Summer - United States Special Operations Command

The Battle of Mogadishu:Firsthand Accounts from the Men of Task Force RangerEdited by Matt Eversmann and Dan Schilling. Forward by Mark Bowden New York: Presidio Press. 2005.ISBN: 0-345-45966-0.Review by LTC Craig A. MyattIt was a difficult way to earn military pay on acouple of hard days in Somalia. The Battle of Mogadishu:Firsthand Accounts from the Men of Task Force Ranger,edited by Eversmann and Schilling, is a telling account ofsix different descriptions of one single battle that manyknow from Mark Bowden’s Black Hawk Down: A Story ofModern War. Six men share their personal thoughts on amission planned initially for straightforward, standard operatingprocedures, to be executed in the Horn of Africa.At the time, the October 1993 Mogadishu mission becamethe fiercest ground combat that the U.S. had fought sincethe Tet Offensive in Vietnem in 1968.What draws the reader into the realities of modernday war in Eversmann’s and Schilling’s work in amanner distinct from Bowden’s literary and cinematicaccounts? The draw is the dialogue and thoughts of warriorswritten by warriors. One of the strengths of Bowden’sliterary exploit, not necessarily reflected in itscinematic portrayal, is an account of Somali viewpointsthroughout the Battle of Mogadishu. What did the averageSomali think about the American threat and carnageon his, or her, streets? What did the Osama Bin LadentrainedSomali devotee of Mohammad Farrah Aidid thinkthroughout the battle? Bowden unveils this. Eversmannand Schilling do not. They disregard the thoughts of theSomalis, and focus on their own tactics, thoughts, perceptions,and feelings in battle. The battle-smeared perspectivesof six highly trained United States warriorscaught in more of a fight than what they planned revealsthe absolute sense of courage required in war.Six men with six different accounts of one battlebecomes a streamlined series of American perspectiveson how one battle could have been, should have been,and ultimately was fought. The lessons learned in the seriesof accounts are important, but more important is thebreadth and depth of thought that led the United States tovictory through the chaos of battle. Did they plan? Ofcourse, they planned. Their planning, nonetheless, led towhat all careful planners plan to avoid — the unexpected.Confronted by the unexpected, did they pray? Yes. Werethey profane? Yes. Did they question their own actionsor the actions of others? Yes. Did they feel an impendingsense of doom? Yes. Did they quit? No.Eversmann’s and Schilling’s text is a story ofhow six men displayed the courage not to quit based onthe expert level of training they went through prior to battleand their sense of commitment to their buddies, unit,family, and nation. Each man showed ne plus ultra determinationin their heated confrontation with Somalifighters loyal to Mohammed Farrah Aidid. The Somalifighters generated a formidable force employing methodsto shoot down helicopters and go face-to-face inBook Review 83