Post by oldhippy on Jul 3, 2021 0:28:51 GMT
‘Black Hawk Down’ Veterans to Receive 58 Silver Stars
The Army is upgrading the valor awards of 60 special operators who participated in the ill-fated Battle of Mogadishu 28 years ago—perhaps best known through the “Black Hawk Down” book and movie. The late recognition comes as Pentagon officials decide whether to send U.S. troops to Somalia anew.
“The upgrades are a result of the October 2020 directive from former Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, who directed the Senior Army Decorations Board to re-evaluate previously approved awards for valor,” according to a statement from U.S. Army Special Operations Command, on Thursday.
The board upgraded 58 awards to Silver Stars and two others to Distinguished Flying Crosses. In all, 151 awards packets were reviewed in December from Operation Gothic Serpent, of which Battle of Mogadishu was a part, and four more awards are pending an upgrade to Distinguished Service Crosses, said Bonita Riddley, a spokesperson with U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
The Silver Star is the third-highest military combat award given in recognition of a valorous act during combat operations and while under fire from an enemy force, according to the Army. The Distinguished Flying Cross is for those who demonstrated heroism or extraordinary achievement during aerial flight.
The urban battle in Somalia’s capital occurred in October 1993. Rangers and soldiers in the air and on the ground were sent into the city to capture and arrest men working with the warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. During the battle, the ground units were caught in barricades set up by the local militia and two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down. The pilot of one of them, Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant, was taken hostage for 11 days. Eighteen soldiers died in the battle. Two snipers, Sgt. 1st Class Randall Shughart and Master Sgt. Gary Gordon, received posthumous Medals of Honor for their actions.
The special operators whose awards are being upgraded will receive the medals in separate ceremonies this year from the unit that they served in during the battle, the Army said.
The Army just upgraded combat medals given to 60 special operators of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, right as Pentagon officials decide whether to return to Somalia.
The Army is upgrading the valor awards of 60 special operators who participated in the ill-fated Battle of Mogadishu 28 years ago—perhaps best known through the “Black Hawk Down” book and movie. The late recognition comes as Pentagon officials decide whether to send U.S. troops to Somalia anew.
“The upgrades are a result of the October 2020 directive from former Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, who directed the Senior Army Decorations Board to re-evaluate previously approved awards for valor,” according to a statement from U.S. Army Special Operations Command, on Thursday.
The board upgraded 58 awards to Silver Stars and two others to Distinguished Flying Crosses. In all, 151 awards packets were reviewed in December from Operation Gothic Serpent, of which Battle of Mogadishu was a part, and four more awards are pending an upgrade to Distinguished Service Crosses, said Bonita Riddley, a spokesperson with U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
The Silver Star is the third-highest military combat award given in recognition of a valorous act during combat operations and while under fire from an enemy force, according to the Army. The Distinguished Flying Cross is for those who demonstrated heroism or extraordinary achievement during aerial flight.
The urban battle in Somalia’s capital occurred in October 1993. Rangers and soldiers in the air and on the ground were sent into the city to capture and arrest men working with the warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. During the battle, the ground units were caught in barricades set up by the local militia and two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down. The pilot of one of them, Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant, was taken hostage for 11 days. Eighteen soldiers died in the battle. Two snipers, Sgt. 1st Class Randall Shughart and Master Sgt. Gary Gordon, received posthumous Medals of Honor for their actions.
The special operators whose awards are being upgraded will receive the medals in separate ceremonies this year from the unit that they served in during the battle, the Army said.