military history.

They remind us all of the bond shared by brothers in blood standing shoulder-to-shoulder to the end.

I am honored to know some of the men who fought on October 3rd and 4th 1993 in the streets of Mogadishu.

It is my sincere hope that more of them will one day tell their stories.

The next generation needs heroes.

(Follow Jack Carr on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jackcarrusa.)

More details of the operation 30 years ago today

“On the afternoon of Oct. 3, [1993], armed militants shot down two MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, after which U.S. ground forces converged on the two downed aircraft to recover the personnel,” an Army press release read a couple of years ago, when the Army upgraded the combat awards for 60 veterans who served in Operation Gothic Serpent in 1993, as noted above.

Writes Jack Carr of Oct. 3, 1993, “The lessons learned from that fateful mission are etched into the annals of special operations military history.”  (Jack Carr)

“The ensuing intense firefight resulted in the loss of 18 American soldiers and remains an especially significant point in the history of the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Special Operations Command specifically,” the same press release noted.

The Distinguished Flying Cross is given to soldiers who demonstrate “heroism or extraordinary achievement” in flight — while the Silver Star is the third-highest medal awarded for military combat, issued specifically “in recognition of a valorous act performed during combat operations while under fire from enemy forces.”

“It is my sincere hope that more of them will one day tell their stories. The next generation needs heroes.” — Jack Carr

The fiasco in which 18 Americans were killed and dozens more wounded came shortly after the end of the Cold War and the United States’ success in the first Iraq War.

In addition to the U.S. casualties and injuries, some 700 to 1,500 Somalis died (the total is unknown), as Britannica has noted.

There were also 13 casualties among UN personnel, the same source said.