Tom Sizemore received negative criticism for supposedly looking too calm while his character, Col. Danny McKnight, was under fire, but the real Danny McKnight consciously and deliberately forced himself to maintain a calm demeanor because he thought that if his young Rangers saw him showing fear, they might fall apart psychologically.
NCOs and officers can be afraid all they want, but should only confide in others of same rank or higher. It's not good for leadership if you visibly show fear, because fear implies uncertainty of action and uncertainty of outcome, two things that don't really go well with "knowing what you're doing" and "inspiring confidence". Excellent observation, I caught that too.
it's not shown in the film but a 3rd delta member was going to go down to the crash site with them but he had to stay on the helicopter and man the mini gun after the original gunner got injured
Ruiz, the soldier who said "Don't go back without me" died on his way to a German field hospital. The medic saying he was going to make it was giving him hope, but he was too far gone.
It's kind of hard to pick up in the movie but Gordon and Shughart were absolute heroes. From their vantage point in their helicopter they knew they were asking to go into a really bad situation but went in anyway to protect the downed aircrew.
RIP Tom Sizemore. He did a great job in this film, even though we don't see him much. This role along with his role in Saving Private Ryan showed that he was awesome in military roles.
13:30 - The actor who jumps out to grab the injured Delta operator is real life Army pilot Keith Jones (CW4). He is playing himself in this scene and is recreating his rescue of Daniel Busch and advises Eversmann on the crash site. Jones recieved a Silver Star for his actions.
As he should have. Landing a Little Bird in the middle of an RPG infested gunfight. Surprised the MH-6 could stay airborne with the weight of their massive b@lls.
I've always though that was a great bit of trivia. It's great that he wanted to play himself. However, Eversmann wasn't at the crash site as depicted. I'm pretty sure he was actually on the convoy. I've read the book and seen a couple of documentaries over the years, and I'm pretty sure that's where he was.
Busch also received a Silver Star for his actions protecting his downed chopper. He sustained numerous bullet wounds and caught shrapnel from multiple sources, but kept fighting right up until he was evac'd. He however succumbed to these wounds, and the Silver Star along with a Purple Heart were awarded posthumously.
Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart knew they were going to die. They volunteered with zero hopes of receiving backup or additional supplies. The bravery it must have taken to make that decision is unfathomable.
While they were training for this film, the actors woke up in the morning to find notes from actual survivors of this engagement, urging them to "Do this right". Alot of the actors were really moved by this.
Having served in Somalia for 6 months in 2017 with the British Army, this film hits home differently. I was based in Mogadishu international airport and went out with the military seconded to the UN as they fought back against Al-Shabaab. I actually visited the stadium you see in the film. My profile picture was actually taken in Mogadishu. Glad you enjoyed the film.
I was also there when this happened. I was with the 10th Mountain Division. We were assigned to the UN peacekeepers and were bivouacked at the stadium. The end of the movie where the UN peacekeepers came in to get them, I was with that group. Every one of those guys trapped were wounded. There were maybe 5 guys total who didnt have some sort of serious wound. I had seen action and wounded men before, but this was very different.
Hey brother...have a pint for one of yours lost in Iraq ... Ian Plank... I wont let that man be forgot. Anytime i see a Brit comment i give em a shout out for that man. Halloween of 03 .....
I'm old enough to remember the horrific video footage where the naked bodies of Gordon and Shughart were paraded in the streets of Mogadishu. This wasn't on some weird underground site either (internet was barely in its infancy), this was completely uncensored on CNN. The 90s were a different time.
I was a teen when I saw their bodies on CNN. I joined the Army (Infantry) a couple of years later and my first unit assignment was to the 10th Mountain Division, to the very same battalion that ended up going in to pull the Rangers out. There were still a couple of guys in my platoon that had served in Mogadishu.
Yep. Here we were being told it was just a "humanitarian mission", but then all of a sudden we're watching the bodies of our boys getting literally torn apart and being drug through the streets by the people we were helping... People were pissed, to say the absolute least.
Sgt. Tim Wilkinson, the Air Force Pararescueman who says to treat the wounded crew chiefs in the crashed Black Hawk because moving them would kill them, received the Air Force Cross (the Air Force's second highest award for valor just below the Medal of Honor) for his life saving efforts at the Battle of Mogadishu. At one point, to retrieve more IV fluids to save a patient from going into hypovolemic shock, he ran from one building to another and back again all while under fire. Miraculously, he wasn't hit which caused one astounded Ranger to declare "God must really love medics!"
My sociology teacher in high school was involved in this. He was a former special forces operator and would teach us jiu jitsu after school. Really cool guy. Gave up a job making a lot of money as a corprate lawyer after her got out to come teach us lol.
The real names of the Delta Force operators who died are given, but ones who survive have fictional names, partly because they're mostly composites of multiple real people, and partly to maintain the anonymity of Delta Force members who were still active in the covert unit at the time of the film's release.
I'm sure someone mentioned it already. The Ranger Regiment still conducts the "Mogadishu Mile" every year on Oct 4th, in remembrance of those who lost there lives in Somalia. Accounts differ on the exact length of the actual run depicted at the end of the film, but the Regiment runs a full mile in remembrance regardless.
The medic did *not* manage to clamp Smith's artery, so it was only a matter of time before he died, and not much time, either. He didn't give up or let go, he just bled out internally, and the nature of this particular wound made it impossible to sufficiently slow the flow of blood. He needed immediate emergency surgery at a field hospital to have had any kind of a chance, but it was too dangerous to get him that help.
Before my Grandfather died, he used to have coffee in the morning with Gen. Garrison who owned some land not far from where he lived here in central Texas. He always came across to me as an honorable, and decent man. He accepted responsibility for the consequences of a choice made by politicians, as is often the case. Regardless, the men involved in this operation are absolute legends.
@@nwj03a Maybe you knew him better than I did, but I'm fairly certain that when a soldier objects to the President's strategy, and then those objections are overruled, simply saying "No" doesn't mean the President suddenly loses the argument.
Great Reaction to this True Movie: In my Military career, I talked to some Military members who where part of this, and they state this movie is a very acurate Portrayal of the Events.... So Many Rising Stars/Actors in this Movie, Ridley Scott did a great Job.....
This is one of my favorite movies. They have so much action and still manage to tell a coherent story and make you care for each person on screen. Not many movies are able to do that without a slow start or a boring scene somewhere in the middle that could have been cut out. This is a great movie to rewatch ever now and again.
Fun little easter egg - the scene when they're boarding the choppers and heading out, the song playing in the background is a cover version of Jimmy Hendrix's "Voodoo Child" played by Stevie Ray Vaughan (one of the greatest guitarists of all time). SRV was killed in a helicopter crash.
Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon are two of the bravest delta force operators of all time, they knew they would die but they weren’t going to leave that Pilot alone. RIP in Valhalla brothers
They knew the odds were against them but they wouldn't have gonenif they knew they would die. Lee Van Arsdale, who is a former Delta operator and friends with Shugart and Gordon was the second in command to Gen Garisson in Mogadishu. He said that Delta operators may be overconfident sometimes but would never go on a suicide mission. The plan was Shughart, Gordon and Hallings would go secure the second crash site with Super 62 providing cover until the convoy arrived. A crew chief got injured before they were inserted and Hallings stayed in the Black Hawk replacing him and only Shughart and Gordon were inserted. Then Hallings got his leg ripped off with an RPG and Super 62 were badly damage and crash landed near the base. So Shughart and Gordon foumd themself alone defending the crash site. Fun fact, Hallings was the one who killed the animal that they were cooking in the hangar. I think he made a bet with Gordon about shooting the animal on one of their day off. But Gen Garisson didnot allow the Delta operators to eat it to prevent them from getting ill.
One of the things that they get wrong, or never explained, is that Chalk 4 (the one with Orlando, Ewan and Josh), was inserted into the wrong holding location, and had to move over a block to get to their assigned security position.
Speaking of Tom Hardy, I also suggest Dunkirk (2017). It also has music by Hans Zimmer, but his score for that movie is very ominous. #DunkirkForAddieCounts
"It happened...so...so quickly!" Welcome to combat. Things happen in the blink of an eye and a half second can change everything. The funny thing is, there are moments where time seems to slow down. You go from a manic state of everything happening at once to a slowed down, deep perception of everything around you, and then back to utter chaos. My old Platoon Sergeant once told me that when time dilates like that it means that something almost killed you. I'm not entirely sure of that, but it makes as much sense as anything. The scene with Smith is a real bitch because there's nothing more soul crushing as a medic than not being able to do anything for your patient. You're going to keep fighting, but you know that you're eventually going to lose. It sucks in a way I can't adequately describe.
Shughart and Gordon didn’t die alone. The film only has one pilot live, when in reality the whole crew of the UH-60 survived and took part in the perimeter defense. They all died side by side before the pilot was taken prisoner. Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon both received the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for their actions that day. True heroes.
The super 61 Cliff "Elvis" Wolcot In fact, he was a legend among the Nightstalkers, he was the pilot who took Air Force observers to reconnoiter the iraquian defenses before the bombing that preceded Desert Storm.He did this by flying under the still active anti-aircraft defenses without being detected. That's why when he was hit he was so calm. When the helicopter is shot down he knew that he and the co-pilot would survive and And so he turned off the engines, to give the crew a chance of survival.
Addie, the movie is extremely accurate, with some creative liberties taken. For example, some characters performed roles that were actually another character during the event. Eversman (Josh Hartnett) was actually in the lost convoy rather than securing the super 61 crash site, which was done by Tom Ditomasso who is only briefly in this movie. The tactics and equipment is completely accurate, as men from the actual units (3rd Ranger battalion, and 160th SOAR) performed many of the stunts and flying scenes in the movie. I was inspired by this movie at a young age to join the military, and actually ended up serving in B company 3rd Ranger BN. Many of us still gather every year outside fort Benning (now fort Moore) on the anniversary of the event to run a 5k in honor of those men. For me, the annual rendezvous with my Ranger buddies is the highlight of my year, and has helped me a lot post service. Thank for reacting to this one, it means a lot to us for others to know the story.
I will never forget the time I was able to meet Mike Durant ( the Blackhawk pilot captured during the battle of Mogadishu) and hearing his story!!! He told me when I asked him about his reaction to Gordon and Shughart ( the delta force snipers ) and his reaction to the hen they showed up, he told me he prays for them every night for what they did and that they find peace in the afterlife! And that he had never and will never meet any more braver men in his entire life!!!
Mark Bowden, the author of "Blackhawk Down" did, or had a documentary done about these events and in interviews with soldiers there, the soldiers all said that the movie accurately portrayed what happened there
Thank you for reacting to this. For some reason I thought I had already seen this movie. Less than 5 mins into your reaction I realized I hadn't. Had to stop and go watch damn I'm proud of American Soldiers. 💙🇺🇸🙏
Addie if you’re wondering the way hoot and eversman lead their fellow rangers is how a bunch of soilders lead their platoons and also if you listen to tom satterly who was there you can tell he never forgets what happened there
This movie has so many young actors that are now very famous that there should be a drinking game associated with it - Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Tom Hardy, Ewan McGregor, Orlando Bloom, Jeremy Piven, Hugh Dancy, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, on and on.
It seems a recurring thing that large, ensemble-cast war films have a bunch of young up and coming actors, just because of the sheer need for young white men (whom the stories are usually about, in western conflicts). Saving Private Ryan has the same thing going for it.
I highly recommend reading the book. There have also been several books about since this movie was made. One of the books was an autobiography by Michael Durant, the survivor of the second crash. Gary Gordon and Randy Shugart both received a posthumous Medal of Honor for trying to protect the second crash site. When I was in the Navy, my ship spent a month just off the coast from Mogadishu, just going back and forth in the water for intelligence purposes. This was back in 05/06. While there, we had a flight deck showing of Black Hawk Down.
If you can track it down, the history Channel took on this movie in an episode of History vs Hollywood. They interviewed men who actually took part in the mission and compared the movie to the actual events. It was a great show.
This film is bang on. The book goes into more detail obviously but the film did a great job at covering the main points of the story. The book was written based on accounts from surviving soldiers and the author even went to Mogadishu and interviewed Somali's that were in the fight or bystanders that saw events that occurred. The author originally wanted to read Army publications that would describe what happened, what went wrong, and who was to blame but was astonished to find that the Army hardly did any deep diving investigations into the largest loss of life in combat the US army had suffered in a single battle since Vietnam. That prompted him to start digging into it himself. The book is now unofficially considered the after action investigation report because of its thoroughness.
The older soldiers with the black helmet are mostly members of the Combat Applications Group(CAG) originally called 1st special operations detachment Delta or as they are known in popular culture Delta Force or simply the Unit. They are the US Army's elite counter terrorist and direct action unit. Every soldier in this unit has to be at least a Staff Sergent in rank. Additionally there was a Four man team of Navy Seals from their counterpart in the Navy, the Naval Special Warfare Development Group(Devgru aka Seal Team Six) and several members of the airforces special operations Pararescuemen(airmen trained to parachute and ride helicopters into active combat zones as medic) and Combat controllers(airmen trained to fight alongaide special operations units and call in airstrikes) .the main force of the task force was a company of Rangers from the 3rd Raer battalion of the 75th Ranger regiment. The Rangers are America's elite light infantry unit they specialise in long range reconnaissance and airborne operations. Many of the The CAG soldiers would have been Rangers when they where younger as the Ranger regiment is considered to be the entry level unit into the Army's special operations community
A couple of quick notes that might be of interest: Doc Schmid was actually a Delta Force medic, not a Ranger; 5 Black Hawks were actually shot down over the course of the first day. Super 6-1 and 6-4 crashed in the city (6-1 crashed in a narrow alleyway and 6-4 landed in a shanty town), Super 6-2 (the chopper that put Gary Gordon and Randy Shugart in) was broadsided by an RPG and limped its way to the port facility where the crew was picked up, Super 6-6 was disabled by gunfire but crashed back at the base. The crew grabbed the one spare Hawk and flew back into the fight and flew resupply missions throughout the night and Super6-8 the CSAR bird, as shown, was hit in the main rotor by an RPG. They managed to crash land back the base as well; at the end, the Rangers didn't have to run all the way to the stadium. The convoy, which included tanks, were set up outside the city on the main road and the mile the men ran was from inside the city to the main road. They were picked up there and taken to the stadium. The tanks were too big to get inside the narrow streets so they unleaded their shells from outside the city.
They almost did lose more than two Blackhawks. The SAR chopper was so badly damaged that it barely made to base. The chopper that droppes Shugart (sp) and Gordon later took an RPG and nearly crashed hard because it stunned or knocked out the pilots. It also took the leg off of another Delta operator who stayed on board to operate a minigun because the crew chief had been wounded. A Blackhawk did make an supply drop and attempt to pick up the Ranger shot in the Fermoral Artery, but it was shot up so badly it barely had time to drop the supplies before it had to leave and barely made it back. Several others were also shot up pretty badly. They didn't get the convoys quite right. The one that went back out from the base and dropped off a couple of men was headed for Durant's crash site, but they couldn't reach it. It was either this group or a previous one that ran into a heavy ambush and narrowly escaped being wiped out. McKnight's convoy was told to turn around because of another communications foul up. He was getting directions from two different people. One could see Durant's crash site and knew it was just the two Delta men there and was trying to direct the convoy to them. The higher command was still trying to get the convoy to the first crash, which had more men. A few vehicles at the lead followed the first direction to Durant's site instead of taking a turn higher command ordered. Once the foul up was sorted, the vehicles had to turn aroun on narrow streets and go back to the main convoy and keep driving around getting shot up in barely running machines. It really is a miracle they all didn't get killed.
The phone call scene really did happen. It wasn't SFC Shughart as portrayed in the movie making the call. It was CW4 Ray Frank, Durant's co-pilot of Super 64, from crash site two.
Fun fact: the reason there were so many sharks in the ocean that close to the coast was because of two factors; 1. All the sewage and garbage being dumped into the water bc Mogadishu (and the surrounding area) had no stable waste disposal system in place so everyone pretty much threw all their nasty shit into the coastline waters. 2. Bodies/corpses of those who had starved to death bc of the famine as well as those who had perished due to all the clans fighting amongst themselves. Don't take it from me, this info is coming straight from American military personnel who were stationed there during that time (ie. Tom Satterly), many describing the place as a literal hell on earth.
I went to Mogadishu a few years ago. It was a sensation because I knew what happened in Mogadishu '93. the situation is a lot better but still you experience a lot of terrorism when you go there
When they are trying to get Wolcott's body out of the wreck and the General says "Do what you have to do." were implying that they cut his legs off? I've always wondered that. If you look at his body when they finally get him out, he looks shorter to me.
Great reaction Addie like always! The Air Force Pararescueman Tim Wilkinson who is depicted stabilizing and treating the crew chiefs of the first downed Black Hawk in the helicopter because they couldn't be moved received the Air Force Cross (the Air Force's second highest decoration for valor) for his lifesaving efforts in the Battle of Mogadishu. At one point, he had to run back and forth under fire between buildings to treat wounded soldiers and miraculously wasn't hit once. One of the Rangers, who was amazed after seeing this, said "God must really love medics," and other joked that Wilkinson was such a slow runner that the Somalis were over estimating how much to lead their shots (you "lead," i.e. fire ahead of, a moving target so that your bullets and the target reach the same place at the same time). Little known fact, the Somalis use of RPGs as anti-aircraft weapons was actually really creative. The RPG is not an anti-aircraft weapon. It's an anti-tank weapon. Pointed upward it only has a max range of 300 meters, and it leaves a smoke trail that can be easily tracked back to the person who fired it. Using an RPG to shoot down helicopters actually requires a high degree of skill and courage. Keep up the good work.
3 Things that were left out of this movie from the book that I wish could have been included. They show just how brutal things actually were. 1. The "Little Bird" helicopters ran overwatch all night long, using their miniguns, with up to a 3000 round per minute firing rate. Any time they saw large groups of people gathering, they would start shooting at them to keep them from being able to overrun the Americans with mass numbers. Numbers vary, but it is estimated they killed at LEAST 500-1000 Samalies, though I suspect that number may be WAY HIGHER. with injuries reaching at least 1,500 or more. The majority were killed by those helicopters whobkept reloading and going back all night. 18 Americans were killed and 70 wounded. Which basically meant that almost every man that went in recieved some kind of wound. 2. When the rescue convoy entered the battle area they started shooting EVERYTHING. Even tossing grenades in any open windows in order to keep Aydid's forces pinned down and unable to shoot back at them. They were causing so much destruction that the very troops they were heading to rescue were afraid they would kill them as well. They had to throw out out strobe lights to let them know when to stop shooting. 3. The movie glossed over how Durant, the chopper pilot was released. A few days after the battle, a US negotiator went to meet with a representative for Aydid. In a later interview the negotiator said that this was the easiest negotiation he had ever had, because he already had the blessing from President Clinton for what he would say. He let the Samali negotiator go first. He gave a speach praising Aydid and then gave a long list of demands. The US representative let him finish and then said (paraphrase) "I have heard your demands and I will see what I can do, I can make no prommises about them at this time. However, I can promise you this. If Durant is not released VERY SOON, neither I nor anyone else can stop what is coming. Our men, our country, wants revenge. We are currently reinforcing and bringing in heavy armor. An aircraft carrier will be here in a few days. We WILL level your city until no two stones stand on top of each other.". Then he walked out. Durant was released a couple of days later with no Samali demands being met. Of course then, a few weeks later, President Clinton pulled everybody out. Although the troops felt betrayed by the move. He really had no choice, it was a no win situation for the US. like Aydid's fighters told the men in the movie. It was a Civil War. Not our war. There was no government for the US to try and support, just many different warlords trying to kill each other and nothing would stop them. The author, when writing the book even went to Samalia while writing it and talked to many of the Samalis who were there on both sides. He asked them if they wanted peace. They all said yes. Then he asked them how they would achieve that peace. They would point in the direction of the nearest warlord territory and say "When they are all dead, we will finally have peace". You cant just make people like that stop fighting.
My friend’s dad (Army Ranger) partook in this battle. He’s a tough rugged angry men who was permanently messed up by this experience. He had to walk out of the theater when he saw this movie.
"Firimbi," the Somali militia man who guarded Mike Durant while he was held hostage, had many conversions with Durant trying to convert him and make him sympathetic the the militia. After Durant's release, Firimbi even invited him to come visit him in Somalia.
Jeff Streuker, the lead Humvee driver, has a RUclips channel where he's posted dozens of videos discussing the real events compared to the movie. He says it's as accurate as any movie can be given the medium's limitations.
Very accurate, some of the background actors were actually there. This shows the evil of war, men and circumstances, it also shows the nobility of our soldiers, their absolute fighting excellence and the toll on their mostly good souls
23:35 Sadly, he didn't. Arteries are like elastic bands, and they had to stretch the artery in order to clamp it and stop the bleeding, but as it slipped it went even further into his body, causing him to eventually bleed to death.
All the actors who played US Army Rangers went to a special Ranger boot camp prior to shooting the movie that the Rangers put together for the actors and they were taught how to move like Rangers and they learned the phrase "slow is smooth and smooth is fast" and Ty Burrell actually quoted that in Modern Family in the S1 E22 "Airport" episode.
it is believed that the pilots of the first blackhawk to crash deliberately nosed down at the last moment so that they took the impact saving the crew in the back
I was in my medical residency when this happened, and even as cut off from the outside world as I was working the clinics, the ER and doing 24 hour on calls, I heard the news and saw the photos and videos of dead Americans being dragged through the streets.
I highly recommend reading the book. There were some liberties taken when compared to the book, but i really felt that the point of the book was to entirely understand what happened and why, and the point of the movie was to depoct that graphically. Rodley Scott did a great job of retelling the brutality of it all. Such a needlessly sad situation all around.
Great movie, another one that is very close to me personally is "American Sniper". If you have not seen it, it is well worth watching. The acting, the story of the making of the movie, all of it is really incredible. Directed by Clint Eastwood, Starring Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, which is such a visual transformation for Cooper it is really impressive. The behind the scenes content is also quite extensive and also really worth watching as it tells the story of what happened during the making of the movie and how it changed everything the movie was meant to be. I served in Iraq during the time this movie takes place so it has a special place for me personally, but it really is a phenomenal movie whether you have a connection to it or not.
Struker ended up becoming a chaplain in the army after this. I met him when I was at Fort Benning during Basic. I went into the army at the start of the GWOT. Eneded up watching this and We were soldiers during sundays at basic. We had some senior NCOs who had been there in Somalia with 10th Mountain. Was super huge shock to the system going from hype and being up on propoganda, to then getting the real shit and scaring us. Movie was done with the full support of Delta and Rangers and the Army. They worked with the full cast before the movie started shooting to ensure that the actors were as correct as possible.
Such a good movie. I would rate in at about 80% accurate. They compressed the timeline in a few places, made a couple characters up and changed where certain people were during the fight but aside from that, they stayed true to actual events. I remember watching this on the news and having a discussion about it in my sophmore health class.
For sure a great reaction and I thank you for doing this. I do have a movie in mind for you to react to here, it's called Eddie and the cruisers. It is a great movie with good music as well.
That guy Joseph Wallace, he was publicly subbed to six different gf experience ASMR channels until I started pointing it out. Now his subs are private! Kekekekekeke
@@ShwiftJustice lol nope, you're literally just making shit up out of desperation; you on the other hand have been stalking me for literally five months and hundreds of comments, dying to get me back after I reminded you that you're an MCU manchild lmaoooo
@@tjohnson2789 lol this manchild has literally been stalking me for MONTHS across multiple youtube channels all because I said marvel movies are for babies lmaoooooooo
@@tjohnson2789 lmao this autist has been stalking me for months across *multiple* youtube channels just because I said marvel movies are for babies lmaoooo
Because the pilots were killed, the crew chiefs critically wounded, and the other Delta sniper suffered a dislocated shoulder in the crash, Dan Busch had to singlehandedly defend crash site one until the Rangers arrived. Though he was evacuated on the Search And Rescue (SAR) Little Bird helicopter, he later died of his wounds. I believe the decoration posthumously awarded for his heroism was eventually upgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army's second highest award for valor.
One of the Rangers said that, as he was running out of Mogadishu, it made him sad to see the little donkey lying dead in the road still tied to its cart.
Everytime I see those laughing black kids while the protagonists are running to the base, I always cry uncontrollably even though I'm not a man who is even emotional. There is really something haunting about that scene. I'm even surprised that you didn't cried to that part knowing that you are more emotional than me. It's a shame that somewhere in the world these kind of things happen.
Grimes is based on a specific real person, but his name had to be changed for the movie because the real person ended up in prison for a pretty serious crime.
A friend of the Shugharts who saw Randy's body when it had been recovered after being dragged through the streets and abused told his wife she shouldn't come and see it and that "You wouldn't be able to recognized him." This despite the fact that she ha been a nurse an knew how badly a body can be mutilated.
If you want to hear a first-hand account of this, last October Shawn Ryan interviewed CSM Tom Satterly, one of the Deltas who was on the ground when this happened. It's a 3 part interview, roughly 8 hours total, and parts of it make this movie feel G-rated. It's not just about the Battle of Mogadishu, but also about the mental health effects of being a soldier in a war zone. If you're truly as interested as you seem in your reaction, I'd personally consider Shawn's interview a mandatory watch when you have the time. I won't link it, though, out of respect for your channel.
I watched a great interview with the real Struecker about this event and how it led him to become a Chaplain (military priest) he then returned to special forces. The men loved that their new Chaplain had been through the same things they go through. Most special forces Chaplains have not served as special forces before they get assigned to the teams
The Department of Defense supported this movie, providing training to the actors, and having helicopters from the 160th Spec Ops Aviation Regiment (the same unit as the ones used on the real mission) made available for filming.
One of my favourite movies I remember watching it in the theatre it horrible snow storm that night but me and my buddy were determined to see it..... Seeing Josh Hartnett reminds me you should check out the movie Pearl Harbour
Truth be told, those were some pretty lucky hits on those helicopters. It's not that easy to target the tail rotors with RPGs, which aren't designed to be fired upward or aimed all that accurately. It has happened occasionally, but downing two helicopters during one operation in short order is very unusual. If it weren't, then we'd never use helicopters like this, but we still do all the time.
Actually, we don't anymore. The various after-action reports from this incident (combined with those from the loss of Spirit 03) forced a dramatic shift in how joint special ops missions are approved and executed. There were dozens of individual findings that were acted upon, the largest of which was that day missions were no longer considered viable except under extremely controlled situations. I was a young copilot in AFSOC (MC-130P Combat Shadows) stationed in Okinawa during both of these incidents, and the long-term impact of the missions on how Special Ops performs was second only to Eagle Claw itself (which is what drove the formation of joint Special Ops in the first place).
What the movie doesn't show, is just how many RPGs were flying around. According to the book. Literally dozens, if not 100 or more, were fired at the low, slow helicopters. So It wasnt that they shot an RPG and it hit a helicopter, it's more that they were firing SO MANY RPGs that a couple eventually hit the right spots. They WERE aiming for the tail rotors, as they were a known weakness. It just took a lot of shots to finally hit.
The movie is accurate and realistic. Lots of courage displayed that day. Their commander, the Army general, decided to go in without letting any other forces in the area know what was happening. The US had other special forces including seals and recon. And we knew where the warlord was, I know this for a fact. We didn't know they went in until we heard about it after the fact, after it was too late.
In an interview, one of the former Rangers who didn't get a spot in any of the APCs and so had to run for his life in the "Mogadishu Mile" said "We're RUNNING out of Mogadishu? What a great idea! I could have done that YESTERDAY (instead of spending all night getting shot at waiting for APCs that didn't have room for me anyway)!"
"Gordy's gone man. I'll be outside. Good luck"
Breaks my heart every time
Tom Sizemore received negative criticism for supposedly looking too calm while his character, Col. Danny McKnight, was under fire, but the real Danny McKnight consciously and deliberately forced himself to maintain a calm demeanor because he thought that if his young Rangers saw him showing fear, they might fall apart psychologically.
NCOs and officers can be afraid all they want, but should only confide in others of same rank or higher. It's not good for leadership if you visibly show fear, because fear implies uncertainty of action and uncertainty of outcome, two things that don't really go well with "knowing what you're doing" and "inspiring confidence".
Excellent observation, I caught that too.
There is a special place in heaven for Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon RIP❤
The best of us. Also, all hail the rotary wing pilots.
@@chrisdennis1449 if "heaven" permits imperial stormtroopers like them, then all the decent people are in hell
it's not shown in the film but a 3rd delta member was going to go down to the crash site with them but he had to stay on the helicopter and man the mini gun after the original gunner got injured
Yes there is.
Someone vandalized Gary Gordons grave here in Maine back in May 2020...
Ruiz, the soldier who said "Don't go back without me" died on his way to a German field hospital. The medic saying he was going to make it was giving him hope, but he was too far gone.
It's kind of hard to pick up in the movie but Gordon and Shughart were absolute heroes. From their vantage point in their helicopter they knew they were asking to go into a really bad situation but went in anyway to protect the downed aircrew.
@@asmrhead1560 "heroes" don't volunteer to play imperial stormtrooper in the colonies.
@@josephwallace202 but stormtroopers can't hit anything
@@josephwallace202only feeble minds compare real life to a fictional universe.
@@c1ph3rpunk agreed, which is why it's a shame I need to stoop to their level to convey the point in a manner they can grasp
@@brett15180 True, I guess they don't always have endless air and artillery support to hide behind either
RIP Tom Sizemore. He did a great job in this film, even though we don't see him much. This role along with his role in Saving Private Ryan showed that he was awesome in military roles.
13:30 - The actor who jumps out to grab the injured Delta operator is real life Army pilot Keith Jones (CW4). He is playing himself in this scene and is recreating his rescue of Daniel Busch and advises Eversmann on the crash site. Jones recieved a Silver Star for his actions.
As he should have. Landing a Little Bird in the middle of an RPG infested gunfight. Surprised the MH-6 could stay airborne with the weight of their massive b@lls.
I've always though that was a great bit of trivia. It's great that he wanted to play himself. However, Eversmann wasn't at the crash site as depicted. I'm pretty sure he was actually on the convoy. I've read the book and seen a couple of documentaries over the years, and I'm pretty sure that's where he was.
His co-pilot was also played by the actual First Sergeant who was his real co-pilot
Busch also received a Silver Star for his actions protecting his downed chopper. He sustained numerous bullet wounds and caught shrapnel from multiple sources, but kept fighting right up until he was evac'd. He however succumbed to these wounds, and the Silver Star along with a Purple Heart were awarded posthumously.
@@themisfitbrigade pilots are never enlisted. Karl Maier was a Chief Warrant Officer like Jones.
Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart knew they were going to die. They volunteered with zero hopes of receiving backup or additional supplies.
The bravery it must have taken to make that decision is unfathomable.
If only they didn't wear those dicky helmets. The Rangers had the coolest helmets.
@@tylerdurden2460 not bravery. Servility. You people yourselves even thank these mindless thralls for their "service." It's not a secret.
@@josephwallace202There there. It's okay. You're okay.
@@ShwiftJustice nobody will ever beg you for approval. Nobody wants the approval of a worm.
@@josephwallace202there there. Shhhhh.
While they were training for this film, the actors woke up in the morning to find notes from actual survivors of this engagement, urging them to "Do this right". Alot of the actors were really moved by this.
Having served in Somalia for 6 months in 2017 with the British Army, this film hits home differently.
I was based in Mogadishu international airport and went out with the military seconded to the UN as they fought back against Al-Shabaab. I actually visited the stadium you see in the film.
My profile picture was actually taken in Mogadishu. Glad you enjoyed the film.
Thx for your service brother
My husband is from Mogadishu, would have been 3 or 4 years old when this happened. Thank you for your service!!
I was also there when this happened. I was with the 10th Mountain Division. We were assigned to the UN peacekeepers and were bivouacked at the stadium. The end of the movie where the UN peacekeepers came in to get them, I was with that group. Every one of those guys trapped were wounded. There were maybe 5 guys total who didnt have some sort of serious wound. I had seen action and wounded men before, but this was very different.
Hey brother...have a pint for one of yours lost in Iraq ... Ian Plank... I wont let that man be forgot. Anytime i see a Brit comment i give em a shout out for that man. Halloween of 03 .....
Them: "Do men even have feelings?"
Me: Gordy's gone, man. I'll be outside. Good luck...
I'm old enough to remember the horrific video footage where the naked bodies of Gordon and Shughart were paraded in the streets of Mogadishu. This wasn't on some weird underground site either (internet was barely in its infancy), this was completely uncensored on CNN. The 90s were a different time.
I was in my 20s when this happened. I remember that as well and seeing it in news magazines. It was rough.
I remember, too. I was at Paris Island when the Marines were still there. I knew quite a few guys who served there.
I was a teen when I saw their bodies on CNN.
I joined the Army (Infantry) a couple of years later and my first unit assignment was to the 10th Mountain Division, to the very same battalion that ended up going in to pull the Rangers out. There were still a couple of guys in my platoon that had served in Mogadishu.
Yep.
Here we were being told it was just a "humanitarian mission", but then all of a sudden we're watching the bodies of our boys getting literally torn apart and being drug through the streets by the people we were helping...
People were pissed, to say the absolute least.
And their body parts were returned in trash bags
Sgt. Tim Wilkinson, the Air Force Pararescueman who says to treat the wounded crew chiefs in the crashed Black Hawk because moving them would kill them, received the Air Force Cross (the Air Force's second highest award for valor just below the Medal of Honor) for his life saving efforts at the Battle of Mogadishu. At one point, to retrieve more IV fluids to save a patient from going into hypovolemic shock, he ran from one building to another and back again all while under fire. Miraculously, he wasn't hit which caused one astounded Ranger to declare "God must really love medics!"
PJ’s are a different breed!!
My sociology teacher in high school was involved in this. He was a former special forces operator and would teach us jiu jitsu after school. Really cool guy. Gave up a job making a lot of money as a corprate lawyer after her got out to come teach us lol.
The real names of the Delta Force operators who died are given, but ones who survive have fictional names, partly because they're mostly composites of multiple real people, and partly to maintain the anonymity of Delta Force members who were still active in the covert unit at the time of the film's release.
I'm sure someone mentioned it already. The Ranger Regiment still conducts the "Mogadishu Mile" every year on Oct 4th, in remembrance of those who lost there lives in Somalia.
Accounts differ on the exact length of the actual run depicted at the end of the film, but the Regiment runs a full mile in remembrance regardless.
The medic did *not* manage to clamp Smith's artery, so it was only a matter of time before he died, and not much time, either. He didn't give up or let go, he just bled out internally, and the nature of this particular wound made it impossible to sufficiently slow the flow of blood. He needed immediate emergency surgery at a field hospital to have had any kind of a chance, but it was too dangerous to get him that help.
This death was so sad. When reading the book, it happened just as you described.
Before my Grandfather died, he used to have coffee in the morning with Gen. Garrison who owned some land not far from where he lived here in central Texas. He always came across to me as an honorable, and decent man. He accepted responsibility for the consequences of a choice made by politicians, as is often the case. Regardless, the men involved in this operation are absolute legends.
Garrison was a moron, his choices led to that entire disaster. “No” is a word you can use.
@@nwj03a Maybe you knew him better than I did, but I'm fairly certain that when a soldier objects to the President's strategy, and then those objections are overruled, simply saying "No" doesn't mean the President suddenly loses the argument.
Great Reaction to this True Movie:
In my Military career, I talked to some Military members who where part of this, and they state this movie is a very acurate Portrayal of the Events....
So Many Rising Stars/Actors in this Movie, Ridley Scott did a great Job.....
This is one of my favorite movies. They have so much action and still manage to tell a coherent story and make you care for each person on screen. Not many movies are able to do that without a slow start or a boring scene somewhere in the middle that could have been cut out. This is a great movie to rewatch ever now and again.
Fun little easter egg - the scene when they're boarding the choppers and heading out, the song playing in the background is a cover version of Jimmy Hendrix's "Voodoo Child" played by Stevie Ray Vaughan (one of the greatest guitarists of all time).
SRV was killed in a helicopter crash.
Addie jinxed it. They would have been back in an hour if she would have not said anything...
Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon are two of the bravest delta force operators of all time, they knew they would die but they weren’t going to leave that Pilot alone. RIP in Valhalla brothers
They knew the odds were against them but they wouldn't have gonenif they knew they would die. Lee Van Arsdale, who is a former Delta operator and friends with Shugart and Gordon was the second in command to Gen Garisson in Mogadishu. He said that Delta operators may be overconfident sometimes but would never go on a suicide mission. The plan was Shughart, Gordon and Hallings would go secure the second crash site with Super 62 providing cover until the convoy arrived. A crew chief got injured before they were inserted and Hallings stayed in the Black Hawk replacing him and only Shughart and Gordon were inserted. Then Hallings got his leg ripped off with an RPG and Super 62 were badly damage and crash landed near the base. So Shughart and Gordon foumd themself alone defending the crash site.
Fun fact, Hallings was the one who killed the animal that they were cooking in the hangar. I think he made a bet with Gordon about shooting the animal on one of their day off. But Gen Garisson didnot allow the Delta operators to eat it to prevent them from getting ill.
One of the things that they get wrong, or never explained, is that Chalk 4 (the one with Orlando, Ewan and Josh), was inserted into the wrong holding location, and had to move over a block to get to their assigned security position.
That scene was actually filmed but cut from the final version for pacing and run time.
This is Tom Hardy first movie in his entire life.
Speaking of Tom Hardy, I also suggest Dunkirk (2017). It also has music by Hans Zimmer, but his score for that movie is very ominous. #DunkirkForAddieCounts
Then did Star Trek:Nemesis 6 months later and Band of Brothers the year before this movie
"It happened...so...so quickly!" Welcome to combat. Things happen in the blink of an eye and a half second can change everything. The funny thing is, there are moments where time seems to slow down. You go from a manic state of everything happening at once to a slowed down, deep perception of everything around you, and then back to utter chaos. My old Platoon Sergeant once told me that when time dilates like that it means that something almost killed you. I'm not entirely sure of that, but it makes as much sense as anything. The scene with Smith is a real bitch because there's nothing more soul crushing as a medic than not being able to do anything for your patient. You're going to keep fighting, but you know that you're eventually going to lose. It sucks in a way I can't adequately describe.
Shughart and Gordon didn’t die alone. The film only has one pilot live, when in reality the whole crew of the UH-60 survived and took part in the perimeter defense. They all died side by side before the pilot was taken prisoner.
Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon both received the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for their actions that day. True heroes.
The super 61 Cliff "Elvis" Wolcot In fact, he was a legend among the Nightstalkers, he was the pilot who took Air Force observers to reconnoiter the iraquian defenses before the bombing that preceded Desert Storm.He did this by flying under the still active anti-aircraft defenses without being detected. That's why when he was hit he was so calm. When the helicopter is shot down he knew that he and the co-pilot would survive and And so he turned off the engines, to give the crew a chance of survival.
Addie, the movie is extremely accurate, with some creative liberties taken. For example, some characters performed roles that were actually another character during the event. Eversman (Josh Hartnett) was actually in the lost convoy rather than securing the super 61 crash site, which was done by Tom Ditomasso who is only briefly in this movie. The tactics and equipment is completely accurate, as men from the actual units (3rd Ranger battalion, and 160th SOAR) performed many of the stunts and flying scenes in the movie.
I was inspired by this movie at a young age to join the military, and actually ended up serving in B company 3rd Ranger BN. Many of us still gather every year outside fort Benning (now fort Moore) on the anniversary of the event to run a 5k in honor of those men. For me, the annual rendezvous with my Ranger buddies is the highlight of my year, and has helped me a lot post service. Thank for reacting to this one, it means a lot to us for others to know the story.
I will never forget the time I was able to meet Mike Durant ( the Blackhawk pilot captured during the battle of Mogadishu) and hearing his story!!! He told me when I asked him about his reaction to Gordon and Shughart ( the delta force snipers ) and his reaction to the hen they showed up, he told me he prays for them every night for what they did and that they find peace in the afterlife! And that he had never and will never meet any more braver men in his entire life!!!
Mark Bowden, the author of "Blackhawk Down" did, or had a documentary done about these events and in interviews with soldiers there, the soldiers all said that the movie accurately portrayed what happened there
Such a cast of characters with such an incredible cast and group of actors. Top tier war movie.
Thank you for reacting to this. For some reason I thought I had already seen this movie. Less than 5 mins into your reaction I realized I hadn't. Had to stop and go watch damn I'm proud of American Soldiers. 💙🇺🇸🙏
Addie if you’re wondering the way hoot and eversman lead their fellow rangers is how a bunch of soilders lead their platoons and also if you listen to tom satterly who was there you can tell he never forgets what happened there
He can't forget what he never knew, which is a lot more than his immediate personal experience
@@josephwallace202that’s so true
I was a kid and my dad was in the army when this all went down. This movie always gets me super emotional..
This movie has so many young actors that are now very famous that there should be a drinking game associated with it - Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Tom Hardy, Ewan McGregor, Orlando Bloom, Jeremy Piven, Hugh Dancy, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, on and on.
It seems a recurring thing that large, ensemble-cast war films have a bunch of young up and coming actors, just because of the sheer need for young white men (whom the stories are usually about, in western conflicts). Saving Private Ryan has the same thing going for it.
There are interviews with some of the Delta operators and they give their accounts of what happened.
As a modern era combat vet, Airborne Infantry US Army, this movie is basically as real as it gets.
this movie is in my top 3 favorite war movies. I feel it depicts the realities of war really well.
I highly recommend reading the book. There have also been several books about since this movie was made. One of the books was an autobiography by Michael Durant, the survivor of the second crash. Gary Gordon and Randy Shugart both received a posthumous Medal of Honor for trying to protect the second crash site. When I was in the Navy, my ship spent a month just off the coast from Mogadishu, just going back and forth in the water for intelligence purposes. This was back in 05/06. While there, we had a flight deck showing of Black Hawk Down.
If you can track it down, the history Channel took on this movie in an episode of History vs Hollywood. They interviewed men who actually took part in the mission and compared the movie to the actual events. It was a great show.
This film is bang on. The book goes into more detail obviously but the film did a great job at covering the main points of the story.
The book was written based on accounts from surviving soldiers and the author even went to Mogadishu and interviewed Somali's that were in the fight or bystanders that saw events that occurred.
The author originally wanted to read Army publications that would describe what happened, what went wrong, and who was to blame but was astonished to find that the Army hardly did any deep diving investigations into the largest loss of life in combat the US army had suffered in a single battle since Vietnam.
That prompted him to start digging into it himself.
The book is now unofficially considered the after action investigation report because of its thoroughness.
The older soldiers with the black helmet are mostly members of the Combat Applications Group(CAG) originally called 1st special operations detachment Delta or as they are known in popular culture Delta Force or simply the Unit. They are the US Army's elite counter terrorist and direct action unit. Every soldier in this unit has to be at least a Staff Sergent in rank. Additionally there was a Four man team of Navy Seals from their counterpart in the Navy, the Naval Special Warfare Development Group(Devgru aka Seal Team Six) and several members of the airforces special operations Pararescuemen(airmen trained to parachute and ride helicopters into active combat zones as medic) and Combat controllers(airmen trained to fight alongaide special operations units and call in airstrikes) .the main force of the task force was a company of Rangers from the 3rd Raer battalion of the 75th Ranger regiment. The Rangers are America's elite light infantry unit they specialise in long range reconnaissance and airborne operations. Many of the The CAG soldiers would have been Rangers when they where younger as the Ranger regiment is considered to be the entry level unit into the Army's special operations community
They are young. 19 to 25 years old. for most.
A couple of quick notes that might be of interest: Doc Schmid was actually a Delta Force medic, not a Ranger; 5 Black Hawks were actually shot down over the course of the first day. Super 6-1 and 6-4 crashed in the city (6-1 crashed in a narrow alleyway and 6-4 landed in a shanty town), Super 6-2 (the chopper that put Gary Gordon and Randy Shugart in) was broadsided by an RPG and limped its way to the port facility where the crew was picked up, Super 6-6 was disabled by gunfire but crashed back at the base. The crew grabbed the one spare Hawk and flew back into the fight and flew resupply missions throughout the night and Super6-8 the CSAR bird, as shown, was hit in the main rotor by an RPG. They managed to crash land back the base as well; at the end, the Rangers didn't have to run all the way to the stadium. The convoy, which included tanks, were set up outside the city on the main road and the mile the men ran was from inside the city to the main road. They were picked up there and taken to the stadium. The tanks were too big to get inside the narrow streets so they unleaded their shells from outside the city.
I worked for CSM Satterly who was ODD there, He said this movie is pretty darn close to the chaos of that day.
They almost did lose more than two Blackhawks. The SAR chopper was so badly damaged that it barely made to base. The chopper that droppes Shugart (sp) and Gordon later took an RPG and nearly crashed hard because it stunned or knocked out the pilots. It also took the leg off of another Delta operator who stayed on board to operate a minigun because the crew chief had been wounded. A Blackhawk did make an supply drop and attempt to pick up the Ranger shot in the Fermoral Artery, but it was shot up so badly it barely had time to drop the supplies before it had to leave and barely made it back. Several others were also shot up pretty badly.
They didn't get the convoys quite right. The one that went back out from the base and dropped off a couple of men was headed for Durant's crash site, but they couldn't reach it. It was either this group or a previous one that ran into a heavy ambush and narrowly escaped being wiped out.
McKnight's convoy was told to turn around because of another communications foul up. He was getting directions from two different people. One could see Durant's crash site and knew it was just the two Delta men there and was trying to direct the convoy to them. The higher command was still trying to get the convoy to the first crash, which had more men. A few vehicles at the lead followed the first direction to Durant's site instead of taking a turn higher command ordered. Once the foul up was sorted, the vehicles had to turn aroun on narrow streets and go back to the main convoy and keep driving around getting shot up in barely running machines.
It really is a miracle they all didn't get killed.
RIP Shugart & Gordon. God bless.
The single best piece of wisdom in this movie is "nothing takes five minutes".
Grimes' amazing "typing" skill apparently consists of hitting the same 4-6 keys over and over. 😆
He should’ve used the Force.
The phone call scene really did happen. It wasn't SFC Shughart as portrayed in the movie making the call. It was CW4 Ray Frank, Durant's co-pilot of Super 64, from crash site two.
Fun fact: the reason there were so many sharks in the ocean that close to the coast was because of two factors;
1. All the sewage and garbage being dumped into the water bc Mogadishu (and the surrounding area) had no stable waste disposal system in place so everyone pretty much threw all their nasty shit into the coastline waters.
2. Bodies/corpses of those who had starved to death bc of the famine as well as those who had perished due to all the clans fighting amongst themselves.
Don't take it from me, this info is coming straight from American military personnel who were stationed there during that time (ie. Tom Satterly), many describing the place as a literal hell on earth.
Awesome movie…regret not having gone to see it in the theater, but bravo Ridley Scott
I did it was epic
One of the best conscripts in the imperial military-propaganda complex
One of the best modern war movies. Gordon and Shughart were real heroes.
I went to Mogadishu a few years ago.
It was a sensation because I knew what happened in Mogadishu '93. the situation is a lot better but still you experience a lot of terrorism when you go there
Yeah, there was an attack on the beach about a week ago, the same spot my husband and brothers-in-law had been a few days prior. 😢
The 2001 Miami Hurricane’s college football team and the cast of Black Hawk Down were the two most stacked things of 2001.
When they are trying to get Wolcott's body out of the wreck and the General says "Do what you have to do." were implying that they cut his legs off? I've always wondered that. If you look at his body when they finally get him out, he looks shorter to me.
Great reaction Addie like always! The Air Force Pararescueman Tim Wilkinson who is depicted stabilizing and treating the crew chiefs of the first downed Black Hawk in the helicopter because they couldn't be moved received the Air Force Cross (the Air Force's second highest decoration for valor) for his lifesaving efforts in the Battle of Mogadishu. At one point, he had to run back and forth under fire between buildings to treat wounded soldiers and miraculously wasn't hit once. One of the Rangers, who was amazed after seeing this, said "God must really love medics," and other joked that Wilkinson was such a slow runner that the Somalis were over estimating how much to lead their shots (you "lead," i.e. fire ahead of, a moving target so that your bullets and the target reach the same place at the same time).
Little known fact, the Somalis use of RPGs as anti-aircraft weapons was actually really creative. The RPG is not an anti-aircraft weapon. It's an anti-tank weapon. Pointed upward it only has a max range of 300 meters, and it leaves a smoke trail that can be easily tracked back to the person who fired it. Using an RPG to shoot down helicopters actually requires a high degree of skill and courage. Keep up the good work.
Wilkie was a beast, along with Shughart & Gordon.
@@praetorxian they definitely were a bunch of savage, mindless animals
So few people even know that the Air Force had guys on the ground that day. There was even some Navy SEALs there.
@@josephwallace202There there. It's okay. You're okay.
@@ShwiftJustice are you sure? You're not seized by a wounded, angry urge to lash out at me right now? 😉
3 Things that were left out of this movie from the book that I wish could have been included. They show just how brutal things actually were.
1. The "Little Bird" helicopters ran overwatch all night long, using their miniguns, with up to a 3000 round per minute firing rate. Any time they saw large groups of people gathering, they would start shooting at them to keep them from being able to overrun the Americans with mass numbers. Numbers vary, but it is estimated they killed at LEAST 500-1000 Samalies, though I suspect that number may be WAY HIGHER. with injuries reaching at least 1,500 or more. The majority were killed by those helicopters whobkept reloading and going back all night. 18 Americans were killed and 70 wounded. Which basically meant that almost every man that went in recieved some kind of wound.
2. When the rescue convoy entered the battle area they started shooting EVERYTHING. Even tossing grenades in any open windows in order to keep Aydid's forces pinned down and unable to shoot back at them. They were causing so much destruction that the very troops they were heading to rescue were afraid they would kill them as well. They had to throw out out strobe lights to let them know when to stop shooting.
3. The movie glossed over how Durant, the chopper pilot was released. A few days after the battle, a US negotiator went to meet with a representative for Aydid. In a later interview the negotiator said that this was the easiest negotiation he had ever had, because he already had the blessing from President Clinton for what he would say.
He let the Samali negotiator go first. He gave a speach praising Aydid and then gave a long list of demands. The US representative let him finish and then said (paraphrase) "I have heard your demands and I will see what I can do, I can make no prommises about them at this time. However, I can promise you this. If Durant is not released VERY SOON, neither I nor anyone else can stop what is coming. Our men, our country, wants revenge. We are currently reinforcing and bringing in heavy armor. An aircraft carrier will be here in a few days. We WILL level your city until no two stones stand on top of each other.". Then he walked out.
Durant was released a couple of days later with no Samali demands being met.
Of course then, a few weeks later, President Clinton pulled everybody out. Although the troops felt betrayed by the move. He really had no choice, it was a no win situation for the US. like Aydid's fighters told the men in the movie. It was a Civil War. Not our war. There was no government for the US to try and support, just many different warlords trying to kill each other and nothing would stop them.
The author, when writing the book even went to Samalia while writing it and talked to many of the Samalis who were there on both sides. He asked them if they wanted peace. They all said yes. Then he asked them how they would achieve that peace. They would point in the direction of the nearest warlord territory and say "When they are all dead, we will finally have peace". You cant just make people like that stop fighting.
My friend’s dad (Army Ranger) partook in this battle. He’s a tough rugged angry men who was permanently messed up by this experience. He had to walk out of the theater when he saw this movie.
My husband is from Mogadishu and was about 3 or 4 years old when this happened… he won’t watch it. Can’t say I blame him 😢
Its been a long minute since I've seen this movie. Happy to see it still holds up!
Several of the Helicopters used in filming this movie where flown by the actual pilots who flew in the mission.
The guys who had night vision had gone back to the base in the safe zone and grabbed it.
I highly recommend reading the book, it’s fantastic
"Firimbi," the Somali militia man who guarded Mike Durant while he was held hostage, had many conversions with Durant trying to convert him and make him sympathetic the the militia. After Durant's release, Firimbi even invited him to come visit him in Somalia.
Please watch "Sergeant York" starring Gary Cooper. No one has ever done a reaction to it. It's a true story and there is even a love interest.
Thank you for watching this movie!
Orlando Bloom's character broke his back upon fall for the helicopter and was unconscious, which is what to the actual Private Blackburn.
One of my favorite movies. Definitely intense and mostly true. Its very humbling.
Jeff Streuker, the lead Humvee driver, has a RUclips channel where he's posted dozens of videos discussing the real events compared to the movie. He says it's as accurate as any movie can be given the medium's limitations.
Very accurate, some of the background actors were actually there. This shows the evil of war, men and circumstances, it also shows the nobility of our soldiers, their absolute fighting excellence and the toll on their mostly good souls
23:35 Sadly, he didn't. Arteries are like elastic bands, and they had to stretch the artery in order to clamp it and stop the bleeding, but as it slipped it went even further into his body, causing him to eventually bleed to death.
All the actors who played US Army Rangers went to a special Ranger boot camp prior to shooting the movie that the Rangers put together for the actors and they were taught how to move like Rangers and they learned the phrase "slow is smooth and smooth is fast" and Ty Burrell actually quoted that in Modern Family in the S1 E22 "Airport" episode.
it is believed that the pilots of the first blackhawk to crash deliberately nosed down at the last moment so that they took the impact saving the crew in the back
A guy who was involved in the situation was on the Shawn Ryan Show.
I was in my medical residency when this happened, and even as cut off from the outside world as I was working the clinics, the ER and doing 24 hour on calls, I heard the news and saw the photos and videos of dead Americans being dragged through the streets.
This has always been a top 3 movie for me. ❤
I highly recommend reading the book. There were some liberties taken when compared to the book, but i really felt that the point of the book was to entirely understand what happened and why, and the point of the movie was to depoct that graphically. Rodley Scott did a great job of retelling the brutality of it all. Such a needlessly sad situation all around.
Great movie, another one that is very close to me personally is "American Sniper". If you have not seen it, it is well worth watching. The acting, the story of the making of the movie, all of it is really incredible. Directed by Clint Eastwood, Starring Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, which is such a visual transformation for Cooper it is really impressive. The behind the scenes content is also quite extensive and also really worth watching as it tells the story of what happened during the making of the movie and how it changed everything the movie was meant to be. I served in Iraq during the time this movie takes place so it has a special place for me personally, but it really is a phenomenal movie whether you have a connection to it or not.
Check out interviews with Major Jeff Struecker, he was a SSG in the operation played by Brian Van Holt. Great man.
This movie did a disservice to Major Struecker, in misplacing him in the fight, and downplaying his role in the entire operation.
Struker ended up becoming a chaplain in the army after this. I met him when I was at Fort Benning during Basic.
I went into the army at the start of the GWOT. Eneded up watching this and We were soldiers during sundays at basic. We had some senior NCOs who had been there in Somalia with 10th Mountain. Was super huge shock to the system going from hype and being up on propoganda, to then getting the real shit and scaring us.
Movie was done with the full support of Delta and Rangers and the Army. They worked with the full cast before the movie started shooting to ensure that the actors were as correct as possible.
Such a good movie. I would rate in at about 80% accurate. They compressed the timeline in a few places, made a couple characters up and changed where certain people were during the fight but aside from that, they stayed true to actual events. I remember watching this on the news and having a discussion about it in my sophmore health class.
For sure a great reaction and I thank you for doing this. I do have a movie in mind for you to react to here, it's called Eddie and the cruisers. It is a great movie with good music as well.
One of the best war films in Hollywood.
One of My favorites movies of all time
Some of ya'll need to read the comment sections... shit is fucking funny as hell.
That guy Joseph Wallace, he was publicly subbed to six different gf experience ASMR channels until I started pointing it out. Now his subs are private!
Kekekekekeke
@@ShwiftJustice lol nope, you're literally just making shit up out of desperation; you on the other hand have been stalking me for literally five months and hundreds of comments, dying to get me back after I reminded you that you're an MCU manchild lmaoooo
@@josephwallace202 shhhh
@@tjohnson2789 lol this manchild has literally been stalking me for MONTHS across multiple youtube channels all because I said marvel movies are for babies lmaoooooooo
@@tjohnson2789 lmao this autist has been stalking me for months across *multiple* youtube channels just because I said marvel movies are for babies lmaoooo
Because the pilots were killed, the crew chiefs critically wounded, and the other Delta sniper suffered a dislocated shoulder in the crash, Dan Busch had to singlehandedly defend crash site one until the Rangers arrived. Though he was evacuated on the Search And Rescue (SAR) Little Bird helicopter, he later died of his wounds. I believe the decoration posthumously awarded for his heroism was eventually upgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army's second highest award for valor.
One of the Rangers said that, as he was running out of Mogadishu, it made him sad to see the little donkey lying dead in the road still tied to its cart.
Everytime I see those laughing black kids while the protagonists are running to the base, I always cry uncontrollably even though I'm not a man who is even emotional. There is really something haunting about that scene. I'm even surprised that you didn't cried to that part knowing that you are more emotional than me. It's a shame that somewhere in the world these kind of things happen.
Grimes is based on a specific real person, but his name had to be changed for the movie because the real person ended up in prison for a pretty serious crime.
A friend of the Shugharts who saw Randy's body when it had been recovered after being dragged through the streets and abused told his wife she shouldn't come and see it and that "You wouldn't be able to recognized him." This despite the fact that she ha been a nurse an knew how badly a body can be mutilated.
If you want to hear a first-hand account of this, last October Shawn Ryan interviewed CSM Tom Satterly, one of the Deltas who was on the ground when this happened. It's a 3 part interview, roughly 8 hours total, and parts of it make this movie feel G-rated. It's not just about the Battle of Mogadishu, but also about the mental health effects of being a soldier in a war zone. If you're truly as interested as you seem in your reaction, I'd personally consider Shawn's interview a mandatory watch when you have the time. I won't link it, though, out of respect for your channel.
28:48 "out, damn spot"
I watched a great interview with the real Struecker about this event and how it led him to become a Chaplain (military priest) he then returned to special forces. The men loved that their new Chaplain had been through the same things they go through. Most special forces Chaplains have not served as special forces before they get assigned to the teams
The Department of Defense supported this movie, providing training to the actors, and having helicopters from the 160th Spec Ops Aviation Regiment (the same unit as the ones used on the real mission) made available for filming.
Not to mention Rangers to film the rope-in scene at the beginning of the raid. The level of DoD support was amazing..... comparable to Top Gun.
One of my favourite movies I remember watching it in the theatre it horrible snow storm that night but me and my buddy were determined to see it..... Seeing Josh Hartnett reminds me you should check out the movie Pearl Harbour
Truth be told, those were some pretty lucky hits on those helicopters. It's not that easy to target the tail rotors with RPGs, which aren't designed to be fired upward or aimed all that accurately. It has happened occasionally, but downing two helicopters during one operation in short order is very unusual. If it weren't, then we'd never use helicopters like this, but we still do all the time.
Actually, we don't anymore. The various after-action reports from this incident (combined with those from the loss of Spirit 03) forced a dramatic shift in how joint special ops missions are approved and executed. There were dozens of individual findings that were acted upon, the largest of which was that day missions were no longer considered viable except under extremely controlled situations.
I was a young copilot in AFSOC (MC-130P Combat Shadows) stationed in Okinawa during both of these incidents, and the long-term impact of the missions on how Special Ops performs was second only to Eagle Claw itself (which is what drove the formation of joint Special Ops in the first place).
What the movie doesn't show, is just how many RPGs were flying around. According to the book. Literally dozens, if not 100 or more, were fired at the low, slow helicopters. So It wasnt that they shot an RPG and it hit a helicopter, it's more that they were firing SO MANY RPGs that a couple eventually hit the right spots. They WERE aiming for the tail rotors, as they were a known weakness. It just took a lot of shots to finally hit.
The movie is accurate and realistic. Lots of courage displayed that day. Their commander, the Army general, decided to go in without letting any other forces in the area know what was happening. The US had other special forces including seals and recon. And we knew where the warlord was, I know this for a fact. We didn't know they went in until we heard about it after the fact, after it was too late.
In an interview, one of the former Rangers who didn't get a spot in any of the APCs and so had to run for his life in the "Mogadishu Mile" said "We're RUNNING out of Mogadishu? What a great idea! I could have done that YESTERDAY (instead of spending all night getting shot at waiting for APCs that didn't have room for me anyway)!"
Also, star studded cast. I wonder how many she recognized
A ridiculous amount of A-listers in this film.
This My Favourite War Film along with Full Metal Jacket because its fast pace action