The Somalis claimed 315 of their own died and 812 were wounded. Shughart (1958-93) was buried in Carlisle. Shughart was deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993 as part of Task Force Ranger. The fourth pilot was captured and later released. For their efforts during the Battle of Mogadishu, Gary Gordon and Randall Shughart were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. *Real-time prices by Nasdaq Last Sale. Deadly Price. It was second ship to undergo conversion from a commercial container vessel to a Large Medium Speed Roll-On/Roll-Off (LMSR) sealift ship. Gordon and Shughart lost their lives in the assault. Nearby operational command sent a ground team with chopper support to rescue the men, but it made slow progress in heavy fighting with Aidid's militia. Sergeant First ClassRandall David Shughart was born on August 13, 1958, and died on October 3, 1993. Engaged in combat with Aidids militia, the Ranger forces on the ground were unable to assist. [1] According to Durant's book In the Company of Heroes, the Somalis counted 25 of their militia dead after the firefight. Both mens bodies were recovered. In the movie, there is a single scope ring at the front of the receiver holding an Aimpoint CompM. The term M1A is a proprietary title for Springfield Armorys M14-pattern rifle. [4] Command's position was that the snipers could be of more assistance by providing air cover. Hoot seems to be a merge of Hooten and Howe in the book, which features more prominently in the book than Hooten. Later investigation and reconstruction concluded that Gordon was the first to be killed. Shughart and Gordon are dropped 100 meters from the site and the two men held off a horde of Somali attackers and ultimately saved the life of the lone survivor of the crash, Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant. The U.S. Army aimed to prevent that, with Gordon's Delta outfit landing in Mogadishu in the summer of 1993. Despite having inflicted heavy casualties against the Somalis, the two Delta snipers were too outnumbered and outgunned. The Army master sergeant's third request to commanders was approved with this warning: Undaunted, Gordon and Randy Shughart a fellow Delta Force sniper went into the Mogadishu maze with guns blazing and took down a slew of terrorists. 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 weapon fire and numerous rocket propelled grenades. The ceremony was attended by Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) and Carmen Gordon, the master sergeants widow. 1st Class Randall Shughart, a 35-year-old from Newville, Pa., who so loved the military that he made his wife, Stephanie, promise never to ask him to quit? For their acts, they were awarded the highest military decoration, Medal of Honor, for the first time after the Vietnam War. Spec Ops Magazine 2023 All Rights Reserved. Michael Durant, the pilot of the second downed chopper, wrote in "In the Company of Heroes": "To me, they were like Batman and Robin, only much better, and they just walked up to my aircraft like they were out for a stroll in the park. When the site was overrun by the Somali militia, Durant was the only survivor and was held hostage for 11 days until he was released to the Red Cross. 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. His rifle was never recovered, so we dont know exactly what his was like although there are people who have done a lot of digging to give us a pretty good idea. . articles and videos are considered to be suggestions and not recommendations from Springfield Armory. His actions saved the pilot's life. On October 3, 1993, during an assault mission to apprehend advisors to the Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, a Black Hawk helicopter with the call sign Super Six-One was shot down in the city. In December 1992, the United States began Operation Restore Hope. Gary and Carmen talked about opening a furniture store, but also candidly discussed what would happen if he died. Who was the real hoot in Black Hawk Down? In total 50 Somalian bodies were found at the location. Shortly after, Randy Shughart was killed, and Durant was taken alive. Shughart retrieved Gordons CAR-15 and gave it to Durant to use. The events of this mission have been well documented in the book Blackhawk Down, and the movie of the same title that was based on the book. Both Delta snipers, Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart, are portrayed in the Hollywood blockbuster Black Hawk Down. [7], In the 2001 film Black Hawk Down, Shughart was portrayed by actor Johnny Strong. Instead of being buried in Arlington National Cemetery, his mother, Betty, said he would have "wanted to. Its on GunSpots YouTube channel right now. Sergeant First Class Shughart continued his protective fire until he depleted his ammunition and was fatally wounded. Ray Dowdy and Staff Sgt. The mission was an assault mission to apprehend advisors to Mohamed Farrah Aidid, and it was to be a short operation. His actions saved the pilots life. The first phase of the assault went well, but shortly after an initial step, one of the Armys Black Hawk helicopters providing insertion and air support to the assault team, was shot down and crashed the downtown in the hostile controlled area. ", The police department said that while it may have been a case of vandalism that it could have also been a "work in progress" with gold lettering on the engravings. With us, you can buy or sell guns. Thanks. Were the bodies of Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon recovered? He joined the Army while attending Big Spring High School in Newville, entering upon graduation in 1976. 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. Archived post. [1], Shughart joined the United States Army while attending Big Spring High School in Newville, entering upon graduation in 1976. Helicopter with call sign Super 61 (Super Six One). By most accounts, Gordon was killed first, with Shughart returning to an injured Mike Durant to give him Gordons carbine. Live The Armory Life. Unlike other members of the armed forces, the Delta Force is granted a lot of freedom in how they live and what they look like. 1 Were the bodies of Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon recovered? The mission ultimately culminated in what became known as the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu. Who fell out of the helicopter in Black Hawk Down? The blame for my son's death rests with the White House and with you. Shughart left active duty and went into the Army Reserve in June 1980. Once on the ground, they were armed with only their weapons and sidearms. They likely had an extra bag with ammo that they would have taken with them. While its believed Gordon was the first to die, the official version states it was Shughart. [3] It is believed that Gordon was the first of the two to be killed by the surrounding mob. Among her accomplishments are being the Founder of the true crime blog, Stories of the Unsolved, which garners between 400,000 and 500,000 views annually, and a contributor for John Lordans Seriously Mysterious podcast. Vehicles roll out of the city. "If anyone has any information about who did this, maliciously or with honorable intent, please contact us," the department said, adding that, "if you are the person who did this and did it as purely an act of vandalism, do the right thing and turn yourself in. Gary I. Gordon and Randall D. Shughart were true warriors and the finest American heroes. Despite having inflicted heavy casualties against the Somalis, the two Delta snipers were too outnumbered and outgunned. Their 'Go bag'. Clare Fitzgerald is a Writer and Editor with eight years of experience in the online content sphere. Wikipedia says this: "Aftermath After the battle, the bodies of several of the conflict's U.S. casualties (Black Hawk Super 64's crewmembers and their defenders, Delta Force soldiers MSG Gordon and SFC Shughart) were dragged through Mogadishu's streets by crowds of local civilians and SNA forces. After his third request to be inserted, Master Sergeant Gordon received permission to perform his volunteer mission. Trained as a combat engineer, he became a Special Forces engineer with the 2nd Battalion of the 10th Special Forces Group. Randall Shughart was a US Army Delta Force soldier. Gary Gordon and Sgt. Just as they fought and died together, the two operators were honored together as well. For more information, please see our Shughart retrieved Gordon's CAR-15 rifle and gave it to Durant to use. Atto is alleged to have masterminded the defeat of Aidid. His teachers thought he was smart, but his grades drifted because he was obsessed doodling "anything and everything military-related," his mother told a reporter. An estimated half million Somalis were already dead, and hundreds of thousands more were facing possible starvation. Meaning the part over the action is open but there are some Picatinny slots at the rear and front of the receiver. At his death, he was a non-commissioned officer in the United States Armys premier special operations unit, the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1SFOD-D), also known as Delta Force. Master Sergeant Gordon then went back to the wreckage, recovering some of the crews weapons and ammunition. He joined the Boy Scouts and played football in high school, graduating in 1978. Shughart left active duty and went into the Army Reserve in June 1980. Its also not forward of the action like scout optics. Your email address will not be published. All content is protected by copyright and may not be used for commercial purposes without prior written permission. I tried looking it up and all it said was that the bodies were dragged through the streets and I couldn't find anything about how the US eventually got the bodies back. Shughart retrieved Gordon's CAR-15 and gave it to Durant to use. The United Nations tried to aid with the resulting famine, but its food rations were seized by local warlords. Prior to its hiatus, she also served as the Head of Content for UK YouTube publication, TenEighty Magazine. Where is Randy Shughart buried? Gordon and two sergeant first class subordinates, Shughart and Brad Hallings, had been providing fire cover from another helicopter, but they knew this wasn't enough if the crew of the second downed chopper was to be saved. Their names were MSG Gary Gordon and SFC Randal (Randy) Shughart. You are not fit to command."[13]. Gary Gordon and Sgt. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Learn all the ways IBDs top investing tools can help you succeed in the market! The next biggest part of the build, that is also the hardest part of the build, is to get a red dot on the rifle like Shugharts. 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. In 2003, Michael Durant published a book, In the company of heroes where he described events on that day on how he saw it. ", The pilot wrote: "He sounded almost irritated, like this was just going to make things harder for him. Shughart was assigned to Delta Force and was transferred to Fort Bragg, North Carolina in June 1986. Just know that my build is like the movie version but in aesthetics only. The Lincoln Police Department on Tuesday announced it was "with an extremely heavy heart" to report that the gravestone of Gordon, a native of the city, may have been vandalized within the last two weeks. Cookie Notice . On May 23, 1994, President Clinton awarded Gordon and Shughart the Medal of Honor, joining just 3,000 others in two centuries. Master Sergeant Gordons 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. At the same time, Gordon returned to Durant and calmly asked if there were more weapons (he was out of ammo) and then retrieved some from the down Blackhawk, and began to reengage the attackers. In 1978, he was assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Lewis, Washington. Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart were the only soldiers participating in Operation Gothic Serpent (Battle of Mogadishu) to receive the military's highest honor and the first Medal of Honor recipients since the Vietnam War. Citation Reads:Rank and organization: Master Sergeant, U.S. Army. [55] 1st Class Randy Shughart, who gave their lives to save their fellow soldiers during the fierce Battle of Mogadishu, are the focus of the latest graphic novel in the Association of the U.S. Army's series on recipients of the nation's highest award for valor. Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon fought their way to the downed Blackhawk. Sergeant First Class Shugharts 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. Gary Gordon. They volunteered for sniper cover for Super 6-4 - the second downed Black Hawk MH-60L - during the [] Shugart was the first one to be mortally wounded at about the same time he ran out of ammo. The infamous picture of the US Soldier being dragged shirtless through the street was not either of the CAG Snipers. What is the white stuff in my gas fireplace? When they reached the downed Super 64, Gordon and Shughart extracted the pilot, Chief Warrant OfficerMichael Mike Durant, and the other crew members from the aircraft. The peacekeepers then faced the task of overcoming the decades-long intertribal conflicts within the war-torn nation. But, as you will see, this setup is very close to the one in the movie. Some of the things happening in convoy getting lost seem to be consolidated onto McKnight. Randy Shughart was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, into an Air Force family. Gary Gordon, however, concluded that there was no way the downed Black Hawk crew could survive on their own because they were outnumbered and critically wounded. Please re-read the annotations in Black Hawk Down (book) Mcase07 ( talk) 20:28, 14 April 2008 (UTC) [ reply] In the end, 19 American soldiers were killed, including six Delta Force operators, and 73 were wounded. Shughart and Gary Gordon, both Delta Force operators and snipers died in Mogadishu, Somalia in October 1993 after being inserted alone into a crash site for a Blackhawk helicopter which had been shot down while raiding a headquarters of Somali militiamen headed by Mohamed . Gary Gordon and Sgt. 1st Class Randy Shughart were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions to secure the site of one of the Black Hawk crashes to recover survivors. As a Delta operator, he advanced to Team Sergeant. views and opinions of Springfield Armory. I have the utmost respect for the two men and, as a gun enthusiast and creator, I wanted to do a project that could honor their memory. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader, while under intense fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. No doubt about it, the rifle in the movie is a full-length M14, similar to the Standard Issue M1A. Shortly after, Shughart was killed, the site was overrun and Durant was taken hostage. In 1993, Gordon's body was eventually buried and brought back to his hometown in Maine. After Aidid's forces killed 24 Pakistani soldiers that were part of the United Nations, the U.N. Security Council called for the militia leaders to be arrested or killed. On October 3, 1993, during an assault mission to apprehend advisors to the Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, a Black Hawk helicopter with the call sign Super Six-One was shot down in the city. Shughart was assigned to 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force) and transferred to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in June 1986. In reality, the helicopter was not evading RPG fire, as portrayed in the movie. . (from the Bowdens notes: this is because he was at most liberty to talk about the events). What is the most elite unit in the military? Realtime quote and/or trade prices are not sourced from all markets. During the assault, one of the Army's Black Hawk helicopters was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade. Sergeant First Class Shughart continued his protective fire until he depleted his ammunition and was fatally wounded. Much of the food was hijacked by Mohamed Aidid's militia, and suddenly hundreds of thousands more Somalians were at risk of dying. Operation Gothic Serpent was a military operation conducted in Mogadishu, Somalia, by an American-led coalition during the Somali Civil War in 1993. Gordon's body was eventually recovered and is buried in Lincoln Cemetery, Penobscot County, Maine. The optic is sitting right on top of the action. The pilot of Gordon and Shughart's Black Hawk first attempted to land right next to the crash site of Super Six-Four, but the LZ was too hot - a flood of small arms fire, RPGs, and an excess of ground debris and fire made insertion impossible.So instead of putting down in the middle of the action, Gordon and Shughart jumped from the hovering helicopter 100 meters from the crash site, getting . How many Delta Force died in Black Hawk Down? [3], Mission commanders denied Gordon's request twice,[1] saying that the situation was too dangerous for the snipers to protect the crew from the ground. Several months later, he completed the pre-ranger course, obtained a spot at Ranger School and earned his Ranger Tab. Were they given back along with the surviving pilot? He and his future wife, Carmen, met when she was visiting her grandparents, and they engaged in a three-year correspondence after he joined the Army. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. I pulled up a picture on Google of where the stripes were and attempted to match it. Of the four man crew, only Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant survived, suffering a crushed vertebra and comminuted fracture to his left femur. Their ammunition depleted, Gordon and Shughart were killed by Somali gunfire. In December 1983, Shughart returned to active duty and the following year attended Special Forces training. Gordon and Shughart were a sniper team for Delta Force and were assigned to over watch the operation, engaging targets from the Blackhawk. The two sergeants were part of a sniper team aboard another Blackhawk, hovering. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. "Many believed that it would not last long and would encounter little opposition.". He then drew his pistol and held off the attackers as long as possible, eventually being mortally wounded. His actions saved the pilots life. Shughart retrieved Gordon's CAR-15 and gave it to Durant to use. Stay up to date with what you want to know. In attendance were a number of Navy officials and politicians, including Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE) and John W. Douglass. In the movie, which was released in 2001, it looks as if the rifle has a split rail mount. Two are Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randall Shughart. However, large numbers of armed, hostile Somalis were converging on the area. Brad Halling, a master sergeant in the U.S. Army special forces, or Green Beret, was part of a U.S. Blackhawk helicopter team that rapelled onto the Olympic Hotel in Mogadishu with the aim of capturing some top aides to fugitive warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. Later investigation and reconstruction concluded that Gordon was first to be killed. By the fall of 1992, the nation of Somalia was war-torn and ravaged by famine. Shell also rave about her three Maltese dogs whenever she gets the chance. On a new IBD podcast, Jon Najarian explains 0DTE options and their unintended impact. Both Shughart and Gordon were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for their selfless sacrifice, the first time it had been awarded since the Vietnam war. Who were the 2 soldiers in Black Hawk Down? Master Sgt. Enter a Melbet promo code and get a generous bonus, An Insight into Coupons and a Secret Bonus, Organic Hacks to Tweak Audio Recording for Videos Production, Bring Back Life to Your Graphic Images- Used Best Graphic Design Software, New Google Update and Future of Interstitial Ads. Sorry, an error occurred and we could not sign you up. Durant acknowledged that he might have been wrong in his identification but was reluctant to push for the record to be changed since he was not sure. After his time with the Marines, Grant served as a SWAT sniper. Westminster Cemetery, Pennsylvania, United States They were the first Medal of Honor recipients since the Vietnam War. I didnt dive deep into what trigger Shughart would have had, or glass bedding of the action, etc. Gordon, however, repeated his request until he got permission. Their aim was to capture key allies of the powerful Somali warlord, Gen Mohamed Farah Aideed. Immediately after the battle, the Somalis counted 25 of their own men dead with many more severely wounded. He was a soldier in the United States Army special operations unit, the 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force). Elements of the Rangers are left to run to a rendez-vous point . In October 1993, elite American troops launched a disastrous raid in the Somali capital Mogadishu. Not a surprise, since the Vietnam War was on TV every night. When they reached Super Six-Four, they extracted Durant and the other crew from the helicopter and defended the aircraft. Their request was denied by command twice, but the men persisted. I used an Aimpoint PRO for the optic and I kept the original mount on the Aimpoint PRO; I just removed the spacer to make it sit lower. EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie. Randall David Shughart (August 13, 1958 October 3, 1993) was a United States Army Delta Force operator who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Mogadishu, during Operation Gothic Serpent in October 1993. 2023 Springfield Armory. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The pair landed 100 meters south of the crashsite and, armed with sniper rifles and pistols, fought their way to the downed Black Hawk. Place and date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia. The main divergence in the movie is that more is that some people were shown doing things others did: In the end, the movie won 2 Oscars in 2001. I made a video about cloning the Gordon Carbine, too. "He and Shughart were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the first Americans to receive our highest military decoration since the Vietnam War.". The opposition was much larger and better organized then originally thought and the mission began to take a turn for the worse. [5], There was some confusion in the aftermath of the action as to who had been killed first. By this time, more Somali militiamen were arriving intent on either capturing or killing the American servicemen. His M14 has a camouflage paint scheme and an Aimpoint CompM2/M68 reflex sight. How often do you need to soak a kokedama? When his other family needed him, he did not hesitate, as he would not have hesitated for us.". As a Delta Force operator, he advanced to Assistant Team Sergeant. Gary Gordon is buried in Lincoln Cemetery in Penobscot . Speaking about the pairs heroic efforts in Somalia, Clinton said: Gordon and Shughart knew their own chances of survival were extremely bleak. 17:40 Snipers Shughart and Gordon are killed: Somali crowds overrun Durant's crash site, killing Shughart, Gordon, and every member of the crew, except Durant, who is carried off by militia through the city. 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. Delta Force. Both are elite, super soldiers held in the highest regard for their specially-trained combat skills and endurance on and off the battlefield; they are the best of the . TimesMojo is a social question-and-answer website where you can get all the answers to your questions. [4], Armed with their sniper rifles and sidearms, Shughart and Gordon were inserted approximately 100 metres (330ft) from the crash site and made their way to the downed Black Hawk. After their wedding came a son, Ian, then a daughter, Brittany. It wasn't a scream or a plea, just a statement of fact, like someone who'd nicked himself with a vegetable knife. As a result, Ive found myself increasingly interested in recreations of famous guns used around the world. It is believed that Gordon was the first to be killed. After their third request to be inserted, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader received permission to perform this volunteer mission. However, it added that the family "was never notified that this was happening. I purchased an M1A with the sole purpose of creating a clone look-a-like rifle that matched the visual appearance of the M14 from the movie Black Hawk Down that was carried by the actor Johnny Strong as he played the role of Randy Shughart on screen. The Lincoln Police Department said that while it may have been a case of vandalism, it also could have also been a "work in progress" with gold lettering on the engravings. On Oct. 3, Gordon was the sniper team leader during Operation Gothic Serpent, an American operation that targeted Aidid's key advisers in the slums of Mogadishu. Bush authorized the dispatch of U.S. troops to Somalia to assist with famine relief as part of the larger United Nations effort. Aidid was fatally wounded in a battle with a rival militia two years later. The Springfield Armory M1A is a civilian version of the M14 rifle designed and manufactured by Springfield Armory, Inc., beginning in 1974. Again, out of ammo, he was only able to retrieve one weapon and five rounds, which he gave to Durant and said Good Luck. After their third request to be inserted, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader received permission to perform this volunteer mission. The official citation states that Shughart had been killed first but Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, relates an account by Sergeant Paul Howe who heard Shughart call for help on the radio and noted that the weapon handed to Durant was not the distinctive M14 rifle that Shughart used. At Ft. Polks JRTC, the largest town inside of The Box is named Shughart-Gordon. M14. Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant was already defending the aircraft with an MP5 but was unable to move from his chair due to a crushed vertebra in his back and a comminuted fracture of his left femur. In 1993, Somalia was ravaged by civil war, which destroyed the countrys agriculture. Gordon and Shughart were a sniper team for Delta Force and were assigned to over watch the operation, engaging targets from the Blackhawk.