Delta Force Sgt. 1st Class Randall Shughart and MSG Gary Gordon, fought and died together in Battle of Mogadishu: Together they received the MOH
Army Master Sgt. Gary Gordon by by Katie Lange
If you’ve ever seen the movie “Black Hawk Down,” then you know the story of Army Master Sgt. Gary Gordon. Gordon and his comrade, Army Sgt. 1st Class Randall Shughart, made the most difficult decision service members could ever make — to give their lives for their brothers in arms. This Medal of Honor Monday, we honor Gordon’s life and sacrifice during a 1993 humanitarian crisis in Somalia.
Gary Gordon was born Aug. 30, 1960, and grew up in Lincoln, Maine. At the age of 18, he joined the Army and was a combat engineer for many years before being selected for the elite Special Forces group known as Delta Force.
The Crisis
In the fall of 1993, civil war was raging in Somalia, which destroyed agriculture and led to widespread starvation. The United Nations stepped in to send humanitarian aid, but the food rations were often seized by local warlords.
By late August, the U.S. sent in Special Forces operators, including Army Rangers and Delta Force soldiers, to protect those humanitarian efforts and crack down on the warlords. This led to the First Battle of Mogadishu on Oct. 3, 1993. It was supposed to be a quick raid of the Somali capital to capture high-value targets associated with warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. But it didn’t go as planned.
The Decision
Gordon was a sniper team leader in the lead helicopter of several that were providing air support during the raid. As the chopper got hit with intense gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, Gordon’s team learned that two other Black Hawk helicopters had been shot down.
When Gordon learned that ground forces weren’t going to make it to the second crash site to secure it, he and Shughart, another Delta Force soldier, volunteered to protect the downed chopper’s survivors. They were both well aware that a hoard of militants was closing in on the crash site, and if they didn’t help, the survivors wouldn’t stand a chance. But they also knew they likely wouldn’t, either.
Twice they asked for permission to go in, and twice they were denied — it was too dangerous. But on the third request, leaders finally gave them the go-ahead.
Selfless Sacrifice
Gordon and Shughart were inserted about 100 meters south of the crash site. To get to the downed chopper, they fought their way through enemy gunfire and “a dense maze of shanties and shacks,” as the Medal of Honor citation read.
The downed helicopter’s co-pilot and crew chiefs — Ray Frank, Tom Field and Bill Cleveland — were dead when they got to the wreckage. But Gordon pulled the badly injured pilot, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Durant, from the helicopter. Gordon and Shughart then established a perimeter around the chopper, putting themselves in the most vulnerable position.
Armed with only a sniper rifle and a pistol, Gordon killed several attackers closing in on the site. When he ran out of ammunition, he dug some of the weapons and ammo out of the downed chopper, gave some of it to a dazed Durant, then radioed for help.
Eventually, Shughart was fatally wounded, and Gordon again ran out of rifle ammo. He grabbed one last rifle with the last five rounds of ammo from the wreckage, gave it to Durant and said, “Good luck.” He then went back into the fray to fight off the enemy with just his pistol. He was quickly shot and killed.
The site was overrun by the militants, who took Durant hostage. He was let go about two weeks later, but it was the selfless actions of Gordon and Shughart that ultimately saved his life.
Meanwhile, the full-scale battle continued into the early morning — about 15 hours total — and led to the deaths of 18 American service members, with many more wounded.
Honor
As Gordon and Shughart died together, they were honored together, too. Both men posthumously received the Medal of Honor on May 23, 1994, during a ceremony at the White House. Gordon’s wife and two children accepted it on his behalf.
“Gordon and Shughart knew their own chances of survival were extremely bleak. The pilot of their helicopter said that anyone in their right mind would never have gone in, but they insisted on it because they were comrades in danger, because they believed passionately in the creed that says, ‘I will not fail those with whom I serve,'” President Bill Clinton said at the ceremony. “Gary Gordon and Randall Shughart died in the most courageous and selfless way any human being can act. They risked their lives without hesitation.”
Gordon has been fondly remembered throughout the military since that day. The Navy named a sealift ship, USNS Gordon, after him in 1996. An elementary school near Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was named in his honor, and there’s also a memorial for him in his hometown.
Citation Sfc. Randall D. Shughart, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team Member, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Sfc. Shughart provided precision sniper fires from the lead helicoper during an assault on a building and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. While providing critical suppressive fires at the second crash site, Sfc. Shughart and his team leader learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the site. Sfc. 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. After their third request to be inserted, Sfc. Shughart and his team leader received permission to perform this volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Sfc. Shughart and his team leader were inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. Sfc. Shughart pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Sfc. Shughart used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers while travelling the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. Sfc. Shughart continued his protective fire until he depleted his ammunition and was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot’s life. Sfc. Shughart’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.
CITATIONM/Sgt. Gary I. Gordon, United States Army, distinguished himself by action above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team Leader, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalai. M/Sgt. Gordon’s 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. When M/Sgt. Gordon learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the crash site, he and another sniper unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critcally wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After his third request to be inserted, M/Sgt. Gordon received permission to perform his volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused him to abort the first attempt, M/Sgt. Gordon was inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and pistol, M/Sgt. Gordon and his fellow sniper, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. M/Sgt. Gordon immediately pulled the pilot and other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. M/Sgt. Gordon used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers until he depleted his ammunition. M/Sgt. Gordon then went back to the wreckage, recovering some of the crew’s weapons and ammunition. Despite the fact that he was critically low on ammunition he provided some of it to the dazed pilot and then radioed for help. M/Sgt. Gordon continued to travel the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. After his team member was fatally wounded, and his own rifle ammunition exhausted, M/Sgt. 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, MSgt. Gordon continued to fight until he was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot’s life. M/Sgt. Gordon’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.