Note the helicopter flying is so good because they actually have the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment doing the flying...They're the guys that fly Delta Force, Seals and spec ops around.
and the pilot who talks to Eversman while rescuing Daniel Busch from crashside nr.1, did the same rescue in 1993. Not that character, I mean that real soldier himself. He was asked from filming crew, if he could play it in the movie
@@armynurseboy Yep, fast roping (from what I've read from Rangers and other military) is a qualifiable skillset, meaning, just having a bunch of stuntmen dress up in Ranger gear and rappel from a helicopter wasn't going to work. So, they got real Rangers to do it.
You mentioned PTSD. I don't give a shit how "hard" any veteran is, the internal struggles are very real for those who see/do/experience even a percentage of horror replicated in this film. Knowing what you're walking into, surviving, and having to live with the guilt and memories are the #1 reason our government has failed our service men and women when they come home. Inaction to provide post-war resources, and I mean real resources, should be criminal.
@@kabirconsiders I'm very proud of my country, my constitution, and my brothers and sisters in arms. But our government is something I'm very embarrassed of at times, this issue being one of them. Great reaction.
No, I deployed 11 times. Three of those I had lethal contact daily. I have zero issues. I have found that those that have PTSD : 1) cannot compartmentalize events, 2) weren’t raised in an environment where they had to be responsible as kids for themselves, 3) found themselves in situations where they had no control of their outcomes. Any combination of these 3. Even Robert O’Neil has said he has zero PTSD. Not everyone gets it; some of us can let go easier than others
@rileyandmike my Great Uncle was a medic in the Pacific during WWII. The shit he saw and endured is unimaginable. He wouldn't talk much about it as I was 10 and he was 70. They left guys whose guts were blown out that they knew they couldn't save to take others that had a chance. Triage is the word. They dug foxholes for the wounded and didn't fire a shot to give away their position, they tossed hand grenades instead. On his deathbed, he was worried about the Japanese attacking, final thoughts of a great man, warrior in all senses of the word. Read the book that mentions him and his twin brother "Those Devils in Baggy Pants"
my Great Uncle was a medic in the Pacific during WWII. The shit he saw and endured is unimaginable. He wouldn't talk much about it as I was 10 and he was 70. They left guys whose guts were blown out that they knew they couldn't save to take others that had a chance. Triage is the word. Marines wore necklaces of ears from the Japanese they'd killed. The government confiscated those photos. The medics dug foxholes for the wounded and didn't fire a shot to give away their position, they tossed hand grenades instead. On his deathbed, he was worried about the Japanese attacking, final thoughts of a great man, warrior in all senses of the word. Read the book that mentions him and his twin brother "Those Devils in Baggy Pants"
The cast of this movie is insane and it keeps getting better as time goes on. People who were basically bit parts in this ended up being A level Hollywood stars. It's nuts
The timing of the mission was totally up to the targets. After the meeting they would scatter so it had to be while they were all gathered. Jeff Streucker also fought in Panama and Kuwait, the went into the Chaplains Corp as an officer and is now retired. Keni Thomas, who didn't want to go back out but then jumped aboard, was a technical advisor on this film. Randy Shugart was the one who called home and had to leave the message that his wife just missed. The bodies from the crash were stripped and drug through the street, and films of it were shown all over the world. The guys at the end ran what became known around the Ranger Regiment as the "Mogadishu Mile." They didn't actually run all the way but made a rendezvous point. Some 10th Mountain Division soldiers were with them, and it was both a walk and run so that was somewhat Hollywood. The failure to provide the requested vehicle, AC130 gunships and armor support by the Clinton administration was a major issue, and Secretary of Defense Les Aspin was forced to resign after less than a year in office.
@@robling1937 You may have him confused with some other name. Keni Thomas (Kenneth M.) was his name and he was in for 6 years in the Rangers, making Staff Sergeant E-6. After getting out he was in a band, did speaking and counseling, and also was hired as a Tech Advisor for the movie. Not a Delta, but maybe try his book “Get It On” for more info.
Read the book before the film came out.Theres alot not shown.Before the Black Hawk Down incident,the Delta and Rangers were doing nighttime raids using NightVision Googles and they never fired a shot.The Somali people welcomed the US,but there was an incident.The US thought Adid was at a meeting,so they missiled the place and killed local leaders trying to come up with a peaceful negotiation with the US.There was 1 surviver and the Somali people turned on the US after.Adids people ambushed and slaughtered a group of UN,Pakistan soilders.The Pakistan people wanted to leave and were reluctant to help the US.There was another Blackhawk hit,but made it back to base.The Rangers and Delta guys were spread out in Somali homes before being rescued.Theres pictures and footage of the operation and rescue,including 1 of the Delta guys dead or was dying,being dragged down the street by Somali locals.Their were alot of civilians killed.The Delta guys were firing pretty much at anything that moved.1 Ranger was awarded the Medal of Honor, because he out for medical supplies under heavy fire,not once but a few times.
I remember seeing this on the news when I was in high school..first time I ever saw a dead body on the news, not just laying there but literally dragging these soldiers through the streets. It was a real eye opener and an image I've never forgotten.
This isn't set in Iraq, but it's one of the most accurate depictions of what it was like to fight in Iraq. Specifically just how frustrating it was just to communicate with a leadership who is 15 minutes behind and seemingly has no idea what the situation is.
If there was a 9/11 movie being made and it would be set in Iraq after that horrific disaster on an unimaginable scale, produced, and directed by talented guys like, Jerry Bruckheimer, Ridley Scott or the Nolan/Russo Brothers with the appropriate cast, with that style of a movie like this, Then we can say that it'll be LIT as hell.
The captured Pilot Mike Durant actually had just ran for senator of Alabama but lost the Republican primary. Also you must watch the video black hawk down by operations room. He explains everything that happens with great visuals.
@@Jason_Van_Stone Wdym? It's fairly common to lose a primary. There were just more popular Republicans in Alabama, and Durant being a 2020 election denier, fervent Trump Supporter, and refusing to participate in the debates didn't help his campaign.
My Dad was a Senior Master Sergeant 23 years in the Air Force Special Forces Pararescue and he knew Sgt. Gordon and Shugart. We went to see this movie in theaters when it came out and after that he showed me pictures of them together. Not sure if this is a spoiler but if you've seen The Perfect Storm but he also knew the PJ that drowned trying to rescue people. He was also part of the first responders after Jonestown and I have the pictures and newspaper articles about it. He died 3 months ago and I think about him every day.
When my nephew was deployed in Somalia, he said it was roughly 110 degrees & when their in full gear like this movie it's an additional 80-100lbs of gear.
Muhammad Farah Adid's son emigrated to the United States, and served in the Marine Corp for 8 years from 1987 till 1995. He served during the events of this film, in the very army sworn to hunt his father down. Life is strange.
DELTA snipers are damn good at what they do. Just the 2 of them held off a mob in the 100s for 2 hours until they ran out of ammo and were killed. Both of them were then stripped naked and carried around the city like a trophy. At some point the world would see a video on the news of the mobs actions. Both DELTA snipers posthumously received the MEDAL OF HONOR for there actions in that engagement.
Ironically, had the SOAR helos mounted standard M240s instead of miniguns, they could have used them to hold the crash site. Instead, the miniguns were useless because they require electricity to power them.
It was the first time a Blackhawk was shot down using RPGs. It was totally unexpected in terms of the mission outcome and changed everything. I would highly recommend reading the book. It's really interesting and detailed. I especially found the information about the Little Bird helicopters and the Parajumpers use during the mission fascinating.
I thought they shot one down during an earlier mission? They knew to just try to hit the tail rotor as the Blackhawks were almost like a flying tank and tough to bring down.
If my memory is correct I believe the Rangers (after they replaced the Marines) asked for AC130 and US armor support and were refused by then Sec. of Defense Les Aspin. It is believed by some that if they had been granted that request and been less depended upon support from UN Pakistani support the mission to hunt down Amid would have been successful and fewer causalities sustained. I had a Marine (who was in Somalia) tell me they were more successful because of tactics and better air and ground support.
The Clinton administration was afraid if they sent in more military it would look bad for the president's popularity making him look like a war-monger. So the military got screwed.
Ac 130 is a great weapon in the right circumstances. Mainly if you want to suppress an area. In a densely packed city with civilians mingling with combatants you would not deter fighting. You would create a recruiting tool for terrorists and all our enemies. Firing artillery and machine cannons into crowds that include women and children would end in a courtroom in the Hague. Additionally you would most likely get the 130 shot down which would add to the problems not decrease them.
There's a bunch of really crazy stuff left out of the movie from the Somali cavalry (at least one Somali fought while riding an ox) to the squatters (Somali gunman who had children literally sitting on them to act as cover - didn't always work). Probably the weirdest thing however is that Mohamed Farrah Aidid (the warlord they US was trying to capture) had a son named Hussein Farrah Aidid. Hussein emigrated to the United States in the early 80's and ended up joining the Marine Corp. He would be deployed with the Marines to Somalia, serving as an interpreter. When the his dad was killed, Hussein was declared head of his father's political party and would serve as head of state for 2 years before transitioning power to the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council.
The objective of the mission was completed successfully-they got the men they were after. When the first Black Hawk went down, that objective immediately changed to securing the crash site, retrieving the bodies of the pilots, and destroying the helicopter so that no intelligence or weaponry could be seized by the militias. Then, of course, it happened all over again. Tragic stuff. I was 15 when this happened, and I wasn’t paying enough attention at the time to know what had happened. I heard something about Somalia being a disaster, but didn’t know what that meant. This was the reason the U.S. was too scared to get involved when the genocide in Rwanda happened about five months later.
The problem with Rwanda was that two tribes were so embedded with one another that they couldn't even tell each other apart. Everything was based on gossip. The fighting just stopped on its own.
@@orlock20 Rwanda wasn't a fight, that was a genocide. Canadians were on the ground there and the boys were so fucked up about it afterwards. The world did nothing and just stood by and watched families get hacked apart with machetes in the streets
My step dad was a private and this was his first time out of base and on a mission. He was a ranger, and rode in the humvees. He said the movie is very accurate to what happened and how it played out. He made it through with no injuries and then ended up getting his leg caught and broken by the tank when the barrel swiveled, while on the ride out :/ man is tough.
@@absolutezero6423 The only thing uniting about the UN is that no matter what military you serve your country in, you are all equally expendable for the comfort and whimsy of the Belgian Elites.
@@absolutezero6423 They technically, in the real event, the Convoy didn't ditch them. Some vehicles in the convoy waited for them in the real event at a designated rendezvous point. The Mogadishu Mile was the mile to that rendezvous point.
But the real hero is malaysia army go that side war gamble they self with knot enoug war aquitment at night time to safe American army but at this flm they who gamble they live to safe american army like dont have they did knot appricilate said thank you also dont have to who safe american army that time they ego n arrogant so much
I spent 30 days immediately following the events of Blackhawk Down off the coast of Mogadishu. The entire time we sat off the coast, we tried to locate General Aideed. Then an agreement was made to have Aideed attend a peace conference in Kenya. The U.S. Army flew him in a military aircraft to the conference. Why they didn't just open up the door on the way there and shove him out is beyond me. Fun fact: His Son was in the U.S. Marine Corps and on a ship sitting off the coast of Mogadishu following the failed raid. Later he went on to leave the U.S. and went to Somalia to become a warlord like his Father.
Another fun fact; one of the tier one targets Major General Garrison (played by Sam Shepard) identifies is Omar Salad Elmi. Elmi was Mohamed Aidid’s foreign minister, number two in command, a known human rights violator/war criminal, and Ilhan Omar’s father.
Garrison did the job he was asked to do, and did it with the resources that washington let him use. Honestly, if Clinton really wanted the job done right, he would have put 20000 marines again, held the city, and then had Special Operations groups track Adid down. The problem exists because America always has to look like the white knight, and watch out for civilians and don't do this or that. Sometimes, if you want the job done, you got to let the dogs loose and let them handle it quick and ugly. With people like the warlords in Africa, they can't be negotiated with, and they do not care how many bystanders get killed. The only way you deal with that is with overwhelming force. when the locals realize they can't win on his side, they will defect to the winning side.
Captain Steele was my Brigade Commander during my 2nd deployment to Iraq from 2005-2006. He was a Colonel then with 3rd BCT 101st Airborne. Dude was crazy but a hell of a commander.
One of the DVD versions has an audio track with the real Sgt Eversmann and 3 other veterans who were participants give their take on the movie, detailing the facts vs the fiction. Overall, while they concede that some liberties and compressions were done (mostly for cinematic and practical purposes), they mostly give that the "spirit" of the events hold true.
General Garrison retired 3 years later in’96. Yes I agree, and being there as the blue helmets in Pakistani Stadium, listening to it all go down with 10th MTN and being ready to go out and get our people, but denied by the Pakistani General pissed all of us off. Since then, US soldiers can’t be under “foreign commanders”, because of this incident (NATO exception mostly UK & Canada). Says a lot about whom we can trust with our young soldiers’ lives!
I've read a lot of books over the years..too many to count. I have to say next to the Bible...this is the best I've ever read. This story touches a place in my heart and never lets go. So glad I came across your reaction, the events in this movie are real and absolutely heartbreaking.
I've watched this movie many times. The firsts time I watched it, I bawled throughout the movie. My mom watched it once and will not watch it again. My first husband was in the Army and served in Desert Storm in 1991 while we were married. While he didn't see this level of war [thank goodness], this move just further enhances the respect that I have for those that serve in our military and sacrifice for our country.
I remember watching the bodies of our fallen being drug through the streets on the news. I've always remembered that. I didn't fully understand what was going on but I knew they were our soldiers. Broke my heart!
Something most people don't know is that Aidid's own son was one of the Marines who deployed in 1992 as an interpreter. He returned back to Somalia a few years later, led the Habir Gidr clan for about a year, and fled to a neighboring country afterwards. Many of the pilots who flew in the actual operation flew in this film, and Chief Warrent Officer 4 Keith Jones recreated his actual rescue of Delta Operator Dan Busch from the 6-1 crash site. A third Delta sniper named Brad Halling was aboard Super 6-2 and would have joined Shugart and Gordon but he was manning the right side minigun after the crew chief was wounded. He was severely injured, as was Captain Jim Yacone, when an RPG struck the chopper between the two men as they were providing air cover for Shugart and Gordon. The chopper crash landed back at the base, as did Super 6-8. When Super 6-4 crashed, all four crew members survived and defended the chopper until Shugart and Gordon arrived. They placed co-pilot Ray Frank an crew chiefs Tommi Franks and Bill Cleveland against the tail boom and moved Durant against a tree. That act was the difference between life and death for him. Super 6-1 actually crashed in an alley in a shanty town and the medics and defending Rangers used the aircraft for a casualty collection point to bring the wounded to. Former Master Sergeant Tim Wilkinson told a funny story where he and Master Sergeant Scott Fales were at the tail of the chopper and Fales had been wounded in the ass almost as soon as they roped in. Tim was setting up Kevlar panels to provide protection and holes started appearing in the tail above Scott. He looked at Scott and delivered the Steve Martin line shown in the film: They hate the cans. Stay away from the cans!
I had a High School History Teacher who was semi-retired Lt Colonel with Delta (i graduated in 97). I remember his stories in class about this particular mission, keep in mind, this was before this operation had become declassified. In the clip around 11:40 you hear reference to Khat. Khat is a leafy green plant containing two main stimulant drugs which speed up your mind and body. Their main effects are similar to, but less powerful than, amphetamine (speed). So you need to realize that they were going into an area of this city where basically the entire Militia was high as a kite on Khat. I couldn't imagine going up against a Militia in an urban setting when basically they all cooked up on speed.
You need to check out the book about the men who went down and protected the crashed helicopter “in the company of hero’s” Also react to lone survivor another great movie based on true events!!
@ 1715 Dude, its their backyard...the enemy knows your coming, there is no "covert" man. Doesnt matter how silent you are especially with a Company sized element. CPT Steel was my Battalion commander in the 101st ABN. Very hard dude. Forgot to say, huge fan of your content. My GF and I really enjoy you. Cheers from the US.
My nephew is in the Army Special Forces & I recently asked him of all the war movies what are the most accurate & realistic to how it is. His response was Black Hawk Down & The OutPost.
And to think Washing D.C denied them tanks and Spectre gun ships because it was too ‘aggressive’ and more horrifically - the humvees armor doors had just been delivered and installed the day of the mission. And the helicopters flew resupply missions throughout the night dropping water and ammo to the men below even as they made non-stop gun runs holding back the city. Love this movie but the book adds so much more detail than they were able to show. And the Americans kept the op a secret from the UN because on several occasions Operators caught onto the Italians sending signals to the Somalian militias whenever a mission was mounting up.
You asked why the UN Pakistani forces wasn't notified in advance. It was simply that they were not trusted. Two weeks prior to this incidence the Rangers caught UN Peacekeepers selling UN weapons to Aidid.
Kabir, take note of the number of subscribers you have. That's a testament to your character, and ethics. They are so evident. Thank you for your videos
No doubt folks have pointed out the dozens of well-known actors in flick. I’ll add that one of the base commanders is U.S. President Gerald Ford’s son Steven. ✌️
My first mission was absolutely terrifying. There were supposed to be like 30 guys before I was even an option, but then you get told you’re up and that’s just all there is to it. If not me, there was basically nobody left to respond. 2 guys were left at our compound at that point, one for the radios and one to give commands. More terrifying, in hindsight, was not caring after that. It was all noise. And that was a picnic on the beach compared to this.
I believe I was 12 when the actual incident occurred in 1993. I remember it on the news. Shocked me because even at that age I loved the military and never seen such a failed operation. But the loss of troops never really hit me deeply because I was to young to really get things on a deeper level.
I was 13, and I remember it being on the news. I think saying it was a failed operation is a stretch (personally I believe the military was never a solution to Somalia's problems). We lost 19. They lost upwards of 1,000. By any reasonable standard, those numbers represent an overwhelming victory. The choice to abandon the mission was an arbitrary decision of politicians.
It's wild to me that despite the story being about American troops, the bulk of the actors are not American: Eric Bana (Hoot) is Australian Orlando Bloom (Blackburn) is English Ewen Bremner (Nelson) is Scottish Ewen McGregor (Grimes) is Scottish Tom Hardy (Twombly) is English Nikolaj Kolster-Waldau (Gordon) is Danish Zeljko Ivanek (Col Harrell) is Slovenian Jason Isaacs (Capt Steele) is English Ioan Gruffud (Lt Beales) is Welsh Hugh Dancy (Schmid) is English Matthew Marsden (Sizemore) is English Kim Coates (Wex) is Canadian
@@lawrencedockery9032 Oh I know. My father served in this unit (75th Ranger Regiment) during the Vietnam conflict. I also find it funny that all of these all American boy next door types are played by foreign born actors.
My brother was an Army Ranger & knew the guys that are portrayed here, some that died. He & his unit went to the theater to see this together; not a word was spoken afterwards. That could've been them. 🥺
When you have a chance brother check Glory from 1989. Red tails, Tuskegee airmen. And miracle at St Anna. These are all films that most of the world does not know about African American units in the civil war, WW2 ext. These are movies that everyone no matter where you are from will love trust me
Great reaction. You should react to 13 Hours The secret soldiers of Benghazi. It also captures the insane circumstances of action inside a failed state
I still remember the news coverage of this when I was in high school. I read the book and when the movie came out I honestly avoided it because I knew it was going to be traumatic. It's an exceptionally well crafted movie but it's still tough to watch.
QRF=Quick Reaction Force. This movie adheres completely to the book, which is the amalgamated eyewitness accounts. What you see in the movie is pretty much exactly what happened to each of these people.
The thing with the strategy was that they had used the exact same tack ticks in a previous operation just a few days back, and it was pretty successful. The mistake was repeating the clear strategy, and Aidid's men were prepared this time.
This whole mission wasnt the generals fault either he knew it was a bad idea and requested more heavier air support and armoured tanks but the government denied it so they were forced to fend for themselves even the soldiers when he retired because he took the blame said he was a great general who cared about his men
There was no time for a covert operation. They received the information about the meeting just a few hours before the raid and the details of it and the location very shortly beforehand. Also, this took place in Aidid's it's stronghold. There was no way it could have been covert. It was supposed to be a lightning strike, in and out in less than an hour. Garrison did underestimate what he was up against though. I remember watching the news and seeing footage of Shugart and Gordon's mostly unclothed bodies being drug through the streets of Mogadishu. Most people didn't even realize the extent of the conflict in Somalia at the time. It was a cold eye opener. I will add my support to you watching either We Were Soldiers, a true battle from the Vietnam War, or Zero Dark Thirty about the 10 year search for and execution of, Osama Bin Laden. Both are excellent.
Here are a few movies you might consider reacting to: (1) Man On Fire: Denzel Washington; (2) Colombiana: Zoe Saldana; (3) Behind Enemy Line: Owen Wilson; and (4) Platoon: Charlie Sheen. You can check out the Overview or Synopsis.
Have to drop my obligatory comment when I see a reaction to this film. Gen. Garrison was a friend of my Grandfather's, and I had several opportunities to speak with him when they had morning coffee together. I never asked specifically about this, because that felt inappropriate. My impression was that he was a decent man who cared about the men under his command, and took the blame, because someone was expected to. More guns was never going to fix Somalia, but that has nothing to do with the soldiers who did their job, and did it well.
Im sure everyone already noticed but i will say it anyways the first American soldier BLACKBURN was played by ORLANDO BLOOM. It was his first movie in theaters.
Aidid was killed. A Somali serving in the Marines at the Mogadishu Allied compound mustered out and returned to Somalia where he dominated most factions in the city about a year later.
My dad was there with 10th 87 c company. Right before I returned to London I attended ceremony for the 30th anniversary for the battle of Mogadishu. My dad was in not me and I had junior enlisted men telling me thank you for your service in a line while they were being kicked out because they wanted officers and corporals and up. Dudes currently in are cool
A lot of the guys involved in this mission were Air Force Combat Controllers. They work hand in hand with other Spec Ops coordinating the ground to air fighting. They were the ones calling in the air strikes.
Of course as you have seen in this movie, the Somali Militia were not impeded by the rules of engagement. Given that they had women and children as runners, spotters and even human shields. Some of them even willingly took up arms against the American troops. How do you fight an enemy that doesn't play by the rules, that as a soldier you're expected to follow to the letter? I guess you could say that within this hypothetical scenario, the easy option would be to just throw rule-book out the window. However then comes the issues of accountability and regret, provided of course if you survive. With people calling you a monster, just because you killed a 12 year old who cut down six of your squadmates with a Kalashnikov.
My sergeant Thai served in Iraq with was there in Mogadishu with the 10th Mountain. He had to literally run out of the place.. and I had friends there serving on the base in field hospital. It was a very ugly day.
Jason Isaacs, who played Captain Steele, asked to meet with the real Captain Steele. When he walked into my sister's office and saw a 5-foot, 120 lb black women, he was speechless. And all my sister did was smile and say, "I always wanted to be a bald, middle-aged, white man." Anyways, for good laugh Google Skippy's list. It's hilarious and you'll find that my sister is mentioned as Captain Steele. The captain Steele who won't sign anybody's copy of Black Hawk Down. Except for mine.😄 By the way, if you're coming to Chicago on your road trip, my sister and I agree that you can stay at our place. We have an extra room and it's free of charge. Hotel prices here are outrageous if you want stay in the city. Right now we're not too far from where Lawrence, of Lost in the pond, lives. I hope if you come here you can get to meet with him at some point.
If you like reading, the Pilot who was captured then released wrote a book about his captivity (as well as little insights to other parts of his life in the military as well) that you might enjoy. It's called "In the Company of Heroes"
half of the cast is british (Bloom, McGregor, Bremner, Dancy, Gruffudd, Isaacs ...). Even some of the Somalis(Harris, Adoti, Etienne) . There were also an australien (Bana) and a danish(Coster-Waldau)
From the USA 🇺🇸 people say. THEN DVDS. R old school. I own this movie on Blu-ray. Some movies. I don't have to wait for it to be the internet like Netflix or Hulu. William.s
@7:50, I read the book this film is based on. The real life Captain Michael D.Steele the soldier is mocking is from Georgia. He also played as an offensive lineman for the University of Georgia hence all of the discussion on football.
7:38... "Sometimes people just see them as weapons." You nailed it. Folks get in for all sorts of reasons...I did Civil Affairs and if you asked me while I was in Afghanistan, my reasons and drives would sound very similar to a Red Cross or Oxfam volunteer. Like you said, no one gets in and becomes an automaton. Can they do some things automatically? EMPHATICALLY YES. But above that is an awful lot of personality, brain power, and heart...all three of which can vary in intensity and utility from person to person.
There is a fairly well known secret why General Barrison retired the day after Aidid was 'killed' in Mogadishu. When he was asked if he knew anything about Aidid being killed, he smiled widely and just said, "I couldn't rightly say. I'm retired." (Not a direct quote, just the gist of his comment)
They asked for the AC130 and AH64 Apache in Somalia. They were denied due to political considerations. As usual the Miltary Officers had to take the fall for not being given the equipment, time and rules of engagement to do the job that was required.
This movie introduced me to the legendary mystique of Delta Force as a child. Still what comes to mind when I think of Delta. "Nothin to it, its just war"
@@burrichgrrl57 oh wow I don't think I know the book you're referencing? I'm a bit of a military history buff though I'm going to have to pick it up and give it a read.
@@DirtSpud It's called Inside Delta Force. I thought it was fascinating but I'm not much of a buff so you might be less interested. Still, check it out. He was in one of the first groups to graduate into the program. He was also on the botched mission when President Carter sent them in to rescue the hostages being held in Tehran in 1980. Interesting look from an insider's perspective.
@@burrichgrrl57 all I needed to see, its en route 😁👍. I love learning about how these special units used to operate and how those operations led to the SOP's and tactics modern Spec Ops units utilize today. I'd recommend any books or podcasts about the SOG units in Vietnam. If you see the name John Stryker Meyer aka Tilt attached to it, it's worth the time. Truly harrowing experiences from the viewpoint of the small squads who were sent out on suicide missions. Talking a small group of maybe 10 to 15 guys going up against entire Viet Cong regiments in the middle of the night. Always entertaining to learn about. Thank you for the recommendation though look forward to reading the book.
@@DirtSpud You are welcome. Are you familiar with the channel Steve1989? It's sort of a military history channel. He buys, opens and eats (and smokes) MRE's from different wars and different countries. I find it fascinating how specific the emergency packs can be. For extreme cold, for being lost at sea, etc. Learned all kinds of interesting things. He even had some Civil War hard tack. Ugh! He didn't eat that one, thank God, lol.
Aidid waited for the Marines to leave because his son was a US Marine at the time. Seven helicopters were shot down during this operation, only two went down in the city. The rest either went down outside the city or at the airport.
They couldn't go covert because the meeting was during the day and since its during the day, they couldn't be covert. They went it very lightly armed because it was supposed to be a quick raid, not a battle. They mentioned earlier that Garrison wanted to use AC-130 gunships and heavy weapons like tanks/APC's but Washington wouldn't allow it because it was too high profile. This battle changed American foreign policy until 9/11 and has prevented the US from intervening in other African conflicts like Sudan. You should also watch "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi".
A small unit had been suggested but it would have been risky, but perhaps possible. Instead three larger packages were prepared. The smallest one was the one chosen and that's that is seen in the movie. One thing you don't really see is just how shot up the vehicles were. Strucker's three Hummers barely made it back to base. Many vehicles in the "Lost Convoy" were barely running, some having to be pushed by the big trucks. They were also packed with wounded, especially as vehicles had to be abandonned and everyone piled on those still moving. It would have been worse had they removed the doors as they had started to before the mission. Thay second convoy going out actually got heavily ambushed. It was triggered early which allowed them to get out of it, barely. One section very nearly got boxed in and wiped out.
Damn Kabir, when I recommended this I thought it would be a long time before you got to it. It's a pretty hard watch bit I personally put it up there with Saving Private Ryan. The scene where Delta Force operators Shuggart and Gordon request to drop in knowing they will certainly die is powerful. In the real event, they requested and were denied at least 6 times and ultimately demanded to be put in. I feel the movie severely underplays that, but it's still my favorite "war movie" that isn't called American Smiper lol
Realize, this was like the 4th or 5th time they conducted this kind of raid. The issue was the TF got complacent. They didn't change any of the planning details. When the enemy learns how you do things, and you don't change things up, they're going to take advantage of that.
While you mention how hot it is and everyone sweating, it's interesting to realize Man is the only animal that sweats and it's this ability to cool down while continuing to move which gave the earliest hunters an advantage in their ability to catch up to prey which need to stop to cool down.
Hello, you are almost correct. All primates, monkeys, apes and humans all sweat. The other animal that sweats is the Horse. I'm just wondering why you brought up that fact about the sweating I guess it just popped in your head while you saw them sweat. 😁
@@giannag4581 Wondering 'why' I brought it up? I thought I covered it in that first sentence. Regardless, yes - thank you for expanding on this evolutionary fact. I guess hunting other primates and horses wasn't a big thing :)
Kabir, I'm sure you've heard the term "fog of war", nothing is scripted once you engage especially in urban combat. You train for conditions that are unfamiliar and assess the situation as you fight, make sure your fellow combatants cover areas around you for the safety of your men, firing discipline, tactical movement to engage and gain fire superiority, etc.,etc. When hear veterans say "that's when the training kicks in", it simply means the conditions I subscribed, you fight for the man next to you. In my late years I'm speaking about war a little more than ever. 77 y.o. Marine, plt. sgt., Viet Nam, 1966-1967. Enjoyed watching film with you, Ed.
My brother played baseball with one of the Black Hawk pilots that got shot down, Donovan Briley . My brother named his son after him Donovan 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Note the helicopter flying is so good because they actually have the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment doing the flying...They're the guys that fly Delta Force, Seals and spec ops around.
and the pilot who talks to Eversman while rescuing Daniel Busch from crashside nr.1, did the same rescue in 1993. Not that character, I mean that real soldier himself. He was asked from filming crew, if he could play it in the movie
The fast-rope insertion scene was done using actual Rangers.
If the movie shows the military in a good light the military will donate equipment for the movie.
@@armynurseboy Yep, fast roping (from what I've read from Rangers and other military) is a qualifiable skillset, meaning, just having a bunch of stuntmen dress up in Ranger gear and rappel from a helicopter wasn't going to work. So, they got real Rangers to do it.
You mentioned PTSD. I don't give a shit how "hard" any veteran is, the internal struggles are very real for those who see/do/experience even a percentage of horror replicated in this film. Knowing what you're walking into, surviving, and having to live with the guilt and memories are the #1 reason our government has failed our service men and women when they come home. Inaction to provide post-war resources, and I mean real resources, should be criminal.
You’re so right Ice. If you send men and women to fight and kill on your orders, you should look after them when they come home
@@kabirconsiders I'm very proud of my country, my constitution, and my brothers and sisters in arms. But our government is something I'm very embarrassed of at times, this issue being one of them. Great reaction.
No, I deployed 11 times. Three of those I had lethal contact daily. I have zero issues. I have found that those that have PTSD : 1) cannot compartmentalize events, 2) weren’t raised in an environment where they had to be responsible as kids for themselves, 3) found themselves in situations where they had no control of their outcomes. Any combination of these 3. Even Robert O’Neil has said he has zero PTSD. Not everyone gets it; some of us can let go easier than others
@rileyandmike my Great Uncle was a medic in the Pacific during WWII. The shit he saw and endured is unimaginable. He wouldn't talk much about it as I was 10 and he was 70. They left guys whose guts were blown out that they knew they couldn't save to take others that had a chance. Triage is the word. They dug foxholes for the wounded and didn't fire a shot to give away their position, they tossed hand grenades instead. On his deathbed, he was worried about the Japanese attacking, final thoughts of a great man, warrior in all senses of the word. Read the book that mentions him and his twin brother "Those Devils in Baggy Pants"
my Great Uncle was a medic in the Pacific during WWII. The shit he saw and endured is unimaginable. He wouldn't talk much about it as I was 10 and he was 70. They left guys whose guts were blown out that they knew they couldn't save to take others that had a chance. Triage is the word. Marines wore necklaces of ears from the Japanese they'd killed. The government confiscated those photos. The medics dug foxholes for the wounded and didn't fire a shot to give away their position, they tossed hand grenades instead. On his deathbed, he was worried about the Japanese attacking, final thoughts of a great man, warrior in all senses of the word. Read the book that mentions him and his twin brother "Those Devils in Baggy Pants"
The cast of this movie is insane and it keeps getting better as time goes on. People who were basically bit parts in this ended up being A level Hollywood stars. It's nuts
The timing of the mission was totally up to the targets. After the meeting they would scatter so it had to be while they were all gathered. Jeff Streucker also fought in Panama and Kuwait, the went into the Chaplains Corp as an officer and is now retired. Keni Thomas, who didn't want to go back out but then jumped aboard, was a technical advisor on this film. Randy Shugart was the one who called home and had to leave the message that his wife just missed. The bodies from the crash were stripped and drug through the street, and films of it were shown all over the world. The guys at the end ran what became known around the Ranger Regiment as the "Mogadishu Mile." They didn't actually run all the way but made a rendezvous point. Some 10th Mountain Division soldiers were with them, and it was both a walk and run so that was somewhat Hollywood. The failure to provide the requested vehicle, AC130 gunships and armor support by the Clinton administration was a major issue, and Secretary of Defense Les Aspin was forced to resign after less than a year in office.
@@robling1937 You may have him confused with some other name. Keni Thomas (Kenneth M.) was his name and he was in for 6 years in the Rangers, making Staff Sergeant E-6. After getting out he was in a band, did speaking and counseling, and also was hired as a Tech Advisor for the movie. Not a Delta, but maybe try his book “Get It On” for more info.
Read the book before the film came out.Theres alot not shown.Before the Black Hawk Down incident,the Delta and Rangers were doing nighttime raids using NightVision Googles and they never fired a shot.The Somali people welcomed the US,but there was an incident.The US thought Adid was at a meeting,so they missiled the place and killed local leaders trying to come up with a peaceful negotiation with the US.There was 1 surviver and the Somali people turned on the US after.Adids people ambushed and slaughtered a group of UN,Pakistan soilders.The Pakistan people wanted to leave and were reluctant to help the US.There was another Blackhawk hit,but made it back to base.The Rangers and Delta guys were spread out in Somali homes before being rescued.Theres pictures and footage of the operation and rescue,including 1 of the Delta guys dead or was dying,being dragged down the street by Somali locals.Their were alot of civilians killed.The Delta guys were firing pretty much at anything that moved.1 Ranger was awarded the Medal of Honor, because he out for medical supplies under heavy fire,not once but a few times.
I remember seeing this on the news when I was in high school..first time I ever saw a dead body on the news, not just laying there but literally dragging these soldiers through the streets. It was a real eye opener and an image I've never forgotten.
Yeah I remember watching it on the news. Them laughing and cheering dragging that American through the streets.
Yes me too. It was the worst thing I had ever seen.
This isn't set in Iraq, but it's one of the most accurate depictions of what it was like to fight in Iraq. Specifically just how frustrating it was just to communicate with a leadership who is 15 minutes behind and seemingly has no idea what the situation is.
If there was a 9/11 movie being made and it would be set in Iraq after that horrific disaster on an unimaginable scale, produced, and directed by talented guys like, Jerry Bruckheimer, Ridley Scott or the Nolan/Russo Brothers with the appropriate cast, with that style of a movie like this, Then we can say that it'll be LIT as hell.
We Were Soldiers is another amazing true war story that came out around the same era.
The soundtrack for this movie is so amazing. I listen to it often. Hanz Zimmer does a lot of great soundtracks.
I heard Stone Temple Pilots, and House of Pain 😀
That's what really topped off the movie.
The captured Pilot Mike Durant actually had just ran for senator of Alabama but lost the Republican primary. Also you must watch the video black hawk down by operations room. He explains everything that happens with great visuals.
Yeah, the Operations Room video is fantastic. That channel has a ton of great videos.
Lost a Republican Primary in Alabama?? Tf is the world turning to?? 😆
@@Jason_Van_Stone Sure is easy to be a jerk on the internet. I'm speaking, of course, of some other fellow.
@@Jason_Van_Stone Wdym? It's fairly common to lose a primary. There were just more popular Republicans in Alabama, and Durant being a 2020 election denier, fervent Trump Supporter, and refusing to participate in the debates didn't help his campaign.
My Dad was a Senior Master Sergeant 23 years in the Air Force Special Forces Pararescue and he knew Sgt. Gordon and Shugart. We went to see this movie in theaters when it came out and after that he showed me pictures of them together. Not sure if this is a spoiler but if you've seen The Perfect Storm but he also knew the PJ that drowned trying to rescue people. He was also part of the first responders after Jonestown and I have the pictures and newspaper articles about it. He died 3 months ago and I think about him every day.
When my nephew was deployed in Somalia, he said it was roughly 110 degrees & when their in full gear like this movie it's an additional 80-100lbs of gear.
For Kabir, >43° C.
I served with and under some of these real life guys in my early years in the Army. Exceptional leaders.
Muhammad Farah Adid's son emigrated to the United States, and served in the Marine Corp for 8 years from 1987 till 1995. He served during the events of this film, in the very army sworn to hunt his father down. Life is strange.
DELTA snipers are damn good at what they do. Just the 2 of them held off a mob in the 100s for 2 hours until they ran out of ammo and were killed.
Both of them were then stripped naked and carried around the city like a trophy.
At some point the world would see a video on the news of the mobs actions.
Both DELTA snipers posthumously received the MEDAL OF HONOR for there actions in that engagement.
Ironically, had the SOAR helos mounted standard M240s instead of miniguns, they could have used them to hold the crash site. Instead, the miniguns were useless because they require electricity to power them.
It was the first time a Blackhawk was shot down using RPGs. It was totally unexpected in terms of the mission outcome and changed everything. I would highly recommend reading the book. It's really interesting and detailed. I especially found the information about the Little Bird helicopters and the Parajumpers use during the mission fascinating.
The "Skinnies" were shown how to rig the rockets to explode mid-air by Al-Qaeda.
@@Gundam944 Lol there were no Al qaeda at the time you dim inbred
I thought they shot one down during an earlier mission? They knew to just try to hit the tail rotor as the Blackhawks were almost like a flying tank and tough to bring down.
If my memory is correct I believe the Rangers (after they replaced the Marines) asked for AC130 and US armor support and were refused by then Sec. of Defense Les Aspin. It is believed by some that if they had been granted that request and been less depended upon support from UN Pakistani support the mission to hunt down Amid would have been successful and fewer causalities sustained. I had a Marine (who was in Somalia) tell me they were more successful because of tactics and better air and ground support.
The Clinton administration was afraid if they sent in more military it would look bad for the president's popularity making him look like a war-monger. So the military got screwed.
Ac 130 would not have helped this mission. Spectres do not fly daytime missions.
@William Holloway I think it would've served as a deterrent.
Ac 130 is a great weapon in the right circumstances. Mainly if you want to suppress an area. In a densely packed city with civilians mingling with combatants you would not deter fighting. You would create a recruiting tool for terrorists and all our enemies. Firing artillery and machine cannons into crowds that include women and children would end in a courtroom in the Hague. Additionally you would most likely get the 130 shot down which would add to the problems not decrease them.
There's a bunch of really crazy stuff left out of the movie from the Somali cavalry (at least one Somali fought while riding an ox) to the squatters (Somali gunman who had children literally sitting on them to act as cover - didn't always work). Probably the weirdest thing however is that Mohamed Farrah Aidid (the warlord they US was trying to capture) had a son named Hussein Farrah Aidid. Hussein emigrated to the United States in the early 80's and ended up joining the Marine Corp. He would be deployed with the Marines to Somalia, serving as an interpreter. When the his dad was killed, Hussein was declared head of his father's political party and would serve as head of state for 2 years before transitioning power to the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council.
I was looking for a comment about his son. Did you see the show on History Channel about this? They interviewed some of the soldiers and Aidid’s son?
The objective of the mission was completed successfully-they got the men they were after. When the first Black Hawk went down, that objective immediately changed to securing the crash site, retrieving the bodies of the pilots, and destroying the helicopter so that no intelligence or weaponry could be seized by the militias. Then, of course, it happened all over again. Tragic stuff. I was 15 when this happened, and I wasn’t paying enough attention at the time to know what had happened. I heard something about Somalia being a disaster, but didn’t know what that meant. This was the reason the U.S. was too scared to get involved when the genocide in Rwanda happened about five months later.
The problem with Rwanda was that two tribes were so embedded with one another that they couldn't even tell each other apart. Everything was based on gossip. The fighting just stopped on its own.
@@orlock20 Rwanda wasn't a fight, that was a genocide. Canadians were on the ground there and the boys were so fucked up about it afterwards. The world did nothing and just stood by and watched families get hacked apart with machetes in the streets
My step dad was a private and this was his first time out of base and on a mission. He was a ranger, and rode in the humvees. He said the movie is very accurate to what happened and how it played out. He made it through with no injuries and then ended up getting his leg caught and broken by the tank when the barrel swiveled, while on the ride out :/ man is tough.
And that is why you don't it on the tank, LOL. Just imagine if it fired or was hit!!
That UN convoy that ditched them pissed me off so much. I cant imagine how furious your dad would have been hearing about that.
@@absolutezero6423 The only thing uniting about the UN is that no matter what military you serve your country in, you are all equally expendable for the comfort and whimsy of the Belgian Elites.
@@absolutezero6423 They technically, in the real event, the Convoy didn't ditch them. Some vehicles in the convoy waited for them in the real event at a designated rendezvous point. The Mogadishu Mile was the mile to that rendezvous point.
But the real hero is malaysia army go that side war gamble they self with knot enoug war aquitment at night time to safe American army but at this flm they who gamble they live to safe american army like dont have they did knot appricilate said thank you also dont have to who safe american army that time they ego n arrogant so much
The best part of this movie is McKnight (Tom Sizemore) walking through an active firefight like it’s a Sunday stroll through the park.🤣😂
I spent 30 days immediately following the events of Blackhawk Down off the coast of Mogadishu. The entire time we sat off the coast, we tried to locate General Aideed. Then an agreement was made to have Aideed attend a peace conference in Kenya. The U.S. Army flew him in a military aircraft to the conference. Why they didn't just open up the door on the way there and shove him out is beyond me. Fun fact: His Son was in the U.S. Marine Corps and on a ship sitting off the coast of Mogadishu following the failed raid. Later he went on to leave the U.S. and went to Somalia to become a warlord like his Father.
Another fun fact; one of the tier one targets Major General Garrison (played by Sam Shepard) identifies is Omar Salad Elmi. Elmi was Mohamed Aidid’s foreign minister, number two in command, a known human rights violator/war criminal, and Ilhan Omar’s father.
Garrison did the job he was asked to do, and did it with the resources that washington let him use. Honestly, if Clinton really wanted the job done right, he would have put 20000 marines again, held the city, and then had Special Operations groups track Adid down. The problem exists because America always has to look like the white knight, and watch out for civilians and don't do this or that. Sometimes, if you want the job done, you got to let the dogs loose and let them handle it quick and ugly. With people like the warlords in Africa, they can't be negotiated with, and they do not care how many bystanders get killed. The only way you deal with that is with overwhelming force. when the locals realize they can't win on his side, they will defect to the winning side.
Captain Steele was my Brigade Commander during my 2nd deployment to Iraq from 2005-2006. He was a Colonel then with 3rd BCT 101st Airborne. Dude was crazy but a hell of a commander.
One of the DVD versions has an audio track with the real Sgt Eversmann and 3 other veterans who were participants give their take on the movie, detailing the facts vs the fiction. Overall, while they concede that some liberties and compressions were done (mostly for cinematic and practical purposes), they mostly give that the "spirit" of the events hold true.
General Garrison retired 3 years later in’96. Yes I agree, and being there as the blue helmets in Pakistani Stadium, listening to it all go down with 10th MTN and being ready to go out and get our people, but denied by the Pakistani General pissed all of us off. Since then, US soldiers can’t be under “foreign commanders”, because of this incident (NATO exception mostly UK & Canada). Says a lot about whom we can trust with our young soldiers’ lives!
"How can you do this to your own people?" Over there, if they aren't of your clan, then they aren't your people.
I've read a lot of books over the years..too many to count. I have to say next to the Bible...this is the best I've ever read. This story touches a place in my heart and never lets go.
So glad I came across your reaction, the events in this movie are real and absolutely heartbreaking.
It's one of my favorite movies of all time, I own 5 DVD's and this is one of them!
I've watched this movie many times. The firsts time I watched it, I bawled throughout the movie. My mom watched it once and will not watch it again. My first husband was in the Army and served in Desert Storm in 1991 while we were married. While he didn't see this level of war [thank goodness], this move just further enhances the respect that I have for those that serve in our military and sacrifice for our country.
I remember watching the bodies of our fallen being drug through the streets on the news. I've always remembered that. I didn't fully understand what was going on but I knew they were our soldiers. Broke my heart!
Something most people don't know is that Aidid's own son was one of the Marines who deployed in 1992 as an interpreter. He returned back to Somalia a few years later, led the Habir Gidr clan for about a year, and fled to a neighboring country afterwards.
Many of the pilots who flew in the actual operation flew in this film, and Chief Warrent Officer 4 Keith Jones recreated his actual rescue of Delta Operator Dan Busch from the 6-1 crash site.
A third Delta sniper named Brad Halling was aboard Super 6-2 and would have joined Shugart and Gordon but he was manning the right side minigun after the crew chief was wounded. He was severely injured, as was Captain Jim Yacone, when an RPG struck the chopper between the two men as they were providing air cover for Shugart and Gordon. The chopper crash landed back at the base, as did Super 6-8.
When Super 6-4 crashed, all four crew members survived and defended the chopper until Shugart and Gordon arrived. They placed co-pilot Ray Frank an crew chiefs Tommi Franks and Bill Cleveland against the tail boom and moved Durant against a tree. That act was the difference between life and death for him.
Super 6-1 actually crashed in an alley in a shanty town and the medics and defending Rangers used the aircraft for a casualty collection point to bring the wounded to.
Former Master Sergeant Tim Wilkinson told a funny story where he and Master Sergeant Scott Fales were at the tail of the chopper and Fales had been wounded in the ass almost as soon as they roped in. Tim was setting up Kevlar panels to provide protection and holes started appearing in the tail above Scott. He looked at Scott and delivered the Steve Martin line shown in the film: They hate the cans. Stay away from the cans!
I had my blood type on my boots, you never know
I had a High School History Teacher who was semi-retired Lt Colonel with Delta (i graduated in 97). I remember his stories in class about this particular mission, keep in mind, this was before this operation had become declassified. In the clip around 11:40 you hear reference to Khat. Khat is a leafy green plant containing two main stimulant drugs which speed up your mind and body. Their main effects are similar to, but less powerful than, amphetamine (speed). So you need to realize that they were going into an area of this city where basically the entire Militia was high as a kite on Khat. I couldn't imagine going up against a Militia in an urban setting when basically they all cooked up on speed.
They were also dropping into the Bakara Market, one of the world's largest illegal arms markets at the time, and Aidid's HQ.
You need to check out the book about the men who went down and protected the crashed helicopter “in the company of hero’s”
Also react to lone survivor another great movie based on true events!!
@ 1715 Dude, its their backyard...the enemy knows your coming, there is no "covert" man. Doesnt matter how silent you are especially with a Company sized element. CPT Steel was my Battalion commander in the 101st ABN. Very hard dude. Forgot to say, huge fan of your content. My GF and I really enjoy you. Cheers from the US.
Yeah, I was just shaking my head when he said they should do a covert op. I was thinking, there? In that? how the f you gonna do that?
My nephew is in the Army Special Forces & I recently asked him of all the war movies what are the most accurate & realistic to how it is. His response was Black Hawk Down & The OutPost.
one of the best Movies to show the F*d up Sh*t Soldiers have to deal with
And to think Washing D.C denied them tanks and Spectre gun ships because it was too ‘aggressive’ and more horrifically - the humvees armor doors had just been delivered and installed the day of the mission.
And the helicopters flew resupply missions throughout the night dropping water and ammo to the men below even as they made non-stop gun runs holding back the city.
Love this movie but the book adds so much more detail than they were able to show.
And the Americans kept the op a secret from the UN because on several occasions Operators caught onto the Italians sending signals to the Somalian militias whenever a mission was mounting up.
"The road to hell, is paved in good intentions"...this situation helps to prove that theory...
You asked why the UN Pakistani forces wasn't notified in advance. It was simply that they were not trusted. Two weeks prior to this incidence the Rangers caught UN Peacekeepers selling UN weapons to Aidid.
Kabir, take note of the number of subscribers you have. That's a testament to your character, and ethics. They are so evident. Thank you for your videos
No doubt folks have pointed out the dozens of well-known actors in flick.
I’ll add that one of the base commanders is U.S. President Gerald Ford’s son Steven. ✌️
My first mission was absolutely terrifying. There were supposed to be like 30 guys before I was even an option, but then you get told you’re up and that’s just all there is to it. If not me, there was basically nobody left to respond. 2 guys were left at our compound at that point, one for the radios and one to give commands.
More terrifying, in hindsight, was not caring after that. It was all noise. And that was a picnic on the beach compared to this.
160th SOAR Nighthawks. The badasses of Army aviation. I had the opportunity to be on three lifts with them. Great guys. Mad skills.
I believe I was 12 when the actual incident occurred in 1993. I remember it on the news. Shocked me because even at that age I loved the military and never seen such a failed operation. But the loss of troops never really hit me deeply because I was to young to really get things on a deeper level.
I didn't see anything about it. I was the same age. Maybe a couple clips on the news, but don't remember
I was 13, and I remember it being on the news. I think saying it was a failed operation is a stretch (personally I believe the military was never a solution to Somalia's problems). We lost 19. They lost upwards of 1,000. By any reasonable standard, those numbers represent an overwhelming victory. The choice to abandon the mission was an arbitrary decision of politicians.
It's wild to me that despite the story being about American troops, the bulk of the actors are not American:
Eric Bana (Hoot) is Australian
Orlando Bloom (Blackburn) is English
Ewen Bremner (Nelson) is Scottish
Ewen McGregor (Grimes) is Scottish
Tom Hardy (Twombly) is English
Nikolaj Kolster-Waldau (Gordon) is Danish
Zeljko Ivanek (Col Harrell) is Slovenian
Jason Isaacs (Capt Steele) is English
Ioan Gruffud (Lt Beales) is Welsh
Hugh Dancy (Schmid) is English
Matthew Marsden (Sizemore) is English
Kim Coates (Wex) is Canadian
Blame the director Ridley Scott who is British. 😉
@@technopirate304 It's not a problem or a bad thing just a funny little oddity
@@lawrencedockery9032 Oh I know. My father served in this unit (75th Ranger Regiment) during the Vietnam conflict.
I also find it funny that all of these all American boy next door types are played by foreign born actors.
My brother was an Army Ranger & knew the guys that are portrayed here, some that died. He & his unit went to the theater to see this together; not a word was spoken afterwards. That could've been them. 🥺
Thank you for your brothers/his friends service! 🙏
When you have a chance brother check Glory from 1989. Red tails, Tuskegee airmen. And miracle at St Anna. These are all films that most of the world does not know about African American units in the civil war, WW2 ext.
These are movies that everyone no matter where you are from will love trust me
The guys that were involved have said the movie is pretty much accurate to what happened.
Shughart and Gordon are true heroes. They knew they were going to die and went anyway.
Man I loved the soundtrack of this movie. I had it in my car when this movie came out.
Great reaction. You should react to 13 Hours The secret soldiers of Benghazi. It also captures the insane circumstances of action inside a failed state
I still remember the news coverage of this when I was in high school. I read the book and when the movie came out I honestly avoided it because I knew it was going to be traumatic. It's an exceptionally well crafted movie but it's still tough to watch.
QRF=Quick Reaction Force. This movie adheres completely to the book, which is the amalgamated eyewitness accounts. What you see in the movie is pretty much exactly what happened to each of these people.
The thing with the strategy was that they had used the exact same tack ticks in a previous operation just a few days back, and it was pretty successful. The mistake was repeating the clear strategy, and Aidid's men were prepared this time.
It’s crazy the amount of British actors played in this movie. Did you recognize any of them?
Sam Shepard is one of the greatest American Playwrights
This whole mission wasnt the generals fault either he knew it was a bad idea and requested more heavier air support and armoured tanks but the government denied it so they were forced to fend for themselves even the soldiers when he retired because he took the blame said he was a great general who cared about his men
Those poor bastards..
They were stuck on the ground with Randy Shugart and Gary Gordon.
There was no time for a covert operation. They received the information about the meeting just a few hours before the raid and the details of it and the location very shortly beforehand. Also, this took place in Aidid's it's stronghold. There was no way it could have been covert. It was supposed to be a lightning strike, in and out in less than an hour. Garrison did underestimate what he was up against though.
I remember watching the news and seeing footage of Shugart and Gordon's mostly unclothed bodies being drug through the streets of Mogadishu. Most people didn't even realize the extent of the conflict in Somalia at the time. It was a cold eye opener.
I will add my support to you watching either We Were Soldiers, a true battle from the Vietnam War, or Zero Dark Thirty about the 10 year search for and execution of, Osama Bin Laden. Both are excellent.
Here are a few movies you might consider reacting to: (1) Man On Fire: Denzel Washington; (2) Colombiana: Zoe Saldana; (3) Behind Enemy Line: Owen Wilson; and (4) Platoon: Charlie Sheen. You can check out the Overview or Synopsis.
Have to drop my obligatory comment when I see a reaction to this film. Gen. Garrison was a friend of my Grandfather's, and I had several opportunities to speak with him when they had morning coffee together. I never asked specifically about this, because that felt inappropriate. My impression was that he was a decent man who cared about the men under his command, and took the blame, because someone was expected to. More guns was never going to fix Somalia, but that has nothing to do with the soldiers who did their job, and did it well.
Im sure everyone already noticed but i will say it anyways the first American soldier BLACKBURN was played by ORLANDO BLOOM. It was his first movie in theaters.
Saw this when I was younger. Great movie with amazing soundtrack 🤩 RIP Tom Sizemore 😞
That brotherhood in arms is like nothing else. Love and respect to my hero’s 🇺🇸
Aidid was killed. A Somali serving in the Marines at the Mogadishu Allied compound mustered out and returned to Somalia where he dominated most factions in the city about a year later.
You gotta watch Tears of the Sun starring Bruce Willis, it's a fantastic movie
My dad was there with 10th 87 c company. Right before I returned to London I attended ceremony for the 30th anniversary for the battle of Mogadishu. My dad was in not me and I had junior enlisted men telling me thank you for your service in a line while they were being kicked out because they wanted officers and corporals and up. Dudes currently in are cool
A lot of the guys involved in this mission were Air Force Combat Controllers. They work hand in hand with other Spec Ops coordinating the ground to air fighting. They were the ones calling in the air strikes.
Of course as you have seen in this movie, the Somali Militia were not impeded by the rules of engagement. Given that they had women and children as runners, spotters and even human shields. Some of them even willingly took up arms against the American troops. How do you fight an enemy that doesn't play by the rules, that as a soldier you're expected to follow to the letter? I guess you could say that within this hypothetical scenario, the easy option would be to just throw rule-book out the window. However then comes the issues of accountability and regret, provided of course if you survive. With people calling you a monster, just because you killed a 12 year old who cut down six of your squadmates with a Kalashnikov.
My sergeant Thai served in Iraq with was there in Mogadishu with the 10th Mountain. He had to literally run out of the place.. and I had friends there serving on the base in field hospital. It was a very ugly day.
Jason Isaacs, who played Captain Steele, asked to meet with the real Captain Steele. When he walked into my sister's office and saw a 5-foot, 120 lb black women, he was speechless. And all my sister did was smile and say, "I always wanted to be a bald, middle-aged, white man."
Anyways, for good laugh Google Skippy's list. It's hilarious and you'll find that my sister is mentioned as Captain Steele. The captain Steele who won't sign anybody's copy of Black Hawk Down. Except for mine.😄
By the way, if you're coming to Chicago on your road trip, my sister and I agree that you can stay at our place. We have an extra room and it's free of charge. Hotel prices here are outrageous if you want stay in the city. Right now we're not too far from where Lawrence, of Lost in the pond, lives. I hope if you come here you can get to meet with him at some point.
I used to live in Glen Ellyn, :)))
Is this true? Lol! That's hysterical!
@@burrichgrrl57 absolutely true! My sister retired as a full bird colonel after 28 years in the US Army.
If you like reading, the Pilot who was captured then released wrote a book about his captivity (as well as little insights to other parts of his life in the military as well) that you might enjoy. It's called "In the Company of Heroes"
half of the cast is british (Bloom, McGregor, Bremner, Dancy, Gruffudd, Isaacs ...). Even some of the Somalis(Harris, Adoti, Etienne) .
There were also an australien (Bana) and a danish(Coster-Waldau)
From the USA 🇺🇸 people say. THEN DVDS. R old school. I own this movie on Blu-ray. Some movies. I don't have to wait for it to be the internet like Netflix or Hulu. William.s
One of the guys in this film is a family friend
The CAG snipers, Gordon and Shughart, are legends. Just go to illustrate the selflessness of these caliber people.
@7:50, I read the book this film is based on. The real life Captain Michael D.Steele the soldier is mocking is from Georgia.
He also played as an offensive lineman for the University of Georgia hence all of the discussion on football.
7:38... "Sometimes people just see them as weapons."
You nailed it. Folks get in for all sorts of reasons...I did Civil Affairs and if you asked me while I was in Afghanistan, my reasons and drives would sound very similar to a Red Cross or Oxfam volunteer.
Like you said, no one gets in and becomes an automaton. Can they do some things automatically? EMPHATICALLY YES. But above that is an awful lot of personality, brain power, and heart...all three of which can vary in intensity and utility from person to person.
There is a fairly well known secret why General Barrison retired the day after Aidid was 'killed' in Mogadishu. When he was asked if he knew anything about Aidid being killed, he smiled widely and just said, "I couldn't rightly say. I'm retired." (Not a direct quote, just the gist of his comment)
They asked for the AC130 and AH64 Apache in Somalia. They were denied due to political considerations. As usual the Miltary Officers had to take the fall for not being given the equipment, time and rules of engagement to do the job that was required.
This movie introduced me to the legendary mystique of Delta Force as a child. Still what comes to mind when I think of Delta. "Nothin to it, its just war"
Really enjoyed Eric Haney's book about the early formation of Delta Force.
@@burrichgrrl57 oh wow I don't think I know the book you're referencing? I'm a bit of a military history buff though I'm going to have to pick it up and give it a read.
@@DirtSpud It's called Inside Delta Force. I thought it was fascinating but I'm not much of a buff so you might be less interested. Still, check it out. He was in one of the first groups to graduate into the program. He was also on the botched mission when President Carter sent them in to rescue the hostages being held in Tehran in 1980. Interesting look from an insider's perspective.
@@burrichgrrl57 all I needed to see, its en route 😁👍. I love learning about how these special units used to operate and how those operations led to the SOP's and tactics modern Spec Ops units utilize today. I'd recommend any books or podcasts about the SOG units in Vietnam. If you see the name John Stryker Meyer aka Tilt attached to it, it's worth the time. Truly harrowing experiences from the viewpoint of the small squads who were sent out on suicide missions. Talking a small group of maybe 10 to 15 guys going up against entire Viet Cong regiments in the middle of the night. Always entertaining to learn about. Thank you for the recommendation though look forward to reading the book.
@@DirtSpud You are welcome. Are you familiar with the channel Steve1989? It's sort of a military history channel. He buys, opens and eats (and smokes) MRE's from different wars and different countries. I find it fascinating how specific the emergency packs can be. For extreme cold, for being lost at sea, etc. Learned all kinds of interesting things. He even had some Civil War hard tack. Ugh! He didn't eat that one, thank God, lol.
Thank u for enjoying a wonderful movie when it come to our military our men and women are just as much ours as yours love ya bro from Utah 🇺🇸
Aidid waited for the Marines to leave because his son was a US Marine at the time. Seven helicopters were shot down during this operation, only two went down in the city. The rest either went down outside the city or at the airport.
i remember watching this on the news back then, especially the bodies being drug threw the streets. joined the marines the next year
They couldn't go covert because the meeting was during the day and since its during the day, they couldn't be covert. They went it very lightly armed because it was supposed to be a quick raid, not a battle. They mentioned earlier that Garrison wanted to use AC-130 gunships and heavy weapons like tanks/APC's but Washington wouldn't allow it because it was too high profile. This battle changed American foreign policy until 9/11 and has prevented the US from intervening in other African conflicts like Sudan.
You should also watch "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi".
I'M SUBSCRIBING BECAUSE THIS WAS A SMOOTH REACTION FROM A SMOOTH BRO. REGARDS FROM CAMBODIA!
The Secretary of Defense "retired" shortly afterward. Not authorizing heavy armor was a big mistake.
Having just flown Little Birds in Arma 3 (and crashed them) I'm impressed!
A small unit had been suggested but it would have been risky, but perhaps possible. Instead three larger packages were prepared. The smallest one was the one chosen and that's that is seen in the movie.
One thing you don't really see is just how shot up the vehicles were. Strucker's three Hummers barely made it back to base. Many vehicles in the "Lost Convoy" were barely running, some having to be pushed by the big trucks. They were also packed with wounded, especially as vehicles had to be abandonned and everyone piled on those still moving. It would have been worse had they removed the doors as they had started to before the mission.
Thay second convoy going out actually got heavily ambushed. It was triggered early which allowed them to get out of it, barely. One section very nearly got boxed in and wiped out.
Damn Kabir, when I recommended this I thought it would be a long time before you got to it. It's a pretty hard watch bit I personally put it up there with Saving Private Ryan. The scene where Delta Force operators Shuggart and Gordon request to drop in knowing they will certainly die is powerful. In the real event, they requested and were denied at least 6 times and ultimately demanded to be put in. I feel the movie severely underplays that, but it's still my favorite "war movie" that isn't called American Smiper lol
This is one of my Fav movie's
I read the book. It was great. Never saw the movie. I thought it would depress me too much. I think I was right.
Realize, this was like the 4th or 5th time they conducted this kind of raid. The issue was the TF got complacent. They didn't change any of the planning details. When the enemy learns how you do things, and you don't change things up, they're going to take advantage of that.
While you mention how hot it is and everyone sweating, it's interesting to realize Man is the only animal that sweats and it's this ability to cool down while continuing to move which gave the earliest hunters an advantage in their ability to catch up to prey which need to stop to cool down.
Hello, you are almost correct. All primates, monkeys, apes and humans all sweat. The other animal that sweats is the Horse. I'm just wondering why you brought up that fact about the sweating I guess it just popped in your head while you saw them sweat. 😁
@@giannag4581 Wondering 'why' I brought it up? I thought I covered it in that first sentence. Regardless, yes - thank you for expanding on this evolutionary fact. I guess hunting other primates and horses wasn't a big thing :)
Kabir, I'm sure you've heard the term "fog of war", nothing is scripted once you engage especially in urban combat. You train for conditions that are unfamiliar and assess the situation as you fight, make sure your fellow combatants cover areas around you for the safety of your men, firing discipline, tactical movement to engage and gain fire superiority, etc.,etc. When hear veterans say "that's when the training kicks in", it simply means the conditions I subscribed, you fight for the man next to you. In my late years I'm speaking about war a little more than ever. 77 y.o. Marine, plt. sgt., Viet Nam, 1966-1967. Enjoyed watching film with you, Ed.
My brother played baseball with one of the Black Hawk pilots that got shot down, Donovan Briley . My brother named his son after him Donovan 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
If you like this, Kabir, check out Zero Dark Thirty. About the US Navy Seals killing Osama Bin Laden.
At the end, those people aren't cheering the soldiers on...they are jeering them. They don't want them there.