"There was great pressure at that time to move the command to the Washington D.C. area, but I resisted because I didn't want SOCOM to become another staff agency.". [11] In the end, the battle had resulted in 17 KIA and 8597 wounded for the task force. SOAR MH-47E Chinooks and MH-60 Black Hawks inserted and extracted Delta Force units into North West Iraq, as part of allied efforts to find and destroy Saddam's mobile SCUD missile launchers, which were attacking Israel. Taking murderous fire, they were pinned down in the building around the crash site and were unable to move. The lone survivor of the Super Six Four crew, Chief Durant, is, of course, the best person to tell her tale. President Jimmy Carter revealed a secret hostage rescue mission had failed; eight American servicemen were dead and several others were seriously injured. [25], On 22 August, advance forces were deployed to Somalia followed shortly after by the main force on 25 August. 19 US Service Members were killed, and 73 were wounded. The mission was to target Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the then-leader and self-proclaimed caliph of the terrorist organization ISIS. The Night Stalkers, a nickname for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (160th SOAR), flew five helicopters carrying operators from the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), including Seal Team 6 and CIA SAS. The mission, known as Operation Gothic Serpent, aimed to capture faction leader Mohamed Farrah Aidid. Gordon was killed by enemy fire. Michael Durant is a notable former 160th Black Hawk pilot. His company specializes in the development of hi-tech aircraft flight simulators. The 160th SOAR flew multiple missions during the US-led liberation of Kuwait of it's Iraqi invaders. Operation Gothic Serpent (Black Hawk Down) Operation Gothic Serpent (Black Hawk Down) By Cap Camouflage Pattern I, July 7 . SOF is an integral part of the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve that will carry out this mission. Confusion reigned as both the ground and assault teams were under the impression that they were waiting for the other to give the call to exfil and 20 valuable minutes were lost. They even experimented with this idea in box trucks. Helicopters flown by the 160th took part in an operation against a terrorist orgranisation in Syria . 75th Ranger regt. On September 11, 2001, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) was thrust into action in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. The country was racked by civil war and a severe famine as it was ruled by a number of faction leaders. His fellow SOF aviators reinforced this point to him by flying around the city repeatedly, announcing from loudspeakers,Mike Durant, we wont leave you behind!. During the movement to the site, Delta operator SFC Earl Fillmore was killed. In a direct combat operation, members of the 160th will provide fire support or carry out a direct strike on enemy positions and forces. We dont want to just go crazy, hosing down the countryside until we know where all the friendlies are. This rival clan held him for 24 hours, and Aidid had to pay a ransom to have him returned. The battle was extremely bloody and the task force inflicted massive casualties on Somali militia forces, while suffering heavy losses themselves. Picture Information. Operation Uphold Democracy began and 3rd Special Forces Group set up three forward operating bases with Operational Detachment-Alpha teams keeping law and order in the countryside. The raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden was launched from Afghanistan. Ray Frank pulled himself out of his seat and took a position in the doorway. As part of Operation Gothic Serpent, Super Six Four and her crew had finished their mission of inserting Rangers into downtown Mogadishu. The two men made their way to the crash site, quickly establishing a perimeter, and securing the surviving crew. Flew the aircraft in this scene in "Blackhawk Down". Patrol craft with SEALs aboard were used to board ships smuggling contraband into Haiti. What he didnt realize was that word was being passed down through Somali channels that a lightly defended American helicopter had been shot down in the city. He would tell it like it was. He explains the situation: So, were having a heck of a time sorting out where everybody is. A 78-day bombing campaign eventually forced Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw his forces from Kosovo. Bradley Rassega's Post Bradley Rassega Business Development at The Boeing Company 2y FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - On October 29, 2021, U.S. Army Special Operations Command veterans received upgraded awards for actions performed during Operation Gothic Serpent, more commonly known as the . Shortly afterward, another Black Hawk helicopter, Super Six Four, was shot down by an RPG fired from the ground. Seven years after his retirement in 2001 as a Chief Warrant Officer 4, Michael Durant was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame. Ranger Regiment, Delta Force, and personnel from the 160th . As the war progressed, they would begin to operate from within Afghanistan, from airbases such as Bagram. A call came over the radio that a Black Hawk flying over the city, Super Six One, had just been hit in the tail rotor by an RPG and was going down. In a disgusting display of barbarism, members of the rabid mob took turns dragging the naked corpse of crew chief Bill Cleveland through the streets of Mogadishu. These aircraft were reassembled on-location and flew their first missions only 72 hours later. Hundreds of thousands of Kurds fled to the mountains in northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey. In today's flat world with satellite communications and the internet, it is important to understand the battlefield is global. Support Veteran Journalism , Today we remember the men of Operation Gothic Serpent who fought and died on the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia in what later became popularly known from the title of a book and film as Black Hawk Down. Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. Super 68 then suffered an RPG hit that severely damaged the helicopter and they peeled off. USSOCOM has four components consisting of U.S. The seventh raid in Mogadishu was intended to be similar to the previous six, which were conducted without any casualties. Also, U.S. Special Operations Command will take a new, leading role coordinating the Pentagon's effort to counter weapons of mass destruction. The battle is also referred to as the First . In February 1991, Operation Provide Comfort may be the best example of SOF's capability to deal with a large-scale disaster. Additionally, an MH-47E Chinook crashed in April 1996 after suffering electrical failure, resulting in the loss of five 160th SOAR members. The operation was intended to last no longer than one hour. Relief Convoy: Garrison put together an ad-hoc relief convoy consisting of Task Force 214 Infantry, 10th Mountain Division, accompanied by Malaysian and Pakistani U.N. forces. 2. In 1986, Task Force 160 was reformed as the 160th Special Operations Aviation Group (Airborne) and later redesignated as the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) in June 1990. Upon their third request the two were finally granted permission to be inserted. Once again, our service components could not talk with each other, the forces had not lived together, trained together, nor did we share the same doctrine. Gary Gordon and Sgt. "That conclusion was reinforced by the superficially successful operation in Grenada. Only the efforts of other members of the QRF, who advanced 2,000 vertical feet under fire after having been dropped off in a safer position below, saved the crew and passengers of Razor 1. No rescue team was immediately available, and the small surviving crew, including one of the pilots, Michael Durant, couldn't move. Shortly before the mission was to be concluded, an MH-60 Black Hawk, Super Six One, was shot down by a Somali combatant using a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). Task Force Ranger experienced a total of 17 killed in action and 106 wounded. On Oct. 15, 1993, Operation Support Democracy began with a naval blockade. From the beginning with Operation Earnest Will to today's Operation Inherent Resolve the special operations highlighted represent the entire spectrum of SOF unique capabilities in military operations. The two, During this time a force of about 90 Delta operators and, Black Hawk Down documentary shines new light on the battle that claimed 19 American lives. . Operating overhead in Black Hawk Super 62 were Delta snipers SFC Gary Gordon and SFC Randy Shughart who twice requested to be put down on the Super 64 crash site and were refused. Gen. Dozier kidnapping and Operation Urgent Fury. The convoy had over 100 vehicles including M-48 Pakistani tanks, Condor Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs), as well as Cobra gunships assigned to the 10th Mountain Division. At the height of the US invasion of Somalia, the Battle of Mogadishu, a defining part of Operation Gothic Serpent, became a legendary deployment of Delta. And I dont regret that at all. Their mission was to conduct unconventional warfare with coalition forces to free Afghanistan from Taliban oppression and to no longer allow the area be a safe haven for terrorist organizations. [3], During the early months of 1993, all the parties involved in the civil war agreed to a disarmament conference held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopa. Operation Gothic Serpent was a military operation conducted by United States special operations forces during the Somali Civil War with the primary mission of capturing faction leader Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The effort led to the complete rout of Taliban and al Qaeda terrorist elements in Afghanistan within 49 days. The mission ultimately culminated in what became known as the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu. In the end, 18 U.S. troops on the rescue convoy were killed, while estimates of Somali fatalities are around 1,000 militiamen killed during the battle. The regiment was designated the 160th Special Operations Aviation Group (Airborne) in 1986. The Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) supervised the operation. Successful special operations began in February 2002, and are being implemented on the island of Basilan where terrorists from the Abu Sayyaf group had taken stronghold. Somali casualties differ widely depending on the source but were anywhere between 350-1000 dead and another 1000+ wounded. Helicopters used by the 160th are mostly combat-oriented. MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- As part of Squadron Officer School's Warrior Symposium series, SOS students received details about Operation Gothic Serpent, which prompted the Battle of Mogadishu, and they also received wisdom from two members of the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment who participated in the battle Oct. 3 and 4, 1993. Raymond Alex Frank - 160th SOAR, US Army| KIA Oct 3rd. Operation Gothic Serpent led by TFR consisted of 440: Army Delta Force Operators, Rangers from the 75th Ranger Regiment, Navy SEALs, and aviators of the 160th Special Aviation Regiment (Warner & Levin, 1995, p. 5). A deployment package of 16 helicopters and personnel from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (160th SOAR), which included MH-60 Black Hawks and AH/MH-6 Little Birds. I could tell they were trying to figure out how to get out of there. Another MH-6 present in Somalia was 81-2365X (last digit not visible in the photo I have). Discussions began in Congress to reorganize special operations to better define how SOF should be used.". The crew chiefs had M-16s, so I told him where those were and he came back out and he gave me what I believe to this day was Garys weapon. Operations still continue today on a smaller scale. Re-posted with permission from Blacksmith Publishing, Fayetteville, NC. Operating overhead in Black Hawk Super 62 were Delta snipers SFC Gary Gordon and SFC Randy Shughart who twice requested to be put down on the Super 64 crash site and were refused. SOF Scud hunting operations greatly reduced the attacks, persuading Israel to not enter the war. On October 3, 1993, a mixed team of D-boys and Rangers was inserted at the Bakara Market in Mogadishu to capture two of Aidids associates. MC-130E Combat Talons led other aircraft to drop emergency supplies for the Kurdish refugees. SOF were given key roles in Operation Iraqi Freedom such as stopping Saddam Hussein from creating an ecological disaster by dumping massive quantities of oil into the Arabian Gulf and lighting oil fields on fire as he had done during Desert Storm. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), abbreviated as 160th SOAR (A), is a special operations force of the United States Army that provides helicopter aviation support for special operations forces. They would fly in, unpack the helicopters, ammo, and fuel for the helicopters to use on multiple flights a night, then repack them after multiple sorties. SOF played a strategic role throughout the Balkans region with civil affairs units coordinating large-scale humanitarian relief efforts with U.S. governmental agencies and international relief organizations, arranging food, shelter and medical care for the refugee camps. Both pilots were dead, the CSAR team moved the wounded to a better defensible point and used the kevlar armor salvaged from Super 61 to protect the wound. Operation Gothic Serpent was a military operation conducted in Mogadishu, Somalia, by an American force code-named Task Force Ranger during the Somali Civil War in 1993. Nightstalker members and aircraft have seen action worldwide in support of U.S. forces, including deployments in Operations URGENT FURY, JUST CAUSE, DESERT SHIELD, and DESERT STORM. They reached the embattled troops around 0200 on October 4th. more info: Syria Helicopter Raid, 160th assets, including AH-6 gunships, neutralized a wanted terrorist in Somalia Image retrieved via Reddit. As this ceremony was about to commence, a large number of Delta operators in civilian clothes came, many of those who were there in Mogadishu, to give the General a nice sendoff. Al Qaeda terrorist elements in Afghanistan within 49 days Kurdish refugees losses themselves were injured... 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